God Is Big Enough

If you have a problem at work that you need help solving, you don’t go to the lowest employee on the org chart. You go to the person who has the most power and authority you can get on your side. And, when you have that person firmly on your side, the size and scope of the problem aren’t nearly as intimidating as they were before you secured their support. When we look at the world around us, it’s hard not to be completely overwhelmed by the problems we see. Sometimes it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the problems just in our own lives. There’s a solution for this. When Habakkuk was feeling overwhelmed by the problems he was facing, he prayed and came away with a new perspective that was up to the task. Let’s talk about what he learned and what we can learn from him in this third part of our teaching series, Asking God Hard Questions.

God Is Big Enough

So, I was watching the Chiefs play the other night, and Mahomes was running from a defender who looked to be about three times his size and absolutely intent on sacking him. Now, Mahomes has been there a lot over his career, and has a remarkable knack for getting out of those kinds of situations unscathed. Mahomes ran out of the pocket and back about 10 yards toward the sideline. Then, just when it looked like he was going to get caught and brought down hard for a rather devastating sack…he was. Rather than throwing the ball away like he should have so we didn’t get hit with a huge loss on the play, he just held onto it and got tackled while he was all by himself. There wasn’t another Chief’s player within 10 yards of him. That meant there were lots of available guys in whose direction he could have thrown the ball just to throw it away and avoid the loss. But he didn’t. He just let himself get sacked. Meanwhile, I’m busy hollering at the screen, “Throw the ball!” 

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Digging in Deeper: Proverbs 13:6

“Righteousness guards people of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Graduation season is always an interesting time. The primary reason for this is that it gives us the chance to reflect on the parting words given to graduates by a whole variety of speakers. Every one of these invited guests is there to tell his or her audience the things they presumably need to know in order to experience success in life as they move on to their next chapter. Sometimes the advice is good and wise; sometimes less so. Sometimes the advice is fairly generic and bland, while other times it can generate reactions in the broader culture that are a bit…livelier. The graduation speech given by Harrison Butker, the superstar kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs seems to have fallen into this latter category. Let’s explore what he actually had to say, some of the ways the culture has reacted to it, and see what we can do with it.

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Morning Musing: Proverbs 17:28

“Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent – discerning, when he seals his lips.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Most mornings when I sit down to write, I have a pretty good idea of what I will be writing about. I make it a point to be in the Scriptures every day, and as I read and study, when something catches my eye, I write a little blurb that gives me enough to go on later. Those blurbs get saved in the notes section of my Bible app (the YouVersion Bible App whose website is here) and become the kernels of ideas that get fleshed out into blogs later. Sometimes what you are seeing on here is an idea I first had two or three weeks prior. Fridays, though, have become days to reflect more intentionally on where the Scriptures intersect with culture, usually in the form of a review of a recent TV series or movie I’ve watched. This morning I’m going to shake things up. While I am still planning on writing up a review of the latest Spider-Man movie, and had initially planned on that being today, this morning, I’m hopefully excited about NFL Playoff Football this weekend. Here are a few fun thoughts I’ve had this week with all of that in mind.

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Morning Musing: Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter

If there was ever a case to be made for a particular verse of the Bible being the official verse of sports, I think this one would win the prize. It seems like every professional athlete who is willing to publicly claim the name of Jesus makes sure to put this verse on something he wears to play. And snapped up out of its context, it seems to serve the purpose of sports well. But is there any more to it? 

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