10 Things the Bible Doesn’t Say That Christians Often Do

You probably already know that it wasn’t a whale that swallowed Jonah. The Bible calls it a big fish.

You also have likely heard there were more than three wise men, and those men arrived at the home of Jesus in Bethlehem, not at the cave where he was born. So much for the nativity sets we all enjoy at Christmas!

There are several commonly used phrases that many believe are in Scripture, but, on a closer look, don’t actually reflect the truth of Scripture.

It’s good to think about these sayings so we can think about what we might want to say in the future. Paul told Timothy, his “son” in the faith, “to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

So here are a few phrases in the faith (with fictional references) we need to be careful to handle “rightly.”

1. God won’t give you more than you can handle (Nike 2:3).

We often think this is what Paul meant when he wrote, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The reason that verse is true is because of the words that follow, and those words negate the statement above. The rest of the verse says, “But with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

In other words, you will be in situations that you can’t handle. Paul certainly was. In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul describes moments of despair when he had more than he could handle. But, in both passages, Paul makes the point that God provided the strength to endure.

This world does give us more than we can handle. That is why God gave us the Holy Spirit to sustain us. If we think that we can handle whatever the world sends our way, we won’t lean on God and his strength.

2. We’re all God’s children (Abraham 4:2).

Every human being is a creation of God, but only those who lived in faith to the one true God were Abraham’s descendants. Now, only those who have chosen Jesus as their Lord and Savior can call themselves the adopted children of God (Galatians 4).

3. God doesn’t have favorites (Tolerance 3:5).

God loves every person he has created, as only God can. But Scripture says that Daniel was “greatly loved” (Daniel 10:11), and the angel said to Mary, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28).

God has an affinity for the faithful, those who will walk closely with him. God loves every person with a great and holy love, but those who are faithful enjoy a favored relationship with their Creator.

4. God helps those who help themselves (Hezekiah 4:9).

(Hint: Hezekiah is not a book of the Bible, but it sounds like it should be.)

Hard work is a virtue in the Bible that the Lord blesses. But God helps those he chooses to bless, and those people are often the ones who turn to him for his help.

Noah worked hard to build the ark, but it was God who brought the animals and then shut the door to the flood. Noah’s hard work was the result of faith. He didn’t just work hard; he worked hard to obey God.

In other words, God blessed Noah’s faithful obedience rather than his hard work.

5. Heaven must have needed another angel (Comfort 1:1).

These words are often spoken with the best intentions, but the problem is that the words are not good theology.

I think Billy Graham’s book Angels should be required reading for all Christians. It is a short but fascinating study of the nature and work of angels in our world, based on passages of Scripture.

The bottom line is that angels are created beings who serve a divine purpose in our world. But, we will not be angels when we go to heaven; we will be God’s children and heirs to his kingdom.

To say God “needed” another angel is bad theology about both God and angels. People don’t die because God needed them in heaven. This is a fallen world, and bad things happen this side of heaven.

But Romans 8:28 is the promise that God will redeem even the worst things for his great good. And a person’s arrival in heaven is God’s greatest act of redemption. We will all worship with the angels one day—but as God’s children and heirs to his kingdom.

6. Money is the root of all evil (Indebted 5:7).

First Timothy 6:10 actually says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Money isn’t the root of all evil, but loving money more than God can lead to all kinds of confused and wrong priorities. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

Loving money most isn’t the root of all evil because Satan has many sharp tools in his toolbox. But anything we love more than God is definitely the root of wrong priorities.

7. The eyes are the window to the soul (Oculus 8:9).

This saying is often a misapplication of what Jesus said while preaching the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Matthew 6:22–23).

The problem with the saying is that it has often offered people permission to judge the state of a person’s soul because of what they perceived a person was looking at or thinking.

Biblically, we can’t know the state of a person’s soul simply by looking at their eyes or their life, and it isn’t our place to judge.

That said, it is our job to be attentive to people’s choices and minister as the Spirit leads us.

8. God wants you to be happy (Misguidance 1:1).

Jesus was praying to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane when he said, “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves” (John 17:13).

Jesus wanted us to have his joy, which transcends the happenings of this world. Happiness is based on things that happen. Joy transcends.

I once counseled a young woman who told me that she knew God wanted her to be happy. She chose to pursue happiness by leaving her husband and children to live with another man. I could easily tell her that God did not want her to choose “happy.”

Sometimes joy is the result of making difficult decisions that we can’t feel happy about making. In those moments, we can know his joy, even in our sadness.

9. All things are possible for those who believe (Cinderella 8:9).

This saying doesn’t take a lot of thought. The truth is this: “All things are possible for God” whether we believe it or not.

God blesses and uses those who will faithfully trust him, but our belief isn’t what makes things possible. It’s the One we choose to believe in who does that.

10. Everything happens for a reason (Confusion 7:6).

This phrase has unsettled a lot of people who experience a great tragedy.

We often say these words to indicate that God is in charge of all things. Unfortunately, that thought has to be balanced with the knowledge that God created us in his image; therefore, we have free will and the right to choose.

And all of us use that freedom incorrectly sometimes.

Much of what happens in our world is the result of Satan’s work in the lives of Christians and non-Christians. Satan tempts, and people choose to follow his advice rather than God’s. Adam and Eve are just the first example of many.

God is in charge of this world, but he has chosen to give us freedom to follow. Often, things happen in our lives because we, or someone else, made a wrong choice.

Choose to “rightly handle the word of truth”

We all want to present ourselves to God one day as someone who knew his word and lived “unashamed” of the truth.

Sometimes, we offer a version of the truth to honor a person’s beliefs or feelings. Our motives are good, but our message isn’t.

Words matter, so let’s all be careful to rightly handle the most important message we have been given.

Our Highest Authority

Last week I shared a quote from A. W. Tozer on my Facebook page because it spoke a word of truth into the volatile week. This quote was shared often, so it seemed to resonate with many. A. W. Tozer said, “While it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes there is a God who has not surrendered his authority.”

I’m pretty sure that however you vote, you would consider last week’s news to be difficult to comprehend. I think the only one who was not surprised and shocked by the news from Afghanistan was God. It gave me comfort to remember that God has “not surrendered his authority.”

The righteous live by faith

The righteous have always lived by faith. Last week I read a plea from a missionary who is hiding in Kabul. She wrote that she didn’t think she would be alive in two weeks because she was being hunted by the Taliban. She is a missionary who teaches Muslim women to read and teaches them they have a God who loves them and finds them worthy in every way.

In a couple of weeks, the Bible study I spent most of my summer working on will begin. I spent months learning how to understand and teach the book of Romans. I often call Romans “Paul’s masterpiece.” He wrote it near the end of his life and ministry after decades of missionary work. Paul spent his life establishing churches in parts of the world that were antagonistic to his teaching.

The theme of the book of Romans is found in chapter 1 and is a theme I believe God is calling all of us to consider for our own lives and ministries. Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:16–17).

Christians like this missionary define what it means to live by faith, unashamed of the gospel. They know the gospel is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes. Those who have been made righteous will live by faith now, and eternally. Join me in asking the Lord to miraculously save the missionaries and enable their work to continue.

Unashamed

I believe in the power of the gospel too. But, I am blessed to accomplish my ministry safely. I can openly teach every verse of the book of Romans without fear of harm. In Afghanistan, those missionaries can be killed for doing what I am free to do in America.

Teaching God’s word is my greatest privilege, and I am not ashamed to teach others what the Bible says is true. Not everything I teach this year will be considered “politically or socially” correct. But, I’m not ashamed to believe the Bible is the truth our culture most needs to hear.

The righteous, in every country, live by faith. I will teach each word of Paul’s letter because in it Paul reveals the gospel message, which is the message of salvation for everyone. Next spring, I fully expect that Paul’s letter will have brought others to salvation in Christ, just as it has for more than two thousand years.

A. W. Tozer said it well: “God has not surrendered his authority.” I am unashamed of the gospel message. I will not surrender God’s authoritative word to cultural opinions.

You are invited

I recognize that I have been called to teach the Bible. It isn’t what I do; it is what the Spirit of God has chosen to do through me. Some will think that last statement sounds a bit arrogant, but the truth is exactly the opposite. The reason I teach is that when I get it right, I’m not the one teaching—the Spirit of Jesus is teaching. I can’t describe it any other way.

I want to invite you to join our group in the study of Romans in a couple of weeks. You can sign up for the videos, and they are free. The book has a suggested price because we need to repay the ministry for the cost of producing, printing, and shipping it. It is our goal to give Bible study to as many as possible, even in places of the world that don’t encourage or support Christianity.

I can’t think of a more important time to study Paul’s letter to Rome. We all need to remember we were called to be a holy people, made righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ.

Trained in God’s authoritative word

I’m not sure how many of the Afghan refugees will live near you, but I know that Dallas, my home city, is scheduled to receive a crowd. In addition, our southern border has been a crossing ground for tens of thousands.

Many despair that fact. At times, I have too. But, then I think about Paul and the missionaries who will likely die for teaching their faith. I imagine any of them would look at the comfort I enjoy as I teach God’s word to others and consider me blessed. I can hear Paul saying, “You mean God is bringing them to you?”

Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power for salvation to everyone who believes.” I am privileged to teach Paul’s masterpiece, the book of Romans this year. I can honestly say that if you will study his letter, you will know what to believe and why to believe it.

Are we willing to be God’s missionaries to the world, especially to the ones who are arriving in our own country, even our own neighborhoods? God is on his throne and has allowed things to happen as they have. Why? How does God plan to accomplish Romans 8:28 through your life?

Who are His missionaries?

How could this country change the world? I think it’s important to remember God didn’t give a country that job.

How could God’s people change the world? Just like Paul did—one soul at a time.

We aren’t responsible for the thousands, but we are responsible to God for each person he calls us to. Some will be Americans and some will not. But, that isn’t the point. God didn’t call us to make more Americans; he did call us to make disciples of all nations.

Do you feel unable to share your faith? Are you afraid you can’t answer people’s questions? Then come study the book of Romans. Paul answers almost every faith question in his letter. None of us are able to be missionaries apart from his Spirit. But remember: every Christian has the same Holy Spirit that God has given to those brave missionaries in Afghanistan and other parts of this world. Every Christian has the same Holy Spirit that empowered Paul’s ministry.

Paul would say we are lucky to be able to share God’s word and still sleep safely in our beds each night.

I pray that when next April ends and we have studied the final lesson from Romans, there will be an army of the faithful who are unashamed of God’s truth and ready to teach it when called. I pray that God will bless and protect the teaching of his word. The gospel message is the power of salvation to everyone who believes.

It may look like things are out of control, but God has not surrendered his authority. Let’s not surrender our calling either. You are a missionary, and the need is growing. Choose today whom you are going to serve. Join with God’s people across the centuries who have said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lᴏʀᴅ” (Joshua 24:15).

God is our highest authority.

How do I teach God’s word?

What is a teacher’s role?

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:3-6

When we teach the Bible, we are partnering with all the saints of the gospels across the ages in communicating the words the Lord left us to study and know so that we could know him and make him known.

See yourself as a partner with other saints in the past.

Who is in your classroom or small group?

Think about why your Bible study group or class comes to see you each week.

Do they need nurturing?
Where are they in their knowledge of the Lord?
How do you teach those who are seasoned students of the Bible as well as those who sit quietly, still trying to determine if Christianity is right for them?

It is crucial that you create a lesson that works for everyone.

What is the central purpose of Bible study?

As a teacher it’s your job to focus on the central reason people are there — to study God’s word, but never lose sight of the other reasons people come to the room.

Understand your lesson might be the only Bible study some people in your class experience that week. Know their faces and names, making sure you provide them a lesson from God’s perfect word.

God has a plan for you every time you teach. When we teach God’s word, God accomplishes his purpose through us.

“…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

The key is in knowing what God’s purpose is for the day. Make it your goal every time you teach to remember that you have a high and holy calling. You are partnering with the saints from the past in teaching his word. His word is what matters; ours are secondary.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17

God’s word stands forever, God’s word is truth, and God’s word never returns void. It has a purpose that God wants to accomplish through his Holy Spirit.

Called and Equipped

Teachers are simply humans with a high calling.

“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” James 3:1-2

A person should be called to teach God’s word and gifted by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the task.
If we teach God’s word, we are held to a higher level of responsibility for how we live our lives.
Remember though, to give yourself grace. No one is perfect and no one will ever teach a perfect lesson. But trust that anything God teaches through you is perfected.

Mountaintop moments

I spent a week in the mountains with my whole family and rarely watched the news, looked at Facebook, or thought about the world’s events. I was too busy watching my grandkids laugh and play with one another. There were a lot of things to do, see, and experience in the mountains.

A week later, it was time to come down from the mountain and get back to work.

I knew my first job was to write a blog post for the week, and this one began to write itself on the way home.

One week later

It seemed almost shocking to watch the evening news the night I arrived back home. COVID was the first news segment because our hospitals are filling up again. The politicians are making a stand and hoping to get it right. The problem is, everyone is right and wrong in different ways.

How do we make choices when right and wrong blend together?

People who didn’t get a vaccine are losing their jobs, privileges, and freedoms. People who did get a vaccine are losing their immunity, their freedoms, and their sense of safety. People who have had COVID have the most immunity but still need to get a vaccine anyway?

Whom do we blame for the spread of a virus? How does a country founded on freedoms limit freedom? How do we replace rhetoric with resolutions?

We recognize the realities and the fact that God is still on his throne, and always has been.

The mountaintop moments

I loved our week of vacation with our family. It was sweet chaos. It was a change of pace for all of us and a reminder of why God created the concept of family in the beginning. We are supposed to belong to other people in a unique bond of love. The Lord created us to need and enjoy the gift of family.

I got home, unpacked, and settled into my normal routine. I worked on emails, checked on Facebook, and turned on the evening news. The mountaintop felt far away from the “real world.” It is tough to keep a mountaintop perspective when you head home.

Part of me wishes I could just live “separate” from the evening news. Someday I will. For now, God has called us to have mountaintop moments but live “in the world.”

A new perspective that isn’t new

I was driving home when I began to think about writing this blog post. I drove through small towns and big cities. I drove past estates, homes, apartments, and trailers. I drove past people who had everything they owned in a backpack or shopping cart. I drove past people in masks and people without them. I drove past prosperity, poverty, and everything in between.

I watched the evening news and heard different opinions but few facts. I wished for the mountaintop but was glad to be home. I missed the chaos but appreciated the quiet. And I realized that the trip had given me a new perspective that isn’t new.

This world will always be “mixed up.” Truth isn’t found on the evening news because that isn’t where truth is valued—or defined.

If you completed last week’s homework assignment, reading all of Psalm 119, you read, “Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true” (Psalm 119:142). You also read, “Forever, O Lᴏʀᴅ, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89).

When will our culture put itself back together? The answer to that question is made clear in Scripture.

We will calm down, heal, be kinder, and be better when we live according to God’s righteous laws. That has always been true, and it always will be true.

What is the new perspective that isn’t new? The culture is not going to walk with God’s values. God’s people are called to do that. Some in the culture will eventually follow what “works,” but most will not. Jesus said, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14).

Biblically, we shouldn’t hope for something that God has told us will never be true. Biblically, it is God’s people who prove his reality, not the world.

Our family of faith

One of the sweetest memories I have of our trip to the mountains was listening to my seven-year-old granddaughter talk about God with her brother and cousins. I’m so grateful that my sons and their wives want their children to be faithful and are raising them with God’s word as truth.

I love that my family has chosen to be faithful. I hope and pray that all of them will continue to make biblical choices for the rest of their lives.

But, it is important to remember that Jesus didn’t say everyone in the world is our family. Our brothers and sisters are the people who share our faith and our future in heaven. Every Christian has a BIG family, and our Father would like for it to continue to grow even larger.

Make your dad proud

We had a great week in the mountains with our “family.” It is a sweet joy to see my grown sons and their wives parent their kids. There were several times I thought, “My cup runneth over,” even as my grandkids were “running over” each other! It was sweet chaos, and I’m grateful we had that time together. We are proud of our family. The Lord has a similar perspective on his kids. He has always seen us as his family. We are dearly loved and cared about.

Night is coming

Our kids put their kids to bed each night while Jim and I picked up the toys, swept the crumbs, and straightened the chairs. We wanted it to be ready for everyone when morning came.

When the world seems chaotic, remember that Scripture promised “the night is coming” (John 9:4). It’s time to get ready for whatever the next day will bring. There will always be chaos and things that need to be cleaned up and straightened out. That is the world we live in. The Christian’s job is to work hard to keep this messy world a little cleaner. Our “joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Family is my great joy. One day the morning will come and one day I will live forever on the mountaintop with the Lord, surrounded with all of you who are family too. The chaos in the world is real, but God’s peace and love are real as well.

One day our mountaintop moments will last forever.

The Bible is an answer to Jesus’ Prayer

I had to replace the batteries in the remote again and thought, “They don’t make batteries like they used to.” Then I realized it wasn’t the batteries.

I used to put on my favorite news station and watch the whole program. Now, I switch from station to station trying to find truth among the opinions. I think I need to buy stock in one of the battery companies. Truthfully, the off button on my remote will probably be the first to wear out.

Should we wear masks if we are vaccinated? Where are all those families crossing the border going to live, work, and care for their children? Are there a lot of bad people crossing or mostly just families looking for work? And when it comes to politicians making news, what are the political maneuvers and what is the truth?

It’s hard to do the right thing when it’s hard to know what is right.

Times like these make me appreciate the pages of my Bible even more.

Psalm 119

When the world goes wonky I like to park myself in Psalm 119. That psalm grounds my thoughts and pushes me back to a peaceful place. Here are some “fun facts” about Psalm 119:

It’s the longest chapter in our Bibles, with 176 verses.
It is arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet; some think King David wrote it as lessons for his children’s education.
The theme is God’s word, and it was used in worship to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

If it has been a while since you felt fascinated or awed by the word of God, read Psalm 119 from start to finish.

If you want to spend some time listening to the truth, Psalm 119 is my recommendation. I think of those verses as the Lord leaning out of heaven and saying, “Relax, I’ve got this!”

One of the verses in my favorite psalm says, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever” (Psalm 119:160). No television network could make that claim. It’s time to filter the world’s news through God’s perfect word.

If the world seems a bit wonky these days, settle into the righteous truth of Psalm 119. God has this wonky world in the palm of his hand!

The Bible is an answer to Jesus’ prayer

I had a new thought this week I wanted to share. When Jesus was in the garden waiting for the soldiers to arrive and arrest him, he spent a lot of that time praying for himself and for all who would be his disciples.

One of Jesus’ prayers to his Father was, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Jesus was asking God to use his word to make us holy. Why does God’s word make us holy? Because it is the truth. The next time you pick up the Bible, consider it an answer to the prayer Jesus prayed for you.

When our thoughts and actions line up with God’s word, we can trust that our life is serving God. That seems a simple thought, but it is actually like finding a favorite and valued possession you thought you had lost. Even more, it is like holding in your hand a gift Jesus asked his Father to give you.

A short blog that will take you a while to finish

I’m a teacher as well as a student of God’s word. So, this blog post has a homework assignment!

I’m giving you the link to Psalm 119 and all 176 verses are assigned, required reading. (Wow . . . it’s been a lot of years since I passed out homework.)

Those of you who complete the homework will be blessed. I’d like to suggest that God will give everyone who completes their homework an “A” for the day.

As you read Psalm 119, remember that it is truth and it always has been. Consider those words an answer to the prayer Jesus prayed in the Garden before he allowed himself to become the ultimate sacrifice for our eternal lives.

I am praying that Psalm 119 will bring us to a place of understanding the truth of this world compared to the truth of God.

The Lord’s truth lasts forever and serves to sanctify us now, until that day we become holy forever. I hope when you finish your homework, having reached verse 176, you will hear the Lord lean out of heaven and say, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this!” Here is Psalm 119. I hope it makes your day what Jesus prayed it would be.

Remember and forget like God

My friends and I stood in line for three hours in Westwood, California, in order to see one of the premiere showings of the movie The Way We Were. It was 1973, and the mix of Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand was worth the wait! The last scene in the movie still makes me tear up.

The title song won almost every award possible and is listed among the best songs of the century. Barbra Streisand bought a beautiful home on the shore in Malibu shortly after. My older sister worked for the landscaper who did her yard when she first bought the mansion and had stories to tell. I googled the beautiful cliffside estate’s current value, and it is somewhere between 100 and 150 million dollars.

The first line of the title song is: “Memories . . . light the corners of my mind.” That song lit up her bank account too! But, hidden in the song is some biblical wisdom.

The song teaches, “What’s too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget.”

MEMORIES MATTER

We are made in God’s image and created to remember. The key is learning to remember what God remembers and choosing to forget what God forgets. That isn’t easy! I think our memories were one of the key things impacted by the Fall.

The “forbidden fruit” was from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Once Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit, they knew more than God wanted them to know. They also remembered more than God wanted them to remember.

Our memory is one of the things that will be perfected in heaven. If there are no more tears and no more suffering in heaven, then one of the characteristics of our eternal life will be the ability to remember and forget like God intended for us.

Which memories will matter, and which will God enable us to forget?

WHAT DOES GOD REMEMBER?

One of my new discoveries is an online tool called the Dictionary of Bible Themes. I wanted to know what the Bible said about what God remembers. There were several verses for each heading, but to sum it up, God remembers:

His covenant
His promises
His people

The Bible has verse upon verse proving that God has never forgotten why he made us. He has never forgotten to provide all we need so that we can know him, walk with him, and love him. He has never forgotten to bring one of his children to heaven.

WHAT DOES GOD FORGET?

God forgets confessed sins. God chooses not to remember what no longer matters eternally.

We should make it a high priority to follow our Father’s perfect example.

REMEMBER AND FORGET LIKE GOD

There are times in life when I think, “But Lord, it was just one bite!” My next thought is almost always, “Yes, but one bite was all it took.”

One sin changed human existence. We will always want a life in the Garden, but that gate has been blocked here on earth.

For now, our priority is to live with heaven as our goal. Heaven is our home. We just don’t always remember that.

If we want to remember like God we need to think about:

The covenant: We asked Jesus to be our Savior, but do we allow him to be our Lord?
The promises: We have received promises, and we have given promises. God keeps his promises and doesn’t make promises he won’t keep. We should do the same.
The people: People have always been God’s highest priority. Does anything seem more important in your day than the people you will encounter?

If we want to forget like God:

We need to forget the mistakes we have confessed. We need to forget the offenses people have apologized for making. We need to forget to punish what is forgiven.

IS THINKING LIKE GOD POSSIBLE?

If we could only have one wish, I would wish to be able to remember and forget like God.

But, it was that wish that prompted Eve to take the fruit and eat. We can’t be like God because there is only one Creator. But, it is amazing to me that God so loved the world, he gave us Jesus (John 3:16). It is also amazing that Jesus gave us his Spirit, who is “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

When we yield to the Holy Spirit’s thoughts, we can choose God’s better ways.

The writer of the book of Hebrews was quoting the prophet Jeremiah when he told his readers to remember what God had said and done. God had promised that “this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel” (Hebrews 8:10). God’s children are the house of Israel.

God promised his children he would “put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10). God promised, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Hebrews 8:10–11).

How is it possible that everyone will know the Lord? Hebrews 8:12 has that answer. God said, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

If we remember what God remembers and choose to forget what God forgets, we will learn to think with “the mind of Christ.” His priorities can be ours.

NUMBER OUR DAYS

If we remember and forget like God, we will live with his priorities. Every day has a purpose. Every day is the opportunity to live out God’s plan. He wants everyone to know him. God wants us to remember our high calling and confess the times we haven’t.

If God has chosen to forgive and forget, we can do the same. We can think his thoughts and make his choices, through the power of his Holy Spirit. If we do, people will see Jesus in us—and know him.

As the song says, “Memories light the corners of our minds.”

Which memories should we remember?

Which should we forget?

Why don’t oil and water mix?

We were recently in Hawaii and revisited the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. To this day, oil seeps from the wreckage of the USS Arizona and floats on the water above. It is profoundly moving because so many American soldiers remain buried below.

It’s important to honor those who sacrificed their lives for this nation. We should. But, it’s even more important to honor the One who sacrificed himself for every human soul in the world.

I love my country, but I am called to worship the Lord.

A PARABLE FOR TODAY

I stood above the sunken USS Arizona, moved by the memorial message from the guide. I looked at the oil stains on the surface of the water and thought it was a parable for our Christian faith. Thirty or forty years ago, pastors were encouraged to make their churches more “seeker-friendly.” Churches changed their priorities by changing the music, the dress codes, and often the sermon topics.

Now, thirty years later, has the culture benefitted from those changes?

Did the changes make it easier for non-Christians to enter, or make it easier for Christians to leave unchanged?

Often, we try to mix faith with our culture. But oil and water naturally separate. The word holy literally means “to be separate, set apart.” Do your values seem increasingly different from the world’s? Good! Then you are likely obeying Christ’s command to be in the world but not of it.

Oil floats above the memorial, but, even after all of these years, it remains separate from the surrounding waters.

THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

Our culture is good about lauding those who entertain us. I watched some of the Kennedy Center Honors on television. I only watched a small portion of the program. I like Garth Brooks, and I enjoyed watching those who honored him.

But, there was a LOT of the program I found distasteful. I can’t honor a lot of what is happening in our culture today. It seems like our culture is increasingly drawn to appreciate and accept thoughts and ideas the Bible rejects. But, I also have to remember what Jesus taught. Jesus said that if you love him, you will “feed my sheep” (John 21:17).

How do we honor the Lord’s sacrifice in a culture that labels our faith narrow-minded or prejudiced?

The answer: we feed his sheep.

OUR PRIORITY IS GOD’S PROMISE

I’ve not enjoyed June very much and it’s not because of all the rain. In fact, I’ve thought several times that the clouds are like God’s commentary on what our culture is honoring this month. I’m getting very tired of the little rainbow symbols that are attached to the different emails in my inbox. I just hit delete and move on.

For me, the rainbow will always be a symbol of God’s promise to redeem the world. I’m saddened it is now used as a symbol for perverse behaviors. I can’t encourage people to think a lifestyle the Bible calls “detestable” is acceptable. I don’t “hate” them as some might accuse. In fact, it’s the opposite. I truly want God’s best for them. I want their lives to have his eternal blessings.

All of us sin, and all of us try to explain, justify, or describe our sins as “normal.” But, we should be very careful not to “honor” sin or teach it as acceptable. Our sins cost God an unspeakable sacrifice: Jesus. If we say sin is “okay,” then we’ve just said, “Jesus didn’t really need to die.” I think most of the time we accept sin because we don’t care, not because we do.

I’ve heard people say things like, “It’s my life,” “I’m free to be who I want to be,” or “You can’t tell me what to believe.” And those people are right. It is their life; God gave it to them. They are free to make their choices because God created them with the freedom to choose. And, I shouldn’t force anyone to agree with my preferences; God has always made certain we could know his. And God’s preferences for our lives should be our highest priorities.

God didn’t leave us alone to make random, personal choices. He gave us guidance, answers, solutions, forgiveness, grace, and his “one and only Son” (John 3:16). Our priority isn’t to help people enjoy their earthly lives, living any way they choose. Our priority is to love God and honor his word, by walking in the truth. We are called to live with biblical priorities.

Jesus said, if you love him, “feed my sheep” (John 21:17). The question for today is this: What are we feeding those around us?

SPEAKING TRUTH IN LOVE

How do we honor the Lord’s sacrifice in a culture that increasingly ignores the Savior?

The answer is for God’s people to love others so much that we want them to live sanctified, eternal lives.

Love people enough to want their salvation.
Value their eternal lives more than their temporary lives on earth.
Teach God’s truth with love. We aren’t imposing our personal truth; we are offering God’s perfect truth.
Live with bold, compassionate confidence that Jesus is Lord.
Refuse to accept a sinful choice as a “personal preference.” People deserve to know how to be right with God and others. If necessary, love them enough to let them hate you. That is the sacrifice Christ made for each of us.

OIL AND LIVING WATER

Oil has been floating to the water above the USS Arizona for many years. If it was going to mix with the water, it would have by now. But, we know it never will. The stain serves as a strong reminder that people died in that place, sacrificing themselves for our country.

Let the “rainbow” messages in your inbox this month remind you that Christ died for everyone. Sin and faith don’t mix eternally and can’t mix now. Thankfully, the biblical meaning of the rainbow still holds. God provided redemption for sin. But, people need to choose their redemption in Christ. Our job is to teach them how.

OUR PRIORITIES ARE OUR CHOICES

Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, a woman living in sexual sin. He offered her the chance to drink from the living water and never thirst again. She was saved that day and changed. She chose to believe Christ, and she chose to go back to her home and live differently.

The Samaritan woman went back to her village and told others how to find Jesus. Scripture says, “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word” (John 4:39–41).

Our Christian priority isn’t to accept sin; it is to help people separate from it. We can offer them a better way to live on earth and the promise of eternity. But knowing that is a priority isn’t the same thing as living with that priority.

Will we love people enough to let them hate us?

Will we care enough to offer them truth?

Everyone has choices.

Our priority is to be in the world but not of it.

Oil and water naturally separate. God made them to do just that.

The right priority builds a strong wall

When do our priorities line up with God’s?

Our lives are getting back to normal again. My whole family just went to our first baseball game and our granddaughter’s horse show and enjoyed being in the crowd. I didn’t even think about catching a virus because I was too busy thinking about the Rangers catching a baseball or me trying to catch the perfect photo of my granddaughter in her cute riding pants and blazer.

How quickly our priorities can change!

IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE PRIORITY . . .

What if someone asked you to name your number one priority? Is that even possible? We might be able to list our top ten, but which would make the list first?

• Faith?

• Family?

• Friends?

• Future?

How can we choose a priority when so many things matter so much?

JEREMIAH’S PRIORITY

Jeremiah is often described as the weeping prophet, a name I think he would probably hate. Chances are, if you pick up your Bibles for a time of devotion, you are more likely to read from Ephesians than the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was a prophet to the Southern tribes of Israel, or Judah. They were supposed to be the “good guys” of Israel, and were, much of the time. But Jeremiah preached to Judah after the Northern Tribes of Israel had been captured, enslaved, and removed from the land. The Northern Tribes never did return home.

Judah should have learned from their brothers’ mistakes but didn’t. As a nation, Judah became distracted by their enemies, their finances, their families, and their future. As a result, their priorities changed. Jeremiah’s job was to speak for God and warn Judah that the same thing that happened to the Northern Tribes could happen to them as well. And it did.

Daniel and his friends were taken captive, and then came a second and third wave of attack. The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and their lands and families were taken away by the Babylonian armies. Some would say they lost everything, but they didn’t.

They never lost God’s word. The prophet Jeremiah and many others kept teaching and preaching what God wanted his people to understand.

Jeremiah preached God’s word almost twenty-five hundred years ago, and I’m still teaching his lessons today. Jeremiah lived during one of the worst times in biblical history. He and the people he loved lost almost everything in their lives. And Jeremiah was tasked with warning the people to repent. He knew how to help, but the people just wouldn’t listen. In fact, they attacked Jeremiah for preaching the truth, and it broke his heart and spirit. That’s why he is called the weeping prophet.

Jeremiah 15 is a conversation between God and Jeremiah. God tells Jeremiah what is going to happen to Judah because of their lack of faith and misguided priorities: God will judge his people and Judah will fall. Jeremiah knows what will happen and knows nothing will stop God from fulfilling his words.

When Jeremiah understands he can’t help Judah, he prays for himself. He asks God to protect him from the coming judgment. Jeremiah offers one defense to God. The prophet asks for God to protect him because he has maintained one important priority.

Jeremiah 15:16 says, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty” (NIV).

Do we share Jeremiah’s godly priority? If so, we can also share in God’s promise.

CHRISTIANS BEAR GOD’S NAME TOO

The first people to be called Christians were in the church of Antioch, the church considered most responsible for supporting Paul and his missionary work. The name Christian literally means “little Christ.” Christians bear the name of the Son of God.

More and more our culture is attacking that name and attacking those who bear it. Is there coming a time when we will pray Jeremiah’s prayers for our nation? And pray Jeremiah’s prayer for himself? Is that time already here?

Jeremiah prayed to God with confidence because he had lived with one powerful priority. The prophet had consumed God’s word. God’s thoughts and ideas were Jeremiah’s joy and his heart’s delight. The prophet understood that his role in life was to bear God’s name everywhere he went.

Like Jeremiah, we bear God’s name too. The question for all of us today is this: Do we also share Jeremiah’s priority?

Do we simply read God’s word, or do we consume it as our joy and our delight? Is God’s word truly our daily bread?

If so, we should listen to and claim Jeremiah’s promise from God.

GOD’S PROMISE TO JEREMIAH

God responded to Jeremiah’s prayer with this promise. God said to Jeremiah and to us, ‘“If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 15:19–20).

There is so much I want to say about the passage above. I know the Lord spoke to me in those words as I read them again and again. I expect the Lord will do that for all of you as well. Let’s consume his words to Jeremiah as food for our own souls. Will you receive God’s teaching with joy? Will you delight to obey?

God needs the people who bear his Son’s name to be that fortified wall of bronze. The people in our culture need to be able to turn to the Holy Spirit in us for God’s love and wisdom. We were never allowed to turn to the culture for our guidance.

It may seem like the culture is winning right now, but that isn’t the biblical truth we should take to heart, with joy. Jesus echoed God’s words to Jeremiah when he told his disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV).

PRAY LIKE JEREMIAH

We can pray like Jeremiah if we share the prophet’s priority. He consumed God’s word as his great joy and delight. Jeremiah bore God’s name.

Jeremiah could have preached his words to our culture and people would have treated him the same way today. The calling for all of us who bear Christ’s name is to share Jeremiah’s priority. It will no doubt cause us some trouble going forward. Thankfully, we also share Jeremiah’s promise. Hear God say to you: “They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you.”

God needs his people to be that bronze wall of truth today.

We will be—if we will live with Jeremiah’s priority.

Giving our souls a tune-up

I’m smiling as I remember my dad’s best efforts to teach me how to give my ’67 Chevy a tune-up.

That Chevy was the first car I ever owned, and my dad wanted me to learn a few things. I can honestly say that almost nothing I learned is helpful to car maintenance now. No one I know owns a timing light or changes their own spark plugs and filters. In fact, I don’t even know where the spark plugs are in my car today! Now, I drop my car off at the dealer when the “Maintenance Needed” light comes on.

I’m smiling because there are more important lessons I learned from my dad’s advice. Dad helped me understand maintenance was important if I wanted to keep my car in good shape. In a lot of ways, my dad helped me write this blog post today.

We understand our cars need maintenance. We spend the time and pay the cost because we don’t want to get stranded somewhere. We can apply that same principle to our souls as well.

If your life is sluggish and not responding to God’s will, you might need a spiritual tune-up today.

WHEN MAINTENANCE IS NEEDED

It would be nice if something in our lives would flash with the words “Maintenance Needed” like our cars do today. We are a lot more like a ’67 Chevy. We have to notice the sluggishness, the slowness to start, and the “wrong noises” that indicate the need for a tune-up. My dad could just listen to engine noises and know there was a problem, and he usually knew how to fix it.

It would be nice if there could be a “Maintenance Needed” light that would flash in our spiritual lives, but there are indicators:

• Has your witness grown sluggish?

• Are you a little more difficult to “start” when the Spirit prompts you?

• Is your prayer life making some strange noises . . . maybe a little too full of self-absorbed rattles and clunks instead of purring along?

It’s better to fix the problems we notice than break down somewhere.

God created our souls to run like a perfectly tuned engine: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). We are God’s possession and he wants to keep us running well. But, he also waits for us to respond to the warnings and bring our cars to the shop!

THE DEALER HAS THE BEST SERVICE DEPARTMENT

A lot of places can do routine maintenance. It’s fairly easy to find someone who can change wiper blades, replace an air filter, or rotate the tires. But, if something inside the engine is not working, we know the dealership has the most specialized care.

We take our souls for weekly maintenance to church or Bible study each week. Don’t you notice how much easier it is to treat people with kindness and put others first after spending time in worship? We are cleaned up and running more smoothly after a helpful sermon and time of worship.

Routine maintenance is essential to almost everything in life. Our souls were meant to run on “daily bread,” our time with God each day. If you are reading this blog post, you are probably someone who understands that we need to keep our souls maintained by the daily disciplines of Bible study and prayers. The daily maintenance means we can keep our lives running more smoothly, and Sundays are a great boost to our daily routines. But, there are times when things in life require more help than our routines provide.

My car has a need for significant maintenance at certain mileage markers. It’s expensive, time-consuming, and rarely “good news.” But, I pay the price because it almost guarantees I will avoid the breakdowns. When the dealer tells me I need to do significant maintenance, I do it.

Our Dealer knows what is needed in our lives. He manufactured us and knows what is necessary to keep us running. It is good to know we need regular maintenance and care for our souls that way. But, when was the last time you submitted your soul for the more complete work, the work that only the dealer can accomplish?

That kind of maintenance will come at a cost. It will cost you more time and effort and will be more of a sacrifice than just a Sunday morning service or daily devotions. When is the last time you left your regular routine to spend a significant time away with the Lord?

If things aren’t running smoothly in your life, it could be time to take more time and submit your life to the One who created it.

Jesus was preaching, healing, and creating a great stir in the synagogues. The Pharisees had begun to take notice of him and Luke wrote that “they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:11). Jesus, our example, knew he needed God’s divine wisdom and help. Luke writes, “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God” (v. 12).

Even as I type those words I feel a sense of conviction. When last did I retreat from the world and my daily routines to spend an extended amount of time with God?

Is it time for the “extended maintenance?”

The dealer/manufacturer will need us for more time in order to do more work, and it will require a greater cost. But, have you ever noticed how much better your car runs after those times of maintenance? Our souls will experience greater benefits as well.

ONE CAR WILL LAST A LIFETIME

I’m not sure how many cars I will drive in my lifetime. I was in my forties when I bought my first new car. I kept it a decade, did all the suggested maintenance, and it never did break down. I’m now driving my second version of that car! My ’67 Chevy will always be dear to my heart because it was my first car and I worked hard to be able to buy it. But, I’m glad I can drive a better car these days, and I am careful to take good care of it.

We only have one soul because that is all we will ever need. The first choice we ever made was to allow Jesus to buy our souls back for God, from the world. But, for the rest of our lives, we will choose to maintain what Jesus bought and has promised to continue to make new.

We have been given one life, but it is all we need if it is eternal. I’m so glad I exchanged my old ’67 Chevy for something better. I’m glad I exchanged my old life for something better as well. My soul is eternal, and I want it to run as well as possible on earth and in heaven. I’m glad for the warning lights that remind me when maintenance is needed. It’s good to know life will run more smoothly with his care.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). One day these cars of ours will roll through the pearly gates and we will realize they are “maintenance free.”

Until then, we need help from our mechanic. He is waiting to care for our souls. Do you need to do some routine maintenance or schedule an extended visit? He is always at work and always able to get you back on the road.

But, we also have a lot to look forward to. One day when our journey is complete, it will feel great to pull into the garage, see my dad and my Dad, and know I am safely and forever, home!

In the desert but not deserted: Part 2

God always has a plan for the desert times in our lives. Most times we land there, God is simply providing us some down time, so that we can listen. Everyone experiences desert times, caused by any number of things. Last week I wrote about the desert seasons of our lives that are natural to our journey and the dry times God intends to use for our discipline and growth.

Today, I want to write about most of the desert times in our lives. A desert time is simply a quiet, often spiritually dry time in our lives.

Often we expect our earthly lives to be less challenging than they are. We have become a culture that expects our lives to be easier than God has promised. This is true of the Christian culture as well. We live in a period of time when many Christian leaders have said if we do A, then God will do B.

Beware of sermons that promise an easy life to those who walk closely with God. Biblical truth, like Romans 8:28, is that when we walk closely with God, he is with us in every circumstance and able to redeem those moments for our great good.

Paul had an un-removed thorn in the flesh. Peter was crucified upside down. John was exiled on the island of Patmos. All of us know strong Christians who have received a difficult diagnosis. Sometimes God’s saints struggle with a difficult child or an unhappy marriage. Sometimes we enter a desert because of our own choices, but most of the time our deserts exist as a normal part of our journey to heaven.

There are at least three types of deserts, and it is helpful to know why we are crossing through a dry time:

• Is this just a normal part of our earthly journey?

• Are we there because God wants to discipline and help us make changes?

• Or, has God provided the desert time for direction or deliverance?

THE DESERTS OF DIRECTION

Most of us live fast-paced, full lives. As we age, we tend to replace speed with routine. There are a lot of ways to move through our lives that cause us to program out the voice and leadership of God. We know to pray and seek God when things aren’t going well, but it’s often the regular, routine parts of our lives that cause us to live according to our own thoughts and ideas rather than God’s.

It’s no surprise that God would lead us to a desert so he can break our routine and cause us to seek his leadership. The best way to avoid a few of those deserts is to live our lives knowing we have a constant, daily need for his voice. We only think we know our schedules this week. When we made Jesus our Lord, we gave him permission to interrupt our routines any time, for his good purpose.

If our lives are simply a product of our routine choices, we should probably pack our bags for a stay in the desert. If God can’t direct our paths, he will probably direct us to the desert. We often quote Proverbs 3:5-6 but have we allowed God’s word to mean what it says?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path” (Proverbs 3:5-6). This verse is written in a Rabbinic teaching method. The second part of the sentence is a restatement of the first. Here is why that matters:

Trusting in the Lord with all our hearts means that we do not lean on our own understanding.

Picture yourself on a bridge, with rushing water underneath. Some parts of the railing are fragile while others are secure. Don’t we want the maker of the bridge to tell us which parts of the railing are safe to lean on?

In all our ways, if we acknowledge that God is perfect and we aren’t, then we will allow him to direct our path. The key to that verse is the word “all.” Sometimes the routines of life cause us to keep doing things like we have always done them. We direct our own paths along what is familiar instead of allowing God to lead.

GOD’S PLAN TO DIRECT YOUR PATH

If God can’t direct your plans each day, he will likely lead you to a desert place until you understand your need for his leadership. A day-to-day routine or a life that is too programmed and rushed doesn’t allow God to call you to his work – the work that matters eternally.

If our lives are full of things that matter, but not the things that matter most, God will want to provide us with new directions.

Is God re-directing your career path? Is God re-directing your daily routine? Is God re-directing your friendships? Is God re-directing your priorities? Sometimes the Lord just needs you in another place for a certain amount of time because he has a job for you to do. Sometimes the Lord turns our lives in a completely different direction.

He often uses the desert times in our lives to “direct our paths.” What should we do during that time? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t lean on your understanding.”

If a committee had put together a plan to move the Israelites into the chosen land it is almost certain the members of the committee would not have chosen to cross when the waters were flooded. They would have leaned on their own understanding. Interestingly, the reason the people of Jericho were terrified of the Israelites when they arrived is because they had already heard about the power of their God.

God’s ways are perfect, but if you look at the bulk of Scripture, God’s plans are often outside the scope of men’s natural, reasoned choices. If our lives are limited to our choices, we are limiting what God wants to do through our lives. His direction matters eternally for us and for our witness to others.

THE DESERTS OF DELIVERANCE

Finally I want to talk about the desert times we need, that God provides. There are more of these times in our lives than I think we realize. Have you become “weary in well doing?” Have you been through a time of great grief, loneliness, sickness or of great service to God?

Sometimes we come to a time when we need significant rest, and God provides us a desert of deliverance.

God created us to need rest and therefore he provides us the time to rest when we need it. I love the verse from the prophet Isaiah that says, “For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song” (Isaiah 51:3).

One of the most important lessons from our desert times of life is the knowledge that God walks them with us providing comfort and all we need until we come to a place of thanksgiving and praise. Our desert times have a beginning and an end. More importantly, our desert times have a good purpose.

WHAT DESERTS DO YOU REMEMBER?

To close, we should ask God to remind us of the desert times in our own lives. It was probably difficult to praise him at first, but what did you learn? How did God deliver you from that time? Isn’t it interesting that we most often remember what God taught us, rather than why those times were difficult?

I think that is what God would have us know as we exit the desert time labeled “COVID.” We should try to remember what God taught us during those days.

My favorite verse for the desert times is from the prophet Isaiah. He wrote, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

God is always redeeming our deserts for a new purpose in our lives. It has been tough, and now, for most of us, it isn’t. God is working to make himself known in this world. God is providing a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. A few years ago we prayed for God to end the drought and he did. A year ago we prayed for God to end the plague of COVID and he did.

What are you praying for today?

Our desert times have a purpose because they were part of God’s plan. When you enter a desert time– and you will– take the journey with God. He brought you to that time for a reason, and his promise is to redeem it for your good, if you will walk that desert with his good purpose in mind. (From Romans 8:28).

May your journey forward be blessed with the comfort of God’s presence. He is good; all the time.