Oh, to Be Right Again!

Who doesn't want to be right? We all want to believe we're right about something. But what about being right with someone? Perhaps you said some things you shouldn't and your neighbor is giving you the silent treatment. That four-foot fence between your properties feels twenty-feet tall. Maybe your spouse has told you she wants a divorce. You'd give anything for life to be the way it used to be, back when things were right between you. 

In 2 Kings 4:8-37, we read of a woman who had, with her husband, been faithful with their money, their time, and their space to serve the Lord by hosting His prophet, Elisha. And Elisha, grateful for their hospitality, asks what he can do to bless them. When she gives him the "nothing comes to mind" answer, Elisha tells her that within a year, she will have a child. Judging by her response, I'd say that childlessness was something she'd learn to accept a long time ago: Don't get my hopes up, one translation renders it. Sure enough, a year later, her son was born, and just a few years after that he and his father had one of the first recorded "Take Your Child to Work" days. Sadly, though, it was on that day the son fell extremely ill and collapsed in the field. He died later that day in his mother's arms. But she was a woman of action. She asked her husband for a donkey and a driver, saddled up the donkey herself, apparently, and told the driver to step on it; they were headed to see the prophet about a-- a what? a resurrection? Perhaps. To give him a piece of her mind for having brought her such joy only to have God take it away? Perhaps that, too. Perhaps both and so much more. We're only told the woman said one thing to Elisha: Did I ask my lord for a son? Didn’t I say not to deceive me? In that I hear, "I didn't ask for a blessing. I didn't ask for joy. But you said I should have it, and I believed it could be forever; I was invested. And now, here I am, childless, in pain, and angry with God, hurt and confused. You came along, stirring up all these feelings, calling down a delight like I'd never known, and God heard you! He gave me a son, only to take him away before he was able to be a man. And I am left, once again, with all of this conflict, with all of this discord. I am left fighting with God, and I just want to be right again." I hear it because I've said it, or something very similar.

A few years ago, God allowed something in my life that took me to a place I'd never been before: a place of such darkness and despair, a place that, had it not been for the Lord, had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13)-- well, let's just say, I don't want to know what that would have looked like. I wanted my life back. I wanted the sands of time to slip up through the narrow opening of the hour glass, for the events that spun our lives so out of control to completely reverse themselves and restore to us everything that had been taken; I wanted the memories to live and breathe again. But a strange thing happened as I cried out to God on that very first day. I realized the thing I wanted more than any of that was for things to be right, with Him. I wanted to like Him, again. I wanted to believe in my heart of hearts that He was good, again. I wanted to-- if I couldn't understand, at least --accept His plans, again. I wanted to want to rejoice in our relationship, again. I wanted to approach Him with humility and gratitude, again.

The next verse in Psalm 27 says, Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord! So, I did. I do. I will. Praying, worshipping, reading His words, counting my countless blessings, repenting, obeying, redirecting my pain and pity toward ministering to others, walking and breathing-- both literally and figuratively. And He has made things more than right. He is faithful to answer when we come to Him in our pain and our imperfection, seeking to be made whole and seeking to be made right with Him. Our situations may not become the sort of "right" we have in mind, but when we put them-- when we put ourselves in the hands of the God who made us, trusting that He is good and loves us more than we love ourselves, He will restore our fealty to Him and trust in Him; He will make the relationship right. 

KJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible to Start Your Study Journey

Recently, I posted an article about obedience (Do What You Need to Do to Choose Obedience). Obedience simply because God requires it, is one of those ideas that tends to cause people to disparage Christianity. The idea that a grown, free adult would obey anyone causes some folks to lose their minds. But they don't know my God. Discipline can bring the same reaction. People think of switches, or being sent to bed without dinner, or an early curfew. But discipline, according to Webster's 1931 Collegiate Dictionary, is the treatment suited to a disciple or learner; education; training; drill. A second definition says it is the subjection to rule; control; habit of obedience. And subjecting oneself to another, yielding to their control-- particularly in our western way of thinking --can be an absolute no-go. As I've cited however, discipline is the treatment suited to a follower or someone seeking to learn from another greater than him/herself. We need to be disciplined if we want to learn, and in accordance with the second definition, discipline is a habit of obedience, a regimen that testifies we are willing to obey one greater than ourselves that we might learn. Bible study is a necessary part of that discipline if we truly want to know the One we are commanded to obey. It is in His Holy Bible that His character is revealed and we are given the information we need to make a rational decision of faith: obey God or reject Him.

As a member of Bible Gateway's Blogger Grid, I was given the unique opportunity to review a free copy of the new KJV Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible from Zondervan Bibles (2022). For those of you who have never used a Chain-Reference Bible, this is an excellent Bible for study. As Dr. Frank Charles Thompson observes, The haphazard reading of a few verses of the Scriptures every day is better than nothing, but it is not real Bible study. It is simply nibbling at the truth; strong Christians build themselves up by diligent study. If we wish to be firm in our belief, strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, we need to indulge in the wisdom of His words. The proper tools are vital to give us accurate information and keep us engaged. The KJV Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible will help you get started and stay with you along the way. Almost every verse is accompanied by a cross-reference or a "link" in a chain that will help you study topics and themes, passages and verses, and Bible personalities. 

As you can see in this passage from Exodus 33:1, two of the themes described in this verse are the Promised Land and God's Oaths. A Numerical Index in the back of the Bible provides us with a list of additional verses that contain the same theme:

Topics and Bible figures can be mined easily with these helps. There are over 4200 themes that can be researched through the Numerical Index. And that's not all! The KJV Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible has outlines for each book and a condensed outline of the Bible, an alphabetical index of topics, Bible character studies, charts, color maps, a harmony of the Gospels, and a concordance. There are many wonderful tools to help you in the critical discipline of Bible study as well as enrichen your Bible memorization regimen. The print is easy to read, and the text is aligned in two columns. Just a word of caution, however, the pages are thin: many of the gel pens that are out there for making notes in your Bible will bleed through the page; highlighters and ball point pens will work just fine. The complimentary edition I reviewed was the full text in the 1611 King James Version with the words of Jesus in red, a hardcover with a dust jacket-- beautiful, with two satin ribbon markers to help you in your research. If you would like to have your own, it can be purchased on Amazon and at the FaithGateway Store.

I would recommend a great study Bible like the KJV Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible to begin your routine of studying Scripture that you might stand before God, a workman, tested and true, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). #BibleGatewayPartner

Do What You Need to Do to Choose Obedience

Mom is 90+ years old! What a miracle! Much of the time, she calls me "Mom." How old do I look? Sometimes she appears so frail. Other times she amazes me with the things she does: I caught her carrying a kitchen chair down the hall and into the family room no too long ago! Often she looks down at her hands, noticing the wrinkles, the brown spots, and the prominent blue veins. She holds them up, wondering at first, but that soon turns to indignation. Look! she commands, as though her skin has, within an instant, turned spotted and leathery. We take great care that she might not fall. She takes her vitamins everyday, we keep watch for her as we round corners to avoid collisions, and when we leave the house, we make sure the dog is unable to get under her feet and all apparent tripping hazards are removed. We know Mom's brain and body are unable to navigate those types of obstacles with agility. And though we've had our accidents, without learning from those experiences and taking necessary care, "accidents" become irresponsibility. Our actions or failure to act could be negligent.

I've heard people talk about falling into disobedience or bad habits as though that's some sort of simple accident. I'm not so sure. Disobedience is in our nature. Romans 3:10 and 3:23 tell us that no one is righteous, all have sinned; Romans 5:12 says we all fall short-- naturally. If we don't take the steps necessary to guard ourselves against falling into bad habits or disobedient behaviors, it's really no accident. If we know the risks and choose to ignore them, the consequences are hardly accidental. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua, leading Israel into the Promised Land, tells them to choose whom they will serve. By choosing a master, they will place themselves on a path, the path of serving God or the path of serving some other authority over their lives. If they choose to obey their stomachs, they will focus on eating, growing crops, getting food; they will do the things necessary to obey the growling that demands immediate attention, and they will not do anything that would cause them to disobey their appetites. They will be certain they do not fall into hunger. There will be no accidents. If they choose to follow God, as Joshua and his household did, they will avoid things that promote or encourage or skirt the margins of disobedience. They will choose the things that help them to obey. We, too, must choose.

So, what things should we choose to help us obey? What are steps we need to take to prevent disobedience? Psalm 119:11 promises that reading, studying, meditating, memorizing Scripture will keep us from sin. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He quoted Scripture to respond to Satan's temptations. Hebrews 10:24-25 says we need to be in fellowship, not just with Jesus, but with other believers, for encouragement and accountability. 1 Corinthians 15:33 cautions us regarding the company we keep. Philippians 4:6 says we can talk to God about anything that's troubling us; Psalm 139:23-24 says He will even show us problem areas in our hearts, our attitudes, and our behavior, if we ask. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says everyone suffers the same temptations (Hebrews 4:15 says even Jesus did), but we can be encouraged because God has prepared a way out. And 1 John 1:9 promises that when we do mess up, we don't have to stay there; He forgives when we ask, sticks out His hand, and lifts us out of our disobedience.

To do or to refuse to do what is necessary is a choice. Failure is no accident, but negligence --or even, blatant rebellion. But when we know the pitfalls, and we do all we can do to choose to avoid them, God honors our choices; He blesses obedience. Read His word, call on Him, take His hand. I doubt it's got age spots. He is faithful to grow us and guide us every sure-footed step of the way!