Misconceptions about Bible Reading

This week, I am going to give you a somewhat lengthy but impactful quote that I read from Joel R. Beeke. I thought about trying to write a post based upon it, but I honestly can't put it better than he did, and I feel you should read the original:

"If you are an unbeliever, reading your Bible, in itself, will get you no closer to God. Don't think that you can feel a little bit safer on days when you've read your Bible. You can't. And if you are a believer, reading the Bible will not make you any more acceptable or pleasing in God's sight. Not reading your Bible will not make you any less acceptable or pleasing in His sight. The difference between a believer and an unbeliever is Jesus Christ; it's grace, and nothing else.

Until you see that reading your Bible gets you no points with God, you will never be able to enjoy it. Why? Because you will always fail in reading it. You will fail to read it as often as you should; you will fail to read it as carefully as you should; you will fail to understand its meaning; and you will fail to see its wonder. You will fail again and again. So if you are hoping that your Bible-reading performance is earning you points with God, you are going to be one of the most miserable people on earth. You will be constantly losing points and losing heart until you finally give up in despair and quit reading the Bible altogether.

But the good news of the gospel- the good news of this book you're trying to read- is that you don't have to earn God's favor by reading your Bible. Jesus Christ and His righteousness is the only way to God, and unless you are trusting in Him for all your forgiveness and all your acceptability with God, you will never find joy in reading your Bible. So turn to him; trust in him, and come see the joy that can be found in reading the Word of the Lord, the Word of Jesus, the Savior."

- Joel R. Beeke, How Should Teens Read The Bible? 

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Every time I look back at my trip to Yellowstone National Park, I get to this photograph and the hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" starts to run through my head. Old Faithful is the park's most famous geyser, and it more or less lives up to it's name. It tends to go off around particular times each day and draws a notable crowd of watchers. Despite it's title, the park rangers told me that over the years it's timing has shifted and you can't quite rely on exact times for it to blow anymore. That's the world for you; reliability only goes so far. 

What is truly reliable? God. The lyrics below are deeply rooted in scripture. Take the time to ponder and appreciate the facts behind them.

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

 “Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”

  Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,    your faithfulness to the clouds. - Psalm 36:5

Back on the Rock

"He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!" - Psalm 40:2-4

Being a hiker, this passage really stands out to me. When you're out in the wilderness, it is very possible that you could fall to your death if you slipped into a large pit; you have to avoid stepping in miry bogs, and you feel the stability of rocks under your feet. Even those who are not outdoorsy can still feel this imagery; sometimes we feel as if we've slipped into a mental bog that we cannot escape on our own, and at some point in time, we have all been dead in a pit of spiritual destruction.

Let us be thankful and continually praising God each day that He has saved us from that destruction and set us upon His firm foundation. Know that He is equally capable of pulling us from the miry bogs of sin and despair. Believe it. Hang onto it. Don't be afraid to share it so that others can know. Trust God, and never allow yourself to pridefully believe that you are the only one who can rescue yourself.

The Donation That Had To Stop

"Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution..."    "...And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more." - Exodus 35:1-5a & Exodus 36:2-7

It really stood out to me here how excited everyone must have been to contribute to God's work in the camp. They gave so much that they were told to quit because there was more than was needed! How amazing. How eager are we to give our time, talent, and resources to aid the local church and ministry? Why or why not?  

First Impressions

“The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land." - Genesis 42:30

Partway through the account of Joseph in Genesis, Joseph has been promoted to second in command in Egypt. During the massive famine that ravaged the land, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to purchase food. By this point, it had been a considerable number of years ago that they had sold Joseph into slavery and they assumed he had likely died or been killed. They would have never guessed that the harsh Egyptian lord who stood before them could possibly be their long lost younger brother, and they certainly didn't think that this encounter could end up leading to one of the greatest blessings their family could have (an invitation to come set up residence on a nice parcel of land in that region!).

The fact is this: things aren't always what they seem- we can't take everything at face value or first impressions. When my friend and I were walking through Seattle, we didn't think terribly much of that iPhone billboard at the time. It was just another advertisement among many. Well, guess what? Later that day, it turned out to be the one landmark that enabled us to find our car after nearly two hours of searching! You just never know what God could use to ultimately bring about His blessings.

The Cup Bearer

"Then Joseph said to him, “This is its [the dream's] interpretation: the three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cup bearer. Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house... 

...On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cup bearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cup bearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cup bearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him." 
- Genesis 40:12-23

How often are we like the cup bearer in this situation in regards to God's blessings in our lives? How many times in our lives has God provided for us, but ended up going without the proper thanks or even a second thought from us? So often it can feel like where we are is our own doing- we worked hard for this, we made the choices that brought us to this position; while yes, we have been making choices, it is God who directed our steps and provided the opportunities and the impactful people we've met along the way.

Even if we are not currently in a high point in life, it is worth remembering that things could always get worse, were it not for God and His mercy holding back some of life's trials from us. Whether you are at a high point or a low point in life, take a step back and consider the blessings He has given you, whether in the form of the amazing things that have happened or in the form of the terrible things that could have yet did not.

Give thanks to God today, and every day. To Him be all glory.

The Grey Zone

Tip: Get a long range lens and zoom in on an object to create a nicely blurred background.

This was done with a 200mm lens.

"Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." (Romans 14:20-23)

There are certain things that are morally neutral; while the Bible commands us not to be gluttons or drunkards, there is nothing telling us specifically what to eat or drink. There are many Christians who are flat out against alcohol consumption or eating meat because those things are bothersome to their conscience - on the flip side, there are many who enjoy the same things with hearts of gratefulness toward God for them. 

To those who can confidently do these things before God, be conscientious about who is around when you are enjoying these liberties- don't do things that could lead those with a more fragile conscience to fall to sin.

To those who are against exercising these liberties, be careful that you do not begin feeling and acting self-righteous about your choice, looking down on those Christian brothers and sisters who choose to enjoy such things on occasion.

To everybody: be respectful of your fellow Christian's convictions, whatever they may be, as long as they are not in violation of scripture. Civil discussions on such matters of differing opinion are healthy and wonderful, but when you begin to try and force someone into adopting your stance on the "grey areas", you've gone too far.

The Unspoken Message of Creatives

Tip: Think about color; does your background complement your foreground?

There are many types of creative people in the world: builders, writers, inventors, artists, cooks, and so many more! What do they all have in common? All creative people, whether they realize it or not, are creative because there is something that they or the world around them lacks. They could see a need for an invention to make life easier, a need for good food, a need for shelter, a need to share information or tell a story, a need for beauty, or perhaps just a need to show off what they are capable of and be appreciated. That is the difference between our creativity and God's creativity.

The Bible begins with Genesis 1:1 stating that "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." This short line speaks volumes. Nobody commanded God to create something. He doesn't have any feelings of need or lack because He is fully self-sufficient; He created something from nothing and continues to uphold His creation simply because He is God and it pleases Him to do so.

When you see the creativity in others and yourself, remember that it points to our great Creator. Let us join the psalmist below in praise to God for the wonderful gifts He continually gives us day after day:

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! 
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.

-Psalm 95:1-7

Cultivating Community

Tip: For an interesting challenge, come up with a thing or concept that is not commonly photographed. For me, this was "online friends". Expand your creative thinking!

Over the past several months I've had the pleasure of being part of an online chat group of Christian young adults. As anyone could expect, we've had a lot of crazy times, but we also have shared a ton of very beneficial and meaningful times. One of the most striking things about these people is how well I see the meaning of Christian unity reflected among them.

We're all from different backgrounds, different churches, and have varying beliefs on certain issues. As a result, debates spring up among us from time to time - sometimes, rather heated ones. Yet, somehow, at the end of it all, everyone is still friends. With Christ as the common ground and everyone striving to act in love and obedience to Him, respect and forgiveness toward each other becomes a reflex. 

Could this type of community fellowship become more widespread? It's your call. You can choose to make the first move; be a careful judge of what things are worth fighting over, and always be ready to be the quickest one to forgive.

"Hatred stirs up strife,

but love covers all offenses." 

- Proverbs 10:12

Biblical Joy #2

Tip: Use sun-spots/lens flare carefully and sparingly. It can either add a great mood or a big distraction to your image.

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

If you've ever heard the popular worship chorus, the above verse may seem almost cliche as it repeats over and over again in your head. Starting a new day might seem just as repetitive. Wake up, go to work or school (or both?), eat, sleep, repeat. Maybe have time to see a few friends or family members here or there. Maybe have time to read a short paragraph or two about God alongside part of a Bible verse, if you can squeeze it in.

If the above sounds at all like how you live your life, it's no wonder joy is a rare thing to come by!

Just slow down and think about it for a second: God made today. He made it, and the fact that you are alive to see it is a gift from Him. We've lived so many days that we do not realize what miracles are continually happening around us: our body parts all work together to keep us functional, the sun comes up, the earth and planets properly rotate to make the days and nights and seasons happen. This stuff could not be without God upholding it all and allowing it to keep working.

Be in awe. Worship God with amazement. Know that He has let you come this far for a good reason, and pray that you may seek Him more each day that He lets you wake up. Never let yourself complain about the miracle of another day, whatever happens to become of it.

3 Overlooked Lessons From The Great Flood

Tip: When photographing in potentially dangerous situations, come prepared with emergency items and the knowledge of how to save yourself if you get in a pinch (or even better: a friend who can help). If you aren't prepared, leave.

Nearly every year, there comes a period of time when the river rises and the snow melt carries in lots of extra water and debris to the valley in which I live. Flooding is a good reminder of the one great flood that God once sent, back in the times of the book of Genesis.

Typically, when the flood of Genesis is mentioned, people automatically think of Noah and the animals all crammed onto a boat floating around, ending with the rainbow of God's promise to never again wipe all living things from the earth. While these are key aspects of the account, there are other lessons that can be gained. Here are a few:

1.) God is not required to show us mercy as we live in sin. 
The whole reason this all happened was because "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time." (Genesis 5:5). While He has promised never to exterminate all living things from the earth, do note that He can and has struck down smaller groups and individuals as He has seen fit (remember Ananias and Sapphira? Acts 5:1-11; Also, the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah- Genesis 19:1-29)

2.) God does choose to show mercy to some people.
"So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6:8). God could have chosen to lump Noah in with everyone else and call humanity a waste as a whole, but Noah honored God in his living and the Lord chose to let him and his family continue on.

3.) Numbers are Irrelevant.
To many groups, having a large number of attendees means the difference between a church that is "alive" and a church that is "dying". That simply is not the case. Nowhere in scripture does it say that you must have a big Bible study or belong to a mega-church to be spiritually fruitful. When God sent the great flood to wipe out the races, notice that out of all the people in the world at that time, he only saved eight - "On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark." (Genesis 7:13). Also, again referring to the account of Sodom & Gomorrah in Genesis 19, notice that the Lord only saved one family. As Matthew 18:20 states, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Thank God that He has shown you mercy though you don't deserve it. Thank Him that He chooses to at least save a few people. Thank Him that He shares His presence with us and will bless even the smallest groups of people.