I love the story of Simeon. He is described in Luke as being a righteous and devout man, waiting for the consolation of Israel. I, admit, that I am a bit jealous that he was favored so highly by God so as to be told and allowed to live long enough to see the birth of our Savior. WHAT a privilege! However, verse 27, speaks to me in a different way. Its message is simple: Simeon was moved by the Spirit to go the temple courts- nothing more, nothing less. I must have read this numerous times before and not been convicted by it. I'm sure these promptings seemed like a somewhat trivial request to Simeon. However, from what we can tell, Simeon didn't ask God WHY he needed to go to the temple courts, he just went and trusted the Holy Spirit's guidance. I have no doubt that Simeon was VERY glad that he listened to the Spirit. After reading this, however, I can't help but wonder how often the Spirit prompts us for seemingly minor things? To go somewhere? To call someone? I think that it happens a lot today, that the Holy Spirit moves in us to encourage us to do things that may seem trivial to us. Do we hear him? Or do we dismiss that small voice as a pointless, silly, fleeting thought. I know I do that, probably fairly frequently. I never consider the fact that that small voice may be the Spirit working in me for a purpose bigger than I can fathom. It reminds me of Isaiah 30:21: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (NIV) When we normally read this passage, we think God means the bigger picture-- keeping the straight and narrow, keeping our eyes on him. But isn't any bigger picture just made up of all the small details? Keeping our eyes on him, in this case, can mean more than just not making mistakes or letting Satan entice us into sin, it can mean being like Jesus, and performing godly acts for the benefit of those around us and for the glory of God. As I've learned from CS Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, often Satan is equally as motivated to keep us from doing good as he is to tempt us to do bad. Because that good can be for the benefit of another Christian or another lost soul- he wants me in hell just as much as he wants you, or her, or anyone. Listening to the DAILY promptings of the Spirit would be for OUR benefit as well as someone else's. So Satan often convinces us that the voice in our head is our own, and probably not that important anyway. There are many Christians who have difficulty with the concept that God prompts us, or that God gives us a spiritual nudge, so to speak. How might these Christians respond, then, to Luke 2:27? What about the following verses?: 1 Kings 19:12 (NIV) "After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." Acts 10:19-20 (NIV) "While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” Acts 8:29 (NIV) "The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”" We are given both old testament AND new testament examples. Though promptings may come with/or without any knowledge or preparation of our own. Promptings may also come through gaining an understanding of the character of God. John 10:27- "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me". Here is an example: Growing up, I learned through years of exposure what my parents' expectations were for me on right and wrong. They didn't have to be present in every difficult situation telling me what I should/ shouldn't do for me to know what they would think. I knew THEM and so I knew where they would stand on almost any given issue. It is the same for us. John 14:26 “The Holy Spirit shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance”, meaning, as you read about God, you will be better able to understand and live out God's will for you. But God all never yell at us. I imagine that he will never appear to me in a burning bush, or as an Arc angel. So I have to be willing to listen HARD each and every day so that I don't miss out on the perfect and awesome will of God.  Read less

God's timing is so miraculous! It is so easy to become discouraged when God doesn't make things happen when we want them to. However, throughout the bible we see example after example of God's timing being perfect. His birth and life is one of those times. Jesus was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus. I am no history buff. However, history reveals that the reign of Octavius (Caesar Augustus) was the first time in history that all of the shores of the Mediterranean had been under 1 ruler and the first time that this area of the world enjoyed that degree of prosperity. Roman roads were built which allowed for faster, safer travel. Caesar Augustus also continued to enforce the ideas of his uncle, Julius Caesar, promoting religious tolerance throughout the regions he ruled. The pax Romana made that time IDEAL for the spread of ideas and religion over all the land. There had also been so much war and destruction for years BEFORE Caesar took the throne, that people were worn and were looking for hope. The instatement of Caesar, in many regards, had given the people some some rest, but Augustus' rule could be harsh (e.g. crucifixion) and Herod, as well as many of the local governing heads were very tyrannical. The people of this time were hungry for peace. People had obviously prayed and watched devotedly for Christ's coming, as had been prophesied (Isaiah 7:14). Simeon (vs 25) was one of those people. Yet God's answer time and time again was "wait". He had a plan that was better- a time that allowed for the Gospel to be spread easier and faster: a time when he could win the most believers. I praise God that he doesn't always give us WHAT we want, WHEN we want it, but uses his great knowledge to give us what is best for us in his time. References: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2139-augustus http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/4202.htm  Read less

I read this verse this morning while finishing up Luke 8, and it occurred to me that I have never been fully satisfied with the reasons that I have been taught concerning why Jesus taught in parables. It always has seemed to me like there was just more it. So I started googling the topic and all the pages I read just reiterated the ins and outs of what I've already been taught in my years of sitting in the church pew: 1) It was Hebrew culture to speak in stories. Characters and lessons could be more memorable to the people, which will help ensure the accuracy and ability to pass on the story time and time again in the midst of an oral culture. I agree, I think that's part of it. 2) Others, who were not Christ followers, could not understand the message. I, of course, agree with this, as well. Matthew 13: 10-17 talks about these people's ears being closed, their eyes being shut, their hearts having grown dull. BUT, some people's interpretations don't settle right with me on this last point. This is the interpretation that I've been most unsatisfied with. I've heard that the Holy Spirit closes these people's ears, in order to keep them from understanding the word. But I have to say, that that doesn't seem like something a loving God would do. God who WANTS us to hear his voice and to find him--even in the strangest places and even if he has to essentially YELL at us, shake us, or do something drastic for us to accept it (Paul on the road to Damascus, for example). Would he really not want to reach us in the little things? Then, the answer hit me. Perhaps its not that these stories were too difficult to understand. Jesus was using imagery that everyone could understand: the concepts he preached weren't highly intellectual or difficult. Jesus' message was intended for the simple minded as well as the bright. So could it be that REALLY the simple minded believer could understand these but the intellectual non-believer couldn't? I don't think so. This is where I found my answer: maybe they didn't want to understand them. In reality they probably didn't take take even half of a second to consider them. I think of the nonbelievers in my academic department. It isn't that they aren't capable of understanding Jesus' teaching (despite the fact that their hearts are hard). Its just they don't try. They are set against him. Their vision is colored and they only quote scripture in order to show how "ridiculous" and "absurd" it is. They don't read the context. They don't think about what the scripture is actually trying to say. In fact, it is better they didn't so they can prove their point. Even those that aren't set against Jesus or mocking him can't see him. Satan has flooded their minds with busyness, with self, with news or happenings, and the noise is so loud that they can't hear anything else, perhaps even if they wanted to. Needless to say, I'm still not fully satisfied with this answer, not that I expect that I can understand fully why God does anything that he does. He is, after all, too great for human reasoning to comprehend. But I don't think he faults us for trying to understand. And as Matthew 7:7 says, if I keep asking, seeking, knocking, I will find the answer.  Read less

Jesus commands us to pray for those who sin against us. Though the first command in this passage is to LOVE our enemies and second command is to PRAY for them, it might be most beneficial for a Christian to emphasize the latter, prayer for our enemies, first and foremost before our attempts at love. Loving a difficult person does not generally come naturally to us; however, the act (behavior) of the praying for this difficult person may help us to better and more easily love (the emotion). In Psychology, this idea is supported by the theory of Cognitive Dissonance. This theory suggests that people are highly motivated to lessen the discrepancy between opposite viewpoints and/or actions. Meaning, when we dislike a person and feel negatively about them, then behave in a way that suggests a positive feeling towards them, our brain naturally WANTS to alter one or the other (thought or action) so as to align our thoughts and behaviors. If we continue to pray (behavior) toward them (positively), the only thing that can be altered is our mindset. We then, may begin to FEEL differently as a result of our ACTION. We, as humans, often struggle to alter feelings. We look toward self help books, we try to "will" ourselves into feeling something we don't. All we have to do is follow God's commands. God is providing us to the key to love right here in this passage. Science just shows us WHY this works.  Read less

I spent some time researching the meaning of Ecc 11:1-2. I came upon 2 different overarching interpretations of these scriptures from a number of commentaries. 1: The Working Interpretation This verse is Solomon's advice to encourage us to work in a number of ventures, in order to ensure that our physical needs will be met over the long term. This verse somewhat mirrors the meaning of verse 6. Spend your time doing whatever work you can find, your efforts will help physically sustain you. Verse 2 takes this idea further and, in this interpretation, suggests that one invest his/her money in a variety of different ventures. The Hebrew saying "portions to seven, yes to eight" suggests that you invest your resources into as many investments as possible, and then a few more. Stretch yourself- you never know what will succeed and what will fail, and you need to have backup and financial security when disaster hits. 2. The Giving Interpretation This interpretation suggests a somewhat opposite approach to financial security. In his interpretation, scholars believe that Solomon is suggesting that one give away their money to the needy while they have ability. This resembles the secular idea of karma or "what goes around, comes around"-- if you give/ provide for those in need while you have, one day when you are in need, you will also be provided for. On a similar note, verse 2, according to this interpretation of scripture, spurs us on to give as much as we can, and then some. In other words, give a little more than you are even able! (Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38)  Read less

I think this is an interesting addition to this chapter. It encourages me to hold my tongue and not criticize or belittle those with whom i disagree (e.g politically, socially, etc). Notice he doesn't say 'don't talk about them in public'. Solomon says 'in the bedroom', presumably meaning even away from others. I think Solomon isn't only concerned about this form of gossip for self-protective reasons (to avoid the king's wrath) but because he knows that our words are so intertwined with our heart and our actions (Prov 10:18-20; Prov 15:28; Phil 4:8).  Read less

Despite Jonah's strong desire not to minister to the "non-Hebrew" world ministering he did. He unwittingly first showed God's greatness to these merciful sailors. And the sailors took it to heart and… Jonah 1:14  Read less