Did Job Pray to Angels?

I began my daily devotional reading today with Job, and right off the bat, something strange caught my attention:

All of ‘This’ Before Church?

Something I appreciate about Scripture is the perspective it gives me. Of the sixty-six books we call the Bible, nothing is quite like Job for helping someone regain perspective.

I was reading Job today and couldn’t help but laugh at myself.

It all began last week when I subscribed to Walmart+…

When an Inference Passes as a Fact

I like—no, I love—figuring things out. Unless it’s a puzzle inside an RPG (Role-Playing Game). I don’t love those because sometimes they are so abstract that I have no idea where to begin. Also, if I wanted to play a puzzle game, I’d play one instead of a game where I build a character from nothing and turn them into a hero. Still, for the most part, I enjoy deduction and coming up with solutions.

I’ve noticed that my tendency to “solve” things has contributed—usually—to a greater understanding of Scripture. For the most part, I think Scripture is straightforward, but as I’ve said before, there are “silences” in the text—places where it doesn’t tell us exactly what happened or didn’t happen. Often, we can infer meaning from the context, but not always.

In the legal system, there are two types of evidence: direct and circumstantial. Direct evidence might come from a witness who testifies, “It’s raining outside.” Circumstantial evidence, on the other hand, requires us to draw an inference: Bill enters the office soaking wet with an umbrella. It must be raining, right? Maybe not.

In Scripture, we frequently encounter “circumstantial” evidence that we treat as direct evidence. Consider this incident from Acts.

Are We Partners With God?

A concept I’ve heard tossed around over the years—one that appears to be gaining ground—is the idea of “partnering” with God. This concept likely comes from verses like this one:

For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:9 (NIV)

Of course, we can’t ignore what Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians:

As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

2 Corinthians 6:1 (NIV)

I don’t know about you, but this concept sounds amazing. Imagine working right alongside Jesus as we “go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything” Christ has “commanded” us (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV). That’s really cool. I’d say, “Where do I sign up?” if it weren’t so blasphemous and Scripturally inaccurate.