My Daily Pause

Author: Butch Adams

  • The Campaign to Discredit Christ

    At the time that John the Baptist was preparing the way, those who witnessed Jesus had little trouble accepting him as the Messiah. The Jews in charge had other ideas, however. There was a constant campaign to discredit Jesus. We can look at our own times to see how quickly people have become bold enough to declare themselves Atheists. It only takes a few people to reach the critical mass where opinions, values and morals collectively change.

    With a few page turns and some quick scanning of the Gospels, we can find all sorts of rumors and lies they told on our Lord.

    They said:

    • he was a glutton (Matthew 11:18,19)
    • he was a winebibber (Matthew 11:18,19)
    • he cast out demons by the prince of demons (Matthew 9:34)
    • he was Beelzebul (Matthew 10:25)
    • he was a sinner (John 9:24)
    • he had a demon (John 7:20)
    • he violated the Sabbath (Matthew 12:2)
    • he was a Samaritan (John 8:48)
    • he was a deceiver (Matthew 27:63)
    • had a friendship with publicans and sinners (Luke 15:2)
    • that no prophet could come out of Galilee (John 7:52)
    • he lead the multitude astray (John 7:12)
    • it was impossible for Jesus to be the Christ since Elijah had not risen from the dead (Mark 9:11)
    • he had an unclean spirit (Mark 3:30)
    • he is beside himself (Mark 3:21)
    • he transgressed the tradition of the elders (Matthew 15:2)
    • he is not from God (John 9:16)
    • he forbade to give tribute to Caesar (Luke 23:2)
    • he made himself a king (Luke 23:2)
    • he was an evildoer (John 18:30)
    • that Jesus claimed he would destroy the temple of God and build it in three days (Matthew 26:61)

    The things we are seeing today are nothing new. The lies listed above and worse can still be expected from those who wish to discredit Christ and Christians. We have it pretty easy compared to those first century Christians. Those who are not in a Muslim country have it pretty easy compared to some Christians that do live there.

    For today, just resolve to keep fighting the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12) and let God handle the rest.

    Daily Bible reading for September 14

    Psalm 44
    2 Samuel 4
    Ezekiel 4:1-5:4
    Luke 9:51-10:24

  • Achieving Importance in God’s Kingdom

    Achieving Importance in God’s Kingdom

    Even the Lord’s church is full of folks that look for position and importance above his brothers. It started before day one of the church with the apostles bickering among themselves about who was the greatest among them. (Luke 9:46, Matthew 18:1, Mark 9:34) Humans, by design, are full of ambition. This is a good thing – up to the point of where vanity is not kept in check.

    Jesus used the innocence of children as a model of who will have importance in his Kingdom. Children still have the qualities we are all born with, but allow life and experience to choke out. These are qualities like:

    The place of importance in God's Kingdom is reserved for those with childlike qualities
    The place of importance in God’s Kingdom is reserved for those with childlike qualities
    • humility
    • freedom from prejudice
    • being teachable
    • being lovable
    • trustfulness
    • faithfulness
    • avoiding anxiety
    • innocence

    Jesus laid out his standard for importance in his eyes in Mark 9:35. If you plan to be ranked higher with him, then you will put others first. A Christian life is one of service. It is a service done in a humble manner, (Matthew 18:4) which is to say that it is service without expectation of reward or appreciation. (cf. Matthew 6:16-18)

    The foundational commandments are to love God and to love others. (Luke 10:27) The definition of love contains all of the childlike qualities above. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) The place of importance in God’s kingdom belongs to those that love well.

    Daily Bible reading for September 13

    Psalm 42-43
    2 Samuel 3
    Ezekiel 2-3
    Luke 9:1-50

  • Where is Your Faith?

    Where is Your Faith?

    Worry, Fear, Panic. Just a few of the symptoms of one that doesn’t trust. If we lack faith in something, then we do not expect to be able rely on it.

    How do you supposed Jesus felt when he had to ask his disciples where their faith was? (Luke 8:25) Jesus had demonstrated his power to them time and time again, but they still feared the storm. (Luke 8:22-24)

    Faith in God is how to avoid worry.
    The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt, 1632.

    Every day will bring new challenges. This might be especially true for those trying to be faithful to God. When we allow those challenges to consume our attention, we will eventually overthink the situation. Fear and worry can use that to get a foothold.

    To get a head start on the day, we have to expect the unexpected. Sure, that’s a little cliché, but preparing ourselves to handle anything that life throws at us is how we deal with it. Here are a few things we can do get that head start:

    • Bible reading – an excellent way to build faith (Romans 10:17)
    • Prayer – The prayers of a righteous person gets results (James 5:16)
    • Review our priorities – Seek God’s kingdom first (Luke 12:31) and select our treasure wisely (Luke 12:34)

    Faith in God is the first step (and often the only step) needed to avoid worry and fear.

    Daily Bible reading for September 12

    Psalm 41
    2 Samuel 2
    Ezekiel 1
    Luke 8:22-56

  • 7 Reasons Jesus Taught With Parables

    When Jesus spoke in parables, he had a number of reasons for doing so. I’m not sure I fully understand them all, especially Luke 8:10, which seems very cryptic to me. It almost seems to say to me that those with a hard heart will miss the point, but those eager to learn will get it. If anyone has a better explanation of that verse, please let me hear it!

    Here are some notes that I have collected in the margins of my Bible as to why the Lord used parables to teach:

    • Prophecy Isaiah 6:9-10
    • Confound the spies and Pharisees
    • Challenged His disciples to greater spiritual discernment
    • The Hebrew people were familiar with the method
    • Easy to remember
    • Interesting
    • The teachings were unsuitable for use against him in court

    Daily Bible reading for September 11

    Psalm 40
    2 Samuel 1
    Daniel 12
    Luke 8:4-21

  • Making a Judgment

    Jesus took Simon the Pharisee to school. (Luke 6:36-50) I wonder if Simon really fully understood what happened in his own house.

    Making judgments is a daily requirement to avoid sinful situations, We have to be careful whose standard we judge by.
    Making judgments is a daily requirement to avoid sinful situations, but we have to be careful whose standard we judge by.
    • When the sinful woman came in, Simon saw a lost cause – Jesus saw a precious soul (Luke 7:39)
    • Simon felt superior to Jesus – Jesus was the master teacher (Luke 7:40)
    • Simon slighted Jesus a common courtesy – Jesus responded to the love of a sinner (Luke 7:44-46)
    • Simon remained judgmental – Jesus passed the final judgment (Luke 7:48-49)

    The passages that warn us about judging others (Matthew 7:1, Luke 6:37) are among the most misused in the Bible. Most people quote those verses as a way to avoid having their sins pointed out to them. If they were to keep reading, they would see that it is a warning against unrighteous judgment. We are to be careful of the measuring stick we hold up to others, we might just have that same ruler used against us!

    Simon illustrates that perfectly for us. He thought he was sizing Jesus up to pass judgment on his authenticity as a prophet. Instead, he found himself weight in the balance and left wanting.

    Since Jesus recognized her love for him, we know the sinful woman went away living in obedience. At the end of the day, our love for the Christ is how we stay obedient. (John 14:15)

    …and those who see themselves as superior to others? Let’s hope they see the danger before it’s too late.

  • Look For the Centurions

    Jesus healing the servant of a Centurion - Paolo Veronese (1528–1588)
    Jesus healing the servant of a Centurion – Paolo Veronese (1528–1588)

    In Luke 7:1-10, the centurion’s servant is healed. Jesus marveled at his faith compared to what he was finding among the Jews.

    The centurion had good references (Luke 7:4) from the Jewish elders even though he was a Gentile. He was also an officer in the hated army of Rome. He built the synagogue for the Jews and as far as we can tell, he believed in Jesus as soon as he knew about him.

    It might be human nature to size people up based on external factors, but it is not God’s nature to do so. (cf. Acts 10:34, James 2:1) As today’s call to action, try to reach out to someone that others might have written off because of who they are.

    We might find a centurion.

    We might even be impressed like Jesus was. (Luke 7:9)