Series: Application

July 13, 2020

David Faust

Application for July 19: Courage for Ordinary Folks

By David Faust Three times in four verses, the Lord told Joshua to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6-9). Joshua needed courage to step into the shoes previously occupied by Moses, lead the Israelites through the flooded Jordan River, and overcome Jericho’s fortified walls. Courage brings to mind military heroes like the troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. It makes us think of brave adventurers like Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, or John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth (and who flew into space again at

July 7, 2020

David Faust

Application for July 12: Make the Most of Your Co-Opportunities

By David Faust Last year I visited the island of Patmos. This cluster of rocky hills off the Turkish coast marks the spot where John “was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 1:9). In the first century, government officials sent political offenders to remote locations like Patmos to keep them from influencing others. Exile was basically a prison without bars. According to the historian Eusebius, John was in exile for 18 months. While on that lonely island, John received the inspired messages recorded in the last book of the

June 29, 2020

David Faust

Application for July 5: Melting Polar Ice

By David Faust Polarized. If I were to summarize American culture and politics right now, polarized is the first word that comes to mind. Progressives and conservatives keep moving further apart. Republicans and Democrats can barely shake each other’s hands and listen to each other’s speeches, let alone work together to solve the nation’s problems. On social media, respect and civility are out; sarcasm is in. Debates based on logic and persuasion have given way to name-calling and personal attacks. Here’s the problem: Nothing grows at the poles. Darkness and extreme temperatures make the North Pole and the South Pole

June 22, 2020

David Faust

Application for June 28: Truth and Love—It’s Both/And, Not Either/Or

By David Faust In 1901 a songwriter in Chicago named Carrie Jacobs-Bond published her composition, “I Love You Truly.” The song sold over a million copies (one of the earliest songs composed by a woman to do so) and became a favorite at weddings. Three American presidents invited Jacobs-Bond to sing at the White House. Her song concludes sweetly, “Gone is the sorrow, gone doubt and fear, for you love me truly, truly dear.” Cole Porter’s “True Love,” released in 1956 and popularized by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, says, “You and I have a guardian angel on high, with

June 15, 2020

David Faust

Application for June 21: This Little Light of Yours

By David Faust “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5), but for many the world seems like a dark place. How can you and I brighten things up? To make a difference, you don’t have to make headlines. Christ often calls his followers to serve humbly behind the scenes, like the woman named Tabitha or Dorcas, who “was always doing good and helping the poor,” making robes and other clothing items for those in need (Acts 9:36-39). I want to tell you about some light-bearers I know. They don’t seek recognition, so I

June 8, 2020

David Faust

Application for June 14: The Cross Examination

By David Faust The prosecuting attorney approached the bench with a confident stride. He had done his homework. Eager for the trial to begin, he came armed with a long list of grievances against the defendant. It was time for opening statements. The prosecutor paused for dramatic effect and then began. “This trial will be an unusual one because, Your Honor, the one on trial today . . . is you!” A murmur filled the crowded courtroom. The Judge himself was on trial? Who dared to bring charges against the court’s presiding officer? Questions for God The prosecutor began to

June 1, 2020

David Faust

Application for June 7: Down in the Dirt with Your Friends

By David Faust My barber is my best friend. You see, my wife cuts my hair. During our first year of marriage, I was on the receiving end of a particularly bad haircut—a near-scalping experience in a smoke-filled barbershop. Arriving home afterward, I asked Candy, “Could you cut my hair from now on?” She gazed at my freshly shorn cranium and replied, “I can do at least as well as the barber you just visited.” The rest is history. We’ve done the math. According to www.mistershaver.com (yes, that’s a real website), the average price of a standard men’s haircut in

May 25, 2020

David Faust

Application for May 31: Time to Adjust the Seat

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 31, 2020: “The Look of Integrity”) By David Faust I am approximately six inches taller than my wife. Most of the time our height difference doesn’t matter, and it comes in handy when Candy asks me to reach the dishes she keeps on the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet. Our difference of height creates discomfort, though, when we drive each other’s cars. Candy adjusts the seat of her Honda Civic to fit her shorter frame, so when I get in, the steering wheel presses so close to my chest

May 18, 2020

David Faust

Application for May 24: If Only I Knew Where to Find Him

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 24, 2020: “I Catch No Glimpse of Him!“) By David Faust Certain things are rare, but you can find them if you know where to look. If you want to see polar bears, you can find them in countries that ring the Arctic Circle. Looking for penguins? Go to Antarctica. Redwood trees? They grow in California. Koalas? Go to Australia. Travel to the right location and you can find rare works of art. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris, and his Last Supper is on display

May 10, 2020

David Faust

Application for May 17: The Natural Response to Being Loved

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 17, 2020: “His Beloved Ones.”) By David Faust What would you say if someone asked, “Is it difficult to be a Christian?” Might your answer be both yes and no? On the one hand, Christ already did the hardest part. He accomplished what we could never do for ourselves. He lived a perfect life and suffered for our transgressions on the cross. We sinners could never measure up to all the righteous standards of God, but his love overflows and his grace is sufficient in spite of our imperfections. “The

May 3, 2020

David Faust

Application for May 10: It’s Never Quite Enough

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 10, 2020: “His Treasured Possession.”) By David Faust At age 86, Jackie Long died from injuries sustained in a car accident—an abrupt end to a fruitful life. Jackie worked tirelessly on our church staff for four decades, and then after retiring in her sixties, she continued to serve cheerfully as a volunteer for another 20 years. She welcomed guests, cared for those in need, coordinated countless weddings and funerals, took meals to shut-ins, ministered with senior adults, and volunteered with benevolence agencies in our city. Hundreds gathered at the funeral

April 27, 2020

David Faust

Application for May 3: Dare to Be Different

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 3, 2020: “His Holy Nation.“) By David Faust Don’t libel me with labels. Don’t put me into a cultural box. I have rooted for the Cincinnati Reds most of my life, but my main identity isn’t “sports fan.” I’m a baby boomer, but generational labels don’t tell you everything about me or my builder, gen X, and millennial friends. I have experienced what Scripture calls the new birth, but I prefer not to be called “a born-again Christian” as if that’s something strange. In the first century there wasn’t any

April 19, 2020

David Faust

Application for April 26: We Come from Different Places

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for April 26, 2020: “His Chosen People.“) By David Faust My wife, Candy, volunteers with a ministry in our church called English Talk Time. Neighbors from Japan, Korea, Brazil, China, and other nations come to our church building each Wednesday morning to learn conversational English. It’s a practical way to assist our neighbors, but it leads to some humorous verbal exchanges. When your friends speak little English, how do you explain to them the difference between “aisle,” “isle,” and “I’ll”? Why can you read the same book today that you read yesterday,

April 12, 2020

David Faust

Application for April 19: Net Results

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible study for April 19, 2020: “Power Over All of Creation.”) By David Faust First-century fishermen relied on their nets like carpenters rely on their hammers and farmers count on their plows. It took fishermen considerable skill, time, and effort to clean, dry, and mend their linen nets to keep them from rotting and wearing out. A seine net might be several hundred feet long and 20 feet deep, with cork or wood floats to keep the top of the net on the water’s surface and stone weights to pull the rest down into

April 6, 2020

David Faust

Application for April 12: When a Friend Dies

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible study for April 12, 2020: “Power Over Death.”) By David Faust What can ease the pain when someone close to you dies? There’s no easy answer, but Jesus modeled three action steps that can help: (1) go and be with the grieving family, (2) offer emotional support, and (3) find hope in God’s promises and power. Lazarus lived in Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem, along with his sisters Martha, the meticulous housekeeper, and Mary, who hungered for the deeper things of God. This little family of three showed hospitality to Jesus and his

March 29, 2020

David Faust

Application for April 5: The Feeding of the Five

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible study for April 5, 2020: “Power to Sustain.”) By David Faust The feeding of the 5,000 is one of my favorite biblical miracles. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were fond of it, too. Other than the Lord’s resurrection, it’s the only miracle described in all four Gospels. The multiplying of the bread and fish simultaneously demonstrates both Jesus’ creativity and his compassion—his amazing power over material objects and his concern for hungry souls. John says of the Living Word, “Without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). The all-powerful Lord

March 23, 2020

David Faust

Application for March 29: In Our Right Minds

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible study for March 29, 2020: “Power Over Evil.”) By David Faust Jesus’ encounter with the man possessed by demons known as Legion is a strange-sounding story, but here are three practical lessons we can learn from it. Satan is real; evil is devastating. The prince of darkness isn’t a childish myth. We struggle “against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12). Demonic forces nearly destroyed the man. He was violent, self-destructive, and anti-social, and he lived in a cemetery. It’s naïve to deny Satan’s influence.

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