Alexander the Great and Fulfilled Prophecy. Daniel 8:21.

Most people agree there was a man known as Jesus of Nazareth who was born in Bethlehem. But did you know the Bible foretold the Messiah would be born in the tiny town?

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be a ruler over Israel—one whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity” Micah 5:2.

After his visit from the magi, Herod wanted to kill the baby Jesus and it was this passage the priests quoted that led him to send soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all the little boys. Everyone understood that Bethlehem was the prophecied birthplace of the Messiah.

Did you know there are people today who, upon hearing this prophecy, suddenly turn into little Herods, trying to kill the baby Jesus all over again? Okay, perhaps ‘kill’ is too strong a term. They don’t want to kill him; they want to erase him. Thus, where they may once have admitted Jesus of Nazareth was a real person born in Bethlehem, suddenly they start saying he was never born in the first place.

They hear about Micah 5:2 and say things like, “How do you even know Jesus ever lived?”

We know because there is a historical record, including the writings of Josephus, a first-century Jew who was NOT a believer. Josephus reported on the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist and that Jesus was executed by Pontius Pilate, and that James was the brother of Jesus. No serious student of history questions whether Jesus actually lived.

The Bible includes a fulfilled prophecy about another man who is almost as famous as Jesus. Maybe if we talked more about Daniel 8:21 we would find out how many people would start saying Alexander the Great never lived!

In Daniel’s vision, a huge ram with two horns is moving west, north, and south, and no one can stop him. Then a male goat comes from the west with a huge horn between his eyes. The goat attacked the ram in a rage and broke both the ram’s horns. Then the goat grew even stronger, but the horn between his eyes was broken, and four weaker horns replaced the single huge horn between the eyes.

The angel Gabriel came to Daniel and explained the vision.

Gabriel said the first ram with the two horns represented the kingdoms of the Medes and Persians. But those two empires and the rest of the world would soon be conquered by the charging goat from the west. What kingdom could be found to the west? Greece, the nation whose culture gave birth to what we know today as “the Western world.”

But Greece was nothing at the time of Daniel. No one could have imagined the tiny collection of loosely associated city-states (each city was its own nation) would ever grow powerful enough to conquer anyone.

But that is what Gabriel explained to Daniel:

“The rough goat is the king of Grecia, and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king” Daniel 8:21.

We know from history that this first king of Greece, who would rapidly conquer the Medes and the Persians, was Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great then famously died young at 32 (the breaking of the horn between the eyes). Gabriel explained that after Alexander’s death, four weaker kings would rise to take his place:

“Now that [Alexander] being broken … four kingdoms shall stand up out of that nation, but not in his power” Daniel 8:22.

History records that after Alexander’s untimely death, his kingdom was plunged into forty years of civil war, eventually settling on a four-way split, being divided among Ptolemy I (Egypt and Palestine); Seleucus (Babylonia and Syria); Lysimachus (Asia Minor); and Antipater (Macedonia and Greece).

The facts of Alexander’s life are known, easily verified, and are predicted here with stunning accuracy, more than 200 years before Alexander was born.

Around the time Daniel was writing, God gave one of his contemporaries, the prophet Zechariah, a prophecy that also speaks of Alexander the Great, though somewhat indirectly. In Zechariah 9:8 God promises to protect Jerusalem from the “marauding forces” that he will use to punish Israel’s enemies. While this passage does not mention Alexander directly, history records that it was Alexander that God used to punish each of the enemy nations discussed in Zechariah, chapter nine: Hadrak, Hamath, Tyre, Sidon, Askelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the Philistines.

The historian Josephus records details that make this passage even more interesting.

It seems Alexander had every reason to conquer Jerusalem and wipe out the people of Israel. He had just conquered Tyre, only 40 miles away, and sent couriers to Jerusalem to request supplies. But Jerusalem refused his request.

(Who says no to Alexander the Great?)

Josephus writes that Alexander came to Jerusalem and was welcomed by the people. The priests did not brace for war because they took reassurance from the words of Zechariah that the city would be protected. Meanwhile, Alexander did not attack the city because he had had a dream in which he was welcomed to the city by the very high priest who did, in fact, come out to welcome him.

Once the conqueror arrived, Josephus writes that he was shown the words of Daniel and was “deeply impressed” and believed the words to have been written about him, because he was indeed the Greek king who had conquered the Persians.[1]

God, thank you that you are sovereign over history. You rule and reign over creation, and the events of the future are as clear to you as the events of the past. Help us understand and recall the numerous fulfilled prophecies in the Bible, and may we draw confidence in our faith from that knowledge. Give us opportunities to share these amazing facts with others.

AΩ

* The words of Daniel 8 and Zechariah 9 remind me of Ben Franklin’s words: “the Lord governs in the affairs of men.” How did Alexander conquer the world? By the power of God. God willed it and God placed power and authority over those nations into the hands of Alexander–to punish Israel’s enemies, as God has often did, raising kings and kingdoms to punish each other’s great sins, a pattern repeated throughout the Old Testament. Of course, Alexander had gifts and talents and great leadership ability and military strategy. But it is God who raised him up and made him great. God used first Greece and ultimately Rome to pave the way for the gospel. The Messiah came to a world with some degree of cultural unity (in the Hellenistic culture of Greece), that was unified by the huge government of the Roman Empire, with peace (the famous “pax romana”), a highway system, and many other things that contributed to the extraordinary growth of the early church.

[1] https://christiancourier.com/articles/alexander-the-great-an-amazing-example-of-prophecy-and-providence

God is Patient, but He Will Judge the Guilty. Joel 3:18.

British comedian Stephen Fry was asked what he would say to God.

“Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain? It’s utterly, utterly evil. Bone cancer in children? What’s that about? God is quite clearly a maniac, utter maniac.”

The interviewer then asked Fry about the wonders of creation. Fry responded, “Yes, the world is very splendid but it also has in it insects whose whole life cycle is to burrow into the eyes of children and make them blind. Why? Why did you do that to us? It is perfectly apparent that he is monstrous. Utterly monstrous and deserves no respect whatsoever. The moment you banish him, life becomes simpler, purer, cleaner, more worth living.”

When I ran across this passage online, I said nothing, exercising patience, as God does thousands of times a day. (I often enter these “discussions,” but only if I know the person who drafted the original post. In my experience, little good comes from online arguments with strangers.)

But I was tempted to enter the fray, to argue first of all, that it is we who sinned, not God. That when mankind sinned, creation fell. There were no eyeball-eating parasites before the fall of creation. Illness and death were not God’s original design. We live in a beautiful, but fallen world, surrounded by beautiful people, some of whom are monsters of incalculable evil. But God remains holy. He loves us, and he extends mercy and grace to us even in our sin. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.

In fact, it is not the unforgiven who should be bringing charges against God, but it is God who will bring charges against the unforgiven.

One day God will assemble all the nations, all the men and women from all ages of humanity and charge them with their own monstrous crimes: kidnapping children, selling people into slavery, robbing God’s temples, and all the rest.

“I will gather all the nations, and will bring them down into the valley … and plead with them for my people, my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations … They have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink … Ye have taken my silver and gold and have carried into your temples my finest things … The children of Judah and Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians” Joel 3:2-6.

Then God addresses those who seem bent on fighting him. Perhaps Stephen Fry would appreciate this invitation:

“Proclaim this among the Gentiles: Prepare for war … Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say I am strong. Assemble yourselves and come, all ye heathen … Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about … Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision … The sun and the moon will be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord shall also roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem” Joel 3:9-16.

God is holy. God will judge the evil among us. And the chapter ends with hope: God will bless his people. There is always grace and hope.

“The mountains shall drip down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord” Joel 3:18.

God who is holy and kind and good and merciful and forgiving is also the God who will judge evil. Then he will restore creation to the beauty it had before the fall. And the mountains will drip new wine, the hills flow with milk, and the rivers will flow with water from the fountain of the Lord.

Dear God, help us to understand your patience. We see evil around us every day. Give us wisdom to understand your sovereignty over sickness and death and your love that allows so many among us to continue to make bad choices. Thank you for your patience—that you are reluctant to judge evil, while we are always in a hurry to see our enemies suffer. Help us to see people through your eyes of holiness, kindness, patience, and forgiveness.

AΩ

His Desire is Toward Me. Song of Solomon 7:10.

I saw an interesting video from a Ring doorbell. An older British man knocked on a door and fussed at his young British neighbor who answered:

“I have a complaint for you. You have caused me a great deal of trouble.”

“Ay, how’s that?”

“You sent flowers to my wife.”

“Right, because I knew she had just come off hospital.”

“Right. I know she just come off hospital. She is my wife, after all. But I never buy her flowers, do you understand? Now you’ve caused me a great deal of grief, sending my wife flowers and all like that.”

“How’s that then?”

“My wife. I’ve never bought her flowers. Don’t buy her flowers or chocolates or presents or jewelry or none like that. And I’ve got her used to it. And here you go buying her flowers for coming off hospital. And now she’s saying, wouldn’t it be nice if I were to buy her flowers now and again. Now come on. You’ve got no right to be sending me wife flowers!”

“I was only wishing her well, you see.”

“Yes, I see. But you’ve got no right. You should have come to me first. You need to be running them flowers through me. Because now you’ve got my wife dreaming of me buying her flowers and things. Next time, you need to leave well enough alone.”

This old bloke is clearly not a romantic. In fact, he sounds selfish. He never buys her anything? I admit that there is a continuum: some men shower their ladies with flowers and gifts year-round. Others do as little as possible, as seldom as possible. But never? Never, EVER?

I won’t argue there is a Biblical mandate. But if the Song of Solomon is a guide, all of us—men and women both—could probably do better, not only at gift-giving, but more importantly, at speaking simple words of affirmation. Do we affirm the people we love? Do we do it regularly?

Consider the way the groom treats his bride. What an exercise in words of affirmation:

“How beautiful are thy feet … Thy [knees] are like jewels … Thy navel is like … Thy belly is like … Thy two breasts are like … Thy neck is as … Thine eyes are like … Thy nose is as … Thine head upon thee is like … and the hair of thine head is like … How fair and pleasant are thou, O love, for delights! Thy stature is like to a … and thy breasts to …” Song of Solomon 7:1-7.

What a conversation. It is so simple. The man just starts at her feet and praises her beauty all up and down her body. It is simple, but you can imagine how much it means to his bride. And the result is that she is confident in his love. Her answer?

“I am my beloved’s and his desire is toward me” Song of Solomon 7:10.

She is confident in his love because he makes an effort to put it into words. And he does so regularly.

Are you confident in God’s love for you? If not, give the Lord a chance to affirm you. How? By spending more time reading his love letter to you. Spend time in the word and eventually you will be able to say about God: “I am my beloved’s and his desire is toward me.”

AΩ

Make a Pros and Cons List (What Could be More Romantic?) 😉. S.O.S. 6:8-9.

One tool that can help with decision-making is a list of pros and cons. If you were considering a job offer, you might make such a list. The left side of the page would be labeled “Pros” and the right side “Cons.” In the Pros column, you list all the reasons to take the job: pay increase, shorter commute, better hours, better work-life balance, etc. In the Cons column, you list all the reasons for turning down the job: must learn new set of skills, job is not the field of work I have always dreamed about, lack of job security, etc.

The key to a Pros and Cons list is not that you fill one side with twenty points and the other with nineteen, then choose the column with twenty. After all, one major point may be more compelling than twenty minor points. This is not a magical process or a black-and-white, binary exercise. Instead, drafting the list forces you to think through many issues you may not have considered, so that by the time you have completed the list, you are closer to making your decision.

I once made a Pros and Cons List that involved dating. In the fall of 1985, I suddenly went from no options to more than one option. So I made a Pros and Cons List. Boys in high school are not known for the exercise of good judgment, and I was not particularly discerning. But I was at least aware that there was more to the mysterious opposite sex than looks. Do we communicate well? Do we have fun together? Does she live close enough for me to drive to her house in a reasonable amount of time? Does she love the Lord? Yes, believe it or not, I actually considered that last one. I was trying to grow in my faith and I figured any girl I was going to date better be doing the same.

Last night, for Valentine’s Day nearly forty years later, I bought a bouquet of flowers for one of the girls on that Pros and Cons List.

I married her—eight years after she rose to the top of my Pros and Cons List. As I worked through the list, I remember realizing no one loved the Lord like she did. It was so obvious. And that realization has stayed with me for decades. Even in 1985, I would have told you she was not right about everything, and that she had a (mostly harmless) streak of stubborn rebellion. But this girl wanted to do the right thing more than anyone I had ever met. She was determined to live for Christ. I knew it was real, and nothing was more important to me.

I like these words from Solomon:

“There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number, but my dove, my undefiled is but one. She is the only one …” Song of Solomon 6:8-9.

The Message puts it this way:

“There’s no one like her on earth, never has been, never will be. She’s a woman beyond compare. My dove is perfection, pure and innocent as the day she was born.”

Other versions say, she is unique, and there is no one like her, and she is the only one for me. I still feel that way—I have met so few like her.

What a blessing to rest in that, to know that your spouse loves Jesus more than you. That your spouse seeks to please Jesus. That your spouse will forgive you, serve you, and bless you over and over for decades not because she loves you (or because you deserve it) but because she loves Jesus and wants to please him.

I think of that Pros and Cons List and others like it every now and then. No job is perfect. No house or auto purchase will please you completely. Everything on this earth is flawed. But a spouse who loves Jesus must be about as close to perfection as you will ever get. May we always be grateful for the amazing servants of Christ who live among us and enrich our lives every day!

“A wife of noble character, who can find” Proverbs 31:10.

AΩ

The Fork in the Road is Three-Pronged. 2 Kings 22:2.

You always have three options. There is Jeroboam’s path, Rehoboam’s path, and Josiah’s path.

Jeroboam was the first king of the Northern Kingdom. He worried his people would desert him and return to Rehoboam (Solomon’s son who was now king only of Judah). To keep his people loyal to him, Jeroboam built idols and altars, one up north in Dan and another down south in Bethel. His plan worked—Israel began to worship Jeroboam’s golden calves, 1 Kings 12:25-31. Jeroboam got rid of the Levitical priests and ordained his own priests. “He ordained him priests for the high places, for the devils, and for the calves which he had made” 2 Chronicles 11:15.

God punished Jeroboam. One prophet came to foretell the doom of Jeroboam and all his descendants, 1 Kings 14:6-16. Another prophet came to speak destruction over Jeroboam’s pagan altar, an event that would not happen for 300 years:

“O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name, and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee” 1 Kings 13:2.

This meant the absolute end of Jeroboam’s altars, because even idol worshippers considered the presence of a dead body a desecration from which there was no recovery.

Jeroboam chose the path of evil.

King Rehoboam lost eleven tribes of the kingdom due to the sin of his father Solomon, as foretold in 1 Kings 11:11-13. But Rehoboam held onto the territory and people of his own tribe, Judah, and he welcomed the return of the Levitical priests. Sacrifices and worship continued at Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. Rehoboam tried to follow the Lord, more or less. But Rehoboam used bad judgment: he listened to the foolish advice of his young counselors, he tolerated idolatry, he married foreign (idol worshipping) wives, and more. King Rehoboam negotiated with evil, made deals with evil, and compromised.

“And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord,” 2 Chronicles 12:14.

Rehoboam chose the path of compromise.

King Josiah became king at the age of eight, and “began to seek after the God of David” in the eighth year of his reign, 2 Chronicles 34:3. At 16, Josiah did what Rehoboam did not, he “prepared his heart to seek the Lord.” Soon he was fulfilling prophecy: “He burnt the bones of the [pagan] priests upon the altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem … and [soon] he had broken down the altars … and had beaten the graven images into powder and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel” 2 Chronicles 34:5,7.

“And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left” 2 Kings 22:2.

Josiah chose the path of obedience and faithfulness to God.

The fork in the road before you presents three paths: Which will you choose?

(1) Jeroboam’s path of evil,

(2) Rehoboam’s path of compromise, or

(3) Josiah’s path of one who “prepared his heart to seek the Lord”?

Search our hearts, God. Show us what you find there. Are we lukewarm? Do we compromise with the evil around us? Make us more like Josiah. Help us to hate evil and to fight for what is right. May we strive every day to be holy as you are holy, 1 Peter 1:16.

AΩ

Respect Your Elders. 2 Chronicles 10:7.

The Bible contains a few things so vulgar you may never hear them in a sermon. This is one of them. And yes, I have misgivings writing about it.

After Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king, the people of Israel came to him complaining Solomon had worked them too hard. They had built the temple, the palace, and an extensive collection of vineyards, gardens, orchards, horse farms and cattle farms, silver and gold mines, and more as described in Ecclesiastes 2. They told Rehoboam that if he would only ease the burden they would serve him. Rehoboam told the people to return in three days for his answer.

First, the young king asked the older counselors for their advice. They told him to be kind to the people and “and speak good words to them” and they would serve him forever, 2 Chronicles 10:7.

Then, Rehoboam asked a group of younger counselors for their advice. He “took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him,” and immediately the conversation became vulgar. Rather than encouraging Rehoboam to “speak good words,” his young friends said this:

“Say unto them, ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins. For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions!’” 2 Chronicles 10:10-11.

Imagine giving such advice to a king. Only the buddies he grew up with would dare to say such a thing:

Yeah, tell them your little finger is bigger than your father’s ______! Say, ‘I’ll be a bigger ____ than he was!’

I can imagine the hand gestures and facial expressions that went along with this conversation. Rehoboam’s high-school buddies and college frat bros had suddenly made it to the king’s palace and they were enjoying themselves.

But being king is a serious business. And this is where Rehoboam made a mistake. He listened to his foolish friends. When the nation returned to him on the third day, he said the wrong thing. Though Rehoboam had the discretion not to discuss the thickness of his father’s loins, the young king insulted the people nevertheless:

“My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions” 2 Chronicles 10:14.

Immediately, the nation deserted Rehoboam, complaining “What portion do we have in David? What inheritance do we have in the son of Jesse? Every man to your own tents, O Israel!” 2 Chronicles 10:16. When Rehoboam insulted the people, he lost control of them. Quickly eleven tribes lined up in support of a new king, Jeroboam, and only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to King Rehoboam. In other words, Rehoboam’s insulting words about beating the people with scorpions cost him almost his entire kingdom. Why? Because Rehoboam listened to foolish counselors.  

He was wise to take his questions to counselors. But when his counselors did not agree, to whom should he have listened? He should have listened to those with the most wisdom.

How do you know who has the most wisdom? As a general rule, those with the most experience have the most wisdom. They have the benefit of decades watching decisions being made and decades seeing the long-term results of those decisions. Younger counselors may have a sense of the pulse or mood of the people. But set against the wisdom of elders, that may not be worth much.

And by the way, were the older counselors better men than the “frat bros” Rehoboam grew up with? Not necessarily. They may have laughed at the comments about Solomon’s loins, even if they would never have said them. Older men can be shockingly foul-mouthed. They have heard it all, and have often grown quite desensitized. It’s not that the older men were better men or less vulgar or more moral or ethical.

The key is that for whatever reason, the elders had the wisdom to recognize that the situation called for kindness.

Where the young men told the king to “answer roughly,” the old men told him to “speak good words.” The old men gave wise advice. But Rehoboam listened to his young friends and spoke roughly.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” Proverbs 15:1.

“With the ancient is wisdom, and with length of days comes understanding” Job 12:12.

Dear Lord, teach us to speak kindly, to give a gentle answer. Show us to whom we should listen. Draw us to the wisdom of the aged. May we honor those who offer us the hard-won wisdom of experience. Please give us more wisdom every day.

AΩ

Dating Your Friend. SOS 5:16.

As college students, my wife and I broke up once for about a year. When we dated the second time, everything was different. The first two years had been fun but serious, a sort of heavy romance characterized by two things: (1) an effort to seek God together (we prayed on every date, having been prayer partners before we dated) and (2) an effort to avoid the risks lust could place in the path of young Christians years away from marriage. These were worthy goals and established a good foundation.

But after some time apart, we came back together with a different mindset. We still valued those goals, but things were just more fun. We laughed more. We did not take ourselves as seriously. But one day I said something Wendy did not like:

“Hey, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal.”

“I’m not your buddy.”

We eventually reached an understanding. If two people are in love, they should also be FRIENDS. There is a notion that romance exists on some higher plane, that it must be formal or serious, somehow. Think of romantic movies and popular songs. Singers, writers, and movie directors perpetuate the idea that romance is all high drama. That love must be earth-shaking. That the two of you are the prince and princess of the universe and all of creation is holding its breath to watch your story, the most moving, romantic epic there has ever been or ever will be. That’s heavy.

That’s heavy—and it’s also pretty ridiculous. Ask anyone who has been married a few years. It does not take long to discover that marriage, while providing amazing highs and lows, is often pretty routine and ordinary. It’s taking out the trash, cleaning up after each other. Serving each other. Seeing each other in the throws of some horrible illness. Squabbling about the stupidest things. But also laughing about the silliest things. It is laughter, endless laughter. Laughter every day. And conversations. Not just conversations about each other and dreams and hopes for the future and romance, but conversations about news and politics and new curtains and the inside joke that only the two of you will understand.

In other words, love and marriage is another form of FRIENDSHIP. You two are friends. You are more than that, yes. But everything that comes later should be built on a foundation of friendship. On some level, you really are buddies. Pals.

After a dozen lines praising the man’s beauty, the bride in the Song of Solomon says, “This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem” Song of Solomon 5:16.

May those  beloved to you—whether your beloved spouse, your beloved parents or your beloved children—may your beloved also be your friend. Don’t get so caught up in the weight of relationships that you miss the chance to have lighthearted fun. Relationships should be fun. Family should be fun. Laugh more!

God, teach us to love you as your bride, but also to relate to you as a friend. Show us what that means, just as you called Abraham your friend in Isaiah 41:8.

AΩ

THAT’S PRACTICAL. My Johnny Derouen Story. Psalm 27:4.

Image: Johnny Derouen’s first day at FBC Houston, spring of 1984. Also pictured, Joel Nettles. Photo courtesy of Lance Vinson.

The story goes that in the early ‘80s, Associate Pastor Felix Wagner interviewed 70-some people before he found the right man for the job. Let’s call it 77—the perfect number. After a two-year quest, First Baptist Houston found the perfect man: Johnny Derouen, the Lake Charles native currently doing great things in Muskogee.

Soon he was in Houston, playing his guitar and laughing a little too loudly. Laughing and smiling. The man radiated joy. The first thing you noticed about Johnny was his smile. He was always smiling. And it was real. Genuine. He could laugh at the dumbest jokes from awkward teenagers struggling to be funny, to be cool, to be something. Teenagers are so self-conscious and uncomfortable. It’s the Island of Misfit Toys. Everyone trying to find themselves and fit in somehow, and here’s this man who would embrace every child and make them feel SEEN and HEARD. The man loved kids. He loved me.

I don’t know the secret to a successful youth ministry. Is it on-the-job training? Do they teach a formula in seminary? Or do you just come in and try to make things fun? I don’t know the secret.

But if there is a secret, Johnny knew it. His impact was immediate. Suddenly everything was exciting and funny and warm and incredible. There was nowhere any kid would rather be. If you invited high school friends, you knew they would love it and want to come again. Everything Johnny touched turned to youth-ministry gold: there were parties and concerts and rallies and overnight retreats and people covered in shaving cream and Richard K. with his fireworks and there were pranks and skits and Vic Kaiser and Chris Wolff on stage making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches under their arms and Bart Glatt eating the sandwiches and everyone howling with laughter. Endless laughter. And there was noise. So much noise. Summer camps, winter retreats, Disciple Now events in homes, and mission trips out of the state or the country. We knew how lucky we were. The youth group was suddenly this thing, this force. It was hard to explain, but we knew we were lucky to be a part of it. It was one of the most exciting things any of us would ever experience.

I remember the first time I paid Johnny a compliment. I had watched him for months.

“I’ve never seen you get mad at anyone.”

It seems an odd comment forty years later. But at the time that was important to me. My father, who had been teaching boys in Sunday school for years, had a different reaction.

“You know what I like about Johnny? The man loves his family. He’s got his priorities straight. Plus, he’s from Louisiana.”

Speaking of priorities, I started attending the youth services on Wednesday nights. It was called Priority. It had had that name forever. But Priority was Johnny’s baby now. In the summer of 1984, he began a teaching series he called “LOVE, SEX, AND DATING.” A bold title for a youth ministry, but the topic was relevant and necessary. I showed up, willing to give this man who never got mad a chance. I was hooked immediately. This stuff was GOLD!

Johnny is famous for talking fast. Years later Korean students at Southwestern Seminary begged the professor, “Slow down, Doctor Derouen, please!”

But if talking fast were a measure of enthusiasm, no one was more enthusiastic about youth than Johnny. In his thirties, I remember him asking whether youth ministry was strictly a young man’s game. I thought he was crazy, crazy to doubt his extraordinary, timeless gifts. And again, he was so enthusiastic about working with youth. If you’ve spent any time around Johnny at all, you’ve heard him talk about revivals:

Every great revival has started among young people. Revivals and revolutions–whether for good or ill–they always begin with young people.

Once I discovered that this man who talked like an auctioneer drinking Louisiana French Roast was dishing out all the best answers to life’s hardest questions, I learned how to write as fast as he could talk. It was too good not to. In fact, I skipped right over notetaker and went straight to transcriptionist. I wrote down Johnny’s outline, each point in Roman numerals, sub-points in capital letters, and every word of every illustration. I never looked up and never stopped writing. I was still an angry child who hated school. In tenth grade, I could ignore everything that happened there all day long. But Johnny was offering these lessons that just blew me away. Even then, as a child practically raised in a pew, I considered Johnny’s teaching life-changing.

I will never forget it. I was absolutely, fully engaged. And it all started for me on Wednesday nights at PRIORITY with a summer unit called “Love, Sex, and Dating.” I was so awkward and immature. I knew that dating was way-off in the future. But I was going to master those lessons. Johnny prepared a banquet for us every week, and I was determined to catch every morsel, every crumb of truth.

Johnny won me over. He was so nice. I loved to talk to him. He would look at me and as hard as he tried, I saw it. The same thing I saw in the eyes of most adults. He would look at me, and stare into my soul, and his eyes would glaze just a bit. There was this flicker, the tiniest flicker.

But I saw it. It meant Johnny did not get me. No problem. Most people did not. I could accept that. I was this artistic, creative, hyperactive square peg. I talked too much and three comments out of four would be off-topic to everyone but me.  I could be pouty and aloof, or talkative and obnoxious. The mood swings were unpredictable. But Johnny was kind and patient and he smiled and was genuinely interested. I knew that even though he didn’t get me, he was actually interested. He was willing to listen and try. That was more than enough. Johnny loved me. On some level, the man loved me.

Then Johnny took a page from the John Bisagno playbook and hired an old friend who was nearly his complete opposite. Bart Glatt was Mr. Spock to Johnny’s Captain Kirk. Bart understood me at a glance.

I attended everything. If Johnny was talking, I was going to be somewhere writing it all down. Looking back, I can sum up Johnny’s curriculum in one word: DISCIPLESHIP.

Johnny taught us the basics of discipleship: How to spend time with God. How to pray. How to sing not only about God, but to God. To pray as you sing: In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified. How to read the Bible in a way that was not quite so haphazard, but organized and beneficial to a teenager. Beneficial and even interesting. Week-in, week-out, month-after-month, season-after-season, Johnny taught us the nuts and bolts of discipleship. He gave us the tools to disciple ourselves.

Johnny said his role was the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, according to Ephesians 4:12.

That a minister’s job is to work himself out of a job, to teach people how to disciple themselves.

Years later my wife and I found ourselves raising teenagers without Johnny Derouen. We wondered how parents disciple their own?

And then we remembered another thing Johnny always said: discipleship is caught not taught.

So we prayed and hustled and tried to pass the torch, and somewhere along the way I found myself using an acronym: R.A.M.P.S. READ the word, APPLY the word, MEMORIZE the word, PRAY the word, SHARE the word. These were the things Johnny taught us.

Johnny taught us that knowing God was not some ethereal kind of meditation. It was not incense and bubble baths and “self-care.” It was not about lighting candles, playing music and “feeling some kinda way.”

Where others talked about a Christian-candle- aromatherapy- lava- lamp kind of situation, Johnny offered us practical steps.

Knowing God was simple: Give your life completely to Jesus. Spend time reading the Bible and books about the Bible in a format that will hold your attention. Memorize something now and then. Change your behavior AND your thoughts to conform to God’s word. Pray more—and sometimes pray for things described in the Bible, and sometimes pray words from the Bible. And finally, learn how to talk about the Bible with your friends. Because you love your friends, right? Johnny talked about the Bible with us because he loved us. We knew he loved us.

These are the basics of discipleship. The great thing about discipleship as Johnny taught it was that there are simple, concrete steps. There are things you can DO.

Johnny also taught us some of the greatest verses in the Bible, each one providing practical steps to growing in Christ. Things like:

“Pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Never stop praying. That’s practical. (It may not be easy—but it is practical.)

And the next verse: “In everything give thanks” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Be thankful. That’s practical.

“Present yourselves to God and your bodies as living sacrifices,” Romans 12:1. Make your whole life a sacrifice to God. That’s practical.

And the next verse: “Be not conformed to the world” Romans 12:2. Don’t be worldly. That’s practical.

“Let no unwholesome word proceed out of thy mouth,” Ephesians 4:29. Watch what you say. That’s practical.

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven” Matthew 5:16. Glorify God by working hard for the right goals. That’s practical.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths” Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust God and seek him with every decision. That’s practical.

“Be anxious for nothing, but instead pray about everything, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds” Philippians 4:6-7. Don’t worry. Pray and trust God. That’s practical.

“Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee” Psalm 119:11. Defeat sin by memorizing relevant Bible verses. That’s practical.

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear, but with the temptation will provide a way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it” 1 Corinthians 10:13. There’s no temptation you cannot handle. That’s practical.

“For we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28. Never give up hope in God’s sovereign plan. That’s practical.

The list could go on and on. Johnny taught us so many things. Practical things. Things young people could DO. Concrete things. Action points. Practical, simple steps that would cause you to grow closer to God.

And then one day someone asked Johnny about his favorite Bible verse.

“What’s my favorite verse?” He smiled. He grinned, as if he knew something we did not. Looking back, I can tell you what Johnny knew. He knew how we would react.

We would be flummoxed.

Bewildered.

Perplexed.

And this was not like Peggy Bain’s favorite verse. Peggy, one of Johnny’s favorite youth workers, was never one to pass up a great gag, never afraid to poke a sacred cow. Ask Peggy her favorite Bible verse, preferably in front of a crowded room, and she’s going to hit you with some King James:

“At Parbar westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar! First Chronicles 26:18!”

Peggy has belted out that cryptic verse at every hilarious opportunity for decades.

But of course, Johnny took the question a bit more seriously.

“What’s my favorite verse? My favorite verse is Psalm 27:4: One thing I ask of the Lord, this only do I seek. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

As a 17-year-old, I remember sitting there listening to this man, this font of wisdom, this amazing pied-piper of an answer man, a man who would one day be regarded by thousands of not only laymen but also clergy as nothing short of a spiritual father. A legit SPIRITUAL FATHER. He was our spiritual father. And we knew he loved us. He loved me. And he could quote from memory so many practical texts from James, from Paul, from all the epistles and Proverbs and the gospels. And his favorite verse is this psalm about what now?

I was flummoxed.

Bewildered.

Perplexed.

All you want in life is to dwell in the house of the Lord? What house? And you want to gaze on what? Gaze on the beauty of the Lord? How? Last I checked, God is invisible. And you want to seek him in his temple? What temple?

That’s not practical!

That’s not practical at all.

This man who had taught us all the most straightforward, concrete truths about knowing God said his favorite verse in all of the Bible is this abstract, Christian- candle- aromatherapy- lava- lamp kind of situation?

What are we supposed to do with that information?

Of course, you can imagine what I did. I scribbled it down. I wrote down the verse, and at some point I memorized it. In the years since, I have read, pondered, reflected, meditated, considered, analyzed, thought about and talked about it ad nauseum, the way you never stop talking about unsolved mysteries: there’s D.B. Cooper, there’s the Bermuda Triangle, and there’s Johnny Derouen’s favorite Bible verse.

Here is this young husband and father, this John Wayne super-fan, this driver of a black Pontiac Firebird complete with the hoodbird decal, this college track star from McNeese, this super-nice youth guy, this freakishly gifted people-person with a gift for simple, straightforward answers, CONCRETE answers, PRACTICAL answers–and his favorite verse of the Bible is this abstract, opaque thing, this verse I can’t get a handle on? This passage with words as slippery as olive oil?

One thing I ask of the Lord, this only do I seek. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple, Psalm 27:4.

It was at this point I realized Johnny was not quite as simple as he may have hoped to appear. There were layers to this powerlifting, body-building onion. For high school kids, sure, he could provide a wealth of simple answers and concrete steps. But in his own spiritual life, Johnny was operating on another level altogether. Johnny loved one of David’s psalms. David, the tender shepherd who was also a giant killer, the harp-playing poet and singer who had commanded thousands of men in hundreds of battles. David was a man of contradiction. Perhaps Johnny was too.

Perhaps this super-nice guy was like David. He was a tender warrior. Johnny was a man so strong, he was content to be humble in every situation, to give preference to others no matter how childish and awkward they might be.

Maybe the secret to youth ministry is to be overwhelmed by God’s love for the young people in your charge.

Because Johnny did not simply love me and all my rococo awkwardness. Johnny loved all of us. Generations of us. Here was a man with powerful talents like David’s, but whose talents were often eclipsed by the music of his humble, dis-arming, almost shocking love for people. Johnny was Christlike enough to soft-pedal his own talents, leading us to glorify God even when that meant overlooking the man who brought us into God’s presence. The man sometimes worked seven days a week. And yet, he made it all look so effortless.

As the cliché goes, when it came to spiritual matters, he may have been teaching us kids to play checkers, but Johnny was playing chess.

And the thing is, I like a man of contradiction. I like David. I like gray areas and nuance. I like the interstitial space where things are deep and murky.

But Psalm 27:4? I’m not sure I understand the appeal of this passage even now. Maybe I never will. And it’s Johnny’s favorite verse? Out of all the verses in the Bible? Forget me saying he did not get me. Truth is, I probably don’t get Johnny! Because I’ve had forty years to think about it, and I still don’t know if I understand Psalm 27:4.

But I know it’s about worship, a prayer to know God better and enjoy his presence. Yet there always seem to be so many things going on … Maybe I’m still too hyperactive for Psalm 27:4. Maybe I will never get there.

But I can keep thinking and praying and keep hoping to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.

Because I can tell you one thing. When I look at Johnny Derouen, I want to know Jesus like Johnny knows Jesus.

I want to love Jesus like Johnny loves Jesus.

I want to dwell with him, gaze on his beauty, and seek him the way Johnny does.

And I want to rest in him as King David speaks of in another psalm. I bet Johnny loves this one too:

“Surely I have composed and quieted my soul. Like a weaned child resting against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me” Psalm 131:2.

I can rest in God. I can trust him. I can do that. That’s practical.

May God bless Johnny Derouen.

AΩ
This story inspired by a conversation with Randy Streetman.

‘Thou Shalt Decree a Thing and It Shall Be Established.’ If You Can Name it, You Can Claim it!

Image generated by A.I.

Bob turned on the television at the end of a long day. He walked across the room and fell into a recliner, exhausted. His wife Julie was seated next to him, using her phone to play an online game of Scrabble with one of her girlfriends.

As the television came on, the screen filled with dramatic lighting, spotlights shining onto a darkened stage. A preacher appeared wearing trendy sneakers and skinny jeans. The microphone near his chin was nearly invisible. He had a Bible in one hand, a folded bandanna in the other. He was nearing the end of a sermon and had worked himself into a lather explaining how to take that next step toward the great life God has planned for you:

“Listen to these words from chapter eight, verse six,” and he looked down and began reading,

“‘Here’s what you must do—and don’t put it off any longer: Get down on your knees before God Almighty … it’s not too late—he’ll come running; he’ll set everything right again, reestablish your fortunes. Even though you’re not much right now, you’ll end up better than ever!’

Suddenly the preacher stopped reading and looked up at the camera: “You’ll end up better than ever! Can I get an amen?”

Bob interrupted his wife. “I’ve never heard that verse, have you?”

“Oh, I wasn’t listening, honey. What did he say?”

“I don’t know … something about ‘God will reestablish your fortunes and you’ll end up better than ever.’ I’m not familiar with that verse.”

“Me neither.”


The preacher went on:

“And let’s turn to chapter eleven, verses fourteen through nineteen. Oh, this is good. Listen to this!” And he began reading,

“‘If you set your heart on God and reach out to him, if you scrub your hands of sin … you’ll be able to face the world unashamed … You’ll forget your troubles! … Your world will be washed in sunshine, every shadow dispersed by dawn. Full of hope, you’ll relax, confident again. You’ll sit back, and take it easy, without a care in the world! You’ll be hunted by many for your blessing!’

The preacher stopped reading and pointed his folded Bible at the crowd. He was shouting now. “People will seek you out so you can bless them! Can I get an amen, my beloved?”

From his spot on the recliner, Bob spoke up again, to no one in particular.

“Chapter eleven of what book? What’s he talking about?”

Julie did not look up from her phone. “What’s that honey?”

“Nothing.”

The preacher continued:

“Now listen to chapter twenty-two, verses 23-30.

‘Come back to God Almighty and he’ll rebuild your life … Relax your grip on your money and … God Almighty will be your treasure, more wealth than you can imagine … You’ll pray to him and he’ll listen … You’ll decide what you want and it will happen. Your life will be bathed in light!’”

“Think about that, my friends. Think about that! ‘More wealth than you can imagine … you’ll pray and he’ll listen … you’ll decide what you want and it will happen.’ Are you hearing this? ‘You’ll decide what you want and it will happen!’” Can I get an amen this morning?”

The crowd shouted “Amen!” and the preacher continued:

“And you know what? I’ve been reading from the Message Bible. Y’all wanna hear some King James? Sometimes you gotta go back to the old King James, am I right? Now listen to this!

‘If thou return to the Almighty … then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. The Almighty shall be thy defense, and thou shalt have plenty of silver!’

That was verses twenty-three through twenty six. But oh, don’t miss verse twenty-eight, my beloved. Don’t miss verse twenty-eight!

‘Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee!’ Did you hear that?”

Then the preacher stepped down from the stage to work the crowd, moving from person to person.

Bob talked to the man on the screen. “Yeah, but what book are you reading? Chapter twenty-two of what? I’ve never heard these verses.”

Julie did not look up from her game.

The preacher continued:

“Did you hear that? It says, ‘thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee!’ Did you hear that? Did you hear that?

“Thou shalt decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee!’

‘You will lay up gold like the stones on a riverbed!

Did I read that right? I think I read that right! Maybe somebody better check it, because my Bible says ‘thou shalt lay up gold like the stones in a brook!’ How many of you know—that’s a lot of stones! Have you ever tried to dig in a riverbed? How deep do you have to dig to get past the stones, you understand what I am saying?  The Bible says if you seek God, you’ll end up better than ever, Amen?” The audience mumbled. “I said, ‘the Bible says if you seek God, you’ll end up better than ever! Amen?”

The second time the audience answered loudly, “Amen!”

“And people will seek you out so that you can bless them, amen?”

“Amen!”

“And you’ll decide what you want and it will happen, amen?”

“Amen!”

“And your life will be bathed in light, amen?”

“Amen!”

“And you’ll have gold, amen?”

“Amen!”

“Somebody turn to your neighbor and say, ‘you’ll have gold!’”

The cameras showed audience members talking to each other and laughing.

“And you’ll have silver, amen?”

“Amen!”

“Somebody point at your neighbor and say, ‘you’ll have silver!’”

The cameras showed audience members pointing and laughing and talking to each other.

“And you will decree a thing and it will happen! Amen?”

“Amen!”

“I said, ‘YOU WILL DECREE A THING AND IT WILL HAPPEN! AMEN?”

“AMEN!”

The preacher concluded, agreeing with the crowd: “Amen, amen, amen!”

Impulsively, Bob leaned over and grabbed the remote. Then just before he could change the channel, he had an idea. He put down the remote and picked up his phone. He clicked on Google and the microphone icon. Then he talked to his phone: “You will decree a thing and it will happen.” The search engine responded instantly. The first hit read Job 22:28.


Bob spoke that reference into the notes on his phone: “Job 22:28.” Then he went back to Google for another search. “You’ll have gold like the stones in a brook.” The result said Job 22:24. Bob spoke that into his notes. Then he searched a third phrase: “You’ll be hunted by many for your blessing.” Google answered: Job 11:14-19. Bob noted that one, then went right back to Google: “He’ll reestablish your fortunes. Even though you’re not much right now, you’ll end up better than ever.” Immediately Bob’s phone screen said, Job 8:6.

Suddenly, Bob was energized. He got up and retrieved a Bible from the bookshelf. He muted the television. He flipped to Job chapter eight. His Bible included a heading above the chapter: “Bildad’s First Response to Job.” The first verse read, “Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said…”

“I don’t believe it,” Bob said out loud. Then he skimmed down, reading verse six in context. It matched what he had heard from the preacher.

“Now what’s next? Chapter eleven?” He flipped to chapter eleven. Again the publisher had added a heading before chapter eleven: “Zophar’s First Response to Job.” The first verse of chapter eleven read, “Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said…”

“You have got to be kidding me. He actually preached this?” And he skimmed down, reading verses 14-19 in context.

“And the last was what?” Bob said to himself, looking at his notes, “oh yeah, Job twenty-two, twenty-three through thirty.”

Bob flipped over to chapter twenty-two, already knowing what he would find there. Again, the publisher had added a heading: “Eliphaz’s Third Response to Job.” Verse one began, “Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said….”

“Seriously? He seriously preached that?” Just to be sure, the man skimmed down, reading verses 23-30 in context. It was exactly what he had heard on TV. “Unbelievable.” Suddenly Bob raised his voice.

“Honey?!You’ve got to hear this!”

Julie spoke without looking up. “Got to hear what?” She was smiling at her phone.

“No, seriously, honey. Listen.”

Julie smiled, and put her phone face down, and crossed her hands in her lap dramatically. 

“Okay,” she smiled, “You have my undivided attention.”

“You know that prosperity preacher you like?”

“Don’t call him that. He’s just an upbeat guy.”

“Well, listen to this! You know what he did? He preached a prosperity message … from the book of Job!”

“Prosperity? In Job?”

“Yes!”

Bob laughed and shook his head in amazement.

“Why are you laughing?” Julie asked.

“Because I just can’t believe it! Remember the story of Job—he loses everything and his friends come and tell him to get right with God, and God will take care of him?”

“Yeah, I know. And God shows up and rebukes Job’s friends.”

“Exactly.  Look.  It’s here at the end,” Bob turned to the end of the book. “Here it is, I even underlined it. Chapter forty-two. God says to Eliphaz:

“My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends, for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right as my servant Job has’ Job 42:7.”

“And so?”

“And so, your boy—that preacher on TV—he literally preached the words of Eliphaz! The man God rebuked. No wonder I did not remember those words! I mean, God tells Eliphaz, ‘My wrath is kindled against you,’ and this guy is preaching the words of Eliphaz as if they were God’s truth!”

“Wow. Are you sure?”

“Absolutely sure. I looked up all the passages. He’s preaching the sermons of Job’s friends, the men God rebuked!

***

Bob and Julie are fictional characters—as is the imaginary preacher in the skinny jeans. But the scriptures from Job are real. The words of Job’s friends appear to promise that righteous people will receive gold, silver, and the power to ‘decree a thing and it will happen.’ And God rebuked Job’s friends. And God was very specific: “You have NOT spoken of me the thing that is right.”

God rebuked them for taking a Biblical truth of sowing and reaping and applying it unfairly to a single individual. We are not supposed to look on a person’s hardship and judge them to be sinful. We are not to draw conclusions based on health or illness, wealth or poverty.

In this sense, the book of Job is the ultimate rebuke of the prosperity message. Job’s life proves that following God does not always result in health and wealth. After all, the book says Job was “perfect and upright, feared God and turned away from evil” Job 1:1. Job was a remarkably holy man, regularly making sacrifices on behalf of his adult children, v.5. Yet Job lost everything.

As for health, what man of God is there who has not lost his health? Everyone dies. The Christian life is better understood by the words of the martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said, “When Jesus Christ calls a man, he bids him, ‘Come and die.’” Walking with God is not for the faint of heart. We are not promised health and wealth.

Now, can we take comfort in the Biblical truth of sowing and reaping? Yes! That is, you will usually reap what you sow. Usually righteous living and wise choices will result in better health and fewer money problems.

But sometimes bad things happen simply because we live in a fallen world and people suffer. We must walk by faith, 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Instead of promising us health and wealth, Jesus promised, “In this world, YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE” John 16:33. (Think about that for a minute. Jesus promised us trouble.)

Paul understood the struggle to live in a fallen world and preach the gospel to men who hate Christianity. “I have learned the secret of having plenty and of suffering want. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:12-13.  Paul said that when Paul prayed about his suffering, Jesus told Paul, ‘My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is perfected in weakness” 2 Corinthians 12:9. God’s grace is sufficient. We will suffer. In fact, we must suffer. Because we are clay pots with candles inside. We are jars of clay, and when we are broken, more light comes out, 2 Corinthians 4:7.

God, thank you for your great compassion, for your mercies that are new every morning! Thank you that good choices usually lead to positive outcomes, that when we sow good seeds, we usually harvest a great crop. But thank you for speaking truth to us, that in this world we WILL have trouble, but your Grace will get us through it. Use us. When we suffer as broken pots, may your light of grace and joy and hope and forgiveness pour forth into a world that needs you. Use us, Lord. Give us the courage to suffer for the cause of Christ.

AΩ

Job’s Friends Preached the Prosperity Gospel and God Rebuked Them. Job 42:7.

My friend Pete was rich. As a child, he had the newest, hottest, best bicycle around. In the mid-80s, he not only had an endless supply of Polo shirts, but was the only guy in our high school wearing Polo jeans. He had a car before anyone else. Sports cars. Spare cars. After a semester of college, he stumbled into a sales job, and suddenly had more money than he knew what to do with. Pete sold security systems, then cars, then waterbeds, and finally estate homes. He was making more money at twenty-two than most of us make decades later.

It never seemed fair. I had made good choices. I was in college with a double-major and excellent grades. I assumed I would graduate and become far more successful. But that’s not what happened—at least not if you measure success by income.

Guess what?

God does not measure success by income.

In spite of the confusion created by the “prosperity gospel,” your wealth is not God’s report card on your spiritual health. Think about that again:

Your wealth is not God’s report card on your obedience or spiritual health.

The message of the Bible is NOT walk with God and you will have riches and good health.

Preachers on television push that message constantly. But that is not the message of the Bible. Job’s friends came to Job and preached a prosperity message and God strongly rebuked them: “My wrath is kindled against thee, for you have not spoken about me what is right as my servant Job has” Job 42:7.

How many rich missionaries have you heard of? What about the growing Christian population in Africa? Are those Christians wealthy? Or the members of the thriving Christian church in South Korea. Are they wealthy?

The Bible says don’t make money your goal. “Labor not to be rich” Proverbs 22:4.

Your goal should be to serve God faithfully, whether you are rich or poor or somewhere in between. Don’t pray to be rich. Instead, pray for God to meet your needs today:

“Give me neither poverty not riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and turn my back on God, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal and thus dishonor the name of my God” Proverbs 30:8-9.

Great wealth can be a stumbling block, causing us to take our eyes off God, thinking we do not need him. But poverty can likewise be so hard some let it drive them to desperate acts like stealing. We are better off seeking God’s provision for our needs every day, praying for him to supply our daily bread.

“And now, just as you have trusted Christ to save you, trust him too for each day’s problems. Live in vital union with him” Colossians 2:6 (TLB)

God, remind us to come to you each day for our daily bread. Thank you that our money is not a report card on our spiritual health. Teach us to be content “both in plenty and in want.”

AΩ