Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the LORD—they numbered 288. – 1 Chronicles 25:7

Today's Scripture Reading (October 31, 2025): 1 Chronicles 25

“All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy.” The quote is from author and psychiatrist Scott Alexander, and I am convinced that he is right. There has been no human endeavor worth achieving that has not been the result of hard work. There have been some accidents, but even the accidental discoveries have resulted from the hard work of someone in an associated area. The results may not have been what the researcher was looking for, but they had been diligently working to discover the nature of something, and without that effort, the “accident” would never have occurred. Nothing good comes without hard work. If it is easy, it is evil. We all need to stay away from easy.

So, my question is this: why does the church often seem to want to take the easy path? I mean, we even have a verse that happens to come from the very mouth of Jesus. He said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matthew 7:13). We apply this verse to our theology and the concept of salvation, but we miss it in almost all of the other things that we do. It is as if our theology stands alone and does not affect how we live our lives and how we conduct the business of the church.

One example of this might be in our music. I grew up in a church that had a thing called “Special Music.” I am not trying to be mean. From my childhood, I had been included in the church’s “Special Music,” but often, there was very little that was special about the music in the church. The people who failed at karaoke frequently seemed to be the ones who came to the church to sing the special music. The rule for the church was participation. Anyone who wanted to participate – could, no matter what their skill level might have been. I remember one lady who got up in church to sing, and often, the song was described as something that “God had given to her.” My reaction was admittedly not very charitable. It was something like “Please don’t blame God for this.”

Chronicles says that those who led worship and sang before the people were “trained and skilled.” Let me translate that: they worked hard at their craft and had the ability to play the music of the day. Not everyone could apply. It had been hard, but they were ready to reap the results. I know the pushback. Not every church has trained musicians. But the problem is that we have developed a culture where we believe the church is the place for those who cannot sing to come without preparation and perform for us. Our mantra is often that the music is good enough for the church. But the reality is that it isn’t. It is the easy path. And easy is evil.

We can’t all have the top musicians in our churches. But we need to raise the bar regarding our expectations. At the very least, we need to have people who desire to work on developing the musical talent inside them. Our sacrifice of worship needs to be just that, something that has cost us something. The first time I led worship, a pastor handed me a list of songs and told me that I was going to be the evening’s worship leader. I was pretty sure he was wrong, but he was insistent. The only thing I could do was work hard to try to figure this music thing out. It was not easy. But anything worth doing seldom is. And I still believe we need to stay away from easy.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 26

This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the LORD, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him. – 1 Chronicles 24:19

Today's Scripture Reading (October 30, 2025): 1 Chronicles 24

Unemployment. It is the scourge of modern society. If only we had jobs for every non-disabled (my computer tells me able-bodied is a non-inclusive term; I am still learning) worker, maybe we could cure some of the ills of our society. As I write this, the local jobless rate is 7.8 per cent. It has changed little from a year ago, when the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent. At this moment, the unemployment rate is one of the highest in the nation. Part of the problem is that this area is also one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation, and evidently, jobs have not been able to keep up with the increasing population.

But if we are going to compare unemployment rates, I am much happier with the 7.8 percent local unemployment rate than with the jobless rate in places like South Africa, which currently sits at 33.2 percent. In South Africa, one in three people seeking employment can't find it.

Of course, unemployment rates are also problematic because they don't count people who want to work, but have given up on the hope of finding employment. Unemployment is also different across various industries in the area. One sector might have a surplus of workers while another is desperate for people with a particular skillset or education. All of this makes unemployment a complicated problem to tame.

In the time of Aaron, the tribe of Levi had been set aside to work in the Tabernacle. There was a particular number of people, and a set number of jobs. For instance, there were some workers whose job it was to tear down, move, and set up the Tabernacle. However, in the time of David, the Tabernacle seldom moved. And soon, David had plans for a permanent Temple in Jerusalem, and that building would never be moved. There had also been a considerable increase in the number of people from the Tribe of Levi who had been set aside for work in the Temple. So, the choice was to give the lucky few work in the Temple or to spread out the various tasks among all the Levites.

David decided to do the latter. He decided to divide the Levites into twenty-four groups, with each group serving in the Temple for one week, twice a year. Later, these groups of Levites would be attached to the forty-eight-week Lunar Calendar. Of course, it also had to be flexible, with some groups losing members while others grew and had too many. At the time of the first return after the Babylonian exile, only enough Levites chose to return to have four groups ministering at the destroyed Temple. A decade later, that number had increased to twenty-two groups of Levites, but half of them were new creations and not the original groups that David had organized. However, the system allowed all of the Levites who wanted to be involved to serve in the manner that had been imagined back in the days of David, as well as in the era of Moses and Aaron.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 25

When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel. – 1 Chronicles 23:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 29, 2025): 1 Chronicles 23

Princess Anne has become known as the hardest-working Royal. And her schedule just keeps getting busier. But there is also a bit of tragedy in her life, or rather, in the line of succession during her life. When her mother became Queen Elizabeth II, after the death of her Grandfather, King George VI, on February 6, 1952, Anne was eighteen months old. And at that moment, she was second in the line of succession, after her older brother, Charles. That moment was the closest Anne would get to the throne because every time a male child was born to her parents, she was moved down the line of succession. Today, the hardest-working Royal is sixteenth in the line of succession.

The experience of Princess Anne was one of the main reasons that Queen Elizabeth II changed the rules of succession during her reign. She wanted to protect Princess Charlotte of Wales from the experience that Anne had experienced during her childhood. Princess Charlotte is currently third in the line of succession, and her younger brother, Prince Louis, is fourth. He has not displaced his sister in that line, unlike Prince Andrew, who displaced the Princess Royal, Anne, at the moment of his birth. Sometimes I wonder, if it were possible, if Elizabeth might have made Anne Queen in the place of Charles. I don't think it is likely, but it can be a fun exercise to imagine a world where the hardworking Princess Anne becomes Queen Anne, following up on the amazing rule of her mother.

There is no question that Bathsheba was David's favorite wife. I sometimes wonder what Bathsheba really thought of David, especially after he murdered her husband. But she was married to King David, and David loved her. As a result, Bathsheba realized that she could gain something significant from David. And what she wanted was for her son Solomon to be the next King of Israel. To be clear, Solomon was way down the line of succession. Even among the children of Bathsheba, who gave birth to five sons for David, it seems that Solomon might have been the youngest of the five. It is possible that some of the older sons of David might have predeceased their father. We know this is true for Amnon (David's oldest son) and Absalom (David's third eldest son), and it is likely true for Kileab (David's second eldest son) as well, who may have also died. We also know that, as David lay in bed in the final stage of his life, Adonijah, the fourth-oldest son of David and first in the line of succession, took steps to seize his father's throne.

However, at that time, Nathan went to Bathsheba to inform her of Adonijah's actions and suggested a plan to ensure Solomon became King, not Adonijah. The plan was for Bathsheba to go and tell David of Adonijah's activities, and then Nathan would come in and independently confirm Bathsheba's observations. All of this would allow David to set the record straight as to who was to succeed him. Solomon may have been well down the line of succession, but David decided to do the unthinkable: skip those who should have succeeded him on the throne and make Solomon the next King, even though, under normal conditions, he should never have ascended to the throne of Israel.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 24

So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. – 1 Chronicles 22:2

Today's Scripture Reading (October 28, 2025): 1 Chronicles 22

The Temple in Jerusalem was divided into several "courts." The innermost portion of the Temple was the Holy of Holies. At the time of Solomon, it was a place reserved for the Ark of the Covenant, and a place that only the High Priest could enter, and even he could only enter this space once a year, on Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. Outside of the Holy of Holies was the Temple Proper, a place where Levites and Priests ministered before the Lord daily. The altar, the place of sacrifice, was outside of this area, but still within the Court of the Priests. Outside of this area was the Court of Israel, where the men of Israel came for worship. Outside of this area was another court, the Court of Women, where every Israelite was welcome to come. Surrounding the Temple area was the Court of the Gentiles, the only part of the Temple complex that was open for anyone.

When Paul was arrested in Jerusalem at the end of his Third Missionary Journey, one of the charges against Paul was that he had brought a Gentile into the Temple. More specifically, the charge was that Paul had brought a Gentile into a place where Gentiles were forbidden to enter, which would have meant the Court of Women or possibly even the Court of Israel.

When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the Temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, "Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the Temple and defiled this holy place." [They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the Temple] (Acts 21:27-29).

The case was flimsy. Trophimus was not the only one whom Paul was accused of bringing into the Temple area. It was likely that a young Christian Pastor named Titus was also seen with Paul in and about Jerusalem.

It is unlikely that Paul had taken either Trophimus or Titus into the Temple Court. It is also unlikely that Paul ever taught against the Jews. Paul's problem, as far as his opponents were concerned, was that when he looked at the world, he saw a people who were all loved by God, and who God had invited to be part of his family.

It was the fulfillment of something that had been in the works from the very beginning. As David begins preparation for the construction of the Temple, he gathers foreigners living within Israel to start preparing the stones. Later in this passage, we are told that "He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David" (1 Chronicles 22:4). A place that was to be reserved for Israel only began in the hands of foreigners working with material that came from outside of Israel. All of this was a foreshadowing of what Paul had come to understand; the family of God was much larger than Israel understood. That is still true; the family is much larger than we sometimes think, as well.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 23

But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king's command was repulsive to him. – 1 Chronicles 21:6

Today's Scripture Reading (October 27, 2025): 1 Chronicles 21

The Nabateans rose as a distinct group inhabiting Northern Arabia and the Southern Levant during the 4^th to 2^nd centuries B.C.E. These remarkable people were responsible for the incredible structures built into the rock at Petra. They loosely controlled trade in the area, which provided them with both wealth and influence. Their capital city, which they called Raqmu, but we call Petra, probably had 20,000 inhabitants at the peak of the civilization. Their name is thought to arise from the Akkadian language word nabatu, which means "to shine brightly." And shine brightly they did, until they didn't.

Six to eight centuries after the Nabateans rose, they were gone. Not only did they disappear, but they have been forgotten by most of us, even though they left behind the incredible rock-cut architecture at Petra. The civilization was there, and then it wasn't. Maybe they left the area after an earthquake that occurred in the mid-fourth century C.E., or perhaps they were just absorbed into the Roman Empire. However it happened, the Nabateans disappeared, never to be seen again.

David commands Joab to go and count the people of Israel. Essentially, the real ask seems to be that David wanted to know how many men were available if it became necessary for the nation to go into battle. Joab understood the ask, but he also understood that God had not asked David to conduct a census. So, Joab protested. He didn't want to conduct the census which he strongly believed would get Israel in trouble with God.

However, David insisted, and Joab counted. But he also used his own judgment. According to Chronicles, Joab refused to count two of the tribes: Levi and Benjamin. We don't know why Joab refused to count these two tribes, but we can make some educated guesses.

The easiest to excuse is Levi. Levi was a tribe that God had set apart. They were a tribe that had never been counted when it came to raising a military, and they were not officially part of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Levi had been omitted from Israel's tribal structure from the very beginning; the descendants of Joseph had been divided into two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, to take the place of Levi among the Tribes of Israel.

The question of why Joab would refuse to count the Tribe of Benjamin is a little more challenging to discern. But the best guess is that the Tribe had gone through a lot over the past few generations. The Tribe had almost been eliminated in the wake of the sin at Gibeah (Judges 19), and Joab probably wondered if God were to get angry at Benjamin, would there be anyone from Benjamin left in Israel? As a result, Joab attempted to save the kingdom, even when his Uncle David didn't seem to care. Joab was able to discern what was going on to make sure that the weak were protected from the mistakes or careless judgments of the strong, even when the strong was the King.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 22

Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. – Psalm 149:3

Today's Scripture Reading (October 26, 2025): Psalm 149 & 150

Many years ago, I attended an interdenominational worship event designed for young adults (even then, I was too old to qualify, but I went anyway). Worshippers of every stripe gathered in the sanctuary of a large inner-city church to worship God. The worship at these events tended to be a little varied. The people who came were from many different worship traditions. Admittedly, my worship tradition was a little staid. In my tradition, we didn't dance in worship, and if we did, our feet definitely did not come off the ground. It might be better to say that we swayed with the music. But at this event, everyone came; those who swayed, those who jumped, and those who danced to the music. Everyone had gathered in this place with the sole purpose of worshipping God.

But on this night, what drew my attention were some dancers in the front row. They came equipped with their own tambourines (effectively what the psalmist calls a timbrel), and they were ready to dance. My brother-in-law would have probably called them the "Vestal Virgins" of the event, tasked with keeping the fire of worship burning through their dance. And dance they did. On this night, I watched more of the dance than I usually would have as the crowd worshiped God. Okay, I was laughing at the dance as the rest of the gathered people worshiped. It wasn't that they were bad dancers; they were great. But they had long ribbons tied to the end of their tambourines that would whip around as they danced. What I found so funny were the worshippers standing behind the dancers. I have a feeling that the worship environment to which they were accustomed was very similar to mine, but on this night, even they danced. They had no choice but to dance. With each beat of the tambourines, the ribbons from the dancers in front of them whipped back, threatening to hit them in the head. And so, the dancers danced, and the worshippers in the second row dodged the ribbons of the dancers in their own awkward kind of dance.

I am not sure that the psalmist really imagined either the conservative worship that I was accustomed to growing up or the "Vestal Virgins" of the interdenominational worship service. The Bible says that David danced. I am not sure that he cared overly much what the other worshippers were doing, nor did he impose his dance on others. He simply responded to the dance of God happening in his life. True worship is like that. Just us and God, involved in our shared movement. Sometimes the timbrels are beaten, sometimes the feet are lifted, but other times it is nothing more than a gentle sway to the music with the feet firmly planted on the ground. What matters is that we respond to God moving in our lives, and that we let him take the lead in the dance.

That is what I really want my life to look like. God and I, dancing together, oblivious to what others might think. Just moving to the God-music that he has placed on the inside of my being.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 21

See also Psalm 150:4

 

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. – Psalm 148:3

Today's Scripture Reading (October 25, 2025): Psalm 148

The worship of the heavenly bodies might have been one of the earliest forms of worship. The sun, sometimes referred to by its Latin name "Sol" or by its Greek name "Helios," seems like an obvious object of worship. After all, the sun is a source of life; it provides essential heat to the earth and supports the growth of crops planted by farmers to feed society. The sun is the brightest light in the sky, serving as an obvious comparison to the lesser lights: the moon, the stars, nearby planets, and other stellar phenomena. Generally, but not exclusively, the sun has been seen as male while the moon is female.

In Ancient Egypt, Ra became associated with this worship of the sun. Eventually, Ra was identified primarily with the intense noon-day sun that was so powerful that no place was safe from its reach. Ra was the god of the sun, sky, earth, and even the underworld. When the god Amun began to gain popularity in Egypt, he was colored blue due to his association with air, or the sky. Eventually, the gods of Amun and Ra merged into one powerful God named Amun-Ra.  

The Psalmist acknowledges this belief in a sun god. Amun-Ra was likely very well known in Israel, which had emerged out of Egypt. But the author of this Psalm reminds the people that even the sun, moon, and sky worship the God of Israel. Worship them if you will, but the Psalmist has chosen to worship the one that he believes the gods, even the powerful ones like Amun-Ra, worship: Yahweh of Israel.

We no longer worship the sun as a deity, but we recognize its tremendous power and the effect it can have on our lives. We still acknowledge that we need the sun; its presence allows our crops to grow and brings the required light and heat to the earth. We have harnessed the power of the sun in our solar farms. We recognize the damage that solar storms from the sun can have on our lives, which seems to increase as our technology advances. But we no longer worship it. Instead, we hear the message of the Psalmist and worship the creator of the sun, moon, and stars.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 149 & 150

 

 

The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. – Psalm 147:6

Today's Scripture Reading (October 24, 2025): Psalm 147

Recently, I have come to question the myth regarding the rise to power of Constantine the Great. According to the myth, Constantine's rise to power began in 306 C.E. at the death of his father, Constantius Chlorus. Constantius had ruled during a period of divided rule for the Roman Empire. The idea was that rule over the Empire was too much for one man. As a result, control was given to two leaders, a senior leader and a junior one. The Senior leader would be given the title "Augustus," and the Junior leader would bear the title "Caesar." For most of his time at the helm of the Roman Empire, Constantius was the Caesar. It was only the last year of his life that Constantius was able to bear the Title Augustus. And for that final year, Severus II was Caesar of the Roman Empire.

At the death of Constantius, the Roman military immediately proclaimed Constantine as Emperor. According to the law, Constantine could have been elected as Caesar, with Severus becoming Augustus. However, two things happened. First, the Empire was split into four parts, and a civil war began between the combined forces of Constantine and Severus against Maxentius. Following the death of Severus, the son of Constantius wanted it all; he wanted to be Augustus, but even more than that, he desired to return the Empire to the administration of a single Emperor.

The civil war was fought in the Empire for (almost) the next two decades. In 324, Constantine received a vision from God; the vision came in the form of a cross in the sky, and the message Constantine received was "In this sign, conquer." The question that is often raised is, did this really happen? For some, the automatic answer is no because they discount any story based on a miracle or spiritual elements. But that is not my problem. I have no problem with God reaching out to send Constantine a message. However, for me, the message doesn't make sense.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, it was on a donkey. Despite all of the emotions present in the city, Jesus decided to enter riding a donkey, which symbolized peace. He could have arrived on a horse, symbolizing a conqueror, but he didn't. Over and over, the Bible emphasizes a God who supports the weak and the humble, not the conquering hero. And when a conquering hero gets the attention of God, such as David, it is often during moments of humility and weakness.

And so, the Psalmist reminds us that God sustains the humble. I am not sure that God is the one who would put a cross in the sky and say, "In this sign, conquer." It seems more likely that God would put a cross in the sky and say, "In this sign, serve. In this sign, take care of those who are weak and hungry, the stranger and the fatherless in your midst. Because this is why I have lifted you up, and it is there that you can make a difference."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 148

Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, my soul. – Psalm 146:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 23, 2025): Psalm 146

There is a soundtrack to my life. I am not sure if everybody's life is like that, but some songs take me back to a particular period in my life. And sometimes, when I am confronted with an idea or a circumstance, it is a song that comes rushing back to me. So, whenever I read Psalm 103 (Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name [Psalm 103:1]), it is an old Andrae Crouch song that I start to sing. I think the reason is that I grew up in what we would call a traditional church. I have always been wired towards music. Growing up in a very musical family, my favorite part of the church service was the singing of the songs. But the music in my church was old. I liked some of it and tolerated other parts, but all of the music was better than the sermon. In the hymnal that we used, there were a few newer pieces (and "newer" is a relative term), and Andrae Crouch wrote a couple of those songs. So, it was a great day when the worship music included one of those songs. One of the newer Crouch songs was called "Bless the Lord," and it quotes Psalm 103:1 in the King James Version language – "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name." It is an echo of Psalm 103 that is found here in Psalm 146.

"Bless" is a weird word in this context. The NIV's "praise" is a little bit easier to understand, especially when it comes to our response to God. When God blesses us, he adds something substantial to our lives. But that is not what happens when we bless God. When God receives our blessing, there is nothing that is added to God. All that our blessing does is recognize the absolute richness that is available in God. Our blessing of God acknowledges the incredible wealth that exists in the person of God. The Psalmist declares that his praise arises from the deepest part of his soul, what we might call the core of his being. What that meant was that no matter what was happening in the external parts of his life and whatever was being said about God by those around him, deep down the Psalmist knew precisely who God was. And when we can bless or praise God from the deepest parts of our lives, there is a confidence that automatically exudes from us.

A friend made an observation that sometimes Christians look angry. They seem born to be judgmental and critical, and none of them appears to be having any fun. In fact, sometimes it seems that they walk out of church grouchier than they were when they went in. I think he is absolutely right, but I would assert that no Christian who lives a life like that (and I have to admit that there are a lot of them) has learned to praise or bless God from the inmost part of their being. Recognizing who God is would seem to preclude the idea of a grouchy Christian.

Matt Redman wrote a song that is also based on this familiar refrain from the Psalms. He calls his song "10,000 Reasons," and Redman says the song is the biggest understatement of life. When we understand how great and good God is, how can we not praise him? And there are many more reasons than just the 10,000 mentioned in the song. Matt is right. When we understand God in the core of our being, our soul, praise becomes our automatic response, and a naturally critical group of people is filled with an unspeakable joy. It is the natural response that comes from blessing God in the deepest part of our souls.     

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 147

See also Psalm 103:1

If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? – Psalm 130:4

Today's Scripture Reading (October 22, 2025): Psalm 129 & 130

Nothing and no one is perfect. And maybe we need to remember that the more someone tries to tell us that something or someone is perfect, the more we need to look at what is going on. Because perfection on this blue marble is simply not possible.

By the way, the reverse is not possible either. No one is totally evil. There is some good in all of us. Whether we let the good out is another question. We exist on a spectrum somewhere between the two extremes. It is one of the reasons why I believe strongly in a concept I call "Original Grace." Long before the fateful moral breakdown of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God had already prepared the situation with his grace, which is found in the very nature of this world. Life didn't depend on the perfection of Adam and Eve. After the fall, life continued; it might have continued with more pain and stress because of our sin, but it continued. Grace has always been available for us: always, right from the very beginning.

The Psalmist reflects on the lack of perfection. God, if you kept a list of all of the ways that we have failed you, of all the ways that we have let you and those closest to us down, who couldn't stand proudly in your presence. If anyone believes that they have never let God down, they are deluded. Not only that, but their judgment in other matters should also be questioned. Because it is the knowledge of all the ways that we have failed that helps us to move cautiously into the future. We know all of the ways that we have failed and have caused pain in the past, and there is no way that we want to cause that kind of pain again. Reformed Theologian James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) makes this argument.

Those who have been forgiven are softened and humbled and overwhelmed by God's mercy, and they determine never [again] to sin against such a great and fearful goodness. They do sin, but in their deepest hearts they do not want to, and when they do they hurry back to God for deliverance." (James Montgomery Boice)

Our positive future begins with understanding how we have failed in the past. It starts with accepting the love and forgiveness, the grace that God has already offered to us. And once we understand that, then we fearfully become the agents of grace that this world needs.

Whenever we say that one side is totally evil while the other is good, we become purveyors of the lie, and no good will ever come from us.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 146

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. – Psalm 126:5

 Today's Scripture Reading (October 21, 2025): Psalm 126

The celebration on May 8, 1945, was something the world had not experienced in a long time, and for good reason. The 1930s had been a time of poverty and hunger as the Great Depression raged. And then, on the heels of the Great Depression, came the Second War to end All Wars. For over the past decade and a half, tears had been given rein on the Earth.

But then, in 1945, it seemed that there was room for hope. On April 30, 1945, the Führer Adolf Hitler committed suicide, ending his reign of terror. On May 8, the Germans had surrendered unconditionally. The War wasn't over. That wouldn't happen until August 15, 1945 (or August 14 in America due to international time zones), when Japan would finally surrender, ending World War II. However, Germany's surrender on May 8 was significant. It was a moment of hope at a time when the world needed it most.

May 8, 1945, was the day when the crowd gathered to serenade Winston Churchill with "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow." Churchill tried to share the moment, but at this instant, all of England was behind their flawed hero and Prime Minister. May 8, 1945, is the moment when King George VI decided to allow his daughters, Elizabeth, who was nineteen at the time, and Margaret, who was fourteen (almost fifteen) years old, to walk incognito among the people to truly experience their joy. It was a critical moment. However, there is no doubt that the depth of misery the world had experienced made the joy of May 8, 1945, feel even sweeter.

The Psalmist comments that those who sow in tears will reap in joy. There is so much that can happen between those two moments. When the crop is planted, there are so many things that could, and often do, go wrong. But at the moment of the harvest, all of the work and fears about the crop are history. At the harvest, the investment was worth it, even if we sometimes wondered if that could be true. It is an event when tears of sadness are turned into the tears of joy that we had always needed. And all of us need more of those moments.

Note: Photo was taken in London, England, May 8, 1945

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 129 & 130

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.– Psalm 121:1-2

Today's Scripture Reading (October 20, 2025): Psalm 120 & 121

In 1980, Johnny Lee released "Lookin' for Love" as part of the soundtrack for the movie Urban Cowboy. The connection the song had with the movie's audience made it one of Johnny Lee's biggest hits. The lyrics just seemed to hit home with us.

I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places.
Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes
Lookin' for traces
Of what I'm dreamin' of
Hoping to find a friend and a lover
I'll bless the day I discover
Another heart lookin' for love (Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison, Patti Ryan).

We seem to understand this concept of looking for love. Johnny Lee says he is often asked where the song came from, and he answers that he found it in a box in a hotel room. Maybe not what you are thinking. Lee was releasing his latest album and needed three more songs. People would send in cassette tapes with their tracks, hoping that one of them might be chosen for an upcoming album. On the day in question, Lee arrived at his hotel room and found it full of boxes containing hopeful songs for Lee to go through. In one of those boxes, Lee discovered "Lookin' for Love."

Maybe it was just luck, but it was early on in the process that Lee hit on "Lookin' for Love." The song was written by a couple of teachers who had never had a song published before, and the inspiration for the lyrics was their grade two classroom. The addition of that thought alone adds a different dimension to the song.

Johnny Lee said he couldn't believe that he hadn't written the lyrics, because it was a description of his life. Maybe that is who we really are, a group of elementary school students trying to find the place where we belong.

I think "Lookin' for Love" also describes the biblical story of the Garden of Eden. The reality is that the Garden was the place built just for us; it was the place where we belonged. And yet, even though we had found love and found a place of belonging, we rebelled. The interaction between the serpent and Adam and Eve really goes back to our lack of confidence in ourselves. It wasn't that we were not loved, but we were convinced that we were not loved. It wasn't that we didn't belong, but that we were convinced we didn't.

It is something that I see in the church all the time. People feel that they aren't loved and don't belong. And they are positive that this lack of love is the truth, when the reality is the opposite. Actions are taken out of context. Comments are viewed through a lens that reveals a different meaning. And none of it is true.

But we believe this lack of love is the truth, so we walk away. And the question that remains is this: when you walk away from community, love, and belonging, what comes next? I mean, after God went to the trouble of creating the Garden for us and we walked away, why would God care about what happened to us?

And here the deception continues. The message is that God doesn't care. You walked away from him, and so he walked away from you. When everything goes wrong, don't bother looking to God. He already gave us a chance at life, and we rejected it. We must be on our own.

But the Psalmist says something different.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
            where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
            the Maker of heaven and earth.

                                                            Psalm 121:1-2

We may have rejected God, but he has not rejected us. We might not believe in God, but God still believes in us. What do we do when life falls apart? We recognized that God is still there for us, and so we lift up our eyes to the mountains

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 126

  

I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. – Psalm 119:147

Today's Scripture Reading (October 19, 2025): Psalm 119: 145-176

I have never enjoyed mornings. Isaac Newton produced his laws of motion, and I have often wondered if there are similar laws that govern my sleep patterns. For instance, Newton's First Law of Motion says that an object that is in motion will stay in motion unless another force acts to stop it. In the same way, an object that is still (not in motion) will continue to be still unless a force works on it to put it in motion. As far as my sleep patterns are concerned, when I am awake, I want to stay awake, and when I am asleep, I want to stay asleep. Ah, but that is probably just me.

I have often told the story of competing Bible Studies back in my college days. They made the most of Bible verses like this one in Psalm 119 and wanted to get up early for their Bible Studies. There were two of these Bible Studies, and they were competing to be the first Bible Study of the day. When one of these groups would advertise a start time, the other would move its start time to a few minutes earlier. Both of these groups had invited me to become part of their study, but I thought they were both insane. There was no way I wanted to leave my warm bed on a cold winter morning just to be part of a Bible Study that was striving to be the first of the day.

Am I a lesser Christian? Maybe, but I don't think so. I still struggle with mornings, but I do go to my Bible first in the day. Seventeenth-century theologian, John Trapp (1601-1669), is known for his pithy statements, and he offered these words: "The word [Bible] furnished his [The Psalmist's] hope, and his hope his prayer." The Psalmist began his day with the Bible, which gave him hope. That hope then informed how the Psalmist prayed.

If we want to live with hope, we need to pray with hope. If we're going to pray with hope, then we need to start our day with the Bible, letting God's Word inform the direction that our day might take. The Bible reminds us that regardless of what is happening on the outside of our lives, God is still in control. A good friend of mine (she passed away several years ago) continually reminded me that God is still on the throne. She was right; He is. And so, I have hope.

And so do you, regardless of what time you get out of bed. But life works best if we start the day with the Bible and prayer, even if our day begins as the sun sets.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 120 & 121

 

I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. – Psalm 119:100

Today's Scripture Reading (October 18, 2025): Psalm 119:97-144

Pope Leo XIV recently spoke out with a caution for the Pro-Life movement in the Western World. His comment was direct: You are not pro-life just because you oppose abortion. If you are in favor of Capital Punishment but oppose abortion, don't say you are pro-life, because you aren't. If you oppose abortion, but are in favor of mistreating the immigrant among you, don't pretend that you are pro-life, because that is not true. Pro-Life means valuing all life, regardless of race, gender, or country of origin. Pro-Life implies that we value all life.

I actually find myself in agreement with the Pope. In my humble opinion, the problem with politicians is that they often understand the law in a way that allows them to work around it. The structure of the Pro-Life movement is one example of this. The current gerrymandering debate is another excellent example. Gerrymandering in many places is legal, or maybe more precisely, gerrymandering is a legal reworking of a law or understanding to obtain a particular result. The idea is that governments can alter the voting structure of an area so that a party with fewer votes can get more seats. In other words, if the ridings are engineered correctly, a political party may receive 45% of the vote but still secure 80 or 90% of the available seats. It is legal, but at the same time, it is a violation of the intent of the voting regulations and the concept that every vote counts.

Is there a solution to gerrymandering? I think that there are. One solution might be to require that voting districts within a state or province consist of 4 straight lines, except where the boundary follows another predetermined border, such as the border of a state, province, county, or city. A second solution would be to take the total votes raised in a state or province and ensure that representation is divided in a similar manner. However, no one is listening to me, so we will continue to gerrymander our way through elections.

The Pro-Life movement and gerrymandering are examples, but are not the only instances where we utilize our knowledge of the law to circumvent regulations and achieve our desired outcome. Gerrymandering in other areas of our lives occurs frequently. Another example I have picked on in the past is the idea that I am commanded to love you, but not to like you. This advice is just another way of working around a declaration that we don't want to follow. 

The Psalmist takes a surprising dig at the religious elite of his day. The Psalmist argues that he understands the law better because he understands in an effort to follow it; he doesn't work to understand the law so that he can find a way around it. In other words, the Psalmist says that he doesn't follow the letter of the law, but rather the intent of the law. And that is something that we should all take to heart: understanding the law not so we can find legal ways to violate it, but so we can follow the law even better.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:145-176