reasoning together

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Acts 15:1-35

The Jerusalem council convened for the purpose of dealing with an issue that had to be settled.  As the gospel spread by the believers into Gentile territory and among the Gentiles, there were bound to be questions as to how Jewish one had to become to accept Christ. Three authorities convened and reasoned together: the apostles, the elders, and representatives of the whole church.  Their answer was that it was not necessary to become Jewish, but it would be a good idea to abstain from some things that Jews considered especially defiling if you intended to fellowship with them, or win them to Christ.  This decision was helpful because it clarified the gospel essentials, and it also established a strategy for spreading it in Gentile lands.

LORD, give us the wisdom to reason together, allowing the Holy Spirit to help us make our message clear, and reach as many with that message as possible.

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Ground Worker

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Jefferson Vann
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Genesis 1:27 – 2:7

27 So God created humanity in his own image, he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Bear fruit and become many and fill the land and subdue it and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over everything alive that moves on the land.”

29 And God said, “See, I have given you every plant producing seed that is on the face of all the land, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

30 And to every beast of the land and to every bird of the sky and to everything that creeps on the land, everything that has a living soul in it, I have given all flora for food.” And it became that way.

31 And God saw everything that he had made, and see, it was very good. And after evening was over and morning came, the sixth day was completed.

2:1 So the sky and the land were finished, and all the army of them.

2 Then on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he ceased on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it special, because on it God ceased from all his work that he had done by creating.

4 This is the story of the sky and the land when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the land and the sky.

5 Before any bush of the field was in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up- because the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no person to work the ground,

6 and a mist was regularly ascending from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground-

7 then the LORD God formed the first man from dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and that man became a living soul. _________________________________________

Ground Worker

The creation account describes a God who desired someone who could share his work, reflect his character, and care for the land he had made. The world was not created to run on its own, nor was it meant to be tended by creatures incapable of understanding its value. The LORD wanted a creature who could recognize beauty, cultivate goodness, and invest in the earth in ways that mirrored divine intention. The land was designed to flourish under wise stewardship, and God desired a steward who could love creation with something of the same affection and purpose that flows from his own heart.

To accomplish this, God formed Adam from the adamah—the ground. The connection between the words is deliberate. Humanity is tied to the soil, bound to the earth from which the body was shaped. The same material that forms mountains, rivers, and fields was gathered to form the first human. This grounding in creation means that humanity belongs within the created order, not above it as a rival to God, nor beneath it as something insignificant. Humanity is part of the world God made, crafted from the same elements that make up the universe.

But the physical form was not enough. Into that body God breathed the breath of life. This breath did not arise from the earth; it came directly from the Creator. Human life is therefore both earthly and divine in origin—earth shaped by God’s hands, animated by God’s own breath. This combination gives humanity a unique role. Life is not self-generated or self-owned. It is a gift, imparted by the One who alone possesses life in himself.

Because life comes from God, it carries purpose. Humanity was not created merely to exist, but to participate in God’s intentions for the world. The breath of life was given so that humanity could think, choose, create, and act in ways that reflect the Creator’s wisdom and goodness. The stewardship of the land, the cultivation of its fruitfulness, and the care of its creatures are all expressions of this purpose. Human life is meant to be aligned with the will of the One who gave it.

The formation from the ground and the gift of breath together reveal a profound truth: humanity is designed to live in relationship with both creation and Creator. The earth provides the material context for human work, while God provides the life and purpose that make that work meaningful.

Divine Creator, help us to love this planet as you do. Give us wisdom to invest ourselves in ways that make the world fruitful and show its glory.

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Family Shame

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Jefferson Vann
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Matthew 1:6-11

6 and Jesse father of David the king. And David was father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

7 and Solomon father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam father of Abijah, and Abijah father of Asaph,

8 and Asaph father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat father of Joram, and Joram father of Uzziah,

9 and Uzziah father of Jotham, and Jotham father of Ahaz, and Ahaz father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah father of Manasseh, and Manasseh father of Amos, and Amos father of Josiah,

11 and Josiah father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

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Family Shame

Matthew’s genealogy is more than a list; it is a quiet testimony to the way God works through real human history, with all its fractures, failures, and unexpected turns. Every name represents a life lived in the tension between faith and frailty. Some of those lives shine with obedience, but many are marked by deep wounds, moral collapse, or spiritual confusion. The lineage of the Messiah is not a gallery of flawless saints. It is a cross‑section of humanity in all its complexity.

David’s name stands out immediately. His reign was glorious, but his darkest moment is not hidden. The king who wrote psalms of devotion also orchestrated adultery and murder. The genealogy does not sanitize his story. It remembers him as the one who fathered Solomon “by the wife of Uriah,” a deliberate reminder of the sin he tried to conceal. The royal line carries both his greatness and his guilt.

Hezekiah appears as one of Judah’s most faithful kings, a man who trusted God in crisis. Yet even he faltered. When told his life was ending, he pleaded for more years. God granted his request, but the extended years produced a son whose reign nearly destroyed the nation. Manasseh, born during that added time, plunged Judah into idolatry, violence, and spiritual ruin. His legacy became a symbol of how far a heart can drift from God.

These stories raise a profound question: why would God weave such brokenness into the ancestry of his Son? The genealogy itself offers the answer. It reveals a God who does not distance himself from human failure. Instead, he steps directly into it. The Messiah comes through a line that includes adulterers, idolaters, deceivers, foreigners, and the deeply flawed. The family tree of Jesus is a declaration that divine grace is not reserved for the spotless. It reaches into the mess of human history and works redemption from within.

This heritage shows that shame does not disqualify anyone from God’s purposes. The presence of these names in the line of Christ proclaims that God’s love is not conditioned on perfection. He enters the world through a lineage marked by sin to bring salvation to people marked by the same. The genealogy becomes a quiet invitation to trust that God is willing to dwell with humanity as it truly is—wounded, imperfect, and in need of mercy.

God of grace, thank you for the way you have shown your love by not requiring that we measure up to your standards before you made your entrance. Thank you for emerging in history among the broken. We invite you into our broken lives.

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Everything has a purpose

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Jefferson Vann
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Genesis 1:14-26

14 And God said, “Let luminaries show in the divider of the sky to separate the day from the night. And let them serve as signs and distinguish seasons, and days and years,

15 and let them serve as lights in the divider of the sky to give light upon the land.” And it became that way.

16 And God made the two large luminaries- the larger luminary to influence the day and the lesser luminary to influence the night- and he also made the stars.

17 And God set them in the divider of the sky to light the land,

18 to influence the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God approved.

19 After evening was over and morning came, the fourth day was completed.

20 And God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living souls, and let birds fly above the land across the divider of the sky.”

21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living soul that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let birds multiply on the land.”

23 And After evening was over and morning came, the fifth day was completed.

24 And God said, “Let the land bring forth living souls according to their kinds- livestock and creeping things and animals of the land according to their kinds.” And it became that way.

25 And God made the animals of the land according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God approved.

26 Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image, after our likeness. And let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the land and over every creeping thing that creeps on the land.” _________________________________________

Everything has a purpose

Intelligent design is more than an abstract idea or a philosophical position to defend. It is a way of seeing the world that recognizes intention woven into the fabric of creation. The universe is not a random collection of objects drifting without meaning. It is a place filled with purpose, structure, and order. Every created thing carries the imprint of intention. Nothing exists by accident, and nothing functions without meaning. The world is a work shaped by wisdom, not a product of chance.

The stars offer one example of this purposeful design. They were not scattered across the heavens without thought. They were placed to illumine the night, to mark seasons, and to stir wonder in the human heart. Their light has guided travelers, inspired worship, and reminded generations that creation is vast and ordered. Their presence speaks of a Designer who delights in beauty and who provides what creation needs.

The living creatures that fill the earth also reveal intention. The souls of animals were not placed here merely to occupy space. They were entrusted to humanity as part of a larger design. Their presence calls for care, stewardship, and compassion. Humanity was shaped to be a caretaker, not a conqueror. The relationship between humans and animals reflects a deeper truth: creation is interconnected, and each part has a role in sustaining the whole.

Humanity itself bears the clearest mark of design. The capacity to nurture, protect, and cultivate is not an evolutionary accident. It is a calling embedded in human nature. The impulse to tend gardens, raise children, heal the wounded, and shelter the vulnerable arises from the purpose for which humanity was formed. To be a caregiver is not merely a moral choice; it is an expression of design.

This understanding of intelligent design invites reflection on the meaning of existence. If creation is intentional, then life is not meaningless. If creatures and stars and human beings were shaped with purpose, then the world is a place where significance is built into every corner. Intelligent design becomes not only an explanation of origins but a lens through which to understand responsibility. The world is entrusted to human hands, and the care given to it reflects the recognition that everything has value because everything was made with intention.

God of creation, thank you for the wisdom woven into the world, for the purpose given to all things, and for the calling placed upon humanity to care for what has been made.

Divine Creator, help us to understand and live out your intelligent design for our lives.

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Family History

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Jefferson Vann
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Matthew 1:1-5

1 A record of the family history of Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, a descendant of Abraham.

2 Abraham was father of Isaac, and Isaac was father of Jacob, and Jacob was father of Judah and his brothers,

3 and Judah was father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez was father of Hezron, and Hezron was father of Ram,

4 and Ram was father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was father of Nahshon, and Nahshon was father of Salmon,

5 and Salmon was father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz was father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed was father of Jesse,

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Family History

Matthew’s opening genealogy reflects a deliberate and thoughtful act of faith. As a follower of Jesus, he was convinced of the identity of the Christ, yet he did not treat faith as something fragile or threatened by historical inquiry. Instead, he understood that the God who acts in salvation also acts in history. For Matthew, tracing the lineage of Jesus was not an exercise in skepticism but an exploration of how God had been weaving His purposes through generations. Faith and history were not rivals. They were companions that illuminated one another.

What Matthew uncovered strengthened his confidence in God’s long, patient work. The family line of Jesus was not a pristine chain of saints but a tapestry of ordinary, flawed, surprising people through whom God advanced His promises. The story stretched back to Abraham, the man chosen to become a blessing to all nations. In Jesus, Matthew saw the fulfillment of that ancient promise. The blessing that began with one man was now reaching its intended goal in the One who would bring salvation to the world.

The genealogy also passed through Jacob, a man marked by deception and struggle. Jacob’s story testified that God does not abandon those who are imperfect. Instead, God shapes them, confronts them, and transforms them into instruments of His purpose. By including Jacob, Matthew highlighted that the Messiah entered a human story touched by weakness, yet redeemed by grace.

Ruth appeared in the lineage as well—a foreigner, a widow, a woman with no earthly claim to prominence. Her presence in the genealogy revealed the wideness of God’s mercy. She was welcomed, redeemed, and woven into the royal line because God delights in rescuing and elevating the humble. Her story foreshadowed the inclusive grace that Jesus Himself would embody.

David, the great king, stood as another pillar in the ancestry of Christ. Though deeply flawed, he was called a man after God’s own heart. God promised him a descendant whose kingdom would never end. Matthew recognized that Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise, the eternal King who would reign with justice and mercy.

This genealogy became more than a list of names. It was a testimony to God’s faithful involvement in human history and in human families. It affirmed that God works through the noble and the broken, the insiders and the outsiders, the faithful and the flawed.

God of history, thank you for the love shown in generations past, for the ways you have entered our own stories, and for the grace that shapes who we are. Inspire us to grow into what you intend us to become.

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The God who forms the unformed, and fills the unfilled

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

111413Genesis 1:1-13

1 At first, God created the sky and the land,

2 but the land was unformed and unfilled, and the deep space was dark, and God’s spirit was shaking up the water.

3 Then God said, “Let light be,” and there was light,

4 and God approved of the light. God separated the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. After evening was over and morning came, the first day was completed.

6 Then God said, “Let a divider be placed in the midst of the water, and let it separate the water above from the water below.”

7 so God made the divider and separated the water that was under the divider from the water that was over the divider. And it became that way.

8 God called the divider “sky.” After evening was over and morning came, the second day was completed.

9 Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And it became that way.

10 God called the dry ground Land, and the water that had been gathered together he called Seas, and God approved.

11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout flora: plants producing seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the land.” And it became that way.

12 The land produced flora: plants producing seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, and God approved.

13 After evening was over and morning came, the third day was completed.

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The God who forms the unformed, and fills the unfilled

God could have spoken the universe into existence in a single, instantaneous act. Scripture affirms that nothing is too hard for him and that his power does not require process, sequence, or time. Yet the creation account unfolds slowly, almost gently, with God dividing, separating, shaping, and filling. This deliberate rhythm reveals something about his character and his purpose. Creation is not merely a display of power; it is a revelation of intention. By forming the world step by step, God shows delight in order, beauty, and harmony. Each act of separation—light from darkness, waters above from waters below, land from sea—establishes structure. Each act of filling—sun, moon, stars, birds, fish, animals, and finally humanity—reveals generosity. The universe is crafted, not merely produced.

This pattern becomes a parable of God’s work in human lives. Humanity was created good, yet unfinished. The first humans possessed life, but not the fullness of the life God intended to give. They were made in God’s image, yet still destined to grow into his likeness. God formed beings who required shaping, beings who would need his wisdom, his presence, and his transforming power. Just as the early creation was formless and empty before God’s ordering word filled it with meaning, so human beings carry within themselves an emptiness that only God can satisfy.

That emptiness is not an accident. It is part of the design. Mortality itself is woven into the human condition as a reminder that life is not self-sustaining. The breath of life was given, not possessed. The return to dust exposes the limits of human strength and the futility of self-reliance. Mortality becomes a teacher, pointing beyond itself to the One who alone has immortality and who alone can bestow eternal life.

God’s longing is not simply to preserve existence but to complete what he began. The same God who shaped the world in stages is shaping a people for himself. The same God who filled the void with light and life desires to fill the human heart with his Spirit, his righteousness, and his eternal life. The slow, patient work of creation mirrors the slow, patient work of redemption. What God approves of is not the raw material but the finished work. And the finished work is a humanity transformed, perfected, and made alive forever by the One who delights to give life without end.

Holy Spirit, shake us up, and shape us into something that you approve of. Fill our empty lives with your eternal life.

Posted in creation, eternal life, Holy Spirit | Tagged | 1 Comment

whatever became of…

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

IMG_1150Acts 12

These stories are amazing, and Luke puts them together in such a way that readers can be carried away in their imagining.  They speak of God’s intervention against the “violent hands” of a human ruler.  Incidentally, they also explain why Herod’s persecution ended, and why Peter wound up in Caesarea.  Aside from his speech at the council in Acts 15, this is the last mention of Peter’s name in Acts.  The spotlight is on Paul and his missionary band from now on.

LORD, thank you for your miraculous preservation of our lives for as long as we need it, until our work for you is done.  We trust you to protect us from violent hands.

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you shall see

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

111313Malachi 3:13-4:6

The final dispute in this arbitration that has been going on is found in these verses, the last in the Old Testament.  The LORD accuses his people of speaking hard, harsh words against him.  What are the hard words?  “It is vain to serve God.”  The LORD’s response to those words is this: he promises a day that will burn like an oven and destroy the wicked, leaving them neither root nor branch.  Only those who fear the LORD will be spared on that day. Their names are recorded in his book of remembrance. On that day, all the others who complained will see that serving the LORD was not vain, or empty. 

LORD, we plead with you, not to let us rest until we have reconciled with you.  We stand condemned before your judgment.  Rescue us through Christ.

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The last three years have been great. I have learned a lot reading through the Bible and writing a short devotional for each passage, going through the entire ESV text.  As a result, I plan to publish an electronic devotional commentary for those who prefer reading the posts that way.

All of the devotions are still available on this blog site through a blog search, either by category, or by chapter (tags).

Now, it’s time for the next challenge.  For the next ten years I plan to read through the whole Bible in the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, writing both a nuanced translation, and a short devotional for each passage.  I plan to alternate OT and NT texts, and to cover about 13 OT  verses or 5 NT verses each day. That way, I will have covered the whole Bible in ten years (2014-2023).  You are invited to join me in this adventure.

Jefferson Vann

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robbing God

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

111213Malachi 3:1-12

The arbitration continues between the LORD and his people, with Malachi as the go-between.  It is now the LORD’s turn to voice his complaints and hear the people’s response.  But before the Lord voices a complaint, he expresses his desire to see reconciliation. To that end, he plans to send his messenger, who will refine and purify – particularly the priesthood and the temple.  The New Testament identifies this messenger as John the Baptist (Matt. 11:10-11).

The LORD’s complaint he voices in this formal dispute is that the people have turned aside from his statutes and have not kept them, thus nullifying the covenant.  He pleads with them to return to the covenant, and to him.  The people ask how they should return. God says that they have been robbing him.  They ask “how have we robbed you?”  The LORD’s reply: “in your tithes and contributions.”  The LORD does not need the offerings, but the people need to give them because giving declares the relationship.  Refusal to give declares that the relationship is unimportant or severed.

LORD, make us cheerful givers, because we have a relationship with you, and because the world is watching to see if we put our money where our mouth is.

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transitions

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

IMG_1236Acts 10-11:18

Acts records a number of transitions as the disciples move out into new territory, and old ways are discarded for new.  Old boundaries are forsaken as the apostles follow the Holy Spirit and obey his promptings.  But all along the way – as this passage demonstrates – the Holy Spirit makes it clear through numerous happenings – that the transitions are from Him.  We should not be afraid of innovation and change as long as we are sure that the changes are prompted by God in order to get his message to the people who need him.

LORD, when you call us to change, help us to be sensitive to what you want.

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