Express Himself One-a-Day Friday    10/28/16

Posted on by October 31, 2016
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A life worthy

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.  The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6).

Love…an expression of faith.

I like it.

When you are trying to justify yourself through works by observing the Law, following the rules, or just being “good enough,” you are totally focused on yourself.  You kinda have to be–you’re examining everything you do to see if it measures up.  That doesn’t leave a lot of room for others on your priority list.  I know that when I’m in a Law frame of mind, even the things I do for others are recorded and evaluated on my mental “How’m I doing?” list.  Even my acts of love are examined in the light of how they help me.

But faith…now faith is inherently selfless.  It acknowledges that you have nothing to do with your own justification and must rely completely on God.  Your eyes are on him, and not yourself.  When you are in this place, God shows you the needs around you.  You act, not as a means of improving your stats on Eternity’s Scoreboard, but out of the overflow of the superabundance of enoughness in your heart.

It’s a good place.

I need to spend more time there.

Care to join me?

Happy Friday, Beloved.

One Day One-a-Day Thursday    10/27/16

Posted on by October 27, 2016
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A life worthy

But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope (Galatians 5:5).

One day

the weakness

the sinfulness

the foolishness

the laziness

the blindness

the fleshiness

will be gone

“poof”

like that.

The Son will rise, and all that is not of Him will burn off like the morning mist, and we will be what and how and who He called us to be.

At last.

Today, Beloved?

Oh, let it be!

Amen.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

Stepping Away One-a-Day Wednesday    10/26/16

Posted on by October 26, 2016
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A life worthy

You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace (Galatians 5:4).

We use that term–fallen away.  Even Paul uses it, and I’m not going to argue with Paul. But falling is an accident; you don’t do it on purpose.  I would suggest that when we try to earn our justification we are actually stepping away from the throne of grace.  It’s intentional, at least on some level.  We choose it.

Bad choice, by the way.

Of course, the choice to step away results in a fall.

Kinda like stepping off of a building

or out of an airplane.

And sin, like gravity, pulls us down

and away

and it’s really unlikely that you’re going to climb back up by yourself.

Hold tight to grace today, Beloved.

Happy Wednesday

Choice One-a-Day Tuesday    10/25/16

Posted on by October 25, 2016
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A life worthy

Mark my words!  I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to everyone who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law (Galatians 5:2-3).

Let’s not focus on the whole circumcision thing, OK?

Because, frankly, it makes me squirmy.

Circumcision was a symbol of the Law, of the old covenant God had with his people.  Christ had fulfilled the Law; he had finished it. The Law wasn’t like a buffet–”I’ll take a little of this, a little of that, no thanks, that dish doesn’t agree with me.”  If a believer chooses to stake their claim to righteousness on some point of the Law, then they will be judged according to all of it.

And we all know how that tends to work out.

So, what’s it gonna be, Beloved?  Are you trusting Christ, or are you going to handle this yourself?  In the end, you can’t have both.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.

Freedom One-a-Day Monday    10/24/16

Posted on by October 24, 2016
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A life worthy

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).

Today is Independence Day.  Maybe not on the calendar, but in our hearts. Today we celebrate our freedom.   Christ has set us free from our bondage to sin.  He has set us free from our need to try and earn our salvation, to somehow save ourselves.  He has set us free from the stress and worry and angst and anxiety which so often attack us.

Hear me, Beloved.  I’m not saying that those things are gone.  On the contrary, sin and self-righteousness and anxiety are still very much evident in this world and, at times, in our lives.  What I am saying is that you are no longer in bondage to them.

When Paul wrote the above verse to the Galatians he was talking about freedom from the Mosaic Law.  Some Jews had chosen to follow Christ, but still felt compelled to meet the demands of the old covenant.  Paul was pointing out that a person who has Christ no longer needs the old law, and to try and follow it is to be like a slave who, once free, returns to his chains.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that, for some of us, worry and stress operate in the same way as the Mosaic Law.

It’s about power.

The Judaizers liked the Law because it gave them a sense of control over their destinies.  They had rules to follow, stuff to do, that they thought would get them to Heaven.

“But Michael, I don’t worry because I feel powerful.  I worry because I feel powerless.”

Yes, but it’s still about power.  About control.  You worry because you know you are not in control, and you desperately want to be.  Because if you’re not in control, someone else is, and there’s a part of you that just cannot handle that.

I’m in the same boat, by the way.  May I steer?  Of course not.

Sometimes trust seems beyond our grasp.  And without trust, there is no rest.

So let’s pray for trust today, shall we?  I’ll pray for you, and you for me.  Maybe we can both be set free.

Today is the day to celebrate your independence.

And your dependence.

Happy Monday, Beloved.

Mighty One One-a-Day Friday    10/21/16

Posted on by October 21, 2016
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A life worthy

The Lord your God is with you; he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing  (Zephaniah 3:17).

I know that this was written to Israel, and some theologians would scold me for taking it out of context and applying it to individual believers.  Fortunately, I’ve never claimed to be a theologian.  I’m just a grace junkie, and I’m staking a claim.

The Lord your God is with you The God of the Universe, he who created everything—by which I mean every thing—with his spoken word, is on your side.  He wants you to succeed; he wants you to prosper.

He is mighty to save  This one who is on your side is the Lord of the Universe.  He has the power to protect you, to care for you. Look, I love you, my friend, but what can I do?  I’m a 7th grade History teacher with a tiny blog.  God, on the other hand—when he says he’ll protect you, you know you’re protected.

He will take great delight in you  This same Lord of the Universe we’re talking about?  He doesn’t just love you.  He likes you.  He delights in you.  You, Beloved.  You make his heart sing.

He will quiet you with his love  God’s love has the power to calm that stressed out heart of yours.  I remember when my kids were little. Sometimes they would be upset, and I could scoop them up into my arms, hold them close, and feel their anxiety melt away. God wants to do that with you, Beloved.

He will rejoice over you with singing   You.  Your Father is filled with joy over you.

Notice, nothing is said about how much you deserve all this—or don’t—so get the self-incrimination out of the way.  Just read the words—two or three or ten times—and let them sink deep.  Let him quiet you with his love this morning.

Happy Friday, Beloved.

Flight One-a-Day Thursday    10/13/16

Posted on by October 20, 2016
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A life worthy

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

I know, I got it backwards.  I did Proverbs 3:6 yesterday and now I’m doing 3:5.

Kid, if that’s the most confusing thing to happen to you today, color yourself lucky.

This morning, my son is flying 2,149.5 miles to check out a college.

I’m not a fan.

Oh, he has my permission to go–it’s a great opportunity, they’re paying for the trip, the school has a great reputation in the field he wants to pursue, blah, blah, blah.

Still, no fano meo.

My reasons are multitudinous and thoroughly righteous.  You see, if he visits the college, he might like it.  If he likes it, he might go.

If he goes, he might stay.

In college you meet people.  You explore places.  You make contacts, get internships, maybe job offers.  Maybe one of those persons you meet is the person, know what I mean?  Maybe one of the places becomes the place.  So you settle down, sink roots, make money, make babies, make a life.

2149.5 miles away

Trust in the Lord with all your heart…

But with my son?

I have a feeling this may be a much wilder ride than coming down the mountain with no brakes.

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

Wild Ride One-a-Day Wednesday    10/19/16

Posted on by October 19, 2016
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A life worthy

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight (Proverbs 3:6).

If you didn’t read yesterday’s post, may I suggest that now would be a good time?  Otherwise, today’s post will not make a whole lot of sense.  Just a suggestion–you do what you gotta do.

Call me Mr. Toad.

So all we had to do was get Teensy down the hill–¾ of a mile of steep, winding, rutted, half-washed-out dirt road.  With no power, which translates into no power steering and no power brakes.

Sweet

Alec and I gave the old girl a shove, hopped in, and held on tight.

It took about two minutes…or twenty years…kinda depends on your perspective.  I remember it in brief glimpses–hauling the wheel around tight turns, standing on the brakes to avoid going over the edge.  At one point we flew; that was interesting.  So very much dust.  It was a rollercoaster ride without the safety harness or the secure track.

Metaphor for life, anyone?

Maybe I should have gone with the alternate translation for today’s verse.  Instead of, “He will make your path straight,” I could have said, “He will direct your path.”  Cause the literal path down the mountain was pretty unstraight, but it was the path God directed–it was the only way to go.  And because it was God’s ordained path, we were as safe in our flying minivan as if we had been wrapped in our sleeping bags, snoozing in our high tower.

So, yeah, we made it to the bottom of the hill, and Justin’s truck, and we jump started Teensy and were on our way.  Mundane things tinged with the colors of divine appointment.

I wonder what adventure is in store for you today, Beloved?  Trust in Him, and hold on tight.

Happy Wednesday

He Knows One-a-Day Tuesday    10/18/16

Posted on by October 19, 2016
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A life worthy

 

But as for me, I trust in you (Psalm 55:23b).

Last weekend, my son and I went camping.  The campsite was an old fire observation tower, 40 feet above the ground.  We were about 20 miles from anything resembling civilization, out on gut-busting dirt roads.  The final push to get to the site required a ¾ mile trek up a steep, winding, rutted, half-washed-out dirt road. The whole thing was a 4X4 paradise.

Except for the part where we were in a minivan, which made it less than paradisiacal.

In any event, we made it…extremely barely.

We had  two wonderful days of manly dad-son bonding time in our eyrie, which is great but not the point of this story.  The point came as we were preparing to leave.  Teensy, our minivan (What–you don’t name your cars?) was packed, the site was clean, the campfire was thoroughly out, and I turned the key to fire up the engine.

click

not vroom

click

not chugga-chugga-chugga…

click.

I checked for obvious signs of damage–the ride up had been pretty traumatic to poor Teensy–and found none.  The obvious conclusion was that something had been accidentally left turned on, and the battery was dead.

May I remind you that we were pretty isolated?  In fact, aside from a few hunters, we hadn’t seen a soul in two days.  Certainly no one had ventured up the treacherous road and come near our tower.

We were oh-so-seriously-stuck.

And here comes the awesomeosity (thank you for being so patient).

At the very moment that my guts began to clench and my throat began to swell, before we had a chance to pray anything more eloquent than, “God…help!” we heard voices.  Around the bend of the road appeared a man, two children, and a dog. The man smiled, greeted us, and asked, “Do you need help?  I think I have jumper cables in my truck.”

Divine appointment? Ya, you betcha.  

Angelic visitation?  I wouldn’t be surprised.

I’ll finish this story tomorrow–I do have to get to work, after all.  The point for today is this:  While we were still eating our breakfast, long before we knew we even had a problem, God had a plan in motion to save us.  He knew the car wouldn’t start, and had Justin and his kids on their way up the mountain long before I ever turned the key.

Chew on that today.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.

No-thing One-a-Day Monday    10/17/16

Posted on by October 17, 2016
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A life worthy

…neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).

Of course there’s nothing in the physical world that can separate us from God.  Outer space or ocean floor, you can’t get beyond his reach.  You already knew that.

But what about the emotional world?

What about when life is fantastic, and I get so caught up in my own amazingosity that I forget God?

What about when “I make my bed in the depths,” so depressed and beaten down that I can’t muster the strength to lift my head to Heaven?

Emotions are within his sphere too, Beloved.

All Creation is under his sway, and he has promised us, right here, that none of it can separate us from the love of Christ.

There is only one uncreated being in all the cosmos, only one who would be capable of erasing God’s love from your life, and he’s the one making the promise.

So I think we’re safe.

You are safe.

Take that into your week, Beloved.

Happy Monday