Author: Jon Harris

Recently in our space at work someone put up a huge magnetic whiteboard and wrote at the top “What are you thankful for?” I loved seeing this and was eager to write on it and see it fill up with expressions of gratitude. This specific work area accommodates maybe 75 people, and plenty more workers pass this whiteboard throughout the day so this was going to be fun and uplifting!

The immediate writing included only three things: “4:15 PM” (assuming this was what time the person left work… what a depressing thing to be thankful for), “friends” (ding ding! focus on others, much better than quitting time; hoping the same person who wrote 4:15 PM wrote this), and “my cat” (it has come to my attention that somehow cats can be considered valuable creatures to some sects of the human race; good for those of you who are better than me).

A few more days passed and there were no additions. There must have been at least 100 people who passed this board with at least 30 seconds to write something they’re thankful for, and this really started to bother me. I was picturing God’s response; perhaps inappropriate but I wondered if he might sarcastically say “you’re welcome!!!!”

After this experience I spent some time alone putting into writing some of the many things I’m thankful for. The deeper I engaged, the more seemingly small but yet extraordinarily precious thoughts came to mind; we all so much to be thankful for. Going through this left me energized, humbled, and joyful. God is so good.

Psalm 143:5 is one way to express our gratitude toward God; by meditating on all he has done. What a great way to start the day!

I remember the days of old;
  I meditate on all that you have done;
  I ponder the work of your hands. 

2 Kings 24; Hebrews 6; Joel 3; Psalm 143

Yes, the featured image is a coffeemaker in the trash can.

It all started this summer with a garage sale. Going through possessions we no longer want or need left me confused. Why did we get these things in the first place? Why don’t I want them anymore? Would someone else find value in my old driver that hits the golf ball about twenty yards less than my newer one? Why would anyone want the stuff that we don’t want?

A pile of goods remained after the sale that we couldn’t even sell for 1/20 of their original cost; many we couldn’t even give away. Clothing, books, housewares, toys, etc. So I piled it all into the car and made it someone else’s problem (or opportunity). The items went to a local thrift store, and when leaving I thought, “suckers!”… and I’m sure they thought the same of me. I looked at the back of the car and it was empty. No boxes, no vases piled up, just empty space with no passengers. The load was lightened. Hey that actually felt pretty good!

Arriving home, it was refreshing to see the front yard as it had been the day prior. It looked like a yard again, not a marketplace. Same with the garage and basement; no junk piled up. My closet was less cluttered, in fact all of our closets were less cluttered. I instantly felt lighter, as if a heavy burden had been removed and it was a very good feeling.

In the months since the garage sale, quite a few more items have made their way out of this house. More clothes, and even as I type I’m recalling a broken coffeemaker in the basement next to some sushi plates and some old games that we no longer use. The coffeemaker was broken but I thought someday I might fix it. Nope, I will never fix this thing so it is going into the trash right now. As a result, there’s an empty space. The sushi plates on the left were a wedding gift, and we HAD to have them. We dreamed of making sushi all the time, being fancy and hip with our outrageously cool plates. They were expensive, and they are beautiful, but we don’t use them anymore; they just sit in the basement waiting for their next move. There’s more stuff piled up to the left of the plates, I don’t even know what that stuff is, how we got it, or if we ever used it. Looking at it stresses me out. It is baggage; symbolic of waste in my life.

The yard sale theme came to me today as I as reading 1 Timothy 6 and thinking about the term “content”.  I think sometimes I’ve shunned this term with the thought that it is better to get more, to do more, to never be satisfied. While sometimes we should strive for more, there are other times when we should just be content. Content (adjective): pleased and satisfied : not needing more (Merriam-Webster)

But godliness with contentment is great gain, (1 Timothy 6:6)

But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. (1 Timothy 6:8)

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:10)

We live these lives desiring more, sometimes thinking that contentment is for the weak, but then we’re usually left with a pile of unused stuff in the basement, garage, and closets. Each day presents a new opportunity to say goodbye to something, to say no to selfish needs and to God’s will. The yard sale relates to physical items but over the last few months my heart and soul have longed to rid some of the other waste in my life that leave me empty inside.

1. What “future yard sale” items do you have in your life? Asking this metaphorically of course, but it never hurts to get rid of things you don’t need.
2. What good things can and should we start saying no to so we can start saying YES to great things and leave room for us to see the many miracles God has given us? #eccmiracles
3. From our first morning thought, what is our heart’s desire? Doesn’t that symbolize where we are in our daily walk? Let your first waking thought tomorrow and every day you are blessed with from here on be, “thank you God for another day to serve you, to know you better, and to be loved by you”.

2 Kings 9; 1 Timothy 6; Hosea 1; Psalm 119:73–96

What is your “Lion’s Den”? Have there been any adverse situations where you’ve fully put your trust into the Almighty God and realized you had absolutely no power to influence the outcome? Please take a couple minutes to read the account of Daniel and the Lions’ Den. It is a remarkable story!

Without sharing the details of my personal lion’s den, here are questions that come to mind as I considered my own journey through a recent challenge. Please reflect on one of your own significant adverse situations. It could be something current or the past, but try to consider something you vividly recall.

1. Prior to even knowing of the challenge, what path were you on? What did your relationship with God look like?
2. Were you able to prepare for the situation? Meaning, did you have some foresight that things were going to get ugly? If so, how did you prepare?
3. What was your first response when you became aware of the pending adversity?
4. Facing the situation directly, what emotions did you encounter? Did you feel prepared for what was happening? Did you feel the presence and power of God throughout and/or did you sense His presence when you were at the end of your own strength?
5. Why do you think that God allowed this situation to occur?
6. Did you consider viewing the scenario not as a problem, but as an opportunity? What if every perceived problem in your life wasn’t really a problem, but an opportunity? How would things be different?
7. Have you shared this situation and results with anyone?
8. Reflecting back on the situation, what would you have done differently?
9. Have you given thanks, praise, and glory to the God who delivered you?

Consider Daniel’s situation. Chapter 6 starts with informing the reader that Daniel would be placed in a high position of power and leadership under the king. Things were going quite well from a worldly perspective and in parallel, Daniel had his priorities in order. It was well known that he was a man who humbly bowed down to God. Even after learning of the fateful law that had been signed, Daniel didn’t waiver; he went home and “knelt down as usual” giving thanks to his God (see Daniel 6:10). God was glorified as a result of Daniel’s obedience and faithfulness.

The story of Daniel reminds me of Jesus in the garden the night before he was to be tortured and crucified. Jesus had his heart right, he knew his purpose, and fortunately us he submitted to the will of his Father in Heaven, the almighty God so that we may have eternal life with him.

Will you face your next trial more like Daniel and Jesus?

2 Kings 2; 2 Thessalonians 2; Daniel 6; Psalms 112–113

While traveling for work this week I had the opportunity to spend time with a lot of people; some whom I had previously met, and some new faces as well. One of the evenings Amy sent a text to me that read: “Did you have any meaningful conversations?” While Amy has stated that she doesn’t ever plan to author a Bible Journal post, she sure does her part in using the gifts she’s been given. She asks good questions, focuses on her strengths, and has inspired much of my writing.

Strikingly, Amy’s question correlated with one of today’s verses:

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5-6)

The question and the verse forced me to reflect on the many recent conversations I’d been part of.

• Did I go into the conversation seeking a win for me or for others?
• Were my words and actions reflective of a Christ follower?
• Did I focus on small talk or did I engage the unique human being I was blessed to be able to spend time with?
• Was my heart right at the beginning of the day with the prayer to seek God’s will, not mine?

Reflecting on “salt” in our conversation immediately leads me to the words of Jesus from The Sermon on the Mount: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” (Matthew 5:13).

In my heart, I don’t seek meaningless conversation, so why do I do it?

This week wouldn’t be deemed as “total failure”, however I could have done A LOT better, and the bottom line was selfishness. Fortunately I’m acutely aware of this selfishness through the act of prayerfully writing this post, and I’ll take awareness over ignorance any day. This gives me an opportunity to repent as well as consider how I’ll do better next time. Perhaps my Bible Journal should be renamed to Bible Journey.

To close on a lighter note… Amy spent hours this week making a cheesecake for my birthday and she forgot a key ingredient. The salt. No joke, but guess what? It still tasted amazing (plenty of salt in cream cheese) and better yet I felt loved because of her hard work; what a great treat to come home to. Thanks Amy!

1 Kings 17; Colossians 4; Ezekiel 47; Psalm 103

We were all made unique and we were all made for a special purpose. Today’s reading had a few examples where “purpose” stood out:

1. It was God who set King Solomon on the throne of Israel, and he did this so that Solomon would execute justice and righteousness. “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” (1 Kings 10:9)
2. Our purposes given by God and he will bring our good work to completion: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
3. Paul refers to himself as being “put here for the defense of the gospel”. (Philippians 1:16b). Paul knew his purpose very well, and in knowing that he gave everything he had in order to serve that purpose.
4. Paul is encouraging the believers to live accordingly: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27a)

As an exercise, I thought about these questions to challenge my line of thinking and behavior. Will you join me in considering these as well?

1. What is my purpose and what am I doing to achieve it?
2. What would others say my purpose is?
3. Am I using my unique gifts and talents, and my time more for the benefit of me or to serve others and God’s kingdom? Would the people who know me best say the same about me?
4. How can I help others find and achieve their purpose?
5. Who do I know who is firmly rooted in their purpose, and what can I learn from this person?

In closing for today I wanted to share a beautiful, succinct prayer with each word carefully chosen. It is a powerful example of encouragement, love, and wisdom. Is there a more worthy purpose than what Paul articulates below? What a glorious example of God’s living, breathing word!

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

What if this was everyone’s prayer at the start of each day? What a different world this would be.

1 Kings 10; Philippians 1; Ezekiel 40; Psalm 91

One of the major topics in the Harris household is talking about our schedule and priorities. There are always several things to choose from with regard to how we spend our time. We can invest in ourselves; school, exercise, spiritual training, music/arts, or enjoying various media forms such as reading, movies, television, and surfing the internet. We have those things that cause us to interact with others and each other such as socializing, meeting the needs of others, and family time. Then there are the commitments that need to happen to support our daily living; generating an income, maintaining the home, paying bills, and ensuring the budget is in order. If we don’t know our priorities, then everything is priority, which results in nothing being the priority.

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. (Galatians 6:4 NLT)

Upon reading this verse, the phrase “satisfaction of a job well done” spoke to me first. Like my peer Jennifer Armstrong, I’m a list person. Nothing like a good list then knocking it down. Satisfaction!

Then the next part of the verse spoke a little louder: you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. Turning the sentence around, I take it to mean that if we don’t pay attention to our own work, we won’t have job satisfaction, and in doing this, we will measure ourselves by what others are doing. We’re not talking about the “good” focus on others here; I believe this is referring to things that turn to jealousy and unhealthy competition. God made each of us for a unique purpose; the more we seek and act on this purpose, the closer we can come to reaching our potential. The key here is what voice we are listening to: that of our own desires or that of the spirit because no matter the apparent result, we reap what we sow. What we put in is what we get out. Seeking after our own earthly desires yields corruption, seeking the will of the Spirit reaps eternal life.

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8)

My main thought on this today is: What voice am I listening to? The guidance of The Spirit, my own desire for pleasure, or my desire to please others. Sometimes on the outside we may be attempting to please others, but on the inside we’re doing it to make ourselves feel good. Three pointers that I try to live and lead by to help “say no to the good things so we can say yes to the great things”:

1. It is okay to say no. God gave us freewill. We’re responsible for our choices.
2. Knowing my priorities helps me to say no.
3. Sharing my priorities with friends and family helps them understand why I am saying no.

In closing, here’s a great reminder as to what God sees as priority, and I say amen to that.

What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. ¹⁶ May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. (Galatians 6:15b-16 NLT) 

1 Kings 2; Galatians 6; Ezekiel 33; Psalms 81–82