Chet Bandy

True Maturity

Today’s reading is James 1.

We have been studying the book of James to begin 2026 at Eastview Christian Church, so much of the credit for this writing goes to Pastor Brandon Grant who preached on James 1 where I took notes.

I love the book of James because there is so much wisdom, and particularly in James 1, that is counter-intuitive to our worldly view of what happens to us and how we respond to it.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:2-4

“Count it all joy,” seriously?! I don’t think too many of us consider it joy when we face challenges. But we are told in James’ wisdom from God that this causes us to have faith which leads to steadfastness which makes us complete so that we lack nothing.

As Pastor Brandon shared, God is not absent in our challenges (and I’ll add, as Satan wants us to believe). Instead, he’s working in and through us to shape us to be like Him. God’s goal for our life is not comfort, but maturity to be more like Him.

This chapter is very clear God is not absent in our trials, and He doesn’t tempt us either. However, He may not intervene immediately, as hard as that is to swallow, because He knows the good that can and will come out of it on the back end. Like my sister-in-law Kim says, He may even be protecting us from something else. Pastor Brandon shared in his sermon that God can’t shape our heart unless He has our eyes and attention. So, we are to ask ourselves, where am I turning in my current challenges? Am I turning to alcohol, drugs, or social media to numb the pain? Or, am I just constantly complaining? Let us turn to the only one who can give us true wisdom, peace, comfort, and strength.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.

James 1:12

And I’ll close with anther quote from Brandon’s sermon, “the Christian Life is long obedience in the same direction following Christ.”

I must ask myself, am I yielding to God’s wisdom for understanding for the reasons for my challenges? Even when I may never know the reasons on this side of Heaven, am I putting all my trust in Him and using them to draw closer to Him so that I become more Christ-like?

Temptation

Today’s reading is Proverbs 5 where a stern warning is given about adultery.

In this chapter King Solomon is writing to his son to tell him about the risk of the temptation of adultery and seeking temporary pleasure over the fruits of faithful marriage over one’s lifetime. This is steep contrast to what the world tells us. Sexual promiscuity is everywhere in ads, TV shows, movies, and now on social media. Satan and the world tell us to seek pleasure, you deserve it. It’s ok…just like the fruit in Genesis 3. The book of Ecclesiastes is also attributed to King Solomon and in it he also warns about seeking pleasure over what God wants.

I’ve mentioned in past writings that some years ago I had the opportunity to work with Jason Selk. Jason was a sports psychologist for professional teams and athletes and then began personal and business coaching as well. One of the things he talked about was doing a life projection when making decisions in the moment. If your goal is to get in shape and stay healthy, picture yourself 5 years from now if you don’t say yes to that workout you don’t feel like doing. And then picture yourself healthy when you say yes to that workout. One of my friends who was not a believer and now is and who is also very into personal and professional growth and books and podcasts on that topic said that pretty much every concept comes from the Bible. Well, we can see it here…

“and at the end of your life you groan,

when your flesh and body are consumed,

and you say, “How I hated discipline,

and my heart despised reproof!

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers

or incline my ear to my instructors,

I am at the brink of utter ruin

In the assembled congregation.”

Proverbs 5:11-14

Solomon is giving his son a life projection and telling him the temporary pleasure the world and Satan is telling you to chase is not worth it at the end of your life. How you feel on your deathbed about your choices and the life you lived is much more important. If you are someone who has fallen into this snare, know that there is forgiveness at the cross. Psalm 103:12 says he removes our sins as far as the east is from the rest. Read the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. God loves and forgives you and wants you back.

Jason once told a story about a man he was coaching who struggled with his weight. They were out to dinner with a large group having a great time. After dinner the waiter came up and said he’d be right back with the dessert tray. At that point the man abruptly left and went home, despite the great time he was having. The next day, Jason asked him why he left so quickly. He said he’d done a life projection, and he didn’t like the person he saw 5 years from now if he said yes to a dessert…so he removed himself from the temptation. Not only did he do the life projection like taught here in the wisdom God gave Solomon, but he also follows what Jesus taught in Matthew 18:7-9 where he says if your eye or your foot or hand cause you to sin…remove it (not literally). Billy Graham said he would never put himself in a situation where he was alone with another woman who was not his wife.

Let us remember what God taught us in the very beginning in Genesis 2:24 and Jesus reiterated in Matthew 19:4-6..

“He answered, Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife,, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefor God has joined together, let not man separate.”

May The Force Be With You

Today’s reading is Romans 8.

What is the strongest force in the universe?

A quick search would tell you the 4 strongest forces are weak nuclear, electromagnetic, gravitational and strong nuclear with strong nuclear being the strongest force that exists. I would make the argument that this is incorrect. Romans 8 tells us the power and the strength of God’s love.

It was God’s love that brought the universe into being in Genesis 1. It was God’s love that made everything in it, including us in His image (Genesis 1:26). God didn’t have to create and do any of this and then when man brought sin into the world (Genesis 3:4), He could have said he was done with us. If not then, He could have been done with us we continued to sin against Him. Jesus could have been perfectly happy and comfortable in Heaven and could have left us dead in our sin, separated from Him forever. The Bible tells us He wanted to rescue us while we were still sinners, undeserving of His love (Romans 5:8). Why? The first part of John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world..” That is why He came down and died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. If this doesn’t tell us enough about the power of his love, Romans 8 does.

Not only does it say He loves us so much that He works all to be good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28, but it goes on. It expands by asking the question in Romans 8:28-29..

“What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with Him graciously give us all things?”

It puts it right out there, if we have God on our side..what do we have to worry about!

Paul doesn’t stop there though, He expands on the greatest force in the universe, God’s love.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation. or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Romans 8:37

And then to bring it all home. The mic drop.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

And although he said nothing in “all creation” can separate us….I might add not even strong nuclear force can separate us from the most powerful force in the universe which is God’s love.

No matter what you’re going through, the power of God’s love for us should bring us great joy. It is greater.

This past summer I was fortunate to have the lead singers from my favorite band, Sister Hazel, play a private show. One of their songs has become popular as a first dance at weddings. While it fits in that setting, I’ve told my family for years I think it’s really about God. At the show Drew, who wrote and performs the song, said he wrote the song for his kids about God’s love.

The song is “This Kind of Love”.

Check it out here..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLqcf__Jib8&list=RDQLqcf__Jib8&start_radio=1

The Unlovable

Today’s reading is Luke 15 where Jesus tells 3 parables about loving the undeserving and the lost. He tells these stories after hearing the Pharisees and scribes grumble about spending time with “sinners.” These 3 stories are probably familiar to most of us: the parable of the lost sheep leaving the 99 for 1, the parable of the lost coin where the woman searches her house for 1 even though she has 9 others, and finally the story of the prodigal son coming home and asking for forgiveness after leaving to live a reckless life.

Jesus specifically ends the story of the lost sheep by saying in Luke 7:15, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” Does this mean God loves those who lead a reckless life more than those who try to lead a Godly life? No. And we are all sinners in need of a Savior in Jesus. He’s just underscoring that God is different than us and our human nature. Think about the people who are your good friends and who you love. Most of them are probably people who are “lovable.” They have similar interests to you, they care about you and what’s going on in your life, and they probably love you back. Again, Jesus is helping those who think they are way past the point of anyone ever being able to love them or forgive them know God will forgive them if they repent, and different than the rest of the world, He still loves them unconditionally before they even come back to Him.

I love the part in the prodigal son parable in Luke 15:20 where it says, “…But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and embraced him and kissed him.” His father was looking for him just waiting for him to come back. Our Father in Heaven is looking and waiting for us to come back. And the other fascinating thing about this verse, the father feels compassion, embraces his son, and kisses him BEFORE the son says he’s sorry and asks for forgiveness.

Are you reading this and feel your life is too far gone to go back to God or feel there is something you’ve done that can’t be forgiven? I pray that in reading this you’ll realize you’re never too far gone for God.

And for all of us Christ followers, we are called to be more like Jesus (Ephesians 5:1-2). Who can you love this week that is unlovable? Yes, it could be someone you meet that has fallen on hard times or made some bad decisions. But don’t overlook that it also might be someone that is really close to you..a spouse, parent, son or daughter, aunt or uncle, cousin, or friend who’s hurt you or made bad decisions. Pray on it. Ask God to reveal to you who you are supposed to love this week that can ultimately draw that person closer to Him.

Redeemed!

Today’s reading is Ruth 4.

The book of Ruth is packed full of learnings about loyalty, faithfulness, and trusting in God’s plan through challenges as laid out by other Bible Journal writers this week. In Ruth 4 we get to the culmination where Boaz acts as redeemer and purchases Naomi land. Then, he marries Ruth, who stood by Naomi, and they have a child Obed who is the part of the bloodline of Jesse, David, and ultimately Jesus.

So, what is a redeemer or kinsman-redeemer? This is laid out in Leviticus 25:25. A redeemer is someone who buys land back on behalf a relative who had to sell land due to hardship. They do what that person cannot do for themselves. In Ruth 4:14 other women said to Naomi…

“Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel.’”

We know that a some generations later, from the same bloodline, God gave us our ultimate Redeemer, Jesus. Maybe some way and someday Naomi could have bought the land back on her own, but Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves when He became our Redeemer for our sins. No other human who has ever lived is without sin and could do what He did for us which now gives us the guarantee of forgiveness of our sins and eternal life in Heaven with God the Father as long as we believe in Him and ask for his grace which we could not earn.

As I read the glory given to God in Ruth 4:14 above for Boaz, Naomi’s redeemer, I could only think of similar glory given by the angels after Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:14…

“Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among those with who He is pleased.”

Both verses praise a redeemer with Luke 2:14 praising our ultimate Redeemer who was foreshadowed in Ruth 4.

Let us do the same and praise our Redeemer, who did for us what we could not do for ourselves!

We are redeemed!

An Epic Wrestling Match

Today’s reading is Genesis 32.

After reading this, couldn’t help but think of the question I heard asked by another kid at school when I was a child..

“Can God make a rock so big he can’t move it?”

Of course it’s a trick question, if he’s God he can make anything, but if he’s God he should still be able to move the rock no matter how big!

In this chapter we read about Jacob physically wrestling with a man later referred to as God, but God doesn’t quickly put Jacob in a chokehold or full nelson and make Jacob tap out and give up when God presumably could. The question is, why?

Jacob was a deceiver, con man, and liar. And specifically he was after worldly status and blessings. In Genesis 25 he took advantage of his older brother’s deep hunger to take his birthright and then in Genesis 27 went even further to steal his father’s blessing from Esau. Jacob also was so infatuated with Rachel that he was willing to serve her Dad Laban for 7 years so he could marry her, and then after that another 7 years for a total of 14 until Laban finally gave Rachel to him for marriage. To reiterate, Jacob, like us often times, was after worldly blessings and status.

So back to our question, why didn’t God defeat Jacob quickly in their wrestling match? I believe it’s because God wanted to see if Jacob would continue to wrestle him until Jacob finally said in Genesis 32:26, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” Even after God put Jacob’s hip out of joint (Genesis 32:25), Jacob did not let go. Finally Jacob as willing to fight for something without resolving to deception and most specifically he was finally willing to cling to and go after the only blessing that mattes, God’s blessing, which he received (Genesis 32:29).

I believe we can learn a lot from Jacob’s life prior and his experience here. We can be critical of Jacob, but we are probably more like him than we care to admit. And like with Jacob, what God is really after is our heart and for us to seek after and cling to him in a manner that we only care about God’s blessings.

And just like God did not let go of Jacob and defeat him, Jesus not let go and come down from that cross even though he could have. He stayed to give each and every one of us an opportunity to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with him by finally saying “yes” and giving our life to him. Ironically, we don’t have to ask for his blessing, he’s already given it. We only must be humble enough to realize it and receive it.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9

A Christmas Reading?

Today’s reading is Psalm 121.

When I first read Psalm 121, I thought to myself, “How is this going to be a Christmas reading?” However, in a short period of time and with prayer, it became very clear.

I lift my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made Heaven and Earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

On Christmas, our human minds think of Jesus’ first existence being when He arrived on this Earth on that first Christmas being born of His mother Mary, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.

But let’s take a look at the book of John for a moment..

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 1:1-4

Jesus was there in the beginning when the Heavens and the Earth and everything in it were created. This is easy to forget and wrap our arms around since we first see Jesus as that baby in a manger on Christmas. But it’s very clear He was there in the beginning from John 1, and we are also told in Psalm 121:1-4 around a thousand years earlier that our help comes the same God who made Heaven and Earth

We read later in John 1.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

How truly blessed are we that Jesus who made the Heavens and the World and everything in them chose to come down from His throne and Heaven on that first Christmas to live one of the most humble lives we can imagine to ultimately suffer and give his life on the cross so we could be united with Him and live eternally in Heaven?!

As we read on in Psalm 121…

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

He will keep your life.

Tho Lord will keep

Your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 121:7-8

Jesus’ life on this Earth started in that stable and being laid in a manger. But at His ascension when His physical body left this Earth to go back to His throne in Heaven where He was in the beginning, He told us the following just like Psalm 121:7-8 does…

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20b

So on this Christmas, let us remember that every Bible reading is a Christmas reading because the entire Bible points to and is about Him…He is the Word. And let us remember that He didn’t stay in that manger, just like He didn’t stay on that cross, just like He didn’t stay in that grave…He is with each one of us always both on Christmas and every other day until the end of the age.

Merry Christmas!

The Only Bible..

Today’s reading is Titus 1.

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to Titus after leaving him in charge of the church in Crete. Chapter one is a prescription for church leaders or overseers called elders which in the original Greek was presbuteros. Here are some of his qualifications for an elder in Titus 1:7-9.

⁷Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. ⁸Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. ⁹He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

While many may read this chapter and never aspire to be an elder, we can all learn something from it. Although we will fall short and make mistakes because we are human, we all should aspire to be more Christ-like and live in a manner that reflects Him and His glory. As we read Titus 1 and these verses, we can see these attributes in Him and thus they are all attributes we should aspire to have. We should have a healthy reverence or fear of God and do our best to live like Him which is the way He wants us to. The life he lived and modeled is the standard we should aim to achieve.

When our actions reflect Him, some may not only be appointed to church leaders and at a minimum will please Him, but we will also draw others to Him. Famous podcaster Joe Rogan has recently been outspoken about exploring church and the truth that Jesus was the Son of God who died for our sins and was raised on the 3^rd. Joe has been quoted as saying, ”Christians that go (to my church) are the nicest people you will ever meet. They are really kind.” While being nice does not save you or cause you to achieve eternal life (Romans 3:23) and only faith in Jesus does (Romans 6:23, John 3:16), our actions as a Christ-follower can trigger a curiosity and “what’s different about them” questions in non-believers resulting in them exploring who Jesus is. They may want to get to know Him which may ultimately lead them to being saved.

Some of us may have heard the quote, “Preach the Gospel, and if necessary use words.” Earlier this week I attended an event for the North Central Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes (https://www.ncilfca.org/). This event featured many coaches and also high school and college student-athletes discussing their faith and how they can glorify God through sports and how it’s impacting others they play with and against. One of the high school athletes referenced a similar quote that impacted him which also hit me hard. He said was following…”You may be the only Bible someone reads.”

My encouragement for each one of us reading Titus 1 today would be to read it and the above Titus 1:7-9 and reflect on the attributes we believe we need to grow in. While we may never be called to be an elder, aiming towards and living in a way that reflect these attributes will be pleasing to God and may lead others to want to learn more about who He is which could also result in them finding eternal life in Heaven through belief in Him.

Worth It

Today’s reading on Thanksgiving is 2 Timothy 3.

For me our reading today has perfect timing, like God’s Word commonly does out of no coincidence, as a bookend to a parenting conference and Sunday sermon by Brook and Elizabeth Moser and team with Intentional Parents this weekend at our church. This chapter reminds us that especially during end times and throughout our kids and our lives we will experience evil people with a love for self and pleasure above all things who can tempt us to head down that wrong path (2 Timothy 3:1-5). We often talk as Christians about the fact that we want others to see us and think, “What makes him/her different?” We discuss how we can impact them and their faith walk with Jesus by them to deciding they want the joy and peace we have through the Gospel as well. That’s what’s fun to talk about. What we don’t often talk about is that others will see us as “different” and not only judge us and laugh at us, but we are told here in 2 Timothy 3:12 that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted.” There is no sugar coating from Paul here, there is pain in parenting differently than others by doing it the way God wants. There will be difficulty and stones thrown at us and our kids for putting sin away and putting Jesus first.

Many of us are likely familiar with 2 Timothy 3:16..

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

If you’re like me you may point to this verse for your conviction for all of Bible being the true Word of God and not only is it true, but we can’t pick and choose the parts we like and don’t like. I think then sometimes we can overlook the rest of the verse which tells us how that helps us…”for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Again, if you’re like me you might easily stop there and not focus on finishing the sentence which is in 2 Timothy 3:17,”(so) that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” There will be fruit in following God’s Word despite the difficulty and persecution we will face. Who doesn’t want to be “complete” and “equipped for every good work” God has and wants for us?

Many of us can easily fall into the trap of saying we just want to raise good kids. But, good kids will not have an eternal life in Heaven if they don’t accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior when they die. The number 1 goal for us as parents should be to raise kids who have a heart and love for Jesus so strong that they will not stray from Him, their belief in Him, and His ways when they leave our house.

So parents, let us unite and win this battle together. We can have confidence we can do this as we are told here that God’s Word will help us be “complete” and “equipped for every good work.”

Let us pray..

Dear God, we love you. And today on Thanksgiving we are grateful for you and your Word which not only teaches us how to live and raise our kids, but also for the fact that you gave us your Son in the person of Jesus who was persecuted far worse than most all of us ever will experience for following you and your will, all the way to the point of death because He knew it was worth it. He followed your will for each one of us so that we could have eternal life. Although our children will make their own personal decision to follow Jesus, please help us know that following your will and leading them well to point them to You will also be worth it for our children despite the difficulty and persecution. Please help us do our part so that we can lead by example to help each one of our children accept and follow you in order to experience eternal life through your saving grace. Again, we love you and we are eternally grateful today on Thanksgiving and every day for doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Amen.

Heart Check

Today’s reading is 1 Timothy 6.

In reading 1 Timothy 6, the 2 words that came to mind to me were “heart check.” Paul warns us of conceited teachers who want to bring attention to themselves and bend and twist the true Word of God (1 Timothy 6:3-5) and the problems that occur when our heart is focused on being rich financially (1 Timothy 6:6-10).

When it comes to monetary wealth, Paul encourages us to practice contentment in 1 Timothy 6:6 where he says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” He reminds us in the next verse 1 Timothy 6:7 that “we brought nothing into the world so we can take nothing out” and in 1 Timothy 6:9-10 that the love of money can be a “snare” leading to “destruction and ruin” and that “that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” He reminds us that if we have “food and clothing, with these we ill be content” in 1 Timothy 6:8.

So, is being rich or wealthy a sin? I really don’t know..I’ll say maybe. What is “rich?” Some might say having a net worth of $1 million or $2 million or more might be rich, while some in other countries outside the US might say making $20,000-30,000 per year is rich. I know people that most would agree by US standards are very wealthy, and they are incredibly generous in giving to the church and those that are less fortunate. However, some might say they should have never obtained that wealth if they were as generous as they “should have been” along the way. To me, it’s all between that person and God. He knows the condition of our heart 100% of the time. He knows if we are “content’ as He calls us to be in this chapter or if we want more not just to buy more stuff and show off our wealth, but if we want more to find our security and peace in that instead of Him. He knows if we are being generous with our money that we may also be saving and growing at the same time so that we can provide for ourselves when we can’t work or maybe want to devote our time to volunteering and working for His Kingdom 100% of the time, rather than to make money to provide for ourselves at that moment.

God gave us money. Money is not evil in and of itself. It can be used for good for His Kingdom, but without a doubt He makes it clear in 1 Timothy 6:10 that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”

So, give yourself a “heart check” today like I am.

Am I hyper focused on worldly wealth, money, and financial gain?

Am I looking to find security in money and wealth alone?

Or, am I content?

Am I grateful and satisfied with what I have?

Is God enough?