If I asked any one of you if Bible study was essential to a godly life, I would be surprised to hear anyone say no.  We all understand that God expects us to learn His Word.  We devote a lot of time, energy, and funds to our class systems to make sure our children are well-taught, even expecting the church to do our duty as parents, but that is another post for another day.  Still, we do understand that Bible study is essential.  We put “edification” in those ubiquitous “acts of worship” lists and if questioned about it will happily list Bible classes along with sermons as the means for that particular “act.”

            But is knowing God’s Word the purpose of Bible study?  I would hope we all know better than that.  There may well be theological knowledge we must all have to appreciate our salvation and keep our faith strong, but the practical purpose for Bible study is to learn how God wants us to live our lives. If your Bible study does not affect your life, why do you bother?

            So how are you doing in the practical application of your study?  Here is a test for you.  When you hear a sermon, does something about you change?  When you learn something in a Bible class, do you think about it and perhaps alter your schedule, toss a few things out of your wardrobe, raise your contribution, pray more often, or put a few TV shows on your family’s verboten list?  Do you forgive a wrong, pray for an enemy, or stand up for the truth in a room full of atheists?  Does what you learn affect you in any way at all?  And does it go past a onetime thing to a life-changing habit?

            All right, so maybe you have been a Christian for a few decades instead of just a few weeks, and you have already made many changes.  Good for you.  But do you think there is nothing you can make better, that you already have all your ducks in a row, perfectly aligned so they waddle in step and quack in unison?  I’m not there yet.  Surely even you can make a few adjustments, tweaking your life just a bit.

            Sometimes the changes you make can be a little more philosophical and effect the genuineness of worship.  I passed my Psalms lesson book on to a Bible class teacher in another church many miles from here.  He told me that it has made a definite difference in his prayer life—the Psalms may be poems set to music for both individual and group worship, but they are also prayers.  And, since he also leads singing, he told me it has changed how he does that as well.

            The class had just finished Psalm 89, a long psalm that praises God by discussing His attributes—love, faithfulness, righteousness, justice, power, holiness.  So the next Sunday he chose his songs according to that pattern, God’s attributes.  They sang “Wonderful Grace,” “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and “Because He Loved Me So.”  He told the good people there what he was doing and why.  They paid more attention to the words they were singing and their song service was, in spite of singing “boring old songs” as some these days might call them, more moving and admonishing, and sung with much more “understanding” than usual.

            Just a little Bible study caused a whole church to worship more sincerely than they had in a long, long time.  What has your Bible study done for you lately?  It’s up to you how much you get out of it and what you do with what you learn.
 
​Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. ​Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. ​Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! ​Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. ​Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared. Ps 119:34-38
 
Dene Ward

             I’ve done it and I bet you have too.  You turn to Acts 2:38 and read, “Repent and be baptized for the remission of sin.”  It’s a simple math equation.  Repent + be baptized = remission of sin.  I’ve shown it to my classmates in high school, to my neighbors, and even to my bosses.  It amazes me that they can say, “I don’t see it that way,” just as it amazes you.  I shake my head and say, “I’m not seeing it any way.  I’m just reading scripture,” and still they ignore it and go on their way.
           
              Guess what?  We do the same thing.

            Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. Jas 1:27

            Here’s the math in that one:  visit the fatherless and widows + keep yourself unstained from the world = pure religion.  Let’s simplify it even more:

            Take care of the needy + live a moral life = pure religion.

            Do you know what we do?  We go to church on Sunday.  If we are especially spiritual, we don’t do the big bad sins—we don’t lie, cheat, steal, or commit adultery.  But when was the last time you just spent an evening visiting, for example, a lonely widow?  Yes, “visit” in that passage stands for more than just dropping by.  It means seeing to their needs too, but let me tell you something.  They need a visit a whole lot more than we seem to think they do.  Not a call, not a card—a visit.  They need companionship, something you take for granted and even try to get away from occasionally. 

            Older people love to have someone to talk with.  They love to have someone actually sit and listen to them as if they were more than something taking up space.  They love for young people to ask them questions, to ask for advice, to ask about the “olden days.”  Young people make them feel young again too.  They will talk about that visit for weeks, that’s how much it means to them.

            They used to be young.  They lived every bit as exciting and busy a life as you do.  They’ve been through things you never experienced and have come through with their souls and sense intact.  You would do well to take what they say with more than a grain of salt, and use it.

            So remember your math.  No matter how many sins you successfully overcome, no matter how “unstained” you are, if that’s all you have, you still do not have pure religion.  No more than your unbaptized friends and neighbors have remissions of sins!
 
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1John 3:17-18
 
Dene Ward

1 Kings 14 tells of Jeroboam sending his wife to Ahijah, the prophet of God, to ask whether his son would recover from an illness.  Shortly before, another prophet had condemned Jeroboam’s unauthorized methods of worshipping God and prophesied the end of his kingdom, but Ahijah was the one who had foretold his taking of the northern kingdom from Solomon’s dynasty.  Ahijah would certainly give him a better prediction, he must have thought.

            Yet what did he do?  Ahijah was old and could not see well.  (Perhaps he had cataracts.)  Still, Jeroboam told his wife to disguise herself.  He told her to take gifts to the prophet.  Surely he must have felt some trepidation to take such measures.  But think how ridiculous those precautions were.  If he believes that Ahijah is a prophet of the God who controls all, how will this prophet not know who is standing before him?  Sin can make you do stupid things.

            And sure enough, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another?” 14:6.

            The scriptures tell other tales of people trying to disguise themselves—Saul when he went to the necromancer at Endor, and Jacob seeking the blessing of his father Isaac, among them.  But in every case, God knows who is standing before him and his purpose is fulfilled. 

            We often act like we are better than those foolish people, but, sadly, that is not the case.  It isn’t just the obvious cases we often mention—Sunday morning Christians who seem to think that God will not know what happens the rest of the week, pew sitters whose worship is only in form while their hearts are elsewhere, the disobedient and presumptuous who think that as long as they sing loud and pray long that their deviation from God’s commands won’t matter.  Sometimes we try to hide behind other methods of anonymity.  It’s an easy thing to do these days.

            When you talk to someone on the phone, it’s easy to be someone else isn’t it?  It’s easy to say hard things because you aren’t looking someone in the eye, maybe even because they are out of arm’s reach.  When you write a letter it’s easy to go on a tirade—no interruptions, no one to gasp at your audacity or become angry at your hyperbolic accusations.  When you sit behind the steering wheel, the other guy can’t hear you curse him.  It’s easier to blast away on the horn or do unto him as he did unto you because that tinted glass gives you a feeling of security and facelessness. 

            Be careful that you don’t do just as Jeroboam did and forget that there is no anonymity with God.  There is no rationalizing with him either—he can see right through your excuses just like he can phone lines, mailboxes, and windshields.  He sees every tyrant in the letter, every harridan over the phone, and every bully behind the wheel.

            What he had rather see is our doing right.  Nineteen times in the Old Testament I found the phrase “he did right in the eyes of God.”  Jesus told us we should give in secret, pray in our rooms, and do our best not to let others know when we are fasting for religious purposes (Matt 6).  Just as God will see the wrong we try to hide, he will see the good we don’t brag about—one just as easily as the other.  Give him something nice to look at today.
 
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good, Prov 15:3.       Dene Ward

Hiking can be precarious these days.  My trekking poles usually keep me upright on difficult terrain, but they don’t fix everything.

            The last time we hiked the Juniper Creek Trail in the panhandle I did very well.  Lucas was camping with us for the first time in 16 years and I was happy to show off my new ability to keep a decent pace without tripping and falling.

            The path was narrow and covered with the roots of the trees that sheltered it.  I had to keep my eyes on the ground to keep from tripping on one or turning an ankle.  I wore my pink camping cap with the visor pulled low to block not only the sun but the glare of the clear, blue, noonday sky.  You never knew when a ray would filter through the tree canopy and these eyes just cannot take it any longer, even in winter. 

            I was determined not to slow the guys down and motored along at a pretty good clip.  All of a sudden I ran headlong into a low tree limb.  Whack!  I hit it so hard I nearly fell down.  When you can see well and your eyes can handle the sunlight, you look up occasionally, so the guys assumed I would see a limb a good four inches in diameter, and I would have if I had been looking at something besides my feet!

            No damage.  Evidently I am as hard-headed as some people accuse, and the swelling knot on my forehead was high enough above my eye not to threaten it either.  I didn’t even bruise, which is amazing considering that it still hurt a week later.

            Sometimes we get too focused on one area and forget the rest.  The Pharisees had that problem.  “You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel,” Jesus told them in Matt 23:34.  They were so focused on the little parts of the Law that they overlooked the bigger parts.  Some of them were the same ones who refused to put Judas’s flung-back money in the Temple treasury because it was “blood money,” but had no trouble seeking false witnesses against Jesus and manipulating the Roman government to murder him for them (Matt 27:6).  Single-minded focus can warp your vision in ways you would never have believed possible.

            Sometimes we focus too hard on keeping the rules and forget to show mercy and kindness.  That doesn’t mean keeping the rules is wrong.  If I had tripped over a root in the path, I might have been badly hurt, even a bone broken, but because I was only careful in one area, I made a misstep in another, and the same is true of anyone who fails to keep their eyes open to everything around them.

            How do we treat our neighbors?  Do we use the excuse that since they are unbelievers we don’t need to help them?  How do we greet visitors?  Do only those in good standing with another congregation get the handshakes and invitations to Sunday dinner?  How do we act during the week?  Are we careful to cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s on Sunday, then forget “the weightier matters of the Law, justice and mercy and faith” (Matt 23:23), in our dealings with others the rest of the week?

            Be sure to watch where you are going when you travel the road as a follower of Christ.  Sometimes the path is treacherous with roots and rocks.  But don’t get so caught up with your footing that you forget to watch your head—and your heart!
 
 Oh that my ways were established to observe your statutes!  Then shall I not be put to shame, when I have respect unto all your commandments, Psalm 119:5,6.
 
Dene Ward

I had finished my shopping in the small town grocery store and approached the check-out line with my wobbly shopping cart—somehow I had managed yet again to get the one with the wheel that won’t turn. 

           The lady in front of me was much older than I, probably in her mid-sixties, wearing pink pancake makeup that showed a definite line along her jaw, and sporting a headful of gray curls.  She had on a blue flower-print house dress with a white Peter Pan collar and a hand-knitted cardigan a shade darker than the dress.  Her stockings sagged just a bit above her black shoes, the narrow black laces looped through a three-pair eyelet across the tongue.  She must have noticed me out of the corner of her eye when I pushed my cart into line behind her, because she suddenly stood straight up and looked around. 

            Her gasp was audible from several feet away and a dozen people looked at me as she asked, “What are YOU doing here?” 

            She was a member of the church we had moved to work with just a couple of weeks before.  Lucky for me I recognized her and could actually say her name when I greeted her.  Before I could add anything about needing a few groceries she must have realized how she had sounded and, trying to undo any harm said, “Well, I guess you DO have to eat like the rest of us.”

            I thought of that incident when I saw a commercial the other day which stated at the bottom, “Real people, not actors.”

            Ah!  So actors are not real people.  Yes, I imagine they too have been accosted in grocery stores the same way I was.  What are you doing here?  You don’t need to eat—you aren’t a real person.  Evidently, neither are preachers and their families.

            But don’t we do that to so many others too?  How about the waitress at your favorite café?  Do you even talk to her or do you treat her like furniture?  How about the cashier at the grocery store?  The bagboy?  The deli guy who slices your meat?  Have you ever thought to ask them how they are?  What would you do if you saw your doctor or your child’s teacher at a restaurant?  Would it be the same reaction I got so many years ago?

            Do you know the problem with this sort of behavior?  If they aren’t “real people,” then I don’t have to treat them like people.  Do you know why road rage occurs?  Because it isn’t a real person you are angry with, it’s a car. 
            When Desert Storm began and the news shows showed the airstrikes and dogfights on television, I was appalled.  One night at a church gathering, I came upon two of our teenagers watching two fighter planes on the host’s television.  When the enemy plane exploded, they cheered just like they would have for a touchdown.  I looked at them and said, “You do realize you just saw someone die, don’t you?”  They calmed right down and looked ashamed.  I hope it was real shame.

            As long as we view anyone as something other than a “person,” it becomes much easier to treat them badly.  I did some research and found that every time Jesus tells us how to behave toward our enemies he uses the pronouns “he” or “those.”  Never does he call them anything dehumanizing—like jerk, scum of the earth, dirtbag, or (insert your own personal favorite).  And when we resort to that name-calling we will never be able to treat our enemy—or just our inconsiderate neighbor—the way Jesus tells us to.  And how does he tells us to treat him?  Love him, pray for him, do good to him, bless him, lend to him, feed him, forgive him, give him whatever he asks for—your time, your place in line, your pew, even your driving lane.

            You can only do those things for Real People.
 
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom 12:16-21
 
Dene Ward

Saul/Paul of Tarsus Yesterday at 8:00 am:
            Hoo boy! Time for another day among people who don’t even care about God.  Why did this mission get put off on me?

Saul/Paul of Tarsus Yesterday at 12 pm
            Well, we got run out of another synagogue.  On to the next town, but I haven’t had a decent meal in three days.  And can anyone please find me the nearest Stella-cerva coffee bar?

Saul/Paul of Tarsus Yesterday at 3 pm
            Did you hear what Proditor of Seleucia did to us?  How can he claim to be on our side and speak out against us like that?  It’s hard enough what we must bear without a traitor among us.  No one understands what it is like to have this job and what it demands of you.

Saul/Paul of Tarsus Yesterday at 5 pm
           The government and everyone in it is corrupt.  I can tell you a few things I heard when I was in prison.  The guards talked to one another all the time and all we prisoners overheard everything.  One time…(See more)

Saul/Paul of Tarsus Yesterday at 7 pm
            Here is more proof of what I have been saying about those Roman senators.  Go to this link to see for yourself: http:Allpoliticiansshould(bleep).  (Sorry about all the foul language you have to navigate, but this is really good.)

Saul/Paul of Tarsus Yesterday at 9 pm
            The end of another long day and little to show for it.  I am not sure I can take much more of this.  Surely twelve hours a day is enough to give to this thankless task.

Saul/Paul of Tarsus 12 hrs ago
            Here we go again.  And I had little sleep because John needed some counseling at 2 am.  Seems he is not sure he can handle any more.  What a wimp.  So now I have to write two epistles and get together a new synagogue sermon on little if any sleep at all because of his selfish waste of my time.

Saul/Paul of Tarsus 10 hrs ago
            Now what?  Have you all heard the latest from Corinth?  Can’t these immature brats get anything right?  It’s not about me, me, me, people.  In fact, maybe the few of you who are on my side need to head across town and start a new congregation.

Saul/Paul of Tarsus 8 hrs ago
            What?  No comments on that last one?  Surely you see how wrong they are.  If you do, let me hear from you!

Saul/Paul of Tarsus 6 hrs ago
            Oh, so now I am being too harsh?   True believers won’t let something like this pass without comment.  If you are real Christians, copy and paste this to your page.  We’ll find out who is truly faithful to God.

Saul/Paul of Tarsus 5 hrs ago
           Here’s a fun pic of me and the guys taking a quick dip down at the river.  We’d already gotten wet baptizing people, so we just chucked the robes and had a good time.  Everyone deserves some fun! : )

Saul/Paul of Tarsus 4 hrs ago
            Here I am trying to spread the Word as hard as I possibly can and all I get is criticism.  Really people.  Someone find me an Stella-cerva coffee bar ASAP!  I won’t get through this ordeal without one.

Saul/Paul of Tarsus 3 hrs ago
            All right.  I’ve had it.  I am a Roman citizen.  I do not deserve to be treated the way they are treating me.  Everyone meet me at the agora at dawn tomorrow and we will show this government exactly what we think of it.

Saul/Paul of Tarsus 2 hrs ago
            I am so tired.  No one has to put up with the things I have to put up with.  Can’t you all take care of yourselves for a change?  Do you really expect love and encouragement from someone who has so little and has sacrificed so much?  It’s not fair!

Saul/Paul of Tarsus 1 hr ago--
          Was that really necessary Peter?  After all, you are a Gentile-hating hypocrite.  Keep your criticisms to yourself.

Saul/Paul of Tarsus 30 min
            Nearing the end of another 12 hour day and I did not accomplish a thing.  Does anyone have any idea why?
 
            If there had been such a thing as social media in the first century, Paul would never have used it in those ways.  So why do I see these sorts of things from people I know are Christians?  Why do I see whining and “poor little me?”  Why do I see diatribes against brothers and sisters?  Why do I see posts designed to cause an uproar, and the writers then sitting there all day to gloat over it?  Why do I see people railing against the government they are supposed to obey and respect whether they agree with it or not?  Why do I see pictures of Christians in scanty clothing, doing questionable activities and passing along items with crude and vulgar language on nearly every line?  And why do I see idlers who cannot seem to get anything profitable done because they are posting all day long?

            If Paul were alive, how would he use social media?  Just look at his epistles, the social media of his day.  He edified.  He encouraged.  He counseled.  He commended brothers and sisters to one another.  Yes he did rebuke, sometimes harshly, but even then with the design to save souls not to exalt himself.  Yes, he did talk about some of his ordeals, but the percentage was minuscule and always with the purpose to teach and admonish.  Yes, he did ask for prayers, not because he deserved them but so he could continue to preach the gospel.  Yes, he did pass along personal information and requests (“Bring me the parchments,” etc.), but always with a humble attitude, not as a petty tyrant abusing his authority.  He never for a minute sowed discord among brothers.  Instead he told us all to do as he did:  be willing to take wrong for the good of the gospel.  His sacrifices were willingly given and never resented.  He knew others sacrificed as well and never put himself above them, even though he probably could have.

            So maybe we should consider this:  If Paul wouldn’t post it, maybe we shouldn’t either.
 
Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no occasion of stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the church of God: even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved. 1Cor 10:31-33
 
Dene Ward

As Keith says, we are so typical it’s embarrassing.  Be that as it may, let me tell you about my grandson.

            He just turned two.  As he sat there in his high chair licking the frosting off his cupcake he quite deliberately read the letters on his Happy Birthday sign, the one that used to hang over our dining room windows when his father and uncle had a birthday, “H-A-P-P-Y,” all the way through to the end, never missing a letter.  Then he told us what colors the letters were, each one different.  Before that he had recited the alphabet, not sung it mind you, but recited it.  Then he had counted to nearly 20 and recognized all the numbers.  All day he had been pointing out shapes, including “oval.”

            Shortly after we had arrived, his granddad had read him a book.  “See the fish?” he said.

            ”Dolphin,” two year old Silas instantly corrected.

            His parents told us about a time a couple months before when a friend from church had come walking through the restaurant where they sat.  “Hi Mark,” they said, and suddenly my 22 month old grandson was reciting, “Luke, John, Acts, Romans,” taking up right where he thought his parents had left off. 

            Isn’t it normal for parents and grandparents to brag on their kids?  Do you think God doesn’t have the same feelings we do?  When I brag on my grandson, when I say he is the cutest, smartest little boy in the whole world, I am simply living up to the image in which I was created.  “Have you considered my servant Job?” God asked Satan.  “There is none like him in all the earth.”

            At least twice God spoke from Heaven about his Son, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”  Don’t you know God loved saying that?

            When God made Israel his chosen people, his children, he had every right to expect them to behave like His children should.  Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, Ex 19:5,6. 

            When they didn’t He was just as devastated as we would be if our children did not behave themselves well. For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen, Jer 13:11.

            In a Messianic passage, Isaiah speaks of the coming kingdom, the church.  You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her…for the LORD delights in you, Isa 62:3,4.  Just as Old Testament Israel had the chance to make God proud of them, we have that chance today. 

            What would people think about your Father if they saw your behavior and heard you speak?  What would they think if they saw how you treated the poor, the sick and the weak?  What would they think if they saw how you drive, how you dress, how you work for your employer?  All some people will ever know about God is what they see in you.

            Make your Heavenly Father proud enough to brag about you today.  “Have you seen my child?  There is none like him in all the earth.”

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire, 2 Pet 1:3,4.
 
Dene Ward

It happened again.  I had thought and hoped that the habit had died out because people were finally paying closer attention to what they were reading, but no, once again I was hearing modest apparel “shoehorned” into Matt 5:27,28.  You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. It’s one thing to mention in passing that the problem in question is sometimes caused by scanty clothing.  It’s another thing entirely to turn what Jesus meant to be addressed to men—that they are to practice self-control—and turn it into a diatribe against women.

            In fact, while we are on this matter of correct hermeneutics, let’s also point out that the phrase “modest apparel” in the New Testament never refers to under-dressing, but only overdressing, at least in the old versions.

            Does that mean I think women should be allowed to run around half to three quarters naked as they tend to do this time of year, especially where I live?  I was the mother of two teenaged boys.  I greatly resented the sea of shapely legs they had to face while trying to pass the Lord’s Supper on Sunday mornings.  More than once I wanted to hit the baptistery dressing rooms for a towel or two to throw over bare thighs as well as the naked shoulders and backs sticking out of sundresses.  Besides, they were the ones always complaining about being cold, so why didn’t they cover up?!

            But I can find much better passages of scriptures without trying to squeeze a topic in one where it doesn’t belong.  How about all those scriptures about lasciviousness?  That’s exactly what it is when a woman dresses to excite a man’s lust.  You fathers are shirking your duty when you let your daughters out of the house looking like that, especially when they don’t even realize what they are doing, and most especially since you are men and know what’s going on in other men’s minds.  Take your heads out of the sand and start being parents!

            Here is a passage you might not have thought of.  Because they wore those knee length ephods when serving in their duties, the priests under the old covenant had a problem women in dresses and skirts can relate to (Ex 20:26).  One must be careful where and how one stands and sits in clothes like that.

            “Moses!” God said.  “Make those men some britches!” (Ex 28:42).

            Some people will tell you that God doesn’t care what we wear, but these passages tell us it does matter to him, though perhaps not in the way we like to think.  He plainly tells us not to make distinctions in the assembly between those with fine clothes and those with poor clothes (James 2).  What does matter to him is this—we must not disrespect our service to him by what we wear during that service.  Those priests so long ago were expected to cover up what needed to be covered when they offered sacrifices.  Peter tells us that as part of the new Israel we are priests (1 Pet 2:9).  Paul says we offer up our sacrifices (which only priests are allowed to do) in our daily lives (Rom 12:1,2).  As such God expects us to cover up what needs to be covered while we are doing it.

            I am a priest whenever I serve my family, my brethren, or my community.  That means when I am shopping at the mall, working in the yard, or having coffee with a neighbor, not just in the meetinghouse on Sunday morning.  As a priest I would be profaning my sacred duty if I dressed in a way that caused lust instead of causing others to glorify God.  The same would be true if my dress aroused disgust.  And this applies to all of us, not just the women in this royal priesthood.

            Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Matthew records Jesus telling the men to control themselves.  By not mentioning any of the possible provocations, he is emphasizing the fact that none of them will excuse a man who lusts after a woman.  Neither what she is wearing nor what she is not wearing will make a difference on the Day of Judgment, no matter how many try to shoehorn it in there.
 
[The] priests have done violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them… And I sought for a man among them that should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none. Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I brought upon their heads, says the Lord Jehovah. Ezek 22:26,30,31.
 
Dene Ward

My back and feet were aching and my hands cramped from peeling by the time I finished.  The seals on the pint jars of apple butter popped and I started the clean-up of unused jars and lids, the large pot covered with sticky residue, and the measuring cups and spoons.  Finally it was over. 

            The apple tree had borne far more than ever before.  I had made several pies, a couple dozen muffins and a cake, and canned two dozen quarts of applesauce, a gallon of apple juice, a dozen pints of apple jelly, half a dozen quarts of apple pie filling, and finally a half dozen jars of apple butter.

            As I stood over a sink full of soapy water I muttered, “I hope I never see another apple as long as I live.”  The next spring my apple tree died.

            When it became apparent that we couldn’t save the tree, Keith looked at me and muttered something about not really knowing what that might mean—the fact that I could curse a tree and it up and die for no obvious reason so soon afterward.  Just exactly who, or what, was he married to?

            The county agent saved my reputation.  The tree was planted too close to an oak, he said.  Oaks carry a disease that kills fruit trees, especially apples and peaches.  Sure enough, we soon lost our peach tree too.

            All these years later, the story came up again, and with it a new perspective.  Here I had cursed a tree that bore too much, while the Lord cursed one that bore too little. 

            And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it.  And as they passed by it in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered to its roots, Mark 11:13,14,20.

            You might do as I did at first and wonder why the Lord would expect to find figs when it wasn’t fig season.  Yet every commentator I read said that figs produce their fruit before they leaf out.  When the Lord saw a fig tree fully leafed out, he had every right to expect to see some fruit, even if it was small and green.  As a gardener I know that nearly every plant has at least one “early-riser”—a tomato or pepper or blueberry that ripens before the others.  Even if there was nothing ripe, there should have been plenty of fruit hanging there, gradually ripening on the leafy branches.

            Now how about us?  Is anything ripening on our branches?  Is the fruit of the Spirit perhaps still a little green, but nonetheless visible as we become more and more what he would have us be?  Or are we nothing but leafy show: lots of pretty clothes on Sunday morning but behavior like the rest of the world throughout the week?  Lots of talk in Bible class, but no good works in the community?  Quoting catchphrases to our neighbors, but never opening the Book in our own homes?  More concerned with winning arguments than winning souls?

            The Lord will come looking for figs in our lives, more than likely at a season in which we are not expecting him.  He told us we would recognize false teachers by their fruits (Matt 7:16-20).  What will he recognize about us from ours or will there even be any for him to see?
 
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, Col 1:9,10.
 
Dene Ward
             
 

Part 2 of a series taken from material created by Patricia Miozza.
 

            Scriptures to read on your own about hospitality:  Gen 18:1-8; 2 Kings 4:8-17; 1 Tim 5:3,9,10; Matt 5:46-48; 25:31-46; Luke 10:25-42; Rom 16:23; Gal 6:9,10; Heb 13:2; 3 John 1-8.

            After reading those scriptures ask yourself questions like:  In what sorts of ways was hospitality shown? (You might be surprised at what we have labeled "hospitality," but really, it's nothing more than service.)  To whom was it shown?  How does God view hospitality?  How does the Bible describe people who show hospitality?  What does Jesus say about how important showing hospitality is?

            If you’ve done that little exercise, you undoubtedly see that showing hospitality is an essential trait of a Christian.  Maybe it’s time to ask myself some questions:  First and foremost, what are some steps I need to take to prepare my heart for an attitude of service?  That is where it all begins.  Things will come much more easily if my heart is right. 

            “It’s my duty,” may be true, but will not help you get the task done in the joyful and generous way God requires of us.  “The Lord loves a cheerful giver,” not one who hates every moment of his service.  So be practical and honest—if that is your problem, how do you go about fixing it?  Humility and gratitude will go a long way on this one. 

            Once you have that problem licked, it’s simply a matter of figuring out exactly what to do.  So the next question is, what are some steps I can take in my home to make my guests comfortable?

            Before you begin any project, especially spiritual ones, remember to pray for God’s help and guidance.  For some reason, this always seems to be the last step for us—the one we use when things fall apart or do not go as we expected.  Don’t put the cart before the horse. 

            The next step is to seek advice from others who have already shown themselves a worthy example of hospitality.  All of them will be more than happy to share their ideas with you, and that’s exactly what we are told to do in Titus 2, another very practical piece of scripture.

            So now that we are on the road, here are some suggestions for showing hospitality.  There are more ways than you realize. 

1.  Invite visitors in the worship assembly to your home for a meal OR take them out to dinner if they need to get on down the road.

2.  If you know ahead of time that visitors are coming from a long distance for a gospel meeting or extended study at your home congregation, invite them to stay in your home—don’t wait to be asked.  (And I will add to Patricia’s suggestion—even if you find out that night, invite them!  We ended up with two gospel preachers in our home for five nights on a last second whim one time, but we have never regretted it.  They were gracious enough to know we were not exactly prepared and never once complained about anything! dw)

3.  Have people over for a sing or a potluck.  If your home is too small for the whole congregation, divide it up and do it once a month until you get them all.

4.  Have a family over for dinner, or even just coffee and dessert.  While we all want to do a little extra for guests, it does not have to be elaborate.

5.  Have college students in your home for a home-cooked meal.  They are usually satisfied with just about anything and keep each other entertained.

6. Have a group of teenage girls over for a study and sleep-over, yes, even if there is no teenage girl in your home.  Show them that older people are worth knowing and have something to offer, and then listen well to their concerns and ideas to prove it.

7.  If someone needs a temporary home, invite them to live with you.

8.  Show kindness to strangers outside the faith, especially when you see them in distress.  This may not even involve a meal, just a ride home or the use of your phone.  You never know but what it may be their opportunity to hear the gospel.

9.  Have several widows in your home, or several singles.  They are often left out because we tend to think in terms of couples and families, particularly if that’s what we are.

10.  Now that you have seen several ideas, make a list of your own, one that suits the home you have and your own resources.  While hospitality in the Bible always included a meal, there are many other ways to show it.  What it’s really all about is filling a need.

            Challenge yourself to do one or more of these this year.  Look through those verses at the top if you haven’t already.  Be creative.  And use the gifts God has given you (your home, your cooking ability, your income) for His glory and the service of others.
 
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 1Pet 4:8-10.
 
Dene Ward