Mission Faithwalk

                 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives (Colossians 1:9) I’ve read too many novels and watched too many shows/movies. Most of them deal with a fairly short-term crisis with the hero saving the day. They’re all sorts of fun but whether the hero is called from on high to be “the Chosen One” or not, the hero meets the challenge, saves the day, and we cheer. Life doesn’t quite work that way. While there are short term achievements, they tend to be smaller than “saves the day” and no one cheers. We read verses like the one above and wonder what we’re doing wrong, because we don’t feel filled with the knowledge of his will, wisdom, or understanding. Where is God’s declaration of what I’m supposed to get done today? In the next hour? In the next min...

                 A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. (Proverbs 12:4) At least part of the book of Proverbs was written by a man to his son. It makes sense that he would mention the benefits of a good wife. Had he been writing to a daughter, he would have been likely to have advised that a husband of noble character is a wife’s crown, etc. He could have written the same basic bit of wisdom to anyone about any relationship. It’s the idea of “the company you keep.” Their reputation rubs off on you, and yours on them.            The earliest meaning of the word noble came from the idea of someone being knowable. It is based in the Greek term gnosko, which refers to a personal knowledge. One thing this means is that if the “nobles” to whom the term was applied as a rank but who distanced themselves from the riffraff wer...

                 Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked . (Proverbs 10:6) When I’ve read this verse in the past, I’ve read it without really considering it. This morning as I was looking for a verse to blog about, I realized this one may not say what I assumed it said. My typical reading of this is that those who are righteous get blessed, visibly and greatly blessed. That made sense until I read the second half of the verse. If the blessings that crown the head of the righteous are rewards placed there, then would not the violence that overwhelms the mouth of the wicked also be placed there – shoved down the throat of the wicked? “To…to”  would be the true parallel. That does not feel right. We expect the violence that overwhelms the mouth of the wicked to come from the wicked. The true parallel then would be that the blessings that crown the head of the righteous are blessing...

               “ Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. ” (Isaiah 1:18)                 In the first 15 verses of this chapter, God presents His case against the nation, Israel, to the jury of the heavens and the earth. In verses 16 and 17, He tells them what they need to do in their relationship with people. In verse 18, He tells them what they need to do in their relationship with Him. He says first that we must settle the matter.                 To settle a matter, two or more parties resolve or reach an agreement about something, a debt is paid, or the parties adopt a more steady or secure style of life. They find a way to live together in peace. God c...

                     But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)                 This morning, before sitting down at my computer, I asked God for a verse I could write a blog about quickly. The verse above was the verse of the day online. It’s one of my favorite verses, so now I’m flustered and don't know where to start. Oh boy…oh boy!                 Joshua was about 110 years old. He’d spent 25-30 years leading the Israelites as they conquered the Promised Land. Before that, he had spent 40 years watching Moses lead them a...

                   I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (I Timothy 2:1-2)                 Over the past week or so, I saw lots of pleas that Christians would get out and vote, because if Christians actually vote, we can choose who gets into office. If you don’t vote, “they” will get into office and America is doomed. In the last election, it appears that lots of Christians didn’t vote, and that those who did weren’t the ideological monolith hoped for. So, quite likely, some people are going to be chastising Christians for not voting.                 And I think Scripture makes it clear that we should vo...