The tithe and the turnaround

Today: Nehemiah 10-11

This passage is fairly short (and this entry will be as well). However, one of the things that I noticed is the amazing turnaround of God's people. They went from completely neglecting the God, the Temple and their entire country--to giving the first and the best 10% of their wealth to God's House. Wow!

From what I've seen and experienced, the tithe and the turnaround are often tied together. People's lives are transformed by God's love and power and their natural response is to obey Him and bless His House through tithes and offerings. On the flipside, the very act of tithing is transformational--it's an admission that, "Everything I have comes from God. I choose to obey and honor Him through gratitude and giving." Giving repositions our hearts in submitted obedience to God's authority. Giving also positions us to follow in God's footsteps--we learn to become loving when we surrender "our" stuff and our selfishness to be generous instead.

Tomorrow: Nehemiah 12-13

When a terrorist is transformed

Today: Acts 9-10

What would you do if Osama bin Laden suddenly showed up in your town?

Imagine if he started shouting around your neighborhood, "I had a vision. I saw Jesus and heard His voice. I became blind--literally--but was healed. My life is changed! I'm not the guy I was before--I'm so sorry for the things I've done. I believe in Him now."

Holy cow.

To be honest, I don't think I'd trust him. I would call the FBI. I would be afraid--I mean, the guy has been responsible for the deaths of many innocent people. He hates Christians.

Obviously, this situation isn't real...or is it?

In Acts chapter 8, "Osama" was Saul--a Jewish guy who hated Christians so much that he hunted them down. He sought to kill them. He did kill them. But one day, he met Jesus on the road and was drastically transformed.

Some of the disciples were skeptical and afraid--they experienced the same reaction I would if this happened with Osama today. Some of Saul's former cronies tried to kill him after he believed in Jesus and started preaching around various cities.

After awhile, no one would doubt the validity of the change in Saul--so drastic that his name is changed (to Paul). The guy who murdered Christians becomes the world's most famous preacher--and risks his own life to tell the story of Jesus.

Though it's from another section of today's reading (these chapters include lots of great stories and text!), I thought Peter's words in this passage also applied to Saul...and anyone else...who has been changed by the power of God:

"It's God's own truth, nothing could be plainer:

God plays no favorites!

It makes no difference who you are

or where you're from—

if you want God

and are ready to do as he says,

the door is open.

The Message he sent to the children of Israel—

that through Jesus Christ

everything is being put together again—

well, he's doing it everywhere, among everyone..."

Tomorrow: Acts 11-13

To be continued...

Today: Acts 1-3

We just finished reading the book of John, the last Gospel and account of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. But the story isn't over.

One of the Gospel writers, Luke, wrote the next book we're about to study starting today. I love the Introduction to Acts found in the Message version of the Bible. Here's a little part of it:

"The story of Jesus doesn't end with Jesus.

It continues in the lives of those who believe in Him.

The supernatural does not stop with Jesus.

Luke makes it clear that these Christians he wrote about

were no more spectators of Jesus

than Jesus was a spectator of God--

they are in on the action of God,

God acting in them,

God living in them.

Which also means, of course, in us."

(Introduction to Acts, The Message)

In the opening chapters of Acts, some pretty major stuff happens--the disciples see Jesus ascend into Heaven, the Holy Spirit comes and transforms them, thousands of people start to believe in Jesus, and Peter and John are part of a miracle where a crippled man is completely healed.

But what stood out most to me was the story of Peter himself. His story is pretty incredible. At the end of the Gospels, we saw Peter as the guy who denied even knowing Jesus when He was on the cross. Then, Jesus saw Peter after the resurrection and charged him with being a "fisher of men" and "feeding the lambs"--basically, reaching people with Jesus' story and love and guiding them in their faith.

In the first chapters of Acts, I saw a little bit of how that change happened--mainly through the Holy Spirit and the power it gave to Peter. After he receives the Holy Spirit, the same guy who denied Jesus is bold enough to tell His story to thousands of people (with no microphone--he had to use a loud, booming voice!) whose lives were changed because of it. Talk about transformation!

After He received the Holy Spirit, Peter (with John) witnessed a miracle where a crippled guy was healed...and then, Peter proceeded to use the miraculous story to tell even more people about God.

I think that's pretty incredible. I love that Jesus' story didn't end on the cross or even with an empty tomb. It continued with people like Peter...and continues today with people like us.

Tomorrow: Acts 4-6

Famous words...and what follows?

Today: John 3-4

At every baseball stadium, there is at least one guy in the crowd with a posterboard sign that says, "John 3:16." A lot of people have heard John 3:16 before:

This is how much God loved the world:

He gave his Son, his one and only Son.

And this is why:

so that no one need be destroyed;

by believing in him,

anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

It's a great verse. It's often used to exemplify God's love and the simplicity of salvation.

But do you know what comes after John 3:16?

(I can already hear some smart-alecky people saying, "Umm...John 3:17. Duh!). :)

But really...what comes next?

Before today, I hadn't really thought much about that. But here's what follows perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible:

God didn't go to all the trouble

of sending his Son

merely to point an accusing finger,

telling the world how bad it was.

He came to help,

to put the world right again.

I loved reading this today--God's love isn't just empty words. It's not pointed fingers and accusations.

No--it's real help. It's transformation. It turns the world around in the best way possible.

John 3:16 is a great verse and it is important--but let's not forget the spirit behind what f0llows. God so loved the world that He gave, He helped, He transformed it...and He transforms us.

Tomorrow: John 5-6