According to an article in the New Yorker from about a year ago, 88 percent of Americans own a Bible.  About 25 percent own more than 5 copies.  The Bible is not only the best-selling book of all-time, it is also the best-selling book of the year every year.  According to www.guinnessworldrecords.com, more than 5 billion Bibles were printed between 1815 and 1975. 

photc by Abby Henry

With so many Bibles in American homes, we should expect our country to act more Christian than it does.  The sad truth is that although the Bible is readily available, it is scarcely read and studied.  Even many who identify as Jesus-followers seem woefully Biblically illiterate. We are living in days that reflect God’s prophecy in Amos 8:11:

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.”

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The crowd packed the room. They were all in town for the celebration that was just a couple of days away. All of the men of course gathered in the living room talking about current affairs, politics, and religion. Oh, yes, religion . . . always. The discussion usually was quite lively. In fact, to this group there was no separation of church and state. Religion and national politics always meshed, not just in conversation but also in everyday life.

She slipped into the room unnoticed at first, but then as she made her way into the inner circle, everyone began to notice. This was not the first time she had crashed the party. She seemed always to want to challenge social mores and mingle with the guys – especially when He was in the house. Oh how she loved Him. Not like most women love men, hers was not an attraction that caused her to want to know Him in an intimate physical sense. It went much deeper than that. She loved Him not for his man-ness, but for his God-ness.

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In the words of leadership mentor and author Jim Collins, “Good is the enemy of great.” Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources similarly states, “It is a sin to be good when God has called us to be great.” What one discipline keeps most people from realizing God’s best for their lives?  The failure to set and maintain priorities prevents many from moving to the next level spiritually, personally, and professionally.

Jesus commands us to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).  Paul urged the Philippian believers to discern what things are the best (Philippians 1:10).  Those admonitions stand in contrast to how many of us live.  We tend to move from circumstance to circumstance dealing with what seems urgent at the moment.  We live more like firemen putting out blazes than intentional disciples serving the Master’s wishes. While we thrash away at the urgent, the important often goes unattended.

When we set and maintain priorities we establish in advance the standard that will decide our courses of action.  I cannot tell you what your priorities should be and how you should order them. I can tell you that if you place Jesus at the center of them, you will accomplish eternally significant results.

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I spent some time today reflecting on the blessings that have accompanied my life.  I share my thoughts with you today in hopes you too will recognize the hand of God on you and give Him praise.

I did not choose the time and place of my birth, nor the family into which I was born. In His sovereign grace and to the praise of His glory, God placed me where He did.  I am thankful to live in the times in which we live. I am thankful for the family into which God placed me.  These blessings I received prepared me for where I am today and for the direction my life will take from this moment forward.  To God be the glory!

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Pet rocks used to be all the rage. Like every little boy, I loved playing with rocks and sometimes would come home with several in my pocket.  As for pets, however, I was more of a dog or cat lover myself and never really cared to adopt a rock. A rock collection sounds about as exciting as a pile of dirt, yet Solomon reminds us that there is a perfect time for gathering stones.

[There is] a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together… Ecclesiastes 3:5a

Wednesday’s blog listed some rocks that might gather in our hearts which we need to throw away.  Today, let’s consider the benefit of gathering stones.

Little Shepherd Boy David is probably the most famous rock gatherer in the Bible.  Before facing and defeating Goliath, David found five smooth stones to serve as ammunition for his sling. He only needed one.  The first one worked, but he prepared himself in case he needed more.

Gathering Stones

Consider gathering these five stones and you will find yourself prepared for whatever comes your way on any given day.

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My sister tried to kill me when we were younger.  I was walking several feet in front of her as we made our way down a dirt road when she threw a HUGE rock and hit me squarely in the back of the head.  Blood gushed from my crushed skull, but after some deliberation, they decided against life-flighting me to a major trauma center. Throwing stones CAN be a bad thing.

I am not sure if it was the blow itself or the passing of several years since that has affected my memory of the event.  The rock may not have been huge.  The wound may not have gushed blood. I think my skull remained intact. I was probably never in need of life-flighting.  The band-aid probably came off later that evening.  The pebble shattered into a million pieces as it bounced off my head.  However, the event underscored what many parents tell their children: throwing stones can be dangerous.

Yet, the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, tells us that there is a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones (Ecclesiastes 3:5).  In a figurative sense, we all have stones we need to jettison and some we need to collect.  Friday’s blog will look at the kinds of stones we need to collect, but for today, let’s think about throwing stones away that clutter our hearts.

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You would have thought he had experienced enough pain. Because of his deceitful ways, Jacob had infuriated his family and had to run away from home to escape his brother’s wrath.  He went to live with a distant relative, fell in love, and planned to marry,  but his uncle tricked him into marrying the older, less attractive sister. Finally, he married the wife he wanted, but fourteen years of living with his uncle brought the tension to a boiling point. It was time to leave again. 

He took his wives and his belongings and decided to head home hoping to make amends with his family. This man who took pleasure in getting his way by deceiving others now bore the soul pain of being deceived. For once in his life, he knew how those he had deceived felt, and finally he was remorseful. Nevertheless, he wondered if his brother would be gracious or vengeful.

The evening before the last leg of his trip home, he sent his family, his possessions, and the peace-offering to his brother on ahead.  He stayed back to prepare himself and to reflect. As he slept that night, a stranger awakened him and a wrestling match ensued that lasted the whole night. Jacob held his own, and his sparring partner finally asked for his release. Jacob refused to release him without a blessing. This wrestling match changed Jacob’s life; a change signified by a name change from Jacob, which means “deceiver” to Israel, which means “one who struggled with God.” Jacob and his descendants finally settled and inhabited Palestine as the nation of Israel.

However, if we read the story too hastily, we miss a subtle blessing in the story. During the wrestling match, Jacob’s opponent dislocated Jacob’s hip. Genesis 32:31 tells us that Jacob was “limping because of his hip.” He got his blessing, but in the process, he received a permanent reminder of this encounter with God: a gimpy hip. Every step he took, he lived with the memory of this life-changing encounter. I could think of a better souvenir, but Jacob had a painful and constant reminder that the blessing of God often comes at the cost of pain, humility and sacrifice.

What About My Limping Heart?

I have a few gimpy joints in my soul too, but has given me a blessing while in every struggle. I am learning to see my limp as a reminder of the goodness and grace of God. Yes, I am thankful to walk with Jacob’s limp. It reminds me that I am not what I want to be, but praise God, I am not what I used to be.

You can read the story above at Genesis 32

Either the devil is not very creative or he is extremely consistent. He has employed the same three-area attack since the beginning of time, and too often we give in to the temptation and sin.

We can see his pattern in at least two Biblical examples. In observing those examples we can potentially better prepare for his inevitable attack on us. The temptations of Eve in the Garden of Eden and Jesus in the wilderness show a consistent plan of attack on the devil’s part. Let’s examine the three areas the devil likes to attack.

See Genesis 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11

The Devil’s Three-Area Attack

He tempts us to gratify our physical desires.

In the Garden of Eden, the devil tempted Eve to eat from the forbidden tree and the Bible says that she “saw it was good for food.” She didn’t need another food source because she could eat from any number of other sources in the Garden. He presented the fruit in a way that created a physical desire for that particular fruit.

Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness fasting and praying.  The devil appeared to Him tempting him to satisfy His understandable hunger by turning stones to bread. After 40 days and nights fasting, Jesus was undoubtedly hungry, but the Father had sent him to the wilderness to focus on the Spiritual not the physical.

In our lives, the devil makes physical gratification almost irresistible. We do not read our Bibles and spend time in prayer because we would rather stay in bed or “veg out” in front of our computers or the TV. We eat more than we should and things we should not eat because our appetites crave them. The devil presents alcohol, sex, pornography, drugs, gluttony, and many other temptations that promise to satisfy the natural longings of our bodies.

Be aware of the vulnerabilities in your flesh.

He tempts us to focus outwardly on stuff instead of inwardly on our spiritual well-being.

Eve saw that the forbidden fruit was “pleasing to the eyes.”  Just like the forbidden fruit, the sin with which the devil tempts us is seductively attractive.  He hides from us the hideous outcome of sin that has gone to seed and feeds us the lie of sin’s attraction.

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The devil took Jesus to a high place and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth and promised them to Jesus if Jesus would bow and worship him. He promised to give Jesus something he could not deliver, and he cannot deliver what he promises us through temptation.

Things are not as they seem when it comes to temptation. What the devil is showing you is not all he promises it is. Don’t always believe what you see, especially when the devil is running the projector.

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He tempts us to focus on ourselves and not God.

The devil told Eve that when she ate the fruit she would be as wise as God. He promised her that the fruit would end her need for God and give her what she needed to call the shots for herself. He made her believe that what she wanted was better than what God wanted for her.

The devil also tempted Jesus to draw attention to Himself by jumping from the top of the temple toward the crowded courtyard below.  He promised Jesus that God would miraculously rescue Him in front of everyone who would then immediately worship Him. He tempted Jesus to take a short cut to fame that would presumably make the cross unnecessary. The devil was wrong on all accounts.

In both cases, the devil tempted Eve and Jesus to put themselves and their agenda ahead of God and His agenda. He does the same to us. The devil uses temptation to foster in us discontentment with what God has given.

The temptation to captain our own ship packs a powerful punch. Know that the devil will do all in his power to tempt you to take short cuts to God’s best for your life. He makes obedience to God look unpleasant, unnecessary, and unproductive. Just remember…he is a liar.

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What Can I Do?

How do you combat the devil’s lies? Simple. You counter with God’s truth. Eve didn’t and she fell. Jesus did and He prevailed.

The devil succeeded in planting seeds of doubt in Eve’s mind about what God has actually said, but Jesus counterattacked the devil by quoting Scripture.

Since the truth of God’s Word is our defense against the lies of the devil, we need to invest quality time reading, studying, and memorizing that Word so that our hearts are ready. David said, “Your Word I have stored up in my heart so that I may not sin against God. How can a young man keep his way clean? By taking heed to the Word of God.” Psalm 119:9,11

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To help you further, read the following blogs about Bible Study and Memorization

Practical Ideas for Bible Study

How to Begin Investigating the Bible for Yourself

The Battle for Your Mind (with a link to my free Bible Verse Memory Plan)