Joh 7:34 “You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”

Why will some who seek Jesus not find Him? Because their aim in “seeking” is to dominate and gain control over Him. They want their will to be done and, by default, displace His authority in their lives. For example, earlier in the same chapter, they Jews intended to kill Him! (Joh 7:1)

Those who pursue Jesus with an agenda may find that He becomes elusive, and His will becomes difficult to ascertain. In contrast, those who seek Jesus to be with Him… to be led, directed, and guided by Him… will find Him readily!

De 4:29 “You will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

One day, every believer who’s lived with hair loss will stand in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His glorious light, where hairstyles become meaningless and insignificant! Until then, however, the following is given to bridge the gap of understanding between believers with hair and those without.

Cons to hair loss

• Head sunburns easily, then looks gross when it peels
• Wearing a hat leads people to believe you’re insecure about your hair loss and are trying to hide it; but that’s not the case… really… it isn’t
• Collisions with cabinet doors occur without cushioning
• Hairstyles are fewer, but are more difficult to manage
• Hair growth on other areas of the body are accentuated, by comparison
• Becomes a means for identification – “Yeah, he’s the bald guy over there.”
• Weight gain is rewarded with a new identification – “Yeah, he’s the fat, bald guy over there.”

Pros to hair loss

• n/a (anyone who says otherwise is telling a bald-faced lie)

Consolation concerning hair loss

• The following verse is God’s gift to believers endeavoring to serve Him to the fullest while living with hair loss:

2Ki 2:23 Then [the prophet, Elisha] went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”
24 So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

So, be kind to your bald brethren.

Or else…

In reference to iLove leads to iSolation

Where there’s iLove (self-love), iSolation will follow in the heart toward others, in addition to being alienated by others (and God).

This happens because, as the individual falls more in love with himself, he begins to regard his peers less. He becomes superior; they become inferior. The iSolation is his doing, and his equals become fewer and fewer.

Worse, left uncrucified, iLove will authorize any and every action, even those which cross the line of morality or legality. Authority is replaced with iThority.

That said: Rather than perpetuate iLove by seeking and justifying “a better, more enhanced (‘i’) experience”, instead…

• Be content with your present “experience”

Heb 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

• Seek opportunities to give to others in lieu of keeping for self (hint: try blessing someone with the “i” experience you planned on giving to yourself)

Ac 20:35 “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”

• Find and “experience” Life (Joh 14:6) through self-sacrifice

Mt 10:39 “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

†

Jas 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

2Ti 3:1 ¶ But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

The iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iTunes are appealing and innovative products, and they’ve been marketed brilliantly to promise a captivating, individual, “i” experience.

It shouldn’t surprise us that the “i” concept has caught on. Why wouldn’t it? It appeals and caters to our self-centered, human nature. Cool products, for sure; but a pretty ego-centric concept, to say the least!

In addition to the Apple products mentioned, following are some other “i”-centered experiences, gleaned from 2Ti 3:1-5 (above). These find an association to another “apple” (fruit) product, consumed some years ago in the Garden of Eden:

• iLove
• iGreed
• iBoast
• iProud
• iBlaspheme
• iDisobedient
• iUnthankful
• iUnholy
• iUnloving
• iUnforgiving
• iSlander
• iUncontrollable
• iBrutal
• iDespise
• iTraitor
• iHeadstrong
• iHaughty
• iNarcissistic
• iDenying
• iSolation

The lesson, of course, is that “iLove” (self-love) leads to “iSolation” (isolation). This makes sense: Who wants to be around a person who’s in love with himself and his “i”-centered experiences? People don’t, and neither does God (Lk 13:27)!

Instead, let’s adopt some Jesus-centered “i” experiences. Here’s a short list of 10:

1. iCrucified
2. iEncourage
3. iFaithful
4. iFollow
5. iGive
6. iHumble
7. iOthers
8. iServant
9. iSubmit
10. iTernalLife (ok, Eternal Life)

Joh 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

One day way back in the ’80s I spent some time looking up the number of chapters in the Bible. The total, as well as the number per book, was needed to create a “custom” reading plan (something a little different from what was readily available). It was a fun project and, though I’ve found the information duplicated in planners and now on the internet, the exercise acquainted me with my Bible since I had to go through it book-by-book. Valuable.

Since then I’ve continued to reference the information more than I would’ve anticipated, and have opted to include it in RockinTheWord for quick access online. Following is the list of Books, with their typical abbreviations, ordered by number (which is handy for organization of notes and studies – eg: n19 = Hebrews, the 19th book of the NT).

The Old Testament: 39 Books – 929 Chapters

1. Genesis (Ge): 50
2. Exodus (Ex): 40
3. Leviticus (Le): 27
4. Numbers (Nu): 36
5. Deuteronomy (De): 34
6. Joshua (Jos): 24
7. Judges (Jg, Jud): 21
8. Ruth (Ru): 4
9. 1st Samuel (1Sa): 31
10. 2nd Samuel (2Sa): 24
11. 1st Kings (1Ki): 22
12. 2nd Kings (2Ki): 25
13. 1st Chronicles (1Ch): 29
14. 2nd Chronicles (2Ch): 36
15. Ezra (Ezr): 10
16. Nehemiah (Ne, Neh): 13
17. Esther (Es): 10
18. Job: 42
19. Psalms (Ps): 150
20. Proverbs (Pr): 31
21. Ecclesiastes (Ec): 12
22. Song of Songs/Solomon (Song): 8
23. Isaiah (Isa): 66
24. Jeremiah (Jer): 52
25. Lamentations (La, Lam): 5
26. Ezekiel (Eze): 48
27. Daniel (Da, Dan): 12
28. Hosea (Ho, Hos): 14
29. Joel (Joe): 3
30. Amos (Am): 9
31. Obadiah (Ob): 1
32. Jonah (Jon): 4
33. Micah (Mic): 7
34. Nahum (Na, Nah): 3
35. Habakkuk (Hab): 3
36. Zephaniah (Zep): 3
37. Haggai (Hag): 2
38. Zechariah (Zec): 14
39. Malachi (Mal): 4

The New Testament: 27 Books – 260 Chapters

1. Matthew (Mt): 28
2. Mark (Mr, Mk): 16
3. Luke (Lu, Lk): 24
4. John (Joh, Jn): 21
5. Acts (Ac): 28
6. Romans (Ro, Rom): 16
7. 1st Corinthians (1Co): 16
8. 2nd Corinthians (2Co): 13
9. Galatians (Ga, Gal): 6
10. Ephesians (Eph): 6
11. Philippians (Php): 4
12. Colossians (Col): 4
13. 1st Thessalonians (1Th): 5
14. 2nd Thessalonians (2Th): 3
15. 1st Timothy (1Ti): 6
16. 2nd Timothy (2Ti): 4
17. Titus (Tit): 3
18. Philemon (Phm): 1
19. Hebrews (Heb): 13
20. James (Jas): 5
21. 1st Peter (1Pe): 5
22. 2nd Peter (2Pe): 3
23. 1st John (1Jo): 5
24. 2nd John (2Jo): 1
25. 3rd John (3Jo): 1
26. Jude: 1
27. Revelation (Re, Rev): 22

Pr 13:4 ¶ The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

“Giant Steps” is a 1960 composition by tenor saxophonist John Coltrane. It’s an incredible piece, and many jazz musicians like to cover it, but not without having “honed their chops” with a lot of practice and performance. Playing “Giant Steps” well is a matter of God-given ability coupled with disciplined and diligent “smaller steps”.

Disciplined and diligent steps of faith, accomplished in God’s supernatural strength, likewise prepare the way for giant steps tomorrow.

Mt 25:21 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

The following (ordered alphabetically, because one’s not more important than another) is intended to serve as a basic checklist to self-evaluate faithfulness “over a few things” (ie “small steps”), and ought to be reviewed with frequent regularity:

• Confessing trespasses & praying for one another?

Jas 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

• Fellowshipping consistently?

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

• Forgiving as God forgave?

Eph 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

• Giving?

Lu 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

• Serving others?

1Pe 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. [NIV]

• Studying the Word?

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. [KJV]

• Thanking God?

1Th 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Doing these faithfully can be difficult and overwhelming; however, don’t lose heart, but remember…

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

OK – so let’s step out in faith!

The way someone follows in a car caravan speaks volumes about them – their personality, diligence, consideration, and attentiveness among other things.

Do they lag behind, allow cars to get in between, cruise in different lanes, get caught behind traffic lights? Or do they follow behind closely, anticipating lane changes, not allowing for any chance of separation? To someone in a lead car, a good follower is like a friend and a brother!

I’ve found that good caravan-ers tend to be good followers overall. They respect the leader by staying in close proximity, being ready for changes, doing what they can to make life easier for everyone. Not coincidentally, they tend to be good leaders, too. Their consideration and respect translates to being reasonable, consistent, and conscientious, getting everyone who follows to their destination without incident.

Over the years “the caravan test” has served to be a pretty useful indicator of one’s ability to follow and, subsequently, to lead. Simply put: If a person has a problem following in a caravan, then they may have a problem following a minister, a ministry, and even the Lord – not always, but more often than not. Faithfulness in the little things, even as it applies to following, cannot be overstated.

Lu 16:10 “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

Just as Jesus would abide in the Father, and Moses would seek God’s face on the mountain and in the tabernacle, and King David would humble himself in the Word and prayer, so are excellent Christian leaders first, and foremost, faithful followers – tenacious followers!

Once, when sharing about “the caravan test”, a visitor from a local ministry came to me afterward and declared outrightly that he did not agree with my assessment. His disagreement was not accompanied with an explanation – just disagreement. Later, however, he requested specific directions to our scheduled restaurant destination, since he preferred to go on ahead. Without realizing it, he just revealed his leadership style.

Ru 1:16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.

Ps 63:8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

Why, of all the English Bible translations, do I prefer and teach from the New King James Version (NKJV)?

First, a disclaimer…

“No translation of the Word of God can have an absolute or definitive status. The final appeal must always be to the original languages, in the traditional Hebrew and Greek texts.” [Trinitarian Bible Society Doctrine of Holy Scripture, pg 6, note 3]

The NKJV, along with the King James Version (KJV) / Authorized Version (AV), differs from most modern translations (ESV, NIV, NAS, RSV, TLB, etc) by using the Textus Receptus (Latin: “Received Text”) for its New Testament source.

• Textus Receptus does not have the omissions or edits found in the Alexandrian text edited by Westcott & Hort in 1881
• The Alexandrian text’s Codices (Vaticanus and Sinaiticus), believed to be “older and more reliable”, are thought by others to have been removed from use, literally shelved, due to textual corruption, explaining their survival over the centuries
• Omitted (but very familiar) verses from most modern translations include… Mt 17:21, 18:11, 23:14, Mk 11:26, 15:28, 16:9-20, Lk 17:36, Jn 7:53-8:11, Ac 8:37
• “List of Major Textual Variants in the New Testament” includes a partial list of omitted and edited verses related to most modern translations.

Further “practical” reasons for using NKJV:

• Easily understandable (non-archaic) English, yet stylistically similar to traditionally used KJV
• Formal Equivalence = literal, word-for-word translation
• Cross references easily with the KJV and associated study tools (eg Strong’s Concordance)
• Verse-number formatting, instead of paragraph formatting, maintains every verse is given individual prominence and won’t be “lost” in a paragraph. NOTE: Most modern translations are paragraph formatted. Consequently, omitted and edited verses become less noticeable and are only referenced in a footnote.

Concluding points:

• While the NKJV is the Bible translation I use, its use is not exclusive. I’ll regularly cross-reference other translations for additional perspectives and insights into a verse’s meaning. The goal, of course, is to understand the meaning of a verse so that it can be faithfully applied!
• We can be thankful for the general reliability of the English Bible translations available today. However, even if the translations were found to be unreliable, there’s no alibi for not understanding the Creator when He’s provided a Communication. In fact, the responsibility to understand His Word, even if the original languages are different from our own, rests squarely upon its recipients. Thank God that He’s a loving God and has broadcast His Word in a myriad of ways!

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Following a 14-day winter storm in the Mediterranean, the Apostle Paul and 275 others washed ashore Malta:

Ac 28:1 ¶ Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta.
2 And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.
3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4 So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.”
5 But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.

Though Paul likely suffered a sting from the viper fastening on his hand, in response he just “shook it off”.

He knew God was delivering him to Rome:

Ac 23:11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

And he was, no doubt, acquainted with Jesus’ words regarding the Great Commission:

Mr 16:18 “they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

When Paul “shook off” the viper and survived, the next sequence of events followed as a direct result:

Ac 28:6 However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.
7 In that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days.
8 And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.
9 So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.
10 They also honored us in many ways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary.

Paul received new found respect from the natives (formerly regarding him as “a murderer”, in their eyes he was now “a god” – v4,6)

Paul & company were received and entertained by a leading island citizen named Publius (v7), who later became known as St Publius, bishop of Malta

Paul healed Publius’ father of fever and dysentery (v8)

Paul healed the rest of those on the island who had diseases (v9)

Paul & company were honored in many ways (v10)

Insights and Applications:

1. “Viper Bites” can sting, but they can also be shaken off as a result of faith in God’s word
2. Continuing faithfully when “Viper Bites” occur may open previously inaccessible ministry opportunities
3. Respect and honor are bestowed upon the faithful and his company

Ge 3:14 ¶ So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

Ever heard a Christian say, “What we’re doing must be right since we’re under such spiritual attack!”? On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 I thought about this, wondering if the logic holds true. The question came to mind: Have we, as a nation, really been doing so ‘right’ that it would provoke a terrorist attack? I’m not so sure.

What if, instead of “affirming righteousness” by allowing a trial, God actually intended to reveal shortcomings and imperfections? Glorying in self-righteousness wouldn’t be the end, but brokenness, repentance, humility, and reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Now of this, I’m very sure!

Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.