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My Name is "Somebody"

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At times we may notice some gaps in our local congregation—a need is not being met or something is being left undone. When that happens, it’s easy to look around and say, “Somebody ought to fix that!” Indeed, somebody should do something. Churches aren’t perfect and things can slip through the cracks. I doubt the church in Jerusalem deliberately overlooked the needs of the Grecian widows (Acts 6:1-7), but that doesn’t mean the problem wasn’t real. At the same time, it is not helpful to merely point out problems if I can be part of the solution! Somebody ought to fix that—but what if my name is “Somebody”? 1) “Somebody” ought to check up on the sick and shut-in. It’s easy to overlook those who we don’t see often. Their names get mentioned in the announcements and we wonder how they are doing, but does our concern translate into action? Much good can be accomplished with a card, a phone call, or a visit. Is anyone doing that? Somebody ought to! 2) “Somebody” ought to teach the ch...
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Mustard and Leaven

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Matthew 13 contains several parables about the kingdom of heaven. Two of these parables—the mustard seed and the leaven—make the same basic point about the growth of the kingdom but with slightly different shades of meaning. Both challenge our preconceptions about the way the kingdom should work. 1) The mustard seed. “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” (Matt. 13:31-32). Mustard was the smallest seed commonly planted in the gardens of Judea. It was so small that you could barely see it, yet it grew to an impressive size of ten to twelve feet tall. In its mature state, the mustard tree was able to be climbed and provided a home for birds’ nests. You would never expect that such a tiny seed could amount to so much! The insignificance of the churc...
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The Supremacy of the Lord's Anointed

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Like many of the psalms, Psalm 2 has two layers of meaning. Both have to do with the concept of the Lord’s Anointed One, but one is the shadow and the other the substance. The immediate meaning that the ancient Israelites would have thought of as they sang it is God’s promise to David to build him a house and for his lineage to rule in Israel forever. The second, greater meaning is how Jesus is the true Anointed One who reigns over the world. 1) Conspiracy against God.  “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Ps. 2:1-3).   The kings of every nation gather together angrily to plot against God. This is not about any particular event in history or the present day, but instead portrays the spirit within the nations. They do not submit themselves to God’s power but look to ...
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Most of All

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You can tell a lot about a person’s priorities by the way they present themselves. We portray an image to others that represents what it is important to us and how we want people to think of us. Sometimes we do this deliberately and strategically, but it can also be without any forethought. Either way, we learn about ourselves when we consider what we want to be known for most of all. 1) Most of all, I am rich.  The human race has always been obsessed with wealth. Most people want more money than they have, regardless of their current level of wealth. When abused, the drive for more money can lead to overwork (Prov. 23:4-5), get-rich-quick schemes (Prov. 28:19-20), and dishonest gain (Prov. 20:10, 17).   Many are also interested in looking like they have more money than they actually do. We covet status symbols like cars, clothes, and jewelry that will signal to others that we are wealthy. Oftentimes the utility of the item is not even the important part—fake designer bags and...
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God Teaches Faithfulness Through His Own Character

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Faithfulness is not defined in a single moment. It is shown over time as consistency and reliability to do what one has committed to do. The Bible is full of exhortations to be faithful and warnings about our fate if we turn back. But God does more than just tell us to be faithful—He shows us how to do so through His own example. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). 1) Man is fickle. It doesn’t take any special insight to know that people are inconsistent. We experience it every day in ourselves and others around us. Sometimes the fickleness comes from malice while at other times it is simply neglect. Either way, we know that people cannot always be counted on. 2) We sometimes expect God to be like us. In Numbers 22-24, King Balak of Moab feared the Israelites who camped nearby in a great horde. Balak recruited Balaam to invoke a curse upon them with the promise of a great reward if he is successful. Balaam a...
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Tabitha, Full of Good Works

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One of the unsung heroes of faith in the New Testament is a disciple named Tabitha. Her story is simple and easily overshadowed by the other events in the book of Acts, but she still provides much for us to learn from and imitate. Acts 9:36-43 gives us her story. 1) Full of good works and acts of charity. Tabitha had no office or title, but that was not necessary for her to live a life full of good works. She was well known for her generosity and kindness, and when she died, there was a literal crowd of people who could show the physical proof of her life’s work. Tabitha did not look for honor and deference from her brethren. She didn’t need people to serve her nor was she concerned with what she stood to gain. She saw the needs of the widows and steadily worked to relieve them.   2) A “small” work. Tabitha is easy to overlook because her work doesn’t seem noteworthy or important. As far as we know, she didn’t travel the world converting pagans or attain any legendary accomplishmen...
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The Ark of Salvation

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2 Peter 2:4-10 uses several examples from biblical history to teach about the final judgment of mankind. One of those is the cataclysmic flood in the days of Noah. We can follow Peter’s  lead and learn many lessons about  salvation and judgment from this event. 1) God is willing to judge evil. God was not impotent or undisturbed in the face of the great evil in the ancient world. God saw their wickedness and the intention of their hearts (Gen. 6:5) and was grieved (v. 6). He determined to bring destruction against the earth on a broad and terrifying scale (v. 7). This was not merely a passing thought—He followed through and the flood came as He planned. Peter tells us what lesson we should learn from this. If God reacted in this way to sin back then and followed through with His judgment, why should we expect that He is any different today? In fact, this is just one example of three that Peter used. If we intend to bet on God suddenly having a different personality and att...
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