Dave Dishman

If there’s one piece of Biblical wisdom proven over and over through the years, it’s this—the inner life eclipses the outer.

Standing before a strapping young man, Samuel assumed he faced the next king of Israel. Instead, the Lord told him: People look at the outside appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Then along came David, who turned out to be a man after God’s own heart.

Fight the tyranny of first impressions. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in staying in shape, dressing nice and bathing regularly. But issues of character cannot be discerned by glances, or social media postings, or hearing the right phrases.

Only time, and the Lord, reveals the quality of our hearts.

I Samuel 16 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Hunters Race

Spectacular white blooms fill the flowering crabapple in our backyard. Caught in the wind, the petals look like snow. In another week, however, the last flowers will fall as spring emerges. The brevity of the beauty helps me pay particular attention to the display out my backdoor.

Like the flowers on my tree, the Bible reminds us of the passing nature of our lives:

Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.

A handbreadth measured the length across four fingers, roughly four inches. Our lives consist of the distance of a stumble, a mere sigh, a dot on the line of eternity.

Let the brevity move us to attentiveness. Enjoy the beauty. Engage with the people God puts around us. Turn off the screens (I’m preaching to myself) and experience the world.

I learned this little ditty years ago: Life is short, death is sure, sin’s the cause, but Christ’s the cure. Fleeting days lead to death—then life really begins. A connection with Jesus is the one vital detail not to miss during your handbreadth.

Psalm 39 in Through the Bible in 2023

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo

The Bible tells us stories of all sorts of people, from the rich and powerful to the lowly and overlooked. This is one thing I love about the book. A person’s story illustrates every principle taught within its covers.

In describing Peter’s miraculous escape from prison, Luke (the author of the account) highlighted Rhoda’s response. Not a church leader or powerful patron, Rhoda served food, cleaned the floors and most importantly, checked the door.

Peter awaited execution in a prison cell chained to his guards. Herod earlier put James to death and Peter stood next in line, just waiting for a trial to show off Herod’s power. But an angel intervened and led Peter from prison. After his release Peter walked to a house where he knew church members were praying. He knocked and Rhoda ran to answer the door.

When Rhoda recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” To which her companions responded, “You’re out of your mind!” After more wrangling they all decided to go outside where they found Peter, still knocking.

The thrill of a lost hero returned charged Rhoda with excitement and joy. I love this picture of happiness in the midst of a terrible time of persecution. The Lord revealed his ability to save first to Rhoda, and then to the rest of the church. I wonder if Rhoda, the lowliest member of the household, needed to understand this particular aspect of the Lord’s goodness?

God does not always save his saints from tyrants. Peter himself was later crucified under orders from Nero. But that night in Jerusalem the Lord acted on behalf of Peter, the early church, and Rhoda, the no longer overlooked servant.

Acts 12 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Martin Adams

After a massive wave of persecution scattered the young church in Jerusalem, followers of Jesus continued to spread his teachings wherever they landed. Instead of squelching the movement, the stomp on Jerusalem scattered live coals over the surrounding regions. Dry hearts caught fire.

One such place was Antioch, where a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. It was in Antioch (a city in present day Turkey, about 300 miles from Jerusalem) where the disciples of Jesus were first called Christians.

The locals meant Christian as a derisive term. They mocked the new believers. But the disciples of Jesus embraced the designation, much like early American colonists embraced Yankee Doodle Dandy, British slang turned into a proud nickname during the American revolution.

The term Christian gets drug through the mud today. Sometimes for wicked things done by those who claim to follow the ways of Jesus, but more often for adherence to the principles found in the Bible. The teachings of Jesus and Paul and the Prophets draw plenty of scorn in our cultural moment.

But the term, referring to a follower of Jesus the Christ, remains a welcome label. It points to a man or woman who chooses to submit to the direction and leadership of Jesus, who claims allegiance to the Christ above all else. Others proudly declare their status as Democrat or Republican, Socialist, Anarchist or Atheist. The disciple, however, inherits the moniker Christ-ian, one who seeks to embody the ways and teachings of Jesus.

Christian is not a term to wear loosely, but one to cinch on as part of your identity. Our world needs a lot of things, but for sure our world needs those who take the label Christian seriously, who soberly go about earning the appreciation, and at times the derision, that title bears.

Acts 11 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Austin Kirk