Lent is the 40-day part of the church liturgical calender leading to Easter, and millions of Christians around the world mark this season with prayer, Scripture reading, and acts of self-denial—all aimed at drawing closer to Christ by reflecting on the message of Easter.
Every year, we put together a series of special email devotionals and reading plans during Lent, and this year is no exception. With Lent here, now’s the perfect time to visit our Newsletters page and sign up for one or more of these:
Bible Gateway’s Lent Devotions: An eclectic mix of Scripture passages and reflections to help you think through and apply the message of Easter.
Readings for Lent and Easter: A Bible Reading Plan for Lent: Read a daily Scripture passage chosen to focus your heart and mind on the message of Easter. (This reading plan takes full advantage of our new and improved Bible reading plan functionality—visit the reading plans page to learn more.)
On the Road to Calvary (by Max Lucado): Discover the true meaning of Easter with this week-long daily devotional written by beloved author Max Lucado.
40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A devotional journey with WW2 pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer that will both challenge and encourage you throughout the Lenten season. One of our most popular devotionals, and very appropriate for Easter.
Knowing Him: Journey to Easter with 22 short, daily inspirational reflections from pastor and author Mel Lawrenz. (Begins March 15.)
In addition to these, we’ll also be unveiling some interesting new devotionals in the days ahead!
You can sign up for any of these on our Newsletters page—just check the box next to the devotional(s) you want, and fill out the subscription information box on the right side of the page.
Whether or not you plan to observe Lent in any special way this year, we encourage you to try one or more of these and see what a difference it makes to begin each day with a devotional message from Scripture.
I remember when I first read the Old Testament books that recount the stories of the kings of Israel and Judah. David’s and Solomon’s reigns are epic. But then begins the long and oftentimes sordid story of about 40 successive kings, most of whom were “evil.” I remember thinking: This is hardly encouraging reading! Yet buried in the history is the story of God, and we must understand it.
In the middle of the story of the Old Testament is an era spanning five centuries in which we hear about the checkered history of the kings of Judah and Israel, the high points and low points of the people of God, and many lessons about integrity and faithfulness, sin and destruction. This is the era of the kings, a complicated narrative that is an important part of the word of God because it describes the crooked pathway that eventually led to the coming of the Messiah.
The era of the kings began with the people saying it wasn’t enough for God to be their king—they wanted a man to rule them, just like all the other nations. They did indeed become like all the other nations—but not for the good.
The era of the kings stretches from the reign of Saul, a thousand years before Christ, to the destruction of Judah and the exile of the last king in 586 B.C.
Before there was a king, the Israelite tribes lived in scattered, small settlements with judges like Gideon, Deborah, and Jephthah providing a degree of leadership. Then the period of the kings, as told in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, is divided into two parts. The first three kings—Saul, David, and Solomon—spanned more than 100 years in what is sometimes called the “golden age” or “the united monarchy.” After Solomon there was civil war, and the 12 tribes of Israel divided themselves into a northern kingdom, called “Israel,” which included 10 of the tribes, and a southern kingdom made up of the remaining two tribes, called “Judah.”
After the disappointing narrative of the reign of Saul, the mostly optimistic accounts of the golden era under David and his son Solomon describe Israel as a rapidly expanding empire that eventually enjoyed a period of peace and stability. David established Jerusalem as the capital, and the center point of the spiritual life of the nation. Solomon advanced that with the building of the temple.
But faithfulness to God is a fragile thing. After Solomon’s reign, civil war split the kingdom in two, and for hundreds of years the bitter fruit of unfaithfulness shaped life in Israel and Judah. As we read the books of Kings and 2 Chronicles, we are struck with almost monotonous patterns: bad kings, good kings who become bad kings, a few good kings who kept their integrity and even introduced reform and revival to the people.
We also learn about the spiritual dynamics behind these movements. Those kings who “did evil in the sight of the Lord” and brought bad times on the people were guilty of the worship of foreign gods, of sacrificing outside the rules defined in the law, and sometimes of stooping to the low level of the foreign religions, including human sacrifice. Whole generations lived in complete violation of the Ten Commandments. They forgot their heritage and their God, and they didn’t even know there were Scriptures that had defined them as a people.
So the stories of revival and reform under kings like Hezekiah and Josiah are like sunbursts breaking through a heavy overcast sky. Josiah smashed the sites of idolatrous worship and removed the illegal shrines and priests, mediums, and spiritists. He removed pagan statues that previous kings had put at the entrance to the temple, of all places. And he reinstituted the celebration of Passover for all the people of Judah, which had been neglected for centuries.
Here is the sum of it:
“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.” (2 Kings 23:25)
And in this narrative we have one more proof of the power of the word of God in Holy Scripture: Josiah’s revival began after his officials discovered the long-lost and forgotten Book of the Law while carrying out Josiah’s orders to repair the temple of the Lord. This was the turning point. When Josiah heard the words read to him, everything suddenly made sense. Generations of corruption. Spiritual confusion. Aimlessness. Josiah tore his robes in repentance. This is one more example of the power of the written word to release people from longstanding spiritual paralysis. It is a lesson for us.
So how should we understand the era of the kings? We must read these books as history, but not just political history. These narratives show us spiritual movements downward and upward. Most of the prophets fit into this story by interpreting how God’s people could sink low, but also where there was restoration.
We must not artificially lift verses out of context and claim them as our own. These are the stories of real people in a real place. History does offer lessons. History tells us what happened in the past so we can understand what happens in our world, because human nature remains a constant, for good and for ill.
Mel Lawrenz is Director of The Brook Network and creator of The Influence Project. He’s the author of thirteen books, most recently Spiritual Influence: the Hidden Power Behind Leadership.
Many Christians sense a tension between their desire to enjoy life in this world—the beauty of God’s creation, the rich love of deep relationships with others—and the reality that this world is fallen and broken, in need of redemption. How can we embrace and thrive in the tension between enjoying creation and promoting redemption?
What do you mean when you write, “You’ll never understand yourself unless you feel the weight of the question, ‘Can you serve Jesus and still enjoy your life’”?
Dr. Wittmer: Every time we sin we’re saying “No” to this question. We ask, “Will I really enjoy my life if I obey Jesus here?” If we don’t think we can trust him, if we’re not sure he is on our side, then we strike out on our own and do what we want.
My point is that we all ask this question, at least subconsciously. If anyone thinks they don’t ask this question, they should stop and consider why they sin.
What is a worldly saint?
Dr. Wittmer: A worldly saint is a godly person who enjoys creation and thrives in their earthy, human life. Examples include the patriarchs, who enjoyed the material blessings that God showered upon them (Gen. 15:14; 46:5-6); Paul, who commanded preachers to encourage their people to thankfully appreciate creation (1 Tim. 4:1-6), and Jesus, who was accused of partying a little too much (Matt. 11:19).
The story in John 21 illustrates Jesus’ value on creation. Jesus appeared on the beach with the purpose of restoring Peter, yet he still thought it was important to give his disciples a miraculous catch of fish—which they gratefully counted to be 153! Jesus then used some of these fish to cook breakfast, which prepared Peter for their hard conversation. Think about it. Not long before the resurrected Christ ascended into heaven, he made breakfast on the beach. Jesus and redemption matter more than creation, but they don’t eliminate creation. The gospel frees us to thrive in every aspect of our human lives.
What does it mean to be created in God’s image and placed on earth to enjoy and steward this world on his behalf?
Dr. Wittmer: In the Ancient Near East, only kings were said to bear the image of their god. In Genesis 1-2, God democratizes this notion and declares that all humans are made in his image. Just as ancient kings claimed to govern territory on behalf of their god, so the true God commands all humans everywhere to govern the entire world on his behalf (Gen. 1:28). In Genesis 2:15, God told Adam to work the garden (Hebrew term means “serve”) and take care of it (Hebrew term means “guard”). We obey God’s first command when we responsibly develop culture from the earth’s raw materials. When we consider how our various tasks contribute either directly or indirectly to this stewardship, we will realize how even our earthly tasks will receive God’s heavenly reward.
Explain your statement, “A flourishing human life is the best advertisement for the gospel, and the gospel in turn empowers us to become better people.”
Dr. Wittmer: There’s competition between the cultural and redemptive mandates, between responsibly stewarding creation and making disciples of Christ (Gen. 1:28; Matt. 28:18-20). The money I spent on a new tree is money I can’t give to church. And yet these two commands also complement each other, because the more I flourish as a human the more attractive the gospel becomes. All things being equal, no one should flourish like a Christian. A well-lived life is an excellent platform to speak about Jesus, who as our Creator and Redeemer is the One who inspires us—and makes it possible—for us to thrive.
How should ‘worldly saints’ understand such verses as 1 John 2:15: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” and Colossians 3:1-2: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”?
Dr. Wittmer: This is the key to the book. I give the complete answer in chapter 7, but I’ll say here that if you read the context of these passages, you’ll find that John and Paul are not telling us to avoid the world or earthly things but to stop sinning. The “world” that we are not to love is “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) and the “earthly things” we should avoid are “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry… anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language” (Col. 3:5-9). God commands us to hate sin, not stuff. Our problem is the Fall, not God’s good creation.
Where in the Bible might it support your contention that “a good life is like good jazz: it has rhythm.”
Dr. Wittmer: One obvious place is God’s command to observe a weekly Sabbath (Ex. 20:8-11). Life must be a rhythm between work and rest. Christians need not keep the Sabbath in some legalistic way, yet common sense tells us this is for our good. People whose switch is always stuck in the On position—even if it’s for explicitly gospel activities—will soon burn out. It’s an unhealthy way to live, and a bad advertisement for the gospel.
Why is God’s judgment the only thing that gives ultimate meaning to life?
Dr. Wittmer: This is the point of Ecclesiastes. Everything in life is ultimately meaningless when viewed apart from God (Eccl. 1:2; 2:9-10). God’s judgment is the source of all value because he is the only being with intrinsic value (Eccl. 12:13-14). What is the value of my life, my marriage, my church, and my job? The value of any of these cannot come from themselves, because all are finite. Regardless how successful any of these are, their ultimate value is simply whatever God says. This should encourage us whose lives don’t seem as consequential as we had hoped. If God says we are priceless, then we are.
What do we risk when we make too much or too little of creation?
Dr. Wittmer: When we put our hopes in creation we lose our ability to love God. We worship the creature more than the Creator and turn God’s good world into an idol (Rom. 1:21-25).
But we also can lose our ability to love God when we make too little of creation. A relationship of love requires two separate people. We cannot love the other if there is no other. The first step toward loving God is to recognize our good, real, and separate (though dependent) existence from him. When we continually put down the good things of this world because we fear we will turn them into idols, we piously eliminate the possibility of loving God. God is infinitely better than his creation in every way. But this creation provides a necessary place to love him from.
Besides eliminating the possibility of loving God, making too little of creation also destroys the possibility of redemption. Our salvation depends on the incarnation and resurrection of the Son of God (John 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:12-19). Neither of these would be possible if there was something inherently wrong with our physical world.
How should our understanding of the gospel change the way we live?
Dr. Wittmer: We should feel liberated to be the person God has made us to be. We need not worry that our calling doesn’t seem spiritual enough. Paul says God will reward whatever we do, so work at it with all your heart (Col. 3:17, 23-24). Even slaves can know that their work is serving Jesus (1 Cor. 7:17-24).
But the gospel not only liberates us. It also raises the bar of the Christian life. We are commanded to be ourselves, and to be the best version of that person. There are no timeouts in the Christian life. We cannot give God a tithe, then say the rest of our money is for us. We cannot give God our Sunday, then say the rest of our week is for us. We cannot give God our morning devotions, then say the rest of our day is for us. God cares that we read Scripture, pray, and serve our local church, but he cares just as much how we talk to our spouse, raise our children, do our jobs, and what we text and watch online. It all counts now.
What’s the best way to achieve a balance between being “heavenly-minded” and a “world lover”?
God doesn’t call us to balance. He calls us to embrace both extremes full on. I need to be flat out committed to the heavenly purpose of the gospel. As Jesus said, what does it profit someone if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? (Matt. 16:26). What could be more important than not going to hell?
I also need to be fully immersed in this good world that God created. I want to enjoy every moment of this earthly life that Jesus purchased for me. If redemption restores creation, then the whole point of being a Christian is to become a better human. My earthly life will be interrupted by my death, which is a consequence of the Fall. But My Redeemer has defeated death and reversed the curse, and he will bring me back to live forever with him here, on our restored earth (Is. 65:17; 2 Pt. 3:13; Rev. 21:1-4).
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Dr. Wittmer: The gospel cannot get started without an underlying good creation. Consider the biblical story. From start to finish, it is earthy, physical, and in the best sense of the word, materialistic. The story begins in a sensual garden of delight and then tells how a nation was delivered from physical bondage into a land overflowing with milk and honey. The story turns on an embodied God who physically died and rose again, whose sacrifice is remembered in the physical waters of baptism and the bread and the cup. The story consummates on a new earth where in the presence of God we will celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb, bite into fruit from the Tree of Life, and gulp handfuls from the river of life.
From beginning to end, the material world matters. Get creation wrong—assume there is something inherently bad with God’s good world—and you’ll never get the gospel right. Redemption is more than creation, but it is not less.
The books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, are called “the wisdom books” of the Old Testament. Here we find honest, practical, and life-changing principles which are as true today as when they were written thousands of years ago. But how can we make sure we are understanding and applying these truths in proper ways today?
Perhaps you know someone or a group who would like to follow along with “How to Understand the Bible.” They can get more info and sign up at Bible Gateway here.
If you were to stumble upon a long-lost manuscript that no eyes had seen for generations, and if you were to read its opening lines which offered a “wisdom” like what’s described in the following lines, you might consider it one of the greatest discoveries of your life.
Proverbs… for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance. (Prov. 1:1-5)
These are the opening lines of the book of Proverbs, one of three books in the Old Testament (Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes) called “wisdom literature” (although other books contain sections of a similar kind). So, in addition to historical narrative, law, prophecy, and poetry, the Bible also has this lively, deep, and profound set of books referred to as “wisdom.” These are books about real life.
Proverbs is a book of practical wisdom. Job is an epic story exploring the deep issues of suffering, purpose, and God. Ecclesiastes offers a sharp-edged perspective on the hard realities of life. Once again, we see the utter honesty of the Scriptures. We see the disordered state of the world and human nature, and guidance on seeking the order of God.
Any believer would do well to read the book of Proverbs once a year, if not more often. These Hebrew proverbs (meshalim) are short, pithy statements of truth and practical guidance. They address life issues like attitude and speech, sexuality, poverty and prosperity, marriage and family issues, and much more. The statements are brief, vivid, and memorable. Because of this style, they include figures of speech, so we must understand the main point of the statement.
For instance: “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine” (3:9-10). You may not be a farmer who owns barns and vineyards, but you can still get the big point: Honor God with all that you own, making giving a top priority, and you will do well in life.
When you read the Proverbs, always keep in mind that they are general statements of what is generally true. The writer does not claim they are promises from God or guarantees of what always happens. The original readers did not assume that if you honored God by giving the firstfruits of your crops, the barns would always and forever overflow. Droughts happen. Barns burn down. Thieves prowl. Life happens. But the principle is generally true.
[Check out How to Understand the Bible, the book, here.]
Many parents have counted on Proverbs 22:6, which says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (ESV). Therefore, some are bewildered when their grown-up children do “depart” from lives of virtue and health. They may be left thinking, We must not have done the training part right. But the proverb is not a guarantee. It is guidance—true, helpful, and clear. Parents should take the moral development of their children seriously; and most of the time, those planted seeds will bear fruit. But not every time.
The book of Proverbs is good as gold as a divinely inspired guidebook for right living. It confronts us about sloth and anger and theft and lewdness and gossip. It guides us toward prosperity through prudence, and contentment through simplicity.
It is important to read the book of Proverbs in sections, rather than one verse at a time. Selecting a single verse out of context will lead to misunderstanding and prevent us from seeing the whole. We must look at the painting, not the brushstrokes. As in reading the Psalms, let the power of the images hit home. And when you do find a single statement that could be a landmark verse for you, go ahead and memorize it (as long as you understand it in context). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (3:5-6).
Finally, just a word about two other Old Testament books that are unique. The book of Job contains wisdom, but embedded in it is the heart-rending story of a man undergoing unbelievable suffering. The main characters in the drama say many things that aren’t true at all; for instance, all suffering is the direct result of specific sins and failings. But in the end, Job finds solace in God himself and not philosophical answers.
To some people, the book of Ecclesiastes reads like a statement of hopelessness. Rather, it is a brutally honest description of the dark side of life, which ought to propel us onto the mercy of God.
Next time: “What Is Important about the Era of the Kings?”
Get information about the book version of How to Understand the Bible here. Not yet signed up to receive “How to Understand the Bible” via email? You can follow along here at the blog, but we recommend signing up for email updates here. “How to Understand the Bible” is available as a print book at WordWay.org.
Mel Lawrenz is Director of The Brook Network and creator of The Influence Project. He’s the author of thirteen books, most recently Spiritual Influence: the Hidden Power Behind Leadership.
Are you drowsy in your faith? Do you have a sleepy attitude about living the everyday Christian life? Is your approach to reading the Bible lethargic? Then you have a need to awaken your soul to God’s presence and to ignite your faith to change your world.
In your book you say you want readers to “Live Awake, Live Inspired, and Live Influential.” Unpack what those mean.
Matt Brown: For the past 13 years I’ve traveled and shared the gospel in churches of many denominations from coast to coast across the US, as well as holding our own evangelistic events and conferences focused on bringing people together from different backgrounds around the gospel. I’ve seen firsthand so many times how encouraged believers are when they get a glimpse of good news about God’s activity around the world.
Even though more American Christians gather in church on a single weekend than all the NFL stadiums over an entire season combined, the vast majority go to churches consisting of about 120 people. Even believers in larger churches too easily get tunnel vision, and only know of a few things God is doing around the world. Acts 13:41 explains, “I’m doing something right before your eyes that you won’t believe though it’s staring you in the face.” The message of Awakening is that God is doing so many incredible things today, and it is so encouraging, and I want to help people awaken to that.
From there, I share lots of inspiring stories and Scriptures, and break down what I believe we can do to take these stories and Scriptures and be even more influential for the sake of the gospel with those around us.
What do you mean Christians today have tunnel vision?
Matt Brown: So many Christians have tunnel vision because they are only focused on their small corner of God’s kingdom. God is doing so much, but they limit their perspective to their church, a few churches around town, or their denomination. Think about it: two BILLION people around the world claim adherence to faith in Jesus Christ. How do we even begin to summarize or generalize something so staggering? When we look around—truly look around—we will see that God and the gospel and the church are much more glorious than we can ever begin to imagine. Scripture calls us to break away from our tunnel vision, saying “Keep your eyes open for God, watch for His works, be alert for signs of His presence.” (Psalm 105:5)
What is the scriptural precedent that God is at work all around us?
Matt Brown: We see in the Bible that many people missed the miracles and teaching that Jesus was doing right in front of their noses. There were even times that his closest disciples didn’t understand the significance of what was taking place. This is encouraging to know they were in the same boat, but also eye opening; and inspires us to take greater notice of what God is doing in the everyday—all around us.
John 21:25 says that “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” This is a shocking statement. And—since Jesus went to the right hand of the Father—God, by his Spirit, is moving in and through the church all over the world. And the same [as the verse] could be said. We wouldn’t be able to keep track even if we wanted to; but opening our eyes to this bigger story overwhelms and stirs our faith in a way that nothing else can.
Why is it important for Christians to hear that ‘Christianity is exploding around the world’?
Matt Brown: We hear so much negative news about faith in the news media, if it is even covered at all. But God is at work in the church in ways like never before in history. I believe that some of our heroes of the faith in generations before us would be astounded at what’s taking place today.
We get enough bad news. We need more good news for our weary soul. And you don’t have to look far within the church to see it.
I ask in the book: would the early church have experienced the growth it did if the apostles preached the way some preachers in America do today, when they share how our culture is falling apart, and how young people are leaving the faith in droves? Their message was, “The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world.” (Col. 1:6) The gospel is growing all over the world today too, but too few people are preaching this because they don’t realize it’s happening.
What steps can Christians take to stay awake and inspired in order to be influential for the gospel?
Matt Brown: Of course, nothing feeds and awakens the soul more than the Word of God! But a good next step might be to pick up a copy of Awakening, and if it stirs your faith like I hope it will, share it with your men’s or women’s Bible study at your church, or go through it with a small group of friends, and pray with me that God will continue to move in greater ways across our nation!
Bio: Matt Brown is an evangelist, author of Awakening: How God’s Next Great Move Inspires and Influences Our Lives Today (2015, Leafwood), and founder of Think Eternity. He and his wife Michelle are impacting thousands of people with the gospel each year through live events and online. They also minister to more than 400,000 followers on social media daily.
Can biblical principles really revolutionize your work and family life, and give you the courage to stand up for what is right? Two former professional baseball players and nationally-acclaimed real estate entrepreneurs say yes, based on the experiences they’ve shared as twin brothers.
To contextualize your book’s message, briefly describe your lives as twin brothers and sons of a preacher, your experience as professional baseball players, and your progression from struggling to successful businessmen.
Benham Brothers: We shared the same womb and then shared the same room for the first 22 years of life. Everything we did was together. We even shared the same dream of playing professional baseball. Except for our time in the Minor Leagues we’ve never been apart. We just felt that we could accomplish more if we stayed together. Now we live on the same street and have nine crazy kids that bounce between houses.
Our dad was a preacher who taught that our theology must be our biography. He said that if we studied the Bible and didn’t live it out in every area of life then our theology was worthless. So we grew up studying God’s Word and doing our best to apply it everywhere. He trained us in evangelism and how to be bold for Jesus even when we were afraid. He taught us that “the Word of God became flesh” and we weren’t supposed to turn it back into words again. Although he never had a big church, our Dad was faithful to disciple us in the Bible with every ounce of energy he had.
Dad noticed that we had talent to play baseball, so he taught us how to make our talents tools for God’s glory. As a result, we dreamed of making it to the Big Leagues so that we could glorify the Lord with the tool He’d given us on a big stage. Although we realized our dreams in part, we never made it to the Big Show. We had to die to that dream, which was one of the hardest things we ever had to do. Fortunately, we walked through this together, and we learned to find our identity in who we were in Christ and not what we did for Him that mattered.
Leaving baseball was tough because not only was our dream dead but we had families for which to provide—so we had to act fast! All we knew was that we needed to do something together. We got our real estate licenses and applied the same determination and discipline that we had on the baseball field to real estate. In less than a decade our company topped business charts around the nation by God’s amazing grace on a couple goofballs like us.
What do you see as the goal of sports?
Benham Brothers: The goal of sports is to build character and prepare kids for life. As a reflection of life, playing sports is one of the easiest ways apply the truths of the Bible—like working together, discipline, hard work, facing fear, following the rules, etc. The competitive environment also causes everyone to do their very best regardless of how difficult the situation may be or how hopeless it may look. We teach our kids that competition is meant to build others up, not tear them down. All of this combines to make sports an incredible tool to develop and disciple future generations in the timeless truths of God’s Word.
What is the “second mile” and why is it important in business?
Benham Brothers: Back in Christ’s day there was a Roman law that required Jewish people to carry the pack of a Roman soldier for one mile if the soldier asked them. This was a blatant slap in the face to the Jews, so when Jesus told them not to just carry it for one mile but to carry it two it was revolutionary. Carrying the pack the first mile simply fulfilled the obligation, but carrying it the second mile fulfilled Christ’s law of love. This opened doors into the soldier’s heart to listen to these Jewish believers give the reason why they were doing such a selfless act. This kind of love toppled the Roman Empire in just a few hundred years.
Explain how the title of your book, Whatever the Cost, is your guiding life’s philosophy.
Benham Brothers: We sing the songs and know the stories—that we are to surrender all to Jesus. Yet this is probably the most difficult truth of authentic biblical faith—and yet it’s the most powerful! The power of the cross is released in us when we surrender everything to Jesus and are willing to die for Him. Without this “whatever the cost” attitude we cannot truly know and love Him as He desires, and we cannot fulfill the purpose for which He created us. Jesus turned many away that weren’t willing to let go of everything to follow him. We’ve found in our own lives that if we’re living for Jesus whatever the cost in every area of life—including our reputation, business, money, influence, relationships, etc.—that Christ can work powerfully through us to bring His Kingdom wherever we go.
How central is reading and applying the Bible to your life’s philosophy?
Benham Brothers:John 5:19 says, “The Son can do nothing by Himself, He can only do what He sees the Father doing….” If it’s true for Jesus, then it’s true for us. Our Father has hidden Himself within the pages of Scripture, and only those who seek Him with all their heart will truly find Him. We began reading the Bible and seeking the Lord with all our hearts when we were 12 years old. Over the years we’ve been amazed at how alive and real His words are for every area of life. When it comes to reading God’s Word we agree with Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and David that God’s word is “as sweet as honey” in our mouths.
What do you mean when you say in your book, “consistently measure your inputs”?
Benham Brothers: The devil gets inside us in two ways: our eyes and our ears. Never before in the history of mankind has it been so easy and enticing to see and hear things that dishonor God. So we practice in our lives and disciple others to measure their eye and ear inputs on a daily basis. We record how much time we read/watch/listen to biblical truth vs. the time we read/watch/listen to other things. By measuring these inputs we can quickly assess weaknesses and make adjustments so that the power of God is maximized in our lives.
You offer 5 personal keys to success. Explain what they are and their scriptural underpinnings.
Benham Brothers:1) Breathe life. We’re to breathe life everywhere we go, which means we’re to be God’s active agents of restoration, nourishing, and healing in the earth. John 7:38 says, “He who believes in Me…from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” And this water (the Holy Spirit) refreshes and restores everything in it’s path! Ezekiel 47:1-12 shows a beautiful picture of this as the same “water” flowed from the temple of God and made trees fruitful, fed fishermen, and made the parched areas fresh.
2) Be faithful in little.Luke 16:10 teaches that if we’re “faithful in little we’ll be faithful in much.” This simple, yet profound, truth shows God’s Kingdom in powerful ways when applied to all of life. It’s what God was looking for when he found young David faithfully tending his father’s sheep, and what He found in countless other people He used mightily throughout Scripture.
3) Be a fountain and not a drain. Fountains are always giving. Drains are always taking. The key to being a fountain is to simply stay connected to the Source. As our lives are connected to the Source (Christ) we naturally become fountains of life to everyone around us instead of draining their lives of the hope and joy He brings—for Christ “came to serve and not to be served.”
4) Give more in value than you take in pay.Ephesians 6:5-8 and Colossians 3:22-24 teach that when we work we’re to work for the Lord and not man. This means that no matter how much we’re paid, we’re to do our work with the same excellence as if Christ Himself gave us the job. This amazes employers and clients in the marketplace and opens incredible doors for the gospel as our work glorifies Jesus in this way.
5) Be a producer and not a consumer. Producers are creators. Consumers simply consume what producers create. Producers help others. Consumers take from others. Matthew 13:8 teaches that if the soil of our heart is to be a producer for God we’ll produce a “hundred, thirty, or sixty times what was sowed.” Applying this in our homes, businesses, and communities reveals Gods Kingdom in our midst.
You say “as Christians our work is our worship.” How so?
Benham Brothers: Work existed before the fall; it was part of God’s design for mankind. God Himself worked for six days showing His creativity and nature, and on the seventh day He rested from His work. Jesus said in John 5:17, “My father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” So if God is working then we are to be working too. And work is always serving; believers in Jesus are always to be serving God in whatever our hand finds to do (Col. 3:17). So our work becomes worship when we do it unto the Lord; others are refreshed and God is glorified.
Why do you believe more is accomplished in the “pain cave” than in the “comfort zone”?
Benham Brothers: Pain and suffering are tools that God uses to forge endurance, character, and hope in the life of believers (Rom. 5:3-5). Too often in America we as Christians distance from suffering instead of embracing it as it comes. The same is true with our health. We love to workout, so we strive to enter the “pain cave” as fast as we can and stay there as long as we can. This builds strength. But if we sit in the “comfort zone” there’s no chance of increasing our strength. Beating our bodies both spiritually and physically in the pain cave leads to powerful living.
What’s the connection between personal purity and professional performance?
Benham Brothers: Having a clear vision is vital to the health of every business or organization. And we learned that a clear vision only comes through personal purity. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” We started our business with a commitment to this level of purity in our company and personal lives, and it has produced significant power in our professional performance. Although we aren’t perfect, we’ve chosen not to mix the ways of God with the ways of world, which has allowed us to see God move powerfully in our company.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Benham Brothers: We see in Scripture that when we make peace with God we declare war on the devil. And two of the ways he tries to keep us from fighting him is to either scare us away or lure us away. He tries to scare us away with fear, which is why we must face our fears—because when we do, God fights for us. And he tries to lure us away by chasing our dreams or promises of God instead of the God of promise. When we face our fears and die to our dreams we WILL live powerfully for Jesus—whatever the cost! Our nation needs a remnant of believers ready to live like this.
Bio: After retiring from professional baseball in 2002, David and Jason Benham, twin brothers and acclaimed entrepreneurs, began building their business empire, growing it to seven companies spanning 35 states. Their first venture, the Benham Real Estate Group, exploded to 100 locations and was named by Inc. as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The brothers are married to Lori and Tori, with a combined nine children, and live on the same street in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Despite broad differences in Christian thinking and practice both today and in past centuries, the essence of the Christian faith can be distilled to four basic elements for the majority of those who call themselves Christians, according to Dr. Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.
How did you decide to focus on baptism, the Bible, the Eucharist, and prayer as the four essential elements of the Christian life to write about?
Dr. Williams: Simply by looking at what Christians actually do to announce that they’re Christians, throughout the ages and throughout the world. It would be hard to recognize as Christian a body that had none of these practices. And all are mandated by Jesus in different ways: he tells his friends to evangelize and baptize, to search the Scriptures, to break bread in his memory, so as to receive his life into theirs, and to pray.
The Bible is a collection of books written over centuries. How do they all fit together in a cohesive message?
Dr. Williams: The cohesion comes through the fact that it is the set of texts read and accepted in a cohesive community—the community of those whose lives are being shaped by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Christ is the center of Scripture for the Christian and provides the perspective in which diversity can be held in the right kind of tension. And the church both gives Scripture its unity be treading it in the Spirit of Christ and receives its unity from Scripture as the book which provides a universal common language.
Explain your statement in the book, “The Christian life is a listening life.”
Dr. Williams: We believe in a God who speaks and calls; the God of the Bible is one who is always seeking to communicate more fully and effectively with human creatures, so we have to train ourselves to be quiet enough to hear that communication.
If the Bible is intended to be communication from God to us, why are there so few directed quotes from God to us in it and so much seemingly mundane information?
Dr. Williams: God speaks through human lives, not only human words: it is the privilege and power of God to make lives communicate as much as words do. So God speaks in the narrative of those whose lives he has touched and transfigured. This is a natural consequence of believing that the ultimate word of God is a human being who embodies God’s communication in his acts and sufferings, Jesus of Nazareth. His life and death and resurrection create a set of relationships in which learning happens—by words and acts and interactions, not words alone.
Why should readers of the Bible be careful to interpret the whole story of the Bible and not merely a bit of the whole story?
Dr. Williams: The Bible traces God’s way into human history, a story culminating in the coming of Jesus. If you try to deduce the whole picture from one ‘frozen frame’ you will have a very odd picture of God’s activity.
Is the Bible accurate history?
Dr. Williams: Sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes maybe. Where it’s a matter of the shape of Jesus’ life and death, it matters that the texts are close to the events and have first-generation testimony behind them. With regard to Abraham and Isaac, we have a traditional ‘epic’ which may not be exact history but tells us what God wants us to know, that he is faithful to his promise. Narratives that may not be exact history can still be exact theology because they represent a long-term deposit from reflection on how God has been encountered over many centuries. It’s a very modern anxiety that everything in Scripture should be what we might now think of as ‘exact’ reporting.
How is Jesus at the center of the Bible’s story and why is that important?
Why is the concept of reading the Bible together important?
Dr. Williams: If the Bible is the book read and pondered by the community, then Bible-reading must be like all those other activities that the community of faith does—it must be a matter of each believer’s gift enriching every other believer’s gift, as in St. Paul’s language about the life of the Body of Christ. It’s a text that belongs to everyone, not to isolated individuals.
The Bible is a literary ‘classic;’ perhaps the literary classic. And like many other works in the literary canon, the Bible can be hard-going. It requires thoughtful reading, at a slow pace, preferably with a few footnotes helping us bridge the cultural divide. You might not like it at first, maybe for a hundred pages or more. Eventually, its subtle logic and moral power creeps up on you, and you may even find yourself agreeing with those who say that no one can claim to be an “educated Westerner” until they’ve read the Bible.
I had a similar experience in recent years with another work from the Western literary canon. Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities was one of ten books my literary friends insisted I should read if I wanted to maintain any pretence of being a cultured human being. I swallowed my ‘I-only-read-non-fiction’ pride and sat down one lazy weekend to give it a go.
The book opens with that intriguing and unforgettable line, “It was best of times, it was the worst of times…”, but after a couple of pages I was sure I would hate it. The sentence structures were complex, the language unnecessarily verbose (and sometimes even foreign), and the historical setting—London and Paris at dawn of the French Revolution—was an alien land for me.
Fortunately, my edition of A Tale of Two Cities included a lengthy introductory essay from a Dickens scholar and copious footnotes throughout the book explaining unusual terms, cultural peculiarities, and historical references. I dutifully read the notes, all of them. It was a ‘classic’, after all. It was my intellectual duty. I slowly began to appreciate Dickens’ skill and intent, but even a hundred pages in I saw it only as a worthy book, not something to be relished.
I can’t say exactly where everything changed—somewhere around the middle of the story, I think—but I distinctly remember putting the book down after a brief installment and wishing I had time to keep going. I was hooked. I had grown fond of the unusual rhythm of the language. I was fascinated by the historical details. And above all, the story captivated me. It is a moving human plot and an insightful portrait of the universal themes of sacrifice and renewal. I felt I had been repaid for my effort, with interest.
After reading Dickens, I resolved never again to mock a ‘classic’—without first reading it, slowly and in its entirety. I’m glad my literary friends were patient with me through my dogmatic non-fiction years. At times I must have sounded to them like the 15-year-old in English class: “Shakespeare is stupid!”
Some people approach the Bible like this. They’ve never read it—at least not slowly, as an adult, with some technical assistance. Yet, just like the proverbial 15-year-old, they know it’s stupid. But there are reasons this book has influenced our culture, arguably, more than any other text. There are reasons it continues to sell more copies than any other book, every year.
The most important and rewarding literary works often require something from us before we reap the benefits. I guess it’s in the nature of a ‘timeless work’ to seem, at first, less immediately relevant, less temporal. But my experience with Dickens has taught me that the pay-off can be surprising, far exceeding the effort.
Every thoughtful adult should read the Bible—at least a hundred pages of it. Start with the Psalms and the Gospels, preferably with some interpretive aid close by. Even if it begins out of a sense of cultural and intellectual duty only, that’s reason enough to open a true classic—doubly so in this case. The patient and attentive reader of the Bible will be repaid tenfold.
A Collaboration of Evangelical Scholarship with Global Reach to Accelerate Biblical Practice
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (February 2, 2015)—With the goal of getting more people to read the Bible and live its teachings, the world’s leading Bible website, Bible Gateway (BibleGateway.com; @BibleGateway), has partnered with the #1-ranked US regional college (Midwest), Taylor University, and its Center for Scripture Engagement (tucse.taylor.edu; @TaylorU_CSE) in creating and providing globally accessible Scripture Engagement resources (https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/scripture-engagement).
“Bible surveys seem to indicate that, while the Bible continues to be the top international bestseller, a large percentage of people are not reading it as often or as attentively as their Bible ownership might indicate. We’re delighted to work with Taylor University Center for Scripture Engagement (TUCSE) to help the millions of users of Bible Gateway to not only read the Bible, but to also incorporate its life-changing teachings into their everyday living,” says Rachel Barach, general manager, Bible Gateway. “This is one more way of achieving our mission: to honor Christ by equipping people to read and understand the Bible, wherever they are.”
“Our vision for the Center for Scripture Engagement is to equip people to engage the Scriptures in ways that will drive evangelism, personal discipleship, worldview formation, and church planting,” says Dr. Phil Collins, executive director, TUCSE. “This exciting collaboration with Bible Gateway expansively broadens the reach of our vision.”
The Scripture Engagement section of Bible Gateway, linked from the site’s top navigation bar, describes and offers 12 Bible-reading practices intended to help users intimately know God and be closer followers of Jesus: Lectio Divina, Praying Scripture, Memorizing Scripture, Singing Scripture, Journaling Scripture, Hand Copying Scripture, Scripture Engagement through Visual Art, Storying Scripture, Speaking Scripture, Manuscript Bible Study, Dramatizing Scripture, and Public Reading of Scripture. These practices dovetail with Bible Gateway’s extensive online database of more than 200 Bible versions.
Bible Gateway, ranked number one on global search engines and the most visited Christian website in the world by users in more than 200 countries, recently revamped its site design. Among its many features are the abilities to:
listen to Bible audio
read translator footnotes within the context of Bible verses
write notes while reading Bible verses and save them to a personal account
easily share Bible verses with friends using Twitter, Facebook, email, and print.
About Bible Gateway
As the Internet’s largest Christian website, Bible Gateway seeks to equip people to read and understand the Bible, wherever they are. Celebrating 20 years online, Bible Gateway offers free access to the Bible in more than 70 languages and 200 different versions. Bible Gateway’s website and app are visited by more than 18 million unique visitors per month. The company is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. Please visit Bible Gateway at www.biblegateway.com.
About Taylor University Center for Scripture Engagement
Its motto being, “Engage Scripture, engage God,” the goal of the Center for Scripture Engagement at Taylor University is that scripture engagement will become one of the most broadly applied missional concepts to emerge in the Christian world in this decade.
About Taylor University
Founded in 1846, Taylor University is an interdenominational liberal arts university of evangelical faith located in Upland, Ind. The 2015 U.S. News and World Report survey America’s Best Colleges ranked Taylor the number one Midwest University in the category Best Regional Colleges. It marked Taylor’s eighth straight top ranking and 18th straight year to be ranked in the region’s top three. Taylor University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).
Two other eBooks from Wayne Grudem are included in this one-day flash sale. Since you’ll save between 80% – 87% , you don’t want to miss today’s deals. Learn more about these eBooks below.
Notable: A church of 800 people went through this book together as a Bible study. Why? In the words of John Piper, “It is penetrating but not confusing; readable and clear but not superficial; biblically grounded, even biblically saturated, but not textually careless or glib; devout and reverent but not uncritical or naïve. I expect to turn to it for decades.”
Quote from the Book: “I do not believe that God intended the study of theology to be dry and boring. Theology is the study of God and all his works! Theology is meant to be lived and prayed and sung! … I am convinced that there is an urgent need in the church today for much greater understanding of Christian doctrine, or systematic theology. I think that many Christians will find that understanding (and living) the doctrines of Scripture is one of their great joys.”
Notable: This abridgement of Systematic Theology is newly available as an eBook. Half the length of Systematic Theology, but Bible Doctrine keeps all of the larger volume’s readability, application to life, and emphasis on Scripture.
Quote from the Book: “I have written it for students—and not only for students, but also for every Christian who has a hunger to know the central doctrines of the Bible in greater depth.”
Notable: This is Bible Doctrine condensed into its 20 most essential biblical teachings. Even more than Grudem’s other books, Christian Beliefs has become a favorite pick of small groups and Bible studies.
Quote from the Book: “Knowing and understanding basic Christian beliefs is important for every Christian. People who don’t know what the Bible teaches will have no ability to distinguish truth from error… But Christians who have a solid foundation will be more mature, will not be easily led astray, will have better judgment, and ‘will have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14).’”
Notable: Should government protect gun ownership? Gay rights? Abortion? Grudem answers this and many other hot-button political issues in Politics – According to the Bible. Here Grudem applies what he’s learned over 30 years of teaching biblical interpretation and ethics at the seminary level. To learn more watch Grudem’s interview on FOX News.
Quote: “My primary purpose in the book is not to be liberal or conservative, or Democratic or Republican, but to explain a biblical worldview and a biblical perspective on issues of politics, law, and government… I hope that Christians who take the Bible as a guide for life will find these discussions encouraging. I believe that God’s perspective on politics is joyful ‘good news,’ just as the rest of the Bible is good news for all areas of life!”
We recommend you check out these books right away! The sale ends Monday, February 2, at 11:59pm ET.
The Bible Gateway Blog features the latest news, announcements, and reflections from Bible Gateway. We hope what you find here will add to your understanding of and appreciation for the Bible.
Lent is the 40-day part of the church liturgical calender leading to Easter, and millions of Christians around the world mark this season with prayer, Scripture reading, and acts of self-denial—all aimed at drawing closer to Christ by reflecting on the message of Easter.
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