Chet Bandy

Spoiler Alert

Our readings for today are Esther 1-2, Psalm 139, and Revelation 1.

What are you thankful for today on Thanksgiving?

As I reflect on our assigned readings for today, one quote or statement I’ve heard before comes to mind.

“I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds it.”

Today, on Thanksgiving, this is one of the many things we can focus on and be grateful for.

Psalm 139 is a chapter commonly referenced in support of the sanctity of human life at conception, not just after birth. Psalm 139:13-15 speaks of God knowing us while we are in the womb. Then, in verse 139:16, this is taken a step further…

¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

Not only do these verses tell us God made us thoughtfully and purposefully, but He already knows our future. How? It hasn’t yet occurred.

Our small group is currently reading, Learn The Bible in 24 Hours, by Dr. Chuck Missler. In his book, Dr. Missler describes that for us life is a sequence of linear events. But, God is outside of the dimension of time so He can see the past, present and future. This is very hard for our human mind to comprehend. The way he describes it is that if you were sitting on curb watching a parade, you would experience and see each part of the parade as it goes by. But someone who is in a helicopter can see the beginning, the middle, and the end of the parade…all at the same time.

Our assigned reading in Revelation 1 speaks to this in verse 8…

⁸“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

This verse tells us He not only is the beginning and end…but He “was and is to come.” He has seen it all before it happens.

A few other verses speak to this. First, Isaiah 57:15 reads…

¹⁵For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.

This tells us He lives in eternity and can see it all.

Another verse is Isaiah 46:10…

¹⁰declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

He tells us here that He knows the beginning and the end and things “not yet done.”

I don’t know what things are going to happen in this world as we see social conflict and physical conflict all the time, with some very serious conflict going on right now in Israel and Ukraine. What I do know is these verses tell us He will accomplish His purpose (Isaiah 46:10), and I know the rest of the book of Revelation tells us He wins, and all pain and sadness will cease to exist (Revelation 21:4).

We also know He cares for us, and He’s with us as we go. The end of Isaiah 57:15 tells us He will “revive the spirit of the lowly,” and He will “revive the heart of the contrite.” Reading the entire chapter of Psalm 139 tells us how much He cares for us and the life He created in and for us. He tells us in Psalm 46:10 to “Be still and know that I am God.”

Please consider reading the entire book of Esther as we go through it in the upcoming days as yet another example of God’s perfect plan.

Today, let us give thanks for God’s plan and His ultimate and certain victory over Satan, sin, and death.

Where Do You Go?

Today’s readings are Daniel 7-9, Psalm 91, and John 19.

We read in John 19 where the people denied Jesus was their king, and they wanted Him to be crucified (John 19:6-7, John 19:15). Just one week earlier in John 12, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people shouted in John 12:13, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” What a difference one week can make! Even back then without traditional media or social media..the rise and fall from the top can happen quickly, and even for the Son of God. Today, we see this all the time. Coaches win a couple championships and are treated like a king until they have a couple bad years and suddenly everyone thinks he can’t coach anymore. A quarterback wins a Super Bowl or two, but then he has a tough year and everyone says he’s washed up and is calling for last year’s draft pick to take over. An actress makes a lot of great movies, but then has a bad one or two and suddenly she’s lost it and people are saying she has a troubled marriage and troubled kids, whether it’s true or not.

You and I may not be in the national or international public spotlight, but we can likely relate in some way. You were a top athlete in high school and then you go to college and you no longer play sports and you are just one of forty thousand other “regular students.” You were the rising young star in your company and now you seem to have peaked in your position, they’ve moved on the next possible future CEO, or worse yet were let go from the company. You had what you hoped would be the perfect marriage, but it didn’t work out and now the rumor mill is swirling with mistruths about what happened. Many will experience a time in the spotlight or a time when things were going well that changes in one way or another. It could just be from retirement. People either aren’t telling you how great you are any more, or even worse, they are turning against you and gossiping mistruths.

I love pairing these verses with the other part of our reading today, Psalm 91. Please take a few minutes to read this quick chapter.

Here are the first twelve verses.

91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
²I will say^[a] to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

³For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
⁵You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

⁷A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
⁸You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

⁹Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge^[a]—
¹⁰no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

¹¹For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
¹²On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.

My question for you today is, where do you go? Where is your shelter? If you are in your prime so to speak and things are going great, is your affirmation from the social media “likes” or the “atta boy” and “atta girls” you are getting in emails and at the last company meeting? Please take caution and prepare yourself that you won’t be at the top forever because things will change, if not due to unfortunate circumstances, then due to age or time. We must go to Him and His word now for affirmation, even before it seems necessary. If you are reading this and you have been at the top, but now you are not..where are you going for shelter and comfort from all the noise? Are you going to drugs or alcohol? Are you going to a bad relationship? Or are you still trying get affirmation from all the social media “likes” and followers? All of these medicines to treat or mask the pain will be temporary. Ephesians 6:12 tells us we are fighting against spiritual forces, not powers of this world. However, we read Psalm 91:11 tells us when we take shelter in Him, “He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” How cool is that?!

Let us seek our refuge in Him and Him alone. And let those of us who have children teach them to do the same.

Faith In Action

Today’s readings are Ezekiel 25-27, Psalm 82, and John 9.

The story is told of a man who was watching the news when they reported a flood was coming from a storm. They said those in his area needed to immediately evacuate their homes. However, he thought to himself that he didn’t need to because God would save him. Shortly thereafter the flood waters approached his house and a neighbor knocked on his door telling him he needed to leave, but he told the neighbor he didn’t need to do so, and he’d be fine because God would save him. As the flood waters overtook his house and he fled to the roof, a rescue crew came by boat and asked him to get onboard. He declined again saying God would save him, and he didn’t need their help. Finally, he climbed up on his antenna on his house as the waters now covered the roof. A helicopter flew up and dropped a rescue ladder, but his answer was the same in that he didn’t need the help because God would save him. This ultimately led to his demise.

We read in John 9 today where Jesus spit on the ground creating mud, rubbed it on a blind man’s eyes, and told him in John 9:7 to “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” The man followed Jesus’ prompting and was able to see after doing so. Let’s unpack the craziness of this a little more for a second. John 9:1 tells us this man had been blind from birth so him believing anything could help him see is far-fetched to say the least. We don’t know if he had ever even heard of Jesus prior and in any event, he might find it a little weird when a guy hawks up a loogey and rubs mud from it all over his eyes. Jesus then doesn’t just tell the man to open his eyes. The man must walk to the pool of Siloam. We aren’t told how far it is away, but it doesn’t seem like it’s right there by him and remember the man is blind. So that means it’s going to take quite a bit of work for him to get there. He’s going to have to get a friend (if he has any) to take him there or ask quite a few people for directions along the way. This man has plenty of opportunities for excuses to not only think this wouldn’t lead him to see because he was blind for his entire life, but also now he must go through some extra steps and challenges to make it happen. However, he follows Jesus’ steps, and we all know the miracle is complete and he’s able to see.

Well known pastor Mark Batterson says there is a human element to most all the miracles Jesus performed. Each person had to take a step in faith for God to perform a work in or on them and for them to see the completion of it. You can’t get the job or change careers like you’ve been praying for if you don’t send out your resume or apply to college to get your degree in the field you want to go into. You can’t save your marriage if you don’t work on it and take actions to heal it through conversations, counseling, and putting God first through going to church and studying His Word and praying together. You can’t fix financial challenges of overspending without creating a budget and sticking to it. You can’t fix your addiction problem if you don’t admit you have a a problem and get some help from others. He wants to see that you will take a step with faith in Him to help you complete the rest.

My question today for all of us is…what miracle are you asking God for? And from there…what is He laying on your heart for you to do first in faith trusting Him so that He will then complete His work in you?

Faith in Action

Today’s readings are Ezekiel 25-27, Psalm 82, and John 9.

The story is told of a man who was watching the news and heard a flood was coming from an approaching storm, and he needed to evacuate his home. However, he thought to himself that he didn’t need to because God would save him. Shortly thereafter the flood waters approached his house and a neighbor knocked on his door telling him he needed to leave, but he told the neighbor he didn’t need to and he’d be fine because God would save him. As the flood waters overtook his house and he fled to the roof, a rescue crew came by boat and asked him to get onboard. He declined again saying God would save him, and he didn’t need their help. Finally, he climbed up on his antenna on his house as the waters now covered the roof. A helicopter flew up and dropped a rescue ladder, but his answer was the same in that he didn’t need the help because God would save him. This ultimately led to his demise.

Proceed with Caution

Today’s readings are Jeremiah 47,48, and 49, Psalm 80, and 2 Peter 2.

2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ²And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

2 Peter 2:1-3

These verses and the entire chapter of 2 Peter 2 give us warning to watch carefully who and what we are watching and listening to and their interpretation of Scripture. Churches and pastors are no doubt resources that can help us grow in our faith and relationship with Jesus and yet we must constantly be on guard to make sure what they are teaching and leading us to is the true Word of God which is our measuring stick. The timing of my assigned passages may not be so coincidental as just last week I became aware of warnings of some of the teachings of Andy Stanley who was someone I’ve held in high regard and would have even pointed other believers and non-believers to. As someone shared with me a warning about one of his teachings, I dug deeper and found a few more concerning teachings over the past few years that aren’t what I believe to be consistent with the Word of God tells us. My writing is not to single out Andy who I pray gets back on course, but a good reminder to me which I wanted to share with others that we must always be asking ourselves whether what we are hearing from a pastor or what a church is teaching is truly based from Scripture or an accurate interpretation of Scripture. The Bible warns us not everyone will follow and teach the pure and true Word of God, but will tend to stray and adapt to please people or the times.

Here are a few other Scriptures I found that underscore the importance of following the entire Word..

“Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.”

Deuteronomy 12:32

This verse is very clear that the Bible in its entirety should be taught..all of it.

Yes…Jesus saving grace on the cross and Resurrection is central to our belief as Christians and yet the entire Word is important because it all points to Him. People will commonly say, ”Well..Jesus never commented or talked about this topic.” The book of John tells us He was there in the beginning at Creation and most importantly He is the Word and was not only the culmination of it, but was a part of all of it from Genesis to Revelation making it important that nothing be taken away or added to it.

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 that was made.

John 1:1-3

We are also taught in 2 Timothy 3:16…

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

The key theme is simple..ALL of it comes from God.

However, we are warned again to take caution in 2 Timothy 4:3-4…

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander of into myths.

I will end with one of my Mom’s favorite verses which is Hebrews 13:8 which it is also worth noting that Hebrews 13:7 before tells us there are still great teachers of the true Word we should remember and listen to. Hebrews 13:9 after has another warning of false teachers, but in the middle verse 8 reminds us most importantly…

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

He was the same in Genesis at Creation as He is today in current times and the same as He will be in the book of Revelation when He comes again. When we follow Him, we follow the entirety of the Word because He is the Word. Nothing can be taken away or added to Him and His Word which has and will always be the same. I pray this can give you peace and comfort as you go today.

Chicken or the Egg?

Today’s readings are Jeremiah 22,23, and 26, Psalm 77, and James 2.

What comes first..the chicken or the egg? Most of us have probably heard this saying implying that you can’t have a chicken without an egg, but you can’t have an egg without the chicken. So, which comes first? James 2 digs into a similar question but with the topic of faith and works.

Christians believe that you go to Heaven by believing, or having faith, that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of your confessed sins and rose again on Easter (Romans 10:9-11). “Good deeds” don’t get you into Heaven and “good people” don’t go to Heaven if they don’t believe in Jesus. So, some can struggle with James 2:24 which says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” James 2:17 also says similar, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Are these verses saying just faith in Jesus doesn’t get you to Heaven? Is this saying works get you into Heaven?

I believe Scripture can often best be interpreted by cross referencing other Scripture, and I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that our all-church study verses last week came from 1 John 4 which can provide some more context when paired with James 2.

What compels us to do good works? Put simply…love. 1 John 4:16 says, “God is love.” Reading on in 1 John 4, we see verse 20 states..

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

1 John 4:21 follows up verse 20 also stating…

And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

If you truly have faith and love God, then it will show up in your actions. If you say you have faith and love God, but your works don’t show it…then do you really have faith and love God? James is telling us you can’t have one without the other..chicken or egg concept. Your faith in God is made complete by your actions just as in Abraham and Rahab who James references in James 2:23 and James 2:25.

Jesus gives us a great example of this when in John 13 He washed his disciples’ feet which was thought to be such a lowly task that Jews wouldn’t even let their Jewish servants do this for them, only Gentile servants. And of course, Jesus showed us the ultimate act of service when the next day He, the God of the universe in the flesh, gave himself up suffering one of the most gruesome and painful deaths possible through his scourging and Crucifixion on the cross, all so we could be forgiven and live with Him in Heaven.

We love because He first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Let us reflect personally.

How am I serving my family?
How am I serving my church?
How am I serving my neighbors or community?
How am I serving my friends?
How am I serving those who can do nothing for me in return?

Pick one you can improve on and let us complete our faith in action.

Aligning Actions with Values

Today’s readings are 2 Kings 22-23, Psalm 73, and 2 Corinthians 5.

The local financial planning firm I represent used to have part of our mission statement which said, “aligning actions with values.” We all have certain values, whether they be in our mind or we’ve written them out. As Christ followers, I would assume and hope some, if not all, of those values line up with our Christian faith. The questions for us today is, are we actually living those out? Would others who you know well or others who meet you for the first time know you are a Christ follower? 2 Corinthians 5 discusses how we should live life differently as a follower of Jesus. It challenged me to ask myself, am I?

2 Corinthians 5 talks about how our body is a tent, a temporary dwelling for our eternal soul. As result of knowing our citizenship is really in Heaven, there are some things we should be doing to live life differently which others would recognize and possibly cause them to turn to Christ as well.

Live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Allow the love of Christ to control us (2 Corinthians 5:14)
Live for Him and not for ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:15)
Do not regard others by their flesh which is weak (2 Corinthians 5:16)
Be an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Jesus’ last words, which must be important since they were his last, in Matthew 28:18-21 instructed us to go and make disciples of others. This sounds a lot like 2 Corinthians 5:20 which tells us to be ambassadors for Christ.

This again challenges me to ask myself if I’m being an ambassador for Christ based on my actions through living by faith, showing Christ’s love in my actions, living for Him and not myself, and regarding others by their soul and not their outward physical appearance and actions (seeing them how God sees them).

The great news is that although I’m sinful and have a lot of work to do in these areas, God tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21…

“For our sake He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

For more reflection on these areas, check out 2 Kings 22-23 where we see King Josiah of Judah aligning his actions with his values and leading his people to follow God, as well as Psalm 73.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of

my heart and my portion

forever.

Psalm 73:26

Monday Morning Quarterback

Today’s readings are 2 Kings 20, Isaiah 38-40, and 1 Corinthians 11.

In our readings from 2 Kings 20 and Isaiah 38-39 we learn about King Hezekiah of Judah who the Lord told Isaiah to deliver the message he would die from illness. Hezekiah then cried out to the Lord in prayer asking for healing to which the Lord obliged giving Hezekiah another 15 years of life. God even showed Hezekiah the words of Isaiah about his healing were true by turning back the shadow of the sun on the dial of Ahaz ten steps.

Merodach-baladan, the king of Babylon, heard of Hezekiah’s healing and came to visit him. Hezekiah proceeded to show Meodach-baladan his treasure house and all his riches. Isaiah then told Hezekiah all that was his, including his children, would be carried to Babylon someday foretelling of Judah’s future exile there. To this prophecy by Isaiah, Hezekiah mistakenly responded it would be good because it would bring peace.

These chapters don’t explicitly state that Judah’s exile to Babylon was a discipline due to Hezekiah’s actions after his healing (scholars differ on their opinions), and the Bible seems to overall seems to paint him in the light of a good king. He also gives us a great example of the power of prayer. However, it is evident when the King of Babylon visited because he heard of Hezekiah’s healing, Hezekiah did not glorify God for lengthening his life and for his blessings. Instead, he showed off his “stuff.” He also found comfort and peace in the prophecy of Judah’s exile to Babylon, rather than finding peace in God.

As we start football season, we can say it’s easy to play “Monday Morning Quarterback” when it comes to Hezekiah’s actions. However, I think we can agree he could have better used his healing event as an opportunity to glorify God and witness to an unbelieving king and people, so they could know Him too. He should have continued to find his comfort in God and not in peace with this other nation.

Today, with the internet and especially social media, we live in a selfie-filled, “look at me” world. We like to show off our “stuff” like Hezekiah…ourselves, our kids, our spouse, our trips, our cars, our fancy meals, our accolades, and maybe even our recovery after an illness or condition like Hezekiah.

So..here’s the question…

Are we using these things to bring glory to ourselves or the One who gave them to us?

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James 1:17

Let us check our hearts and make sure we are giving Him the glory He deserves for our blessings which come from Him. Social media gives us a platform to witness to this, so other non-believers can know Him in the same way Hezekiah had an opportunity to do so. We don’t need a king from a far-off land to come visit us though, we can witness to many non-believers 24/7. We can show them all good things come from Him and only through Him can we find a peace that passes human understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Fulfillment

Today’s readings are Isaiah 17-19, 1 Corinthians 1, and Psalm 62.

What makes you happy and puts a smile on your face? What excites you, and what do you look forward to? What gives you a rush of adrenaline? What are you striving for? Most of us can probably name a few things after these questions. Many of us would say our spouse and kids make us happy. We might say we strive for career success long term and short-term things like closing a deal or completion and implementation of a big project you’ve been working on bring us satisfaction. For me, I would also say Illini sports, the Chicago Cubs, and the Chicago Bears make me happy…when they are winning at least (which is not often enough)! Some might even say their home and vehicles.

Psalm 62 helps us take a step back and gives some perspective on what’s truly important in life.

62 For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
²He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

A few verses later…

⁵For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
    for my hope is from him.
⁶He only is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
⁷On God rests my salvation and my glory;
    my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

These verses make it very clear that He alone should be our foundation and source of joy. This past Sunday at Eastview Christian Church we had a guest pastor named Mark Moore from Christ’s Church of the Valley in Arizona. He preached on John 10. Pastor Moore said, “Success does not bring fulfillment.” In the book of the Ecclesiastes, Solomon, the son of David who wrote this Psalm speaks much about how chasing worldly success and riches is vanity and like chasing wind. Maybe the foundation of that belief was laid out by his father because David says here in Psalm 62.

⁹Those of low estate are but a breath;
    those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
    they are together lighter than a breath.
¹⁰Put no trust in extortion;
    set no vain hopes on robbery;
    if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

God gives us many great things on Earth. But it’s important we view those things as ways to shine and reflect His light, but that we do not look to them to be the light. God gives us wonderful things so they can bring Him glory…not us or that object. Pastor Moore said, “You don’t have to give up your occupation, but you can give over your occupation to Him.” We can glorify him through what we do.

Pastor Moore also told the story of a recent non-believer who decided to follow Jesus. This gentleman said, “If someone gives up their life for me, I’m going to give over my life to them.” Jesus died for you and for me while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Now that we know this the question becomes…what will we do about it? Will we look for the reflections or the actual light source to bring us fulfillment? Will we look to glorify Him who can bring us a joy that is eternal or the things that are here today but could be gone tomorrow?

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Hebrews 13:8

Self Image

Today’s reading is Hosea 11-13 and Matthew 19.

How do you view yourself? Do you view yourself as someone who makes many mistakes? Or do you view yourself as a “good person” who may not be perfect but is “better than most people?” Some may even view so highly of themselves that they think they do no wrong.

Some friends of ours used to work for a Christian camp. They shared with us about a boy whose parents sent him there basically against his will. He didn’t really think he needed God because he thought he didn’t do bad things. Then, they read James 4:17 (or a similar verse) which says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” This young man’s mind was blown. He finally realized he needed Jesus because he could not say he had done everything he “should do.” There are sins of commission…what we do…and then there are sins of omission…sins for what we don’t do. This young man had to admit that even he had not done everything he “should do.”

Most of us read Matthew 19:16-25 about the rich young ruler and take away the challenges with money and being willing to give to God. While this is all true, I also think of the sins of pride and omission. The sin of pride can be defined of “an excessive love of one’s own excellence” as stated by Britannica.com. This man thought highly of himself and that he could be saved because he didn’t think he had broken the Ten Commandments. But, Jesus reminded him of his sin of omission…what he wouldn’t do which was give it all to God.

These verses are a good reminder for all of us about our sins of pride and omission and that none of us are “good” and worthy of standing before God’s throne when we leave this Earth without Jesus. Let us become more aware of what we aren’t doing so that we take action and become more aware of how thankful we should be that we have become righteous and worthy to face our Creator because our sins have been washed white as snow through His blood (Isaiah 1:18).