Reflecting on Predictions and Divine Lessons
A pastor friend of mine started a sermon series last week called “Listening to the Heroes.” He explained that he’s going to draw lessons from the lives of Biblical heroes. Who you consider to be a hero is of course a line that isn’t the same for everyone. I don’t mean that we should cheer on villains, but that what it takes to be considered a hero isn’t the same for everyone. For that matter, I find many characters and their stories very interesting today that I didn’t in the past.
A Chuckle at Serendipity
I had to laugh a little when he started talking about the series though. Thirty-three years ago, I was graduating from Bible school with my Bachelors in Ministerial Sciences with an emphasis on Pastoral Care. We were the very first class to graduate in that program, so it was a small and fairly tight knit group. The program was the brainchild and labor of love for a man we called Doctor J. As much as we loved Doc J., he loved each of us at least as much. He was our advisor, the chair of the department, and our primary instructor. Around graduation, as we all were returning from our internships, there were several get-togethers. At one of them, Doc J. made a ten-year prediction for each of us. I had been into journalism before I changed my major to ministry. And I had worked in radio since high school. So, Doc J.’s prediction for me was that in ten years I would have a radio show called, Hogan’s Bible Heroes.
As I was listening to my friend preach last week, I remembered the prediction and thought once again about doing that somehow. As I listened further, I realized he was using much of the scriptures and truths that I used in my first book and teach in counseling to help people work through God’s Love and their self-worth.
Unveiling the Wisdom in Stories
There is so much that we can learn if we listen to the stories of the individuals that we hear about or hear from when we read the scriptures. And maybe I should start a podcast or something about the Bible heroes.
Embracing His Story: A Lesson for All
One thing that I’ve said many times, is that we all know the saying, “History repeats itself,” and we need to understand that His story repeats itself. That means that everything in the Word is for you. There are some details and passages that we often find boring or don’t see as meaningful. But there is always a reason that something is included in the Bible. And it’s not because we’ll have to take a history test before being allowed through the Pearly Gates. Rather, everything in the Word is for you. If God made a promise in the Bible, it’s for you. If God gave a warning, it’s for you. And yes, If God gave an encouragement or admonition, that’s probably for you too. Even the promise that God would speak through Moses’ mouth (Ex 4:10-16), which Moses snubbed by the way, is for you.
A Call to Application and Transformation
If we can only remember that everything we read applies to our life and we ask God for His wisdom and guidance to apply it, then we can live more like the heroes we look up to. As a matter of fact, if I ever do start Hogan’s Bible Heroes, I plan on an episode that is “You.” Because when start applying the Word to our lives and live trusting God, we can become much more like the Bible Heroes than we would have ever thought. So, who do you want to take after?
