God's Gift of Scripture with Belton Joyner

A lot of images come to mind from my childhood Sunday School books. There is Joseph whose brothers are jealous of him and the beautiful robe his father has given him (Genesis 37:3-4). The brothers decide to kill Joseph, but one of them suggests they make a bit of money from the deal, so they sell him to some passers-by (Genesis 38:28). The buyers take Joseph to Egypt where he has all kinds of expe...

I’m not sure that Mrs. Dellinger did me a favor. She was teaching my Sunday School class when I was in elementary school. Someone asked her, “How do I decide what is the right thing to do?” She said, “Use Jesus as an example. Jesus shows us how God wants things to be done.” That bit of advice certainly puts a crimp in how I think things ought to be done. What would Jesus do? What would Jesus have...

Last November, I had an appointment to consult with someone at a church office building. She sent me an email, advising me to call her when I arrived so she could unlock the front door, “because the building is still closed to visitors.” Of course, I recognized that such a precaution was an effort to be safe from coronavirus, but it set me to wondering: Are there ways in which we close the faith j...

United Methodists often talk about the gift of Christian perfection (maturity, completeness). What we often forget is that the context for Jesus’ call to perfection is our Lord’s appeal for love of enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). That’s a pretty high standard for perfection! The world so often seems divided into “us” and “them.” Jesus does not deny that such brokenness occurs. He speaks openly that we...

Text: 1 Chronicles 22:6-10, 17-19 “Violence is not God’s First Choice” If you were planning a great lifetime project and could choose between two developers of the project, would you look to someone young and inexperienced or would you prefer someone with a proven track record? Why would I risk trusting my dream undertaking to a builder who has never done anything special? David wanted to build a...

This sixteenth chapter of Acts is so filled with drama and twists and turns that I have to think it would make a great TV series. Any way you slice this account, it is filled with courage and faithfulness and, in the end, triumphs for the Gospel. I asked several friends to tell me about the “strangest and most dangerous” situation in which they had tried to be a witness for Jesus Christ. (Most of...

When God seeks to move God’s People beyond “what has always been,” it is difficult. This account of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1-21) is a good example of that. Some of the believers only knew of salvation for those who practiced circumcision (Acts 15:1). Now, some were coming along and saying that God also was saving Gentiles who did not practice these Mosaic laws. Could that be? When the deba...

In last week’s study, the Holy Spirit led Philip to witness to an Ethiopian eunuch, a man different on a number of counts (Acts 8:26-39). In this week’s focal text, the Holy Spirit is instructing Peter to make no distinction between “them” and “us” (Acts 11:12) Good grief! Do you suppose God intends us to cross over these things that divide us? What about the early division between the church in t...

The Holy Spirit must have been alive and well as this account in Acts 8:26-39 unfolds. There is reason after reason that most of us would have turned away before the Spirit’s work was done. (All references are to the eighth chapter of Acts.) Would I respond if I thought an angel spoke to me? (v. 26). I’d think I was dreaming. Would I willingly go to a deserted road by myself? (v. 26). I prefer to...

Reading this focal text raised an embarrassing question for me. Why has no one looked at the life I lead or heard the word I proclaimed and then asked the question that begins this account: “What should we do?” Is my life witness so indistinguishable from the world around me that no one looks on and wonders, “How could I have a life like that, so filled with love, so confident with hope, so caring...

Do you like to garden? I remember my first childhood effort at growing a crop. Someone told me that a radish would be the fastest plant to grow, so I went to the store and bought a package of radish seeds. After digging a few holes in the Chatham County red clay, I dropped the seeds into place. Then, I took a large can and doused my “farm” with lots of water. And then I waited. Each day I rushed t...

In these verses (Galatians 5:19-21), Paul lists fifteen practices that are “works of the flesh.” Perhaps I have given myself too much credit, but I figure that I am guilty of only ten of these. In baseball, a batting average of .333 would be truly remarkable. For a Christian believer, it is also remarkable, but not for a good reason! “Flesh” is not bad. In fact, John describes our Lord in this way...

A friend of mine from England tried to explain to me how cricket is played. He said something about wickets, pitch, and stumps. He was speaking in English, but it might as well have been Swahili. I only got vague—and probably erroneous—ideas. Sometimes, God seems to be speaking a foreign language. God’s wisdom is often foreign to the world’s wisdom and as the world listens, it just doesn’t make se...

There are about 8,423,178 places in these verses where one might begin exploring the work of the Holy Spirit! Seriously, I have read these over and over again and hardly know where to begin. There is wind, flames, languages, youth, old people, men, women, blood, smoky mist, sun, moon, Jesus, repentance, baptism, sins, Holy Spirit. And that just touches a few spots. So, let’s begin at the beginning...

One of my favorite television programs is Game Show Network’s “America Says.” Contestants are challenged to fill in a blank as people in a survey have filled in the blank. For example, how would you fill in this blank? “______________ is the best place in the world to go skiing.” (On the show, you would be provided the first letter of the top seven answers.) One reason I enjoy this show is that I...

This week’s focal text from Joel tells of God coming to the rescue of God’s hurting people. The people’s response is to praise the Lord (Joel 2:26). This week’s focal text from Romans describes the suffering and decay that is part of our human journey. The faithful’s response is to wait in hope as a woman who suffers labor pains in order to give birth to a child (Romans 8:22). One way to summarize...

Perhaps I miscounted, but on my first try, I spotted twenty-five question marks in the thirty-eighth chapter of Job. (The number climbs even higher in the next couple of chapters.) When we look at the breadth of creation, lots of our questions emerge, but these questions in this week’s study text are not questions we ask God, but questions God asks us. These verses are inquiries God makes of Job,...

The tithe, of course, means “ten percent.” These days, we reflect on questions such as “Is that before or after taxes?’ and “Does my tithe have to go into the church’s offering plate?” and “What if I have other debts to pay?” In the time of Deuteronomy, God’s people measured life’s flow by crops and animals (Deuteronomy 14:23). In a festive community gathering, they would share their tithe and all...

These verses extend the concept of a Sabbath. Not only do I as an individual honor God in a weekly Sabbath (Exodus 20:10), but I am called to give this same rest to the land (Leviticus 25:4), and even to property (Leviticus 25:13). We are hearing an echo of Genesis 2:2-4: “ ...and God rested from all the work that God had done.” The word “Sabbath” means “intermission” or “stop exertion” or “take a...

Creation Care. Climate Change. Global Warming. Environmental Stewardship. For some folks, the choice of which term you use is a political statement. This lengthy psalm does not choose up sides, but is clear that the created order is the work of God. Among the creatures that get mentioned in this psalm are the clouds, the sea, human beings, light, the wind, dirt, mountains, valleys, wild animals, d...

Each of the Gospel accounts tells the story of Easter in a slightly different way. Many students of the Bible think that the original manuscript of Mark ended at verse 8 of chapter 16. If that is the case, that version ends with the women who discovered the empty tomb being seized with “terror and amazement.” It is good to be reminded of that reaction. We have lived so comfortably with Easter that...

One of my favorite Palm Sunday stories took place at a church that planned to open its worship service with a grand parade of the children of the congregation, each one waving a triumphant palm branch. The congregation would joyfully sing “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” as the youngsters of church celebrated the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It started off well. The first couple of boys and girls danced...

Jesus is clear about this: What we see now is not the end of it. There will be change (Mark 13:8). There will be the unexpected (Mark 13:35). There will be new understandings (Mark 13:36). Sometimes, we enjoy being in a rut, knowing exactly what to expect; but Jesus gives two illustrations of “rut living” not working. In one case (Mark 13:5-8), He says we cannot jump to a conclusion that the world...

The first part of this week’s focal text is a strange “miracle story” in that Jesus seems to blame a fig tree for not having fruit out of season (Mark 11:13-14). Some students of the Bible see these verses as an enactment of a point Jesus often made: There is no value to a life that does not bear fruit for others. Later, Jesus and the disciples pass by where the fig tree had been and now it is wit...

Five or six times I have started writing this week’s commentary and five or six times I have erased what I had written and started again. It is hard to let go of how the world’s kingdoms measure success and victory and how God’s Kingdom measures success and victory. After James and John messed up (Mark 10:38), the other ten disciples got all bent out of shape with James and John (Mark 10:41). (I s...