📖 It's right and wise

Have a Bible question, or a situation in your life you want a biblical perspective on? Submit it here to be answered in a future Bible Made Simple Newsletter edition.

I. Following Jesus is not just morally right, it is also pragmatically wise.

We should do what God says because what he says is right. But what he says is also good for us.

We should not steal because it is wrong, but also because it can get us into trouble, cause people to feel unsafe, and destabilize communities.

We should not commit adultery because it is wrong, but also because it ruins families, hurts kids, and harms the lives of many people.

We should not gossip because it is wrong, but also because it destroys relationships, breaks trust, and divides people.

God’s ways are right and good. Not necessarily easy, but they are the better way.

Jesus says he has come to give us life, and when we follow him and do what he says, we get to experience it.

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II. The way of Jesus is both caring for those in need and pursuing a life of holiness. James 1:27 says:

“Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

We should love and serve people while also fleeing sin. The Pharisees emphasized the latter, while many progressive voices emphasize the former.

God wants us to do both.

Doing one does not cancel out the need to do the other.

The way of Jesus is to do what is right and live holy lives. Pure and undefiled religion involves seeking to do both.

We should all follow Jesus in community.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says:

“24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

Listening to podcasts, personal Bible reading, and even Bible newsletters are great, but they should be a supplement to belonging to a local church community, not a replacement.

This week: Go to church this week. If you don’t have one, pick one to attend this Sunday. Commit yourself to a community where you can live out the way of Jesus.

David wasn’t a boy when he fought Goliath. In 1 Samuel 17, he’s called a “youth,” but that word can describe a young man, not just a child.

Three clues in the passage point in that direction:

1. He’s already working and traveling alone
He’s going back and forth between Saul and tending sheep (17:15). That suggests responsibility and maturity.

2. He has a track record of fighting predators
He says he killed a lion and a bear (17:34–36). That requires physical strength and hunting skill.

3. Saul’s concern was experience, not just age
In 1 Samuel 17:33, Saul calls him a “youth,” but that word can describe a young man, not just a child. Saul’s concern wasn’t simply David’s age, but that David was new to this, and Goliath had been doing this his whole life.

While David was younger than Goliath, the contrast is about experience vs. experience, not kid vs. adult.

David was likely in his late teen years when he fought Goliath. Young, but physically strong and already with some key life experiences.

When Breath Becomes air by Paul Kalanithi

A posthumously published memoir by neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi.

In this book, Paul shares his story of becoming a neurosurgeon, some of what it was like to perform his operations, and how he faced death after his terminal cancer diagnosis.

Because I am rather queasy, there were a few times I struggled with him describing some of his procedures, but it was still interesting to read nonetheless.

Ultimately, I enjoyed reading this book and learning about his story and perspective. Toward the end, there were a few pages on God and Christianity, which he didn't get quite right. However, it appears he did go to church at least on occasion, and I hope he met the risen Jesus, who is over life and death as we know it.

And there is sadness in reading the book as well, as the author had many decades of meaningful and helpful work as a neurosurgeon ahead of him that wasn’t fully realized.

Not a long read, and it invites self-reflection on the reader’s behalf to do what we don't often do in our culture: think about death.

8/10

P.S. I’m looking for a good hardback…