Focus on Eternity

          Have you ever been so excited to do something that you didn’t put enough forethought into the plans and things went awry?  During this period of social distancing, many of us may find ourselves anticipating the return to freedom with so much anticipation, that we may fail to listen to sound instructions in our eagerness to reconnect with loved ones.  David made a similar mistake in his exuberance to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem once he established his throne in Zion.  As I studied this passage, it is relevant to see that David had all the information that he needed to do this correctly, yet in his excitement he rushed plans and paid the consequences.     The Biblical account of David's relationship with God is revealed through a statement made to King Saul when Samuel shared. " The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you hav...

  This morning, my family and I woke up with a case of the blahs.  It is easy to do when one day blends into the next without any significant change in activities.  I was equally afraid that the blahs would set in during my daily Bible reading as I read a familiar passage.   Thanks be to God that it didn't.   Two sections of Matthew chapter 9 stood out as if they were printed in bold lettering.              The first came to light as the Pharisees criticized Jesus for mingling with sinners. Jesus heard the grumblings of the Pharisees and responded: " Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.   Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (see Matthew 9:12-13 ESV)              The second Jesus spoke to his disciples while observing the crowd. Jesus obser...

            This morning as I was renewing my mind with Scriptures, I found the Holy Spirit's guidance immediately locked my attention on 1 Samuel 18.  I still had three other passages to read, but before proceeding, I found myself reading and re-reading this chapter, three possibly four more times.  What stood out to me in my first pass was words that expressed emotion.  I began to circle those words.  What emotions did I find in this passage?  I circled words like, "love, fear, joy, anger, awe, displeased, pleased, and even more afraid."  I would encourage you, if you are interested, to take a look for yourself with a pen in hand.  After I marked emotions, I then decided to mark initials beside each of them (who was experiencing each one?).  In this pass, I identified five different people or groups.  I marked "J" for Jonathan, the son of king Saul.  I marked "P" for the people of Israel (servants of ...

         This past week, I found myself reading several books in the Old and New Testament.    I finished reading the book of Ruth; then I started the reading 1 Samuel along with 1 Chronicles.  I've had exposure to several Psalms, and finished the second epistle written by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth.  How could anyone possibly receive any benefit from reading such a wide array of Scriptures?  How could one possibly make sense of it all?         Over this past year, I have been following a daily reading plan that has allowed me to pass through the Old Testament once, and the New Testament twice.    Although it may appear to be very random reading from my account of four Old and one New Testament books, I find that many times the Scriptures I read from both testaments strangely align.  As I read, I pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten me to the m...

      It wasn't too long ago that we watched the excellent remake of the movie, "Won't You Be My Neighbor," with Tom Hanks playing the role of Fred Rogers.  It was a touching film that focused on the traits of someone full of grace and truth.  During this time of social distancing, a new Bible study was published on 'Rightnowmedia' called "The Art of Neighboring."   The title piqued my interest, so I started watching the first of four videos that talked about how we apply the principle found within the Bible that we call "The Great Command."       In Luke chapter 10, we see the story of the lawyer who asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life.   This question was asked without sincerity to test the man he called "Teacher," not Rabbi or Lord.  Jesus asked the lawyer to paraphrase how he understood what was written in the Law.  The lawyer responded by quoting Scripture. " You shall love the L...