Devotional and Bible

4 April 2006

Kids’ books at Easter

This Easter we’ve been working on new ways to try to share the

Easter story with Hannah in particular. Actually, between Christmas and Easter I was reading her an adapted version of The Pilgrim’s Progress (by John Bunyan), called Dangerous Journey (click on the photo for more). The language is very much like that of the original, but it’s a short version. It’s based on the still-picture movie (you know, pan and zoom) by the same name.

I was wondering how much she would get out of it, but the imagery certainly came alive for her. Now she’s going around acting out the story. It’s a great opportunity to explain in a concrete way what the cross means to us, in particular. (Note to parents – some of the pictures in the book are pretty graphic…I just kind of covered a couple of them up and went on by!)

Now that the Easter Season is upon us, we’ve been going through a book with stories and hymns related to Easter. Do you remember the one we did at Christmas? Well, this is the Easter version, Passion Hymns for a Kid’s Heart. Although there’s the occasional thing I don’t agree with, most of the stories are excellent (so far) and it’s a great chance to learn the hymns. Hopefully when we’re at church around Easter time the songs will be a little more familiar to her.

We sing the hymns a couple of nights in a row, and there’s a story, a verse and a prayer with each one. Anyway, hopefully we’ll have more opportunities to talk with both Hannah and Nathanael as Easter gets closer. Of course, anytime is the right time! 🙂

15 March 2006

Autographs from the 1930s

Jim Devotional and Bible, Family 3

I came across these little pages written by my grandparents. I don’t know what they’re from – looks like a book of some kind – perhaps they were autographing each others’ something or other. Anyway, this would be before they were married. It’s encouraging to come across little things like this and to be reminded of a godly heritage.

The quotation from my grandmother, Isbell, was from a poem by Annie Johnson Flint (see Isaiah 43:2). You can read the rest of the poem, When Thou Passeth Through The Waters. The second is a Bible verse – Philippians 3:7. The writing is small, but you can click on it to see a larger copy in our Photo Gallery.

2 March 2006

Choosing a Bible

Jim Devotional and Bible 0

Recently we were looking to upgrade our children’s Bibles. For the first time in a while, we dove into the wonderful world of Bible translations. What in the world do you choose for a children’s Bible?

Translation is a tricky thing. In case you’ve never thought much about it, the scale works kind of like this: You have your literal translations, such as the NASB, KJV and NKJV. That means that as much as possible things are translated word by word, but still make sense in English. Then you have translations that go more idea by idea, such as the NIV or ISV. The more you get away from literal, the more interpretation or opinion is involved. The NLT, GW version or CEV are much more idea based, and finally on the extreme far end are paraphrases like the Living Bible or The Message.

Now of course the more idea based versions have advantages. They are generally easier to read, and they attempt to discover what the Bible would sound like if it were written today. The downside is that the less literal you get, the more opinion is in the text. Look for example at Matt 6:11:
NKJV says Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That’s pretty literal compared to the Greek text.

Ok, now the ISV: May your kingdom come. May your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Ok, not bad. Seems to take out a bit of the certainty of the verse for me, but it may be accurate to the Greek.

How about the CEV? Come and set up your kingdom, so that everyone on earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven.

Wait a sec – now the Father is personally coming to set up his kingdom, and the verse is exclusively referring to the future. These things may be true, but I’m not sure that’s exactly what the verse is saying. We can see opinion creeping in here. Is the verse only talking about people, as the CEV says, or God’s will in all creation?

How about The Message? Set the world right; Do what’s best– as above, so below. Now the whole concept of the kingdom is gone – that is, of the reign of God. Now He’s just setting things right. Heaven is gone, it’s now “above”. The idea of God’s will has been changed to “doing what’s best”. It’s pretty much just the opinion of the writer about what Jesus meant by what He said.

Now I’m not saying less literal translations are all bad. If you’re 100% literal, the passage would make very little sense to the modern reader. But the more opinion that’s involved, the less you’re really getting what the original text said. In the next verse, for example, The Message has Jesus praying that we would be kept alive with “three square meals”. Does “daily bread” really mean three square meals?

Then there’s the issue of gender inclusive language. Now there’s real controversy for you. Now I realize that in many places the Bible uses the male when it means both male and female. However, when you start trying to figure out what was intended, it gets tricky. And then comes the even more imprecise way that “they” replaces he (or he/she). Suddenly it could be talking about an individual or a group or someone else.

An article I read made a good point. If you want to make a translation at a 3rd grade reading level, you have to remember that the Bible simply wasn’t written at a 3rd grade reading level. So you simply have to change things to bring it to that level. And some passages are ambiguous, period. You can clarify them, but maybe that’s not what the writer intended. And if you take out those ancient expressions replacing them with modern ones, you may be missing out on subtle imagery that is brilliantly woven through Scripture.

There are no easy answers, but here’s what I think, and you can tell me what you think. No matter what version you use, take the wording with a grain of salt. But this especially applies to less literal translations.

1. If you have a less literal translation, make sure you have a more literal one to check it against (ie NASB, RSV, NKJV). Try to take the time to read from a more literal translation, not just an idea-by-idea one.
2. Learn to use tools like a concordance with reference to Greek words and word study books that can give you more precise meanings
3. When you memorize, every word counts. Consider using a more literal translation for memorization.

Remember, the Bible is something you have to learn and struggle with – sometimes it’s not so easy. Maybe we’re so obsessed with “reading the Bible for ourselves” that we’ve forgotten that. It takes teaching, a willingness to learn, the Spirit’s guidance, and it takes time to understand what God is saying. The Bible is clear on the essentials, yes, but no one ever said it wasn’t challenging. If you want the gems, sometimes you have to dig.

Zondervan has a page that simply shows the continuum of Bible versions. For more discussion on choosing a Bible, try Leland Ryken’s book Choosing a Bible: Understanding Bible Translation Differences, which is available through the link to buy or download for free. It’s worth taking the time to talk about – God’s Word is no minor issue.

What do you think? What translation do you use? What about your children? Why?

20 February 2006

The Church’s double-standard?

Jim Devotional and Bible, Missions 2

It’s been a startling trend in the community of believers. A dangerous trend.

As I mentioned before, I was required to read The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer for my course. Now some people have concerns about Bonhoeffer’s theology as a whole because of some questions about his stance on Scripture and salvation in particular. However, he has some great things to say in this book.

In the very first chapter, he starts talking about monasteries. At a time when the visible church was becoming more worldly, some rebelled and tried to live a life of discipleship. Of course, many of these early monasteries were actually missionary training centres. Famous places such as Iona became sending agencies for missionaries. (Saint) Patrick set up centres all over Ireland, training missionaries and sending them out to proclaim the Gospel.

But then, something began to happen. Bonhoeffer writes: Monasticism was represented as an individual achievement which the mass of the laity could not be expected to emulate. By thus limiting the application of the commandments of Jesus to a restricted group of specialists, the Church evolved the fatal conception of the double standard – a maximum and minimum standard of Christian obedience.

Sound like anything Jesus had to deal with? Yes, the Pharisees had a lot in common with double standard concept. They created a whole host of man-made laws that were supposed to represent spirituality. They were the religious specialists – not everyone could hope to be that spiritual. By just being there they actually served as an excuse for everyone else – a standard so high that not everyone need bother trying to attain it (Matt 23:4). Instead, the Pharisees were leaders of the pack.

Did they come to mind, or did something more modern? As missionaries, we’ve seen hints of this attitude. The attitude that missionaries are the super-holy ones who are doing the dirty (yet very spiritual) work for everyone else. As long as our church is sending a little money to the missionaries, we’re doing our part. Of course, not everyone can be expected to take their spiritual life that far.

What a lie! Jesus never called a few missionaries or pastors to be the ones to be disciples. He called everyone! If you’re under the misconception, let me set you right – missionaries are not better disciples than everyone else. We are all called to leave all for Christ – to take up our cross and follow Him.

Are we creating in our minds a set of impossible (man-made) standards that must be perfectly obeyed before you can be considered a disciple? Are pastors and teachers and missionaries leaving the impression that they are super-Christians? Are they setting up a set of man-made standards as requirements for discipleship? Are we leaving the impression that there are “minimum and maximum” requirements for discipleship? God forbid!

We are all called to be disciples. Period. There are no spiritual “classes”. Just because some go as missionaries to another culture does not release everyone else from their responsibility to Jesus, and it does not release us all from our responsibility to reach the world for Christ. It also doesn’t automatically make the missionary a spiritual giant. Please, let us pray for one another, support one another and love one another. And let’s be accountable to the One who counts – Jesus Christ.

Bonhoeffer leaves us with one more thought, about Martin Luther. Luther was himself a monk, hoping to achieve a spirituality and the favour of God. But his biggest challenge was still ahead. “The renunciation he made when he became a monk was child’s play compared with that which he had to make when he returned to the world”.

When we leave behind our comfortable ideas of what spirituality is, and take the risk to follow Christ in this world (as all believers must do), that’s when the real challenge and adventure begins. We leave behind our comparisons with others, the accomplishments of others, and even our own accomplishments and spirituality, and we look to Jesus and begin to walk in His footsteps. We don’t know where He will lead, or what He will ask of us. We just trust Him. And that is discipleship.

What do you think? Do we have a double standard today? Stop by and leave your comments!

11 February 2006

A passage I love

Jim Devotional and Bible 2

I once heard someone say that all of our problems are really problems with God. At first I thought that the statement was a little simplistic, but the more I think about it the more I think it has an element of truth. After all, we have an all-powerful and all-loving God. He’s greater than the forces of darkness, and even greater than our hearts (1Jo 3:20). Most of our frustrations boil down to our struggle with obeying or trusting God.

There’s a passage that really reflects the power and mystery of our relationship with the Lord, and our quest for a better relationship.

The prophet Hosea has been writing to Israel, pleading with them to follow the Lord and warning them that their disobedience was leading to disaster. Because they had not listened and returned to God, discipline was coming. Would Israel finally listen, or would they continue in rebellion?

After the terrible visions of judgement and horror that Hosea has seen, it’s as if he stops short and holds out his hands to plead with the people he loves, in a beautiful piece of poetry –

Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.
(Hos 6:1-3)

No matter what we’ve been through – seemingly senseless sorrow, the consequences of our own sin, life in a fallen world – no matter what we’re facing, that’s not the end of the story. The end of the story is an almighty God of love who calls us to return to Him. His healing is waiting for us. But sometimes it’s a journey – we must look for the Lord (even though He’s not really far away). It’s a hard journey. And in the end, it’s not us that will find Him, but He will find us. His coming is as certain as the change in seasons.

The mystery in this passage is incredible. Why has God torn? Is there an allusion to Christ’s resurrection (on the third day) here? How can we live in His sight? Is this God’s coming at the end of the age to make all things right, or is He coming to us personally, to heal and lift us up? When is He coming?

I think all these points are mixed together in these few verses. Our own lonely struggles, the rebellion of Israel, God’s plan for all mankind, the cross and resurrection, the glorious return. There’s no differentiation here between “head knowledge” and “heart knowledge” – it’s all the same thing. We are broken people longing to know His truth and love. And we must have an unshakeable hope – that God can heal today’s pain and the pain of a lifetime. If we seek, we will find (Mat 7:7). We will know His presence. Be ready. He’s coming.

Note: This post is part of a project at Missionary-Blogs.com. A number of missionaries are posting about their favourite passages this month, and the results will be on the website later in February.

26 January 2006

Do we need to sacrifice?

Jim Devotional and Bible, Missions 0

Sacrifice. It’s a word that comes up again and again as we live our lives as Christians. Over the past month or so, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the concept of sacrifice, especially in the context of missions.

I’ve said before that I believe some of the biggest sacrifices are ahead for the Church in the next few years. Why? Because in this age the Gospel has been spread geographically all over the globe, modern technology has allowed us to do things in missions we would never have imagined a hundred years ago. And now we find ourselves taking the Gospel to the places and peoples who are left. It’s those places that are the hardest to get to, that are the most expensive, that are the most foreign and the most hostile – these are places missionaries will be going in the years ahead.

As I think about sacrifice, I’m thinking on two levels – myself and my family and the sacrifices we personally need to make, and the sacrifices the Church as a whole needs to make. The bottom line is that the world can be reached in our generation with the Gospel, but the world will not be reached without sacrifice. It will not be reached unless we sacrifice, just as the Gospel was not purchased without Jesus’ sacrifice.

What is sacrifice, really? Isn’t the Christian life supposed to be joyful? Over the holidays, we thought a lot about how blessed we are, and I heard many other missionaries saying the same thing about their lives. So should we only be missionaries when it’s “comfortable”? Is sacrifice the occasional spontaneous cheque written at the missions conference? Is sacrifice the mechanically planned and budgeted percentage that we give to missions, in the same way that we save for retirement and plan a mortgage? Is sacrifice “burning out rather than rusting out”? Martyrdom? Giving as “God has prospered us” (only giving when God gives us a little extra)?

It’s my belief that all of us who are believers must daily give all our lives to God, all our possessions, all our time. We are Gods, period. Missionary, or not. Pastor, or layperson. Male, or female. (Rom 6:18)

Something’s missing, though – there’s another side to the whole issue. As I read what other missionaries had to say about sacrifice and choices, they say two things that sound contradictory. First, yes, there is sacrifice. Sometimes it’s painful. Second, they are usually happy to be where they are and wouldn’t trade it for anything. What they’re talking about is a life of joyful sacrifice. That phrase sums it up for me.

Yes, if we are to follow the Lord this year as a family, we need to make sacrifices. Those sacrifices will be big and small and they won’t always make us feel good. In a bigger context, however, the life of sacrifice is much more joyful than the life of hoarding for ourselves. There’s an intrinsic joy in giving. There’s the peace and joy directly from God. There’s a joy in seeing how He uses your gifts to Him. That’s why so many Christians can talk of sorrow and hardship one moment and the blessings of God the next. Sacrifice is more than just giving when it’s convenient, reaching out when we feel like it, taking time when we want to. It can be painful. But it can also be wonderful. Even when Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice, His eyes were on the joy ahead. (Heb 12:2)

In this new year, let’s dive deeper into this adventure God has given us as a Church. Let’s give more, sacrifice more, share His Word more, see Him work more, rejoice more, trust Him more, keep our eyes on Him more. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, in my life and in the Church you are building. It’s all about joyful sacrifice.

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