Concordia Adult Bible Class

In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that none of his wise men can interpret for him. Daniel offers to interpret the king’s dream, but before God reveals to Daniel its meaning! All Daniel can do is trust and pray that God will give him the wisdom that he needs. When things are uncertain in our lives, do we trust and pray that God will give us what we need?

In order to learn from mistakes, a coach will often have his team watch the tape of their last game. This way, they can study and learn how to do better next time. We too are to “watch God’s tape” – that is, God’s Word – so that we can understand our mistakes and serve our Lord well. As Joshua reminds us, we are to “be careful to do everything written in [God’s Word]” (Joshua 1:8). As we celebrate the Reformation, we are reminded to be people who read, mark, and inwardly digest God’s precious truth.

Professional teams live with salary caps. This way, one team cannot radically outspend another. We too live with salary caps. God has given us much, but He has not given us everything. Our challenge is to be generous with what God has given us not only when it feels good, but when it becomes hard.

A superstar may be good for a franchise’s bottom line, but it is rarely good for a team. Teams play together to lift each other up. As Christians, we are on Christ’s team. We must play together and serve each other. This is why one of the fundamental facets of Jesus’ ministry, as Jesus Himself describes it, is service. He has come to serve us. In the pattern of Jesus, we too are to serve others. Service teaches us humility and reminds us that what is most important is not found in our accomplishments, but in our selflessness.

When you’re on the field, you have tune out the roar of the crowd to focus on the game. When life roars at us, we need similar focus. This is why, when Job loses everything, his friends come to him not to speak, but to sit in silence with him. Silence allows us to listen to God and guards us from confusing God’s Word with our words. It also allows us to demonstrate, as Job’s friends do, empathy with someone – not explaining their pain, but being with them through their pain.

Just as important as playing hard is resting well. We need rest to replenish ourselves. This is why the Bible commands us to Sabbath. But Sabbath is not only a command, but a blessing. To legalistic religious leaders who had turned the Sabbath into a burden rather than a blessing, Jesus restores the Sabbath’s appropriate place as a gift of time to rest and relax. Are we taking advantage of this?

What you eat before the big game is important. Similarly, what you eat in your walk with God is vital. This is why the Bible suggests fasting. Fasting teaches us to control our desires and reminds us that we rely on God’s providence to meet all our needs. It also reminds us that the best bread is not the bread that feeds our bodies, but the bread of life that feeds our souls.

Before a team hits the field, they will often gather to pray. This prayer helps reorient them on what matters most. How much time do you spend huddling with God in prayer? Martin Luther explained, “Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church: it is a goodly Christian’s weapon.” Prayer is so important to Jesus that He not only tells us that we should pray, He goes so far as to specifically teach us how to pray.

Threading the Needle

Adultery is often justified by excuses. “My marriage has grown cold.” “This lover is my soul mate.” “God wouldn’t want me to be happy.” But no excuse can justify adultery. What we need are not excuses. What we need is forgiveness.

When someone “please the fifth,” they are refusing to speak about a particular incident because what they say may wind up being incriminating. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus looks at the Fifth Commandment and pleads with us that we follow it not only in our actions, but in our hearts.

Some of the best moments in life are the spontaneous ones. On Father’s Day, we give thanks for fathers and their sometimes spontaneous antics that can remind us all that we need to be free to sometimes take on unplanned opportunities in life – for these unplanned opportunities can be life-changing.