Day Twenty-Three--July 23, 2026--"But God.."

 

Acts 5:21-42

Hinge verses: Acts 5:38-39

In the months and years following Jesus's ascension to Heaven, the apostles find themselves in and out of prison.  The Sadducees were filled with jealousy at the growing popularity of the apostles and their teaching.  The Sadducees were by the book--literally, the Torah--and could not tolerate this New Way.  In verses 17-21, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought out the arrested apostles, told them to stand in the temple, and tell the people "all about this life".  When the Sanhedrin--a council which included Pharisees and Sadducees as the complete council over Israel--gathered, they sent for the apostles to be brought from jail to their meeting.  Of course, the apostles were no longer in the jail, but were out doing the very thing they'd been arrested for.  The high priest asked "You're preaching again?  After I specifically asked you not to?"  ("The Office" reference. 😀)  Peter and the apostles give the right answer--"we obey God over you.  The God we BOTH were taught to know raised up Jesus, whom you, the ruling council, had killed.  (Peter is good at getting that jab in every chance he gets.)  Jesus is now at the right hand of God, ruling and reigning as Savior.  For you, high priest.  For all of you, Israelites.  We saw it with our own eyes, and the Holy Spirit confirms it in our teaching".  {paraphrased}

A respected Pharisee--Gamaliel-- tries to bring down the temperature in the room with some "rational" thought.  These "false messiahs" are popping up everywhere.  Remember the Jewish people are living under the government oppression of Rome.  Nothing brings out revolutionaries like oppression.  Gamaliel likens Jesus and his apostles to a misdirected revolution.  They will lose their focus, disband, and fade into the history books.  His advice is to just let them be, let their movement play itself out.  Gamaliel doesn't rule out the possibility that this movement may actually be a "But God", and His power will not be conquered.  When he added "You may actually be working against God", they were finally persuaded.  But not a "tail between your legs" persuasion...The Sanhedrin brought the apostles back in the room, had them flogged, and once again told them not👏 to👏 speak👏about👏Jesus👏again.  As citizens of God's "upside down kingdom",   their reaction to their beating was joy.  They rejoiced that they were "counted worthy to be treated shamefully on behalf of the Name."  They continued preaching wherever the opportunity presented itself...Every Day.  

James Madison served as the 4th president of the United States from 1809-1817.  As a young 23 year-old man, while traveling in Virginia, Madison came up on a jail housing 6 Baptist preachers.  Their crime?  Publishing their religious views.  James Madison wrote to a friend of the situation he called "the diabolical hell conceived principle of persecution."  

Obadiah Holmes was an early settler in the colony of Rhode Island.  While visiting a church member and preaching and praying with him, Obadiah and 2 fellow pastors were arrested for religious beliefs and activities.  They were jailed in Boston, assumed guilty, and not allowed to defend themselves.   Obadiah was found guilty and fined 30pounds.  His friends raised the money, but he refused to pay the fine as that seemed to be admitting guilt.  He was then sentenced to 30 lashes with a three-cord whip.  As he was being led away, he said "I bless God I am found worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus!"  The punishment failed to bring Obadiah to his knees, (although his grandson later related that he remembered his grandfather being unable to lay on his back because of the pain of his wounds.)  and to further humiliate the punisher, Obadiah turned to him and said, "You have struck me as with roses, although the Lord hath made it easy for me, I pray it not be laid to your charge."  Obadiah Holmes's persecutors were Puritan magistrates and clergy.  

Obadiah Holmes

James Ireland was born in Scotland, but immigrated with his family to Virginia as a young man.  James was called to be a Baptist preacher, and was preaching without a license when he was arrested.  He continued to preach through the bars of the prison windows and doors, which drew large crowds.  He was abused in prison--an attempt was made to suffocate him with brimstone burning in the openings of the building; they tried to blow him up with gunpowder.  These attempts caused permanent damage to his health.  Those who stirred up dissension that led to his arrest were the Episcopalian clergy.  

James Ireland

John Waller was known in his town as "Swearing Jack" for his colorful language.  He didn't have much use for religion.  But he was a juror at the trial of Lewis Craig, a former partier turned pastor.  Hearing his testimony caused John Waller to rethink his life, eventually accepting Christ as Savior and his call to preach the gospel.  Waller held the record for pastor most arrested, usually for preaching without a license.   At one such outdoor meeting, a local magistrate and Episcopal priest kept punching John Waller with the butt end of a horsewhip.  He was dragged from the stage, beat his head on the ground, drug him down the road and gave him 20 lashes.  Waller returned to the stage covered in blood but singing praises, preaching again the word of God.  

John Waller

 The name Gamaliel called God in verse 39 is Theou...which figuratively means 

"magistrate".  Peter, John, and the apostles were most often arrested, abused, and agitated by the Sanhedrin, the governing religious sects.  These 3 men in early America were arrested and abused by governing, sometimes "religious", judges and clergy.  BUT GOD...He is The Righteous Judge--sovereign, loving, just, peaceful, faithful.  We are safe with Him.  

"The sun comes up, its a new day dawning.

It's time to sing Your song again.

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, 

Let me be singing when the evening comes."

Oh, But God..

Day Twenty-Two--July 22, 2026--"But God.."

 

Acts 3

Hinge verses--Acts 3:13-16

Peter and John, disciples of Jesus, still kept the time of prayer that was likely part of Jewish tradition.  They used this opportunity to preach Jesus to the Jews gathered for the prayer time, too.  As they were approaching the temple, they encountered a man asking for money, but needing healing.  Peter either didn't have money, or he sensed that money would pale in comparison to what he could offer.  Peter says "In the name of Jesus Christ, rise and walk!" The man didn't just rise and walk; he walked, leapt, all while praising God.  The crowd was astonished at his healing.  When Peter noticed that all the crowd was shocked by this, he questioned why this would be so shocking, when Jesus had been performing miracles like this in their midst for three years,  And while they might have been amazed at His miracles, ultimately they turned on Him and had Him crucified.  Jesus literally held life and death in His hands, but they denied the proof right in front of them.  They put to death the source of life, BUT GOD raised Him from the dead.  Although Peter and John are putting their reputation and their very lives on the line, they will not back down on the truth they saw with their own eyes--Jesus is risen.  

Peter shows unexpected kindness by letting the crowd off the hook a little, by echoing the sentiment of Jesus's words--

"They know not what they do."

Everything happened according to God's plan, so they--these people standing here with their mouths open--would have a chance to repent and turn back to God, start over with a clean slate, and have abundant life and joy in His presence.  Although the invitation is to everyone, it was first to the crowd standing right here, Jesus's own people.  

In the late 1800's, a "Divine Healing" or "Faith Cure" movement swept across America.  The pioneers of the movement included physicians, ministers, and evangelists.  I will admit that the image I have in my mind of this movement comes from an episode of "Little House on the Prairie" called The Faith Healer.  In this episode, a traveling evangelist comes to Walnut Grove and preaches and prays and offers healing to its residents.  Reverend Alden, the much-loved pastor of their little church, saw his congregation shrink due to the popularity of Reverend Danforth.  Dr Baker sees a patient who needs emergency surgery, but Rev Danforth convinces the Father that he just needs to have more faith.  The boy dies.  Pa, always to the rescue, sees Reverend Danforth in another town with the same "healed" people, and confronts Reverend Danforth and runs him out of town.

Now, I  know that this fictional episode wasn't exactly right.  But it's not completely wrong either.  I believe some of the pioneers of this movement meant well, they meant to honor God, they believed they had good theological arguments in their favor.  And there are some stories that came out of this movement of healing and miracles.  Not of man, BUT GOD.  Peter called God "Theos", owner and Creator of all things.  He alone holds life and death and ultimate health in His hands.  

Side note--some believe that the gifts of the Spirit, including speaking in tongues and healing, continue to this day.  Some believe the gifts ended with the apostles, eye witnesses of Jesus's ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension.  I mostly believe the latter.  However, I am in no position to put God--Owner and Creator of all things--in a box.  If He wants to heal now, He will.  If someone needs to hear the gospel in a language I do not speak but there's only the two of us, I believe God can do all things.  

I'm including a video by Costi Hinn--nephew of the famous "faith Healer" Benny Hinn.  He was a part of the modern-day Divine Healing movement, and has since left for a traditional Biblical, Christian view.  

Costi Hinn

I am not trying to be argumentative, I have friends who love the Lord and we disagree on this. There are those out there who deceive and abuse in the name of "healing".   And we need to use discernment given by God.  But God alone can heal now AND forever.  The state of the soul's health is in His hands.  And they are pierced for our transgressions.  We are safe with Him.  

Day Twenty-One--July 21, 2026--"But God.."

 

Acts 2:1-47

Hinge verses:Acts 2:22-24

In the Old Testament, what is Pentecost in these verses would've been called the "Feast of Weeks".  The Feast of Weeks was celebrated 50 days after Passover, the celebratory commemoration of when the Israelites were rescued from slavery in Egypt.  (The word Pentecost means 50 in Greek.) 50 days after Passover, which is when Jesus was crucified as the sacrificial lamb once and for all, the disciples were celebrating Pentecost together in one place.  Supernatural gifts were given by the Holy Spirit as a stamp of approval on and to empower their mission and ministry.  The crowd in Jerusalem was confused, astounded, and amazed at Galileans speaking in languages that the crowd spoke and understood.  

Peter, the one who only 50 days ago said he wasn't friends with Jesus and actually didn't even know him, stood up with boldness and proclaimed to them words from the prophets (which they likely knew, as devout Jews {vs 5}).  When he got their attention with these familiar words, he told his fellow Israelites that all of this was God's plan, and was prophesied and fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, whom THEY killed.  😟 They meant it for evil, BUT GOD meant it for good, because 

"God raised Jesus up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death."

Then Peter brought up David, Israel's ancient, beloved king, to confirm that Jesus is the Messiah that was promised.  

God raised Jesus from the dead.  They are all eyewitnesses.  After all, it's only been 10 days since Jesus was taken back up to heaven.  And this moment, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit made evident by the gospel being proclaimed in every language present, confirms that Jesus is exactly who He proclaimed Himself to be.  

This outpouring of the gospel pierced the crowd to the heart, and they wondered out loud how they should respond.  Peter gave the call of the ages, weighty for them then and for us now and for future generations.

  

"Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call."  

3,000 people on that day accepted his message and were baptized.  But their story didn't end there.  They devoted themselves to learning from the apostles, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.  Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.  

In 1794, 3 ministers met to discuss something that was weighing heavy on their hearts.  As their new country moved westward, they were concerned about the spiritual health of the ones taking their beliefs to new frontiers.  50 years had passed since the first Great Awakening, and it's effect on churches had become weak.  As colleges sprang up in New England, church had less and less influence over the next generations of Americans.  So the three ministers sent out a letter, calling for revival.  The letter stated this goal:

"Let there be public prayer and praise, accompanied with such instruction from God's Word, as might be judged proper, on every first Tuesday, of the four quarters of the year, beginning with the first Tuesday of January, 1795, at two o'clock in the afternoon.  Continuing from quarter to quarter, and from year to year, until the good Providence of God prospering our endeavors, we shall obtain the blessing for which we pray." 

There was much response among the population, hungrier for the gospel than the ministers imagined. People entered covenants together to spend a whole day in prayer once a month.  "Aaron and Hur Ministries" (Exodus 17) where church members vowed to lift their ministers in prayer and hold their hands up for the battles.  

Pastor Edward O. Griffin prayed for revival and it changed his heart, knowing it was not something he could force, but it had to be settled in heaven.  He warned his congregation of the terrible outcome should they not turn to the Lord soon.  THE NEXT DAY, it was apparent revival had come. Entire families fell under conviction and over 100 people were "hopefully added to the Lord."  

Even young people found themselves drawn to the Lord for the first time, discussing the Bible with friends and fellow soldiers and coworkers.  It turned the lives of college students upside down.  At Yale, a natural leader was Timothy Dwight, grandson of Jonathan Edwards.  (Remember we learned about another grandson of Edwards, Aaron Burr, on Day 9 ) Hostility toward religion was the norm at this college, until Dwight debated "Is the Bible the Word of God?" with a group of students.  After this debate and a subsequent sermon against lack of religious beliefs, the tides turned among young people.  

There is so much more about this series of revivals that lead to the second great awakening in America.  It changed and reformed the America and our churches in so many ways.  In a time when it seemed like the next generations were going to choose disbelief, leaving religion behind....BUT GOD...

Anti-Slavery was born from these revivals.  

The first Sunday School program was born from these revivals.

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was born from these revivals.

The American Bible Society was born from these revivals.

As we see our country fall back into infidelity and disbelief, I pray we will unite under the call given by Peter, empowered by the Holy Spirit.  And that we will have the courage of our fellow American ancestors to live it out.  Oh But God...

(Full Disclosure--If you read the full extent of the links I have attached concerning these revivals, just know that I am very skeptical of some of the actions and "results" of those who claim certain actions as tied to the Holy Spirit.  While I would never put God in a box, I believe that gifts are laid out in the Bible as orderly, not chaotic.  God knows the truth, so these are just the stories, as told through the years.)

Revival

Revival

Revival

My blog on Pentecost

Day Twenty--July 20, 2026--"But God.."

 

John 1:1-18

Hinge Verse: John 1:18

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 

John 1:1

This verse is so fundamental in understanding exactly who Jesus is.  Word is capitalized throughout this chapter because the Word is a person--Jesus.  The Greek word translated Word is logos, which broadly means an account of or something said.  But specifically in this account concerning Jesus, it means "The Divine Expression."  Jesus was with God in the beginning, creating all things, being and giving life, being and giving light.  The darkness of sin had us all under it's rule, yet Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness and overcomes it.  

The Hebrew word for Word is Dabar and is found in Isaiah 55:10-11

"For just as the rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprouted, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do." 

The Word is an action--Jesus sent out by the Father with a purpose--to accomplish what He pleases.  And what pleased God was that those who received His Word--Jesus--would become His children.  So the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  He brought all of the grace of God and all of the truth of God, and by Him, we could observe all of the glory of God.  The phrase "Grace upon Grace" ties these two words--Hebrew and Greek--grace given in the New Testament life of Jesus is piling on the grace already given since the beginning.  No one has ever seen God, But The Son (BUT GOD..) the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father's side.  Jesus has revealed Him.  He accomplished what the Father sent Him to do and prospered with His victory over sin and death.  

The Geneva Bible was carried to America by pilgrims and settlers in the early 1600s.  Christopher and James Avery, father and son, brought the 1581 version to America.  According to Avery family tradition, they were on board the Arabella with John Winthrop who we met on Day 16  The Avery Bible is now on display at the Dunham Bible Museum.  

The first Bible printed in America was not in English.  It was John Eliot's translation into Algonquin, the language of the Masschusett, a native American tribe.  The first seal of Massachusetts was a picture of Native Americans saying "Come and help us" (Acts 16:9) It took 3 years to print, printing 1,000 copies of one page a week.  (My printer always gives me fits, but after reading this, I may go out and kiss it 😁)

At a time when Britain did not allow Bibles to be printed (all Bibles were imported), and no Bibles were printed in colonial America, local printer Robert Aitken took on the expensive project of translating and printing an English Bible from the "original tongues".  He was concerned that the Revolutionary War would prohibit Bibles from being imported.  In 1782, a Congressional committee was considering funding the importation of Bibles from Holland or Scotland.  However, they were presented with Aitken's Bible, and decided to endorse it instead.  It is the only edition of the Bible that was authorized by Congress.  (Congress also voted to fund the importation of the Bibles from Holland and Scotland, but due to the high cost of everything during wartime, this plan was not carried out.)

I could go on and on about the history of having access to a printed Bible in the United States.  It's so interesting, and we owe a great debt to people like Robert Aitken and his work to that end.  This line from his petition to Congress explains why this work was important to him:

"That in every well regulated Government in Christendom The Sacred Books of the Old and New Testament, commonly called the Holy Bible, are printed and published under the Authority of the Sovereign Powers, in order to prevent the fatal confusion that would arise, and the alarming Injuries the Christian Faith might suffer from the Spurious and erroneous Editions of Divine Revelation."

It would be a fatal confusion to the Christian Faith if we would not have had access to God's Word.  Period.  I love the Bible, obviously.  I have multiple Bibles, and we all have access to any version at any time on our phones and computers.  What a wonderful time to be alive.  I am so thankful.  But access to God's Word is through the Word Himself.  Jesus warned the Pharisees that although they had access to the scripture, they were missing the point.  He is expounding our verses from today. 

"And the Father who sent me has Himself testified concerning me.  You have never heard His voice nor seen His form, nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one He sent.  You study the scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life.  These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."  John 5:37-40

BUT GOD--THEOS--owner and creator of all things.  BUT JESUS--LOGOS--Alive and active.  

Light. Life.  From Forever to Forever.  

History of Bibles in America

History of Bibles in America

Day Nineteen--July 19, 2026--"But God.."

 

Luke 16:10-16

Hinge Verse: Luke 16:15

Jesus starts Luke 16 telling the disciples the parable of the Dishonest Manager.  It's a confusing, conversation-starter parable that causes you to think deeply on the meaning.  There was a rich man who was told his manager was blowing all of the rich man's money and possessions.  He asked the manager to give account for his work.  The manager is like "oh shoot, what am I going to do now?  I'm too pretty to work, and too proud to beg!!"  So he starts contacting the ones who owe him money and cuts them each a deal of sorts--kinda like cooking the books and covering his tracks.  In a most shocking turn of events, the master PRAISED the unrighteous manager for his shrewdness.  The lesson, as Jesus explains it, is the dishonest manager's actions were an outcome of his time--his culture, history, and society shaped his thoughts, values, and behaviors.  Instead of making the wrong right, he made it wronger.  Even though he was going the wrong direction, it took him great effort.  So to his disciples He says harness this shrewdness for good!  The unrighteous should not be outpacing the righteous when it comes to intelligence.  The world is counting on the ones who value right living; the unrighteous will be the world's downfall.  

Of course, the Pharisees, who LOVED money, are eavesdropping on Jesus's conversation with his disciples and mocking him.  So Jesus turned to them (we need dramatic music playing in the background) and said:

"You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, BUT GOD knows your hearts.  For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God's sight. "

Besides money, the Pharisees also love and are experts in the law and the prophets.  Jesus advises them that they can't pick and choose which ones to follow, because the law and the prophets all point to the invitation into the kingdom that is freely and urgently extended.  

Robert Matthews was born in 1788 in Cambridge, New York.  His parents, who died when he was young. were members of a division of the Presbyterian church called "Anti-Burgher", which simply put means they would not pledge allegiance to the established state church of Scotland.  

By the age of 19, Robert was learning a trade, yet was also leaning toward a life of crime.  He  started spouting some strange religious beliefs.  He dabbled in Methodism and Judaism for a while, but then left Christianity altogether.  He was a self-proclaimed "prophesying Hebrew".  Simultaneously, he was becoming more violent towards his wife and others.  He claimed to have prophetic visions, and when his wife wouldn't comply with his demands, he kidnapped three of their children to protect them from the coming "flood".  He was declared insane; his wife was unable to divorce him or have him arrested.  

Robert was developing his "new theology" and began to refer to himself as "The Prophet Matthias".  

After a while of fruitless street preaching, The Prophet Matthias was able to convince a well-known religious leader that he was legitimate.  He convinced others that Christianity was evil, and they should start following him.  Although he preached against women, clergymen, and "all men who wear spectacles", The Prophet Matthias still managed to generate a cult-like following.  He established "The Kingdom", married his best friend's wife, who he claimed would bear a child who would be the messiah.  

In 1835, The Prophet Matthias met Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon church.  He introduced himself to Joseph Smith as "Joshua the Jewish Minister",  and claimed to be a direct descendant of Matthias, the apostle who took Judas's place after he betrayed Jesus.  After their meeting, the two "prophets" labeled each other satanists.  

Robert Matthews was born with proper religious teaching right at his fingertips.  If he had used the energy it took to be unrighteously shrewd and turned it for good to the Kingdom of God, what a difference that would have made.  Instead he spent his whole life, all of his possessions, all of his friendships, and cooked the books in what he thought was his own favor.  He won people over to the kingdom of this world and darkness, when with the same effort (or maybe less because when God is for you who can be against you...) The Prophet Matthias could have won people over to the Kingdom of God and light.  He was admired by some, BUT GOD found his heart revolting.  

The Name Jesus called God--Theos--the owner and creator of everything.  

Oh, BUT GOD....

The Prophet Matthias along with his housekeeper, Isabella Van Wagener, were accused and acquitted of murder.  Isabella would later become a devout Christian and change her name to Sojourner Truth.

Robert Matthews

Sojourner Truth

Day Eighteen--July 18, 2026--"But God.."

 

Luke 12:13-34

Hinge Verses--Luke 12:19-21

In our scripture reading today, Jesus has just left the company of a Pharisee who had invited Jesus to eat with him.   A crowd of MANY THOUSANDS assembled and were trampling over each other.  Yet, Jesus managed to keep his focus on teaching His disciples the danger of those around them.  With that many people aware of their location and mission, there must have been threats to them, and Jesus taught them their value, what to fear, who to trust.  

A man from this crowd of thousands calls out, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  (He DID NOT understand the assignment.)  Jesus is not there to settle disputes, yet in His kindness, He does address the root of this man's problem--Greed.  Then as is His way, Jesus doubles down on the lesson by telling a story meant to illustrate the truth He's conveying.  

A rich man has land that was producing more than he could use.  So he said he would just tear down his barns and build bigger ones, giving him plenty of room to store all he has accumulated.  Then he will pat himself on the back, have a seat with his food and drink, and relish all he's accomplished. 

"BUT GOD said to him, 'You fool!  This very night your life is demanded of you'll.  And the things you have prepared--whose will they be?" 

Jesus turns back to His disciples to teach them the meaning of what He just said.  Don't worry about what you have; look around and trust God; seek HIS kingdom, and everything else will work out.  Your heart is a check engine light for what is important to you.  Only work that is for the kingdom can last forever.  

William Borden was born in 1887 in Illinois to a family who had made their millions mining silver.  William's mother converted to Christianity in 1894 and took William and his siblings to church at Chicago Avenue Church.  Under the pastor's preaching, William accepted Christ and from then on his life was changed.  When William graduated from high school at 16, his parents graduation gift was a trip around the world.  (Millionaires, am I right?) It was during this trip that William felt called to be a foreign missionary.  He found himself in London during his travels, where his pastor was holding meetings, and it was there William surrendered his life to ministry.  

William graduated from Yale, and then Princeton Theological Seminary.  William intended to be a missionary to the muslims in China, so he moved to Cairo, Egypt and in with a Syrian family, so he could learn as much about Islam as he could, and hear Arabic as often as he could.  Shortly after he arrived in Egypt, he contracted cerebral meningitis and died three weeks later.  He was buried in Cairo and this is his tombstone--

William never made it to the mission field.  Much like the man in our scripture reading, William's life was demanded of him in a seemingly untimely manner.  Unlike the man in our scripture reading, William was prepared to live and die according to the plans God had for him.  Instead of "You fool",--according to Scripture--William would have heard "Well done, good and faithful servant."  Matthew 25:21

Two men, different treasures.  Jesus said "BUT GOD", calling Him Theos, Creator and Owner of all things.  The rich fool thought he owned all things, and created his own destiny.  But William gladly gave up all he had to pursue Christ and his calling.  A phrase that William is reputed to have written in his Bible (The Bible was reportedly given to his mother, but was never found) regarding his life's decisions as a young millionaire who died pursuing God's Will---

No Reserves.

No Retreats.

No Regrets.  

Oh, But God..

William Border

Day Seventeen--July 17, 2026--"But God.."

 

Matthew 19:16-30

Hinge verses: Matthew 19:25-26

{We finally made it to the New Testament!!}

Jesus is making His final rounds as He's making His way to Jerusalem.  In just two chapters, He will make His triumphal entry before His crucifixion.  Chapter 19 starts with Jesus being followed by large crowds, and He healed many there.  Of course, the Pharisees have been persistently following Jesus His whole ministry, asking questions, trying to trip Him up.  

In the crowd on this day is someone known to us as "the rich young ruler".  He runs up to Jesus and asks "Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?"  Jesus's answer "Why do you ask Me about what is good?" may seem confusing to us, because we know Jesus is good.  We are reading this all in hindsight, but the man is living it.  I believe Jesus is prompting the man to think about why he is asking Jesus about good.   Surely the man knows that it is God who is good, so why would he ask Jesus unless he is <so> close to understanding that Jesus is in fact God in the flesh? 

So Jesus answers him--If you want eternal life, keep the commandments.  The man is thrilled because he HAS kept the commandments since he was a boy.  (The commandments Jesus listed are the ones that address how we interact horizontally, with each other.  He did not mention the commandments that are vertical, our interaction with God. Jesus does all things well.)  The rich young ruler says "What do I still lack?"  Jesus tells him to go sell all he has, give it to the poor, and that will be proof that his treasure is in heaven.  Then follow Him.   Seems easy enough.  But the man is grieved, because he had many possessions.  

I have written in the margin of my Bible: "The man is grieved because he thinks the riches could come, too.  I picture him with a bag full of his stuff, like Santa Claus, trying to get through a needle's eye."  The disciples were astonished and asked (and I can kinda hear the snark in their voices.) "Then who can be saved?"

Jesus looks at them and said:

"With man this is impossible, BUT with GOD all things are possible."  (emphasis mine.)

Robert Gilmour LeTourneau was born in 1888 in Richford, Vermont.  He dropped out of high school at 14 to be an apprentice to an ironworker.  He learned many skills during his time as an apprentice, and took some basic mechanical engineering correspondence courses.  Over the course of his early working career, he learned welding, auto mechanics, farming, wood cutting, mining, and carpentry.  At the age of 32, he started his own earth moving business.  His business barely survived the great depression, but quickly gained after.  During World War II, LeTourneau's factories supplied approximately 70% of the earthmoving equipment used by Allied forced.  He developed the first portable offshore drilling platform in the mid-1950s.  

RG LeTourneau, the man known throughout the construction world as the "The Dean of Earthmoving" was also a very devout Christian.  A man with over 300 patents gladly told anyone who asked what guided him--one principle "God runs my business."  He struggled to decide whether to be a preacher or a businessman, until his pastor counseled him--"God needs businessmen, too."  LeTourneau set aside 90% of his salary and company profits for religious donations, living on the other 10%.  He once said "I shovel out the money, and God shovels it back.  But God has a bigger shovel."  When LeTourneau was featured on a radio show hosted by Robert Ripley, Ripley told him "You have made the word of God a glorious, practical reality."  Then turning to the audience, Ripley said "And of such is the work of faith...believe it or not." 

RG LeTourneau wrote an autobiography called "Mover of Men and Mountains".  A line from the book:

"For 25 years or more, I've been traveling this land of ours and a few foreign countries trying to teach and preach by word of mouth and example, that a Christian businessman owes as much to God as a preacher does."  

What did RG LeTourneau understand that the rich young ruler did not?  Based on a quote original to John Wesley, but one that RG LeTourneau adopted and popularized--RG understood this:

"It's not how much of my money I give to God, it's how much of God's money I keep for myself."

He knew he could give everything to God, and God was faithful to bless him with what he needed.   RG didn't give because he wanted to get, he gave because he knew the word of God was a glorious, practical reality.  The rich young ruler thought what he had outweighed what he would get as a follower of Christ.  BUT GOD--THEOS--the name Jesus called Him in verse 26 means God, the Creator and owner of all things.  With man, to give everything away is impossible.  But with God, all things are possible.  

RG LeTourneau

Mover of Men and Mountains

RG LeTourneau Wikipedia

Day Sixteen--July 16, 2026--"But God.."

Jonah 3-4

Hinge Verses--Jonah 4:6-7

We are returning to finish out the story of Jonah, started in Day 15 "But God.." post.  Jonah finally makes it to Nineveh after traveling about 3,000 miles in the wrong direction.  After the fish vomited Jonah on to the shore, Jonah was told again "Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you."   Jonah gets up and does as he's commanded, walks into the city Day One, and warns the city what will happen if they don't repent "In 40 days, Nineveh will be demolished."  So everyone--from the king to the least--believed in God, proclaimed a fast, and dressed in sackcloth.  The king additionally removed his royal robe and sat in ashes--a sign of humility and repentance --and decreed:

"By order of the king and his nobles; no person or animal, herd or flock is to taste anything at all.  They must not eat or drink water.  Furthermore, both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God.  Each must turn from his evil ways and from his wrongdoing.  Who knows?  God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so we will not perish."

And that is exactly what happened.  God saw that they had turned from their evil ways, He changed His mind, and He did not demolish Nineveh.  

This would be a great ending, except Jonah.  He was livid that the Ninevites had turned from their wicked ways.  This is what he expected to happen--Jonah would put his reputation on the line by warning Nineveh that they were going to be destroyed; God would come through at their repentance because He is gracious, compassionate, patient, faithful, loving; and then Jonah would look like a fool.  That's literally the reason he went in the wrong direction in the first place.  Now Jonah would rather die than live.  The LORD asks Jonah "Are you right to be angry?" 👀

So Jonah marches off to pout.  He works on a  handmade shelter and sits in the shade of it to watch what would happen to Nineveh.  God goes the extra mile and makes a plant grow to provide shade, to "rescue him from his trouble".  Jonah was thrilled.  BUT then GOD sent a worm to destroy the plant.  Then He sent a scorching east wind.  Jonah returns to his thoughts of his own death, and God confronts him again: "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?"  Jonah explodes, "Yes it is right!!! I could DIE of anger."  Then God comes in with the knockout punch--Jonah cares about the plant but does not care about Nineveh or its people, nor does he want God to care about Nineveh and it's 20,000 souls.  BUT GOD...

John Winthrop was a Puritan born in 1588 in Suffolk, England.  He was a devoted religious teenager and, as an adult, he longed for a world where wickedness was replaced by goodness.  He was given a chance in 1629 to sail to America with a new company, and plant a colony there.  As he sailed to America on the Arabella, he wrote a sermon called "A Model of Christian Charity".  He dreamed of a colony in covenant with God and each other, and that they would build a "City on a Hill" in New England, and that all the eyes of the new land would be on them.  

"If we deal with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world; we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all believers in God;  we shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us, til we are forced out of the new land where we are going."  John Winthrop  BUT GOD...

Nineveh was built on two prominent mounds.  They are potentially a City on a Hill.  The whole city-- everyone-- has repented.  However, within 150 years, we find them again in the book of Nahum 1  Because of their wickedness, because someone has risen up who plots evil against the LORD, the LORD prophesies their destruction.  We find ancient Nineveh in Mosul, Iraq today.  So what happened?  Jonah missed an opportunity to disciple these new believers and potential followers of the LORD.  He was focused on himself, his comfort, his reputation, instead of on the next step that would've helped depend their faith.  So the city returned to its original state, their faith like the second seed in Matthew 13:20-21--on rocky ground with little soil, and because it had no root, it quickly fell away as soon as trials came. 

What happened to the city on a Hill that John Winthrop dreamed of?  Many well-known Americans have quoted this phrase and this sermon.  John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, Ted Cruz, Mario Cuomo.  But they are referencing it more in the bent of the Great American Experiment, and whether America has led the charge in a new government model.  And while our country was founded on Christian principles, I'm sad to say that I'm not convinced we are a City on a Hill to the eyes watching us.  I think we are more on thorny ground from Matthew 13:22 our love for the LORD choked out by the cares and riches of this world.  

We will end with the closing of John Winthrop's sermon--"A Model of Christian Charity"

"And to shut this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israel, 

'Beloved, there is now set before us life and death, good and evil,' in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and his ordinance and his laws, and the articles of our covenant with Him, that we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may bless us in the land whither we go to possess it.  But if our hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship other God's, our pleasure and profits and serve them;  it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it.

Therefore let us choose life,

that we and our seed may live, 

by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him,

for His is our life and our prosperity."

Oh, BUT GOD.  

City Upon a Hill

A Model of Christian Charity

Ancient Nineveh

 

Day Fifteen--July 15, 2026--"But God.."

Jonah 2

Hinge Verse--Jonah 2:6

Jonah was a prophet of the LORD during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel.  According to our chart from the beginning of this study, Kings of Israel and Judah, King Jeroboam II was "badly behaved", and Jonah seemed to follow in the king's footsteps.  Jonah received a very clear command from the LORD--

"Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me."  Jonah 1:2

Jonah's hometown was Gath-Hepher 2 Kings 14:25, where he likely was when he received his commission.  Instead of going straight up to Nineveh, he went down to Joppa to buy a ticket for Tarshish.  It was approximately 550 miles to Nineveh, and 60 miles to Joppa.  So obedience may have seemed like the harder choice.  But from Joppa to Tarshish was 2,500 miles!  It was like saying now, "We drove from here to Timbuktu!"  Jonah ran from God and His command in the opposite direction.  He boarded the ship bound for Tarshish and 

In another "But God.." moment, 

the LORD threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart." 

The sailors were afraid and started throwing stuff overboard.  The captain went to look for Jonah and found him stretched out and sleeping.  Jonah, who had already told the sailors he was running from the LORD, admitted he served the God of the heavens, who made the sea and dry land,  The sailors knew this storm was a punishment on Jonah, however they rowed like everything to try to avoid catastrophe. They found out you can't outrun or outrow God, so they prayed for forgiveness instead of permission, and threw Jonah overboard.  The LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he stayed in its belly three days and three nights.  

Jonah's prayer from the belly of the fish is thankful, but not necessarily repentant.  He's sorry he ended up inside a fish, but not necessarily sorry for the disobedience that took him there.  The sailors threw him in the sea, but he knows it was God's punishment.  He describes his surroundings--basically a watery tomb--and the helplessness he feels.  In our pivotal verse, Jonah cries out to God from his hopelessness--

"To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.  BUT you, LORD My GOD, brought my life up from the pit."   

Jonah promises to fulfill his mission and vows that, however he might feel about the hated Ninevites--ultimately, salvation belongs to the LORD.  (We will come back to Jonah tomorrow for the rest of the story.)

The USS Squalus was a US Navy submarine.  In 1939, The Squalus was going through rigorous trials to prove sea-worthiness off the coast of New England. There were 59 submariners on board.  It had been in the water for 83 days when the failure of a valve caused the ship to take on water and sink.  The boat ended up in 240 feet of water.  26 submariners died in the initial flooding of the boat, and 33 survived.  The survivors waited 39 hours to be rescued.  Like Jonah, they felt helpless, trapped in their watery tomb.  They sent up a buoy marker and waited.  No one had ever been rescued from this depth.  They considered a few methods of escape, but again, none of these methods had been tried at this depth.  Some of the rescuers working from above heard some rhythmic tapping, and recognized it as morse code. Two messages came from the crew--"Cold but bearable", and "Is there any hope?"  Over the course of 13 hours, divers rescued all 33 men.  All the while, family and friends and fellow soldiers prayed from the shore.  But God..

Jonah found himself trapped in the belly of a fish because of his disobedience.  The submariners found themselves trapped in the belly of a submarine because of mechanical failure.  All were helpless and losing hope.  We aren't sure what happened to the sailors on Jonah's ship; we know some on the USS Squalus didn't survive.  But God--Jonah called Him by name, Yahweh my God--He is sovereign.  He governs over all things; He is in complete control.  With Him alone, there is hope.  He does all things well.  

 

The USS Squalus

 

Day Fourteen--July 14, 2026--"But God.."

 

Daniel 2

Hinge Verses: Daniel 2:27-28

When King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in approximately 605 BC, he took King Jehoiakim captive, as well as Israelites from the royal and noble families.  The young men among the captives were meant to be trained for three years in language and literature of the Babylonians/Chaldeans.  Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel were among the captives.  After going through rigorous training detailed in Daniel 1, this was said of them--

"God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom.  Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind."  Daniel 1:17

The king who had orchestrated the attack on Jerusalem suffered from troubling, sleep-depriving dreams.  (Much like Pharaoh in Joseph's account.)  The confusing dreams filled the king with much anxiety, so he called up every type of fortune teller, wizard, diviner, enchanter, and astrologer at his disposal.  The men come to the king and ask for the dream so they can interpret it.  The king insists that if the "wise men" have they power they say they do, they will be able to divine both the dream AND the interpretation.  At the threat of violent death if they fail and great rewards if they succeed, the men concede that this is an impossible ask.  The order went out to kill the wise men, and while they were at it, randomly kill Daniel and his friends, too.  😟  Daniel stopped the executioner in his tracks with some quick thinking, and was granted an audience with the king.   The 4 friends used their time granted from the king to

"ask the God of the heavens for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon's wise men."  

God came to Daniel in a vision at night, revealing the mystery, and Daniel returned praise to God.  So Daniel went back to his contact within the king's court and, before asking for his promised audience with the king, he pleaded for the lives of the wise men.  

The king asked if Daniel had figured out the dream and its interpretation.  Daniel said no because, like all the men called before him, he had no more wisdom than anyone living.  BUT there is a GOD in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has deemed it appropriate to both describe the dream and give it's interpretation.  The gift of comfort was not necessarily for King Nebuchadnezzar, although he benefited from it; but for Daniel and his 3 friends, who escaped death and were promoted because God revealed the vision needed from heaven.  

Spiritualism has been around since the beginning of time.  But America saw it grow by leaps and bounds during the Civil War, the bloodiest war in American history.  So many families experienced so much death.  Often when a loved one (or several loved ones sadly), the families were not able to have closure because their bodies were never recovered, or were unable to be identified due to extent of injuries, or just lost to the distance from home.  This led to desperate grievers looking to mediums for a chance to be in touch beyond the grave with their lost loved one.  

A most famous grieving mother who turned to spiritualism was Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of President Abraham Lincoln.  Mrs. Lincoln lost her mother at a young age.  Her first son, Eddie, died at 4 years old of tuberculosis.  Her second son, Willie, died at age 11 of typhoid fever.  Her third son, Tad,died at age 18. It was Willie's death, while Lincoln was president, that sent Mrs. Lincoln into an unbearable grief.  She sounght the help of some well-known mediums, attending seances to help her process her losses.  She was so comforted by the seances that she hosted several in the White House, with President Lincoln in attendance at some.  She claimed to see the ghosts of Eddie and Willie, which seemed to bring her comfort.  

But God...President and Mrs. Lincoln had several trustworthy pastors in their lives that helped steer her away from her growing dependence on mediums.  Scripture clearly teaches in Deuteronomy 18:10-12 that consulting with the spirit world is "detestable to the LORD."  

Rev. Dr. James Smith was one such trustworthy pastor of the Presbyterian church in Springfield, IL.  He counseled the Lincolns, helped to ground them in their faith, and guided Mrs. Lincoln away from spiritualism.

Another pastor is Rev. Dr. Phineas D. Gurley, of the Presbyterian church in Washington, DC.  Pastor Gurley countered Mrs. Lincoln's practice with the occult, and guided her toward traditional Christian hope.  

Why does this matter so much to God?  Why didn't he leave an evil, conniving king to be comforted with whatever his so-called wise men said?  Why didn't he let Mary Todd Lincoln process her grief by whatever means she decided?  Is He afraid that the comfort He offers will be inferior?   No, He's not afraid.  He made us and He knows that true comfort comes from Him, The God in Heaven.  His Name that Daniel spoke in 2:28 is "Elah", the Aramaic equivalent of Elohim--one God with many attributes.  Gracious, holy, eternal, faithful, just, wise, sovereign.  The proof is in His Name that He is willing to go to any length to comfort His creation. His children. To draw them to Him.  We look for answers in the wrong places.  Oh, But God.  

Mary Todd Lincoln

Day Thirteen--July 13, 2026--"But God.."

 

Isaiah 40:1-8

Hinge Verse: Isaiah 40:8

Isaiah 40 starts with words of comfort from the only One who can truly comfort--God Himself.  He tells Isaiah the prophet to comfort the people of God.  They are in captivity in Babylon because they refused to turn from their wicked ways and trust in God.  The message from the LORD is one of tenderness, hope, comfort, pardon, and blessing.  

In verse 3, there's a prophecy of John the Baptist, given 700 years before he was born, as he will come before Jesus to prepare the way for Him and His ministry on earth.  I love the imagery of verses 4-5--

"Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled;

the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain.  

And the glory of the LORD will appear, and all humanity together will see it, 

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

All humanity has an expiration date; we are like grass and like the flower of the field.  The grass withers, the flowers fade, the effect of God's interaction with them in their seasons.  And then it's repeated to double down on the truth of the statement; Indeed, the people are grass.  The grass withers, the flowers fade, BUT the word of our GOD remains forever."  

The second continental Congress met on July 4, 1776 and adopted the Declaration of Independence, cutting ties with Britain officially.  Arguably, the most famous line from the document is this--

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

One ancient nation held captive in a foreign land because of rebellion against their Creator.  One newborn nation in a new land to stand for the right for all humanity to enjoy the rights bestowed on them by their Creator.  

But neither one of them got it right.  

Israel returned from exile in Babylon, rebuilt the temple, lived through 400 years of silence from the Lord.

America declared independence from Britain, only to find themselves entangled in slavery, civil war, savagery between them and the people native to the land.  

Isaiah 40:4-5 speaks of a time of equality for all.  But we don't see that in Israel or America.  Or anywhere else.  Why?

Because our freedom doesn't come from humanity.  We cannot level the playing field.  We can try.  Israel tries.  America tries.  Other countries try.  We want freedom, equality for all.  But inevitably, someone gets less.  Some are on a high road of success.   Some live in a valley of disappointment after disappointment.  Some have nothing but uneven, ankle-breaking ground of unfairness all their lives.  

Freedom only comes from our Creator.  Only He can grant us equality, all of us standing on even ground.  But it's not for the reason you think.  It's not so everything is fair.  He gives us level ground so we can all see Jesus.  Jesus came in on a straight highway in full view.  The glory of God appeared, and all humanity together has seen it.  

We see people treated unfairly everyday; by others, by their circumstances.  But one day, humanity will reach our expiration date set by the breath of the LORD from the beginning of time.  Elohim, God's Name in verse 8--singular yet plural--will level the fields forever.  Because He is wise, faithful, gracious, good, holy, just, loving--He will make all things fair.  And we--all humanity--will see Jesus, returning on a straight highway.  We--those who trust in Him-- will finally have our unalienable rights in the presence of Jesus--life, liberty, and happiness evermore.  His Word Endures Forever.  

The Declaration of Independence