Tag Archive - bible

Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor

March 3, 2010 in Humor, Religion with 10 Comments

In my Bible reading today, I read a verse that I believe proves that God indeed does have a sense of humor. Check out the pic of Exodus 34:1 below.

The part that makes me think God is ribbing Moses here are the words “which you broke.” God seems to be saying, “Ok, Moses. You had your little temper tantrum the other day, remember? I gave you two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments on them. You know, the rules that will be the foundation on which all of future civilizations’ laws will be based and you decided to chunk them down on the ground because you were mad. Way to go big guy.” (Don’t quote me on the above quote of God, please. I’m pretty sure those words are not inspired by the Holy Spirit).

What do you think? Does God have a sense of humor or not? What other verses prove it one way or another?

It Was Not the Season for Figs – Mark 11:13

February 9, 2010 in Religion with 1 Comment

Fig TreeDo you ever read something and a short phrase jumps out at you and just gnaws away at your brain? That happens to me a lot. Today as I was doing my daily Bible reading it happened again. I was reading in Mark and  the statement “It was not the season for figs” (Mark 11:13) captured my attention and wouldn’t let go, so I did some digging.

The context of the verse is that Jesus came to the fig tree looking for fruit but found none. It’s a symbolic judgment against the religious leaders of the day, in that they have the appearance of goodness but are lacking in what really matters. Mark points out that the fig tree had leaves but no fruit.

Typically this type of thing is easy for me to just take at face value, but the phrase “not the season for figs” really bothered me. Why would Jesus curse a tree if it was just doing what it was supposed to be doing, as in it wasn’t yet time for fruit to be there? Was Jesus being unreasonable?

Through a little bit of digging in some of my commentaries and resources I’ve come to this conclusion: When Jesus is present it’s time for action. The Jews of that day were not ready for Jesus and opposed his ministry. In the verses and chapter that follows this encounter with the fig tree, the religious leaders of the day are shown as being in conflict with Jesus. The fig tree is symbolic of them. They appear to righteous, but aren’t producing. They weren’t ready for the savior of the world to come. They wanted Jesus to act on their terms, but Jesus requires everyone to follow his plan.

All in all, Mark 11:13 probably isn’t the most controversial verse in the Bible, but for some reason I had to check it out deeper. This is why I love the Bible. Almost every time I read it God shows something new to me.

What’s a verse that’s bothered you lately?

Fig tree image courtesy of flickr user BigBlackBox


Finding God in Unexpected Places

February 5, 2009 in Religion with 0 Comments

What’s your theology of how God communicates to people? Do you believe that he only speaks to a select few? Do you believe that he has ceased speaking since we have the total sum of his thoughts in the Holy Bible? Do you believe he only communicates to people who love him?

I hadn’t really thought a whole lot about this. I’ve read a few books about finding truth in pop culture and movies, but didn’t really think about whether or not God actually speaks to people who don’t claim him as their God. I’ve been of the mindset that all truth, if it is indeed true, is God’s truth. If it’s true it will somehow point back to God.

Today, as I was doing my Bible reading, God made it clear to me that he speaks to people who don’t claim him as their God. Check out Genesis 31:24-30:

God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” … Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? … It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?”

I find that there are three things in this passage interesting. First, God spoke to Laban, who was not one of his chosen people. He was a heathen who worshipped foreign gods. Second, he obeyed God. Even though Laban didn’t recognize God’s authority, he refers to him as “Your God”, he obeyed his instructions and didn’t harm Jacob. And third, he didn’t change his lifestyle after this encounter with God. Notice at the end he talks about the idols as “my gods”. Just because God speaks to someone and they listen to his instructions doesn’t mean that they are going to change their life and follow him.

So, what does this mean for us today? We probably need to realize that those of us who are Christians don’t hold a monopoly over God’s communication with the world. God is the King over ALL creation and may choose to speak directly to people without asking us about it first. Especially considering how our culture has become very interested in spiritual matters, this is no doubt true today. Another thing to keep in mind is that people may have had an encounter with God, but that by no means guarantees that they will give their lives to him. Also, remember to evaluate EVERYTHING by the authority of Scripture. When God speaks he does not contradict himself.

Read the Bible!!!

November 25, 2008 in Religion with 0 Comments


Read the Bible from Kevin Rossen on Vimeo.

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