BibleScribbler

Coffee, a Bible, and a Napkin to Scribble On

WCAGLS14: Bryan Loritts, Sacrificial Leadership

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So I must have gotten stuck from Susan Cain, because I had some trouble listening through this one too. BUT this guy brought all kinds of scripture and had some awesome connections, especially at the very end. I’m not sure if he was trying to show his authority by quoting so many people or if he wanted us to look all of those people up, but in my ADHD every time he mentioned an author’s name I veered from whatever point he was trying to make. It was kind of like listening to footnotes interrupt while listening to an audio book.

His story about giving up his diamond class ticket so that he could sit with his wife was awesome. He didn’t change his status, he just gave up the comforts of his seat so that he could be with his wife. Then he pointed to Phil 2 where Jesus gave up all of his honor so that He could be with us. Totally awesome stuff.

BryanLoritts

God's Providence in a Ford Aerostar

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In 2007, my family and I returned from a long trek in Central Asia. With lots of uncertainty, we left & gave away our Dodge Caravan to some friends there. We trusted God to provide for us stateside.

We came to our temporary apartment from the airport in Evansville and there on the dining room table was the title to a Ford Aerostar! Crossroads and Evansville Auto Mission had provided us with a van! We could see God’s obvious hand in moving us to trust Him and give away our van in Asia.

Today, 5 years later, I returned the van to the Auto Mission. It served us well most of the time, brought an element of adventure to every drive (even just driving to church on Sunday!) and kept us from a car payment for the past 5 years.

Thanks to the Lord & His people for this chapter of the Sullivan’s transportation.

I’m not sure we’ll miss it, but I’m thankful for it!

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Malachi and Broken Donations

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Malachi 1:8 For when you offer blind animals as a sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer the lame and sick, is that not wrong as well? Indeed, try offering them to your governor! Will he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the Lord who rules over all.

Whenever I read this I thought it was talking about how the governor would reject a sacrifice that was lame or blind, but the NET Bible note explains that the phrase “offering” is more like choices on a menu at a sit-down feast. Would you offer a respected house guest some nasty meat for dinner? Of course not! That is what God is asking through Malachi.

This fits right in line with what John says in 1 John 4:20

1John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

If you aren’t going to treat God with the respect and honor that is due Him, AT LEAST show him the respect you would show a public official that would visit your house. On the flip side, if you can’t love somebody that is tangible and visible, don’t say that you love God, because your love for God will show in how you care for the people around you.

Malachi is basically saying, “You wouldn’t serve this garbage to a house guest, so why in the world do you think God wants it?”

That would be a great plaque to hang up over the door at a Goodwill. It’s one thing to give out a hand-me-down because you don’t need it and you don’t want it to go to waste. It’s entirely different to give out a broken item, call it an act of religious righteousness, and then go buy yourself a brand new one.

May we never think too highly of ourselves as we show our charity by donating a 3-wheeled stroller to the orphanage.

Ezra 8:35 – Abundance and God's Restored People

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Ezra 8:35 At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord.

It’s pretty awesome to note that they really only had to offer the 12 goats as a sin offering. The additional 12 bulls, 96 rams, and 77 lambs were just fellowship/thank offerings. At some point of true worship-life, you cease to keep track of what you have to give God and you just start giving Him all that you want. Somebody kept track of it, of course, because we have a count, but all that would have been required of them by the law were the 12 goats.

I hate it that “you can’t outgive God” has become a sort of religious extortion by prosperity preachers. What these people had was joy and peace and the way to celebrate it was by giving offerings.

The thing to note about their generous offerings is that it didn’t work like money into a collection plate. It was time-consuming. It was messy. A portion was burnt, a portion was kept for the Levites, and then a portion was handed back to the family that offered it for them to cook and feast on like Thanksgiving dinner. This is a picture indicative of great wealth that they had to offer, and a great feast of celebration that they enjoyed because the people of God were being restored to their former stature.

Read more of Ezra 8 here.

We Think We're All or Nothing, but We're Really Just Selfish

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John 13.6-9 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”

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Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

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Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

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Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

I can relate to Peter here. I will either deny Jesus’ help, with an attitude of “I can figure this out/ do this myself.” or with the opposite “DO EVERYTHING!” Sometimes it’s a little too easy to not submit to God and just tell Him what we think needs to be done, as if the point is really getting our feet washed. The great thing I see here from Jesus is that He corrects Peter but then continues with the plan anyway. He doesn’t say, “Since you didn’t listen, you don’t get your feet washed” or anything like that. God has a deep enough keel to continue on the course regardless of our distracting demands or selfish zeal.