Tag Archives: Spiritual Growth

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Book Review – Biblical Portraits Of Creation

Biblical Portraits Of CreationI love the first few chapters of Genesis, which give the history of Creation, and the Fall, and several other key worldview events. I grab and read anything I can find that deals with creation and forming a biblical worldview based on the authority and reliability of Genesis and the Bible.

When I saw Biblical Portraits Of Creation, I decided to read it, even though I was unfamiliar with either of the authors. This book will not be on my go-to list of books dealing with creation and Genesis, however it did offer a few interesting insights.

This book examines several different biblical passages that are creation focused. Each passage is examined and reviewed in a very brief fashion, not going into detail very deeply. I was slightly disappointed by this. I would have enjoyed examining each passage in light of creation, seeing how the rest of the Bible supports and refers back to the early chapters of Genesis.

This book does not do that. Instead, it examines each of these passages in a more devotional manner, outlining them for a lighter study, lending these passages more to a preaching outline than a detailed study. Some of these outlines are intriguing enough to consider adapting for future lessons or sermons. Most are not developed that well, and would require a lot of further study in order to make them work well.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:18

In last week’s passage, Paul reflected upon God’s presence and protection during his legal defense. As he considers what God did in that case, he expands his thought to point out a reality of God’s character.

You can see what he’s talking about in 2 Timothy 4:18:

2 Timothy 4:18

At Paul’s first defense, no one was there to stand by him. Even though Luke was still with him, he may have had other responsibilities at that particular time. Paul longs for Timothy and John Mark to join him soon.

But even though there was no coworker with him, Paul stated that he knew God was there and strengthened him.

From there, he expands into the thought that God’s protection is a continual promise, and not just a one time event that Paul experienced.

Paul fully expects that this imprisonment will lead to his execution. It seems unlikely that this statement means that he believes God will rescue him from prison. That means that he has a larger view in mind, and something greater as an expectation.

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Book Review – C. S. Lewis And Mere Christianity by Paul McCusker

C. S. Lewis And Mere ChristianityI love reading biographies. I haven’t always enjoyed them. In fact, I can remember a friend telling me he enjoyed reading biographies a few years ago, and I distinctly thought to myself “Why?”

But my opinion of biographies has changed over the past few years. Reading the story of someone’s life can benefit my own life in ways that I can’t even imagine until I dig through those pages.

In a way, reading a biography is much like getting to actually meet that person, even though that’s a physical impossibility.

That’s the way I viewed Paul McCusker’s biography on C. S. Lewis. Lewis has long been one of my favorite authors. I almost experience feelings of regret that our lives didn’t overlap any. If they did, I would have at least had an opportunity to cross paths with the man. But unfortunately, he left this life before I entered it.

So, reading a biography is the next best thing.

C. S. Lewis And Mere Christianity isn’t really a biography, though, at least not in the regular sense. McCusker didn’t write a complete analysis of Lewis’ life. This book just covers the events surrounding Lewis’ creation of the classic, Mere Christianity.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:16-17

Paul is nearing the end of his life. His execution is near, and he can sense it. During this second imprisonment, he feels all alone. That is why he has called for Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible. Though he still has Luke and Tychicus near, his loneliness grows as his end draws near.

Take a look at this week’s passage in 2 Timothy 4:16-17:

2 Timothy 4:16-17

In the face of a coming execution, Paul feels despondent and is tempted to give in to despair. His plea to Timothy to come to him is a cry of loneliness and a cry for help. In what he feels are his final days, he wants those around him who are his closest friends. That includes Timothy.

Paul states that there was no one there to support him at his first defense. This paragraph contains a lot of legal language. The word “defense” is a courtroom term, meaning to give an answer to an accusation. This probably isn’t referring to Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, but to a hearing of some sort during this second prison term.

The word “support” is also a legal term. In this sense, it refers to the person who stands alongside the accused in order to assist legally, or simply be there for them relationally. This would have likely been a preliminary hearing, and not the actual trial itself, though that is still a possibility. Paul’s defense would have been laid out before the Roman prefect, who was appointed by Nero.

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Classic Bible: My Favorite Passages From Ezra

This is part of the Classic Bible: Favorite Stories & Passages series. Read more from the series!

Ezra is one of those books that you don’t hear much about from the Old Testament. It’s not as well known as some of the other books, like Jonah or Daniel. But Ezra has a lot of great information in it, and we can benefit from it when we study it.

Second Temple, credit Wikipedia

The book of Ezra is closely tied in with Nehemiah. These two books are tucked away, almost hidden in the historical books of the Old Testament. What we can gain from reading this book, though, is critical historical information. These books, along with portions of Chronicles and Esther, give us some insight into the life of the nation of Israel after the exile to Babylon.

Ezra is considered to be written by Ezra himself, although whether he actually wrote it, or simply compiled it from various other sources is not clearly known. The events described in Ezra and Nehemiah are written of after the fact, indicating that these events were complete, and finished. That gives us a possible date of between 400 and 300 BC, depending on which commentaries you read.

With the historical focus of Ezra and Nehemiah being on the life of Israel after the exile, the specific focus of Ezra is the rebuilding of Jerusalem and especially the temple. As Israel struggled to develop their identity again, after being gone for so long, they needed Ezra’s, and God’s, help to do so.

Here are a few of my favorite passages from the book of Ezra:

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5 Reasons To Hand Copy God’s Word

A few years ago, I stumbled across a passage of the Old Testament that I had probably read dozens of times, but never really noticed. But once it grabbed my attention, I haven’t been able to let it go. It has been on my mind ever since.

Fountain Pen

The passage is found in the book of Deuteronomy, one of the most encouraging books of the Old Testament. In chapter seventeen, at the end of the chapter, you find some instructions for the king. This is included:

Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.

This passage gives the kings of Israel the instruction to hand copy the Scriptures.  And from this passage, I see a couple of specific benefits for our lives. And from my own practice of this discipline, I see a few more.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:14-15

Over the last few verses, Paul has mentioned several people who he cares for deeply, colleagues in his ministry. Some of these have deserted him, others have moved to other areas to minister. Luke has remained with him, and Paul desires for Timothy and Mark to join him. In this week’s passage, he warns Timothy of one particular person of opposition.

You can find this warning in 2 Timothy 4:14-15:

2 Timothy 4:14-15

Paul brings up a man named Alexander. This individual was a metalsmith by trade. The word used here literally means coppersmith, although by the time of the New Testament, it was widely used to mean all kinds of metalwork.

Paul warns Timothy against him, but just who is Alexander? There are a few possibilities. He could be the same Alexander of 1 Timothy 1:19-20, who was mentioned with Hymenaeus. It’s possible he is the man who was involved in the riot in Ephesus, attempting to end it (Acts 19:33-34). Or, he could be some other Alexander of whom we know nothing. While the first two are possibilities, the third option may be the most likely, since the name was a common one during this time.

This man caused Paul some harm, and Paul feels the need to share that information with Timothy. We don’t know what it was he did, but we can take some educated guesses. These are in no particular order.