In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).
Before the tomb
Before the Cross
Before the trial
Before the betrayal
Before the garden
Before the temple
Before the mount
Before the desert
Before the river
Before the wise men
Before the manger
Before the star
Before the angel
Before the prophecies
He was.
And he was God.
Happy Tuesday, Beloved
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it (James 4:11).
So, now that the extended family is gone…tell me.
How many snide remarks were there?
How often did you mock Weird Uncle Dave because, well, look at him with that silly comb-over and that “girlfriend” who is, what, half his age and is obviously only after him for his money and is totally playing him for a fool?
Or what about Great Aunt Susie, who insists on bringing her “Famous” eggplant casserole that causes brave men to weep and pit bulls to lie down and die?
Or Cousin Jimmy, who’s working retail…still.
Or…
Yeah…
Christmas is over.
Christ isn’t.
Remember grace, Beloved.
Happy Thursday.
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. (Isaiah 9:7)
I’m not really a fan of big government. More of a low taxes, leavemealoneandlletmelivemylifewithoutyouconstantlytellingmewhattodoandtryingtoprotectmefrommyself kind of guy.
But His government? I’m all in.
You know, the best form of government would be a truly benevolent dictatorship. We get someone in power who knows what’s best, wants what’s best, and is willing and able to do what’s best without regard for lining their own pockets.
The problem, of course, is that people are people.
Because even the best of men and women are sin-encrusted narcissists, that kind of rule is just not possible.
Outside of Christ.
One day Jesus will rule here on Earth in the flesh. We will get someone in power who knows what’s best, wants what’s best, and is willing and able to do what’s best without regard for lining his own pockets. His reign will go on and on and just get better and better.
Until that day, we can know his government in our hearts and lives.
If you belong to Jesus, his peace, his power, his rule in your life is growing each day. Oh, you may not feel it all the time, but it’s happening.
Chew on this today: are you allowing Christ to govern your life, or are you getting in his way?
Happy Tuesday, Beloved.
Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
We know him by many names.
Jesus Christ
Alpha
Omega
Emmanuel
I Am
Lamb of God
Prince of Peace
Mighty God
Light of the World
The Bright Morning Star
Wonderful Counselor
The Amen
Man of Sorrows
Lion of the Tribe of Judah
The Word
The Author and Finisher of Our Faith
Bread of Life
Living Water
God calls him by another name, the name which is above all names.
Son.
And here’s something really crazy. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, do you know what God now calls us?
Yes, you do.
How can that be? What can that mean?
Chew on that today.
Happy Monday, Beloved
And Merry, Merry Christmas
Everlasting Father, (Isaiah 9:6).
I hope you have a great dad.
Really
I hope he is loving and strong and gentle and a daily blessing to your life. I hope this, not only to make those family Christmas dinners a little less awkward, but because it will give you a better picture of God. You see, God presents himself to us in many ways through Scripture, but I think the one that hangs most people up is the image of a father. It can be difficult to see God as loving and caring if your earthly father was cold, distant, abusive, or absent altogether.
Look, I’m not gonna get all psychoanalytical here, but I need to point something out. Whatever your earthly dad does well, your heavenly father does even better. Wherever your earthly dad messes up, your heavenly father gets it right. He is the perfection we all fall short of. He is the goal we can never quite attain. He will always be there to cheer you when you win, and comfort you when you lose. His advice will always be perfect, and his discipline will always be just. He will come to all your ball games, all your dance recitals, all your spelling bees. He will be there at the hospital bed and at the wedding altar.
He will always love you.
Always, as in Everlasting.
Walk in his love today, Beloved.
Happy Friday
…Mighty God, (Isaiah 9:6)
We’re almost there. The “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” part.
So why are you stressed?
As we home in on Christmas, all sorts of emotions get stirred up. Yeah, we’d like to say we are focused strictly on the birth of our Savior, but the fact is this can be a really crazy time. Perhaps you are rushing to wrap—or get—or think of—those last gifts. Maybe you are frantically trying to get ready to travel—tickets, luggage, ohnowhatdowedowiththedogwhilewe’regone. Could be you’re receiving guests into your nightmare of a house—good luck with that.
Or you’re moving.
Or someone you love is sick.
Or you’re broke.
Or things are just falling apart.
Given all that, I feel pretty spiffy that you’ve taken the time to read this. Since you have, make the most of the moment. Let the words soak in:
He is Mighty God.
Read it again. Go on.
Now, say it out loud.
This King we serve, this Lord we love, this Savior we celebrate is fully capable of meeting the challenges of your day, be they mundane or monstrous.
And he will.
Because you are his beloved.
Because you are his, Beloved.
Happy Thursday
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, (Isaiah 9:6)
There can be a lot in a name. My name is Michael, which means, “Who is like God?” I like that—it’s a constant reminder of the answer…Nobody. When I begin to get a little too big for my proverbial britches, my very name brings me back to Earth.
Jesus is named Wonderful Counselor. Think about it—what does a counselor do? A good counselor does three things—listen deeply, see to the heart of the issue, and offer wisdom. So, we serve a God who actually listens to us—and listens deeply. He doesn’t just pretend to listen to you while he is mentally planning out his day, the way I might. He actually considers every word you speak—and every word you don’t.
Jesus also sees to the heart of your issue—after all, he knows you better than you do—remember Psalm 139? You couldn’t hide the truth from him if you tried, so knock it off already.
Wisdom? Uh…do I need to point out that his words are the very words of God? Literally? Yeah, worth listening to.
You, my friend, have a Wonderful Counselor. Walk in his wisdom today.
Happy Wednesday, Beloved.
…and the government will be on his shoulders. (Isaiah 9:6)
Here’s the thing with governments—they’re generally made up of people. And, well, I hate to tell you this, but people tend toward selfishness and greed.
I think just heard a bubble burst out there…sorry.
The United States has a system of government known as a Representative Democracy, aka a republic. This is a strong, just, and efficient method of governance that work flawlessly, except when people are ignorant, selfish, and lazy.
Uh oh.
Same holds true for Communism, aristocracies, feudal societies, even theocracies. On paper, they look great. It’s when you add the people that things go all winky-wonky.
Frankly, the best, strongest, most efficient form of government is a benevolent dictatorship. The problem, of course, is that you can guarantee the dictator part, but not the benevolent bit.
Yet.
But guess what, Beloved? The day will come when we will have an absolute monarch, a king of kings, who will rule with complete authority over all nations. His reign will be perfect, unhampered by greed, unsullied by sin. He will know what’s best, want what’s best, do what’s best.
He will be what’s best.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Happy Tuesday, Beloved
I’m taking a little vacation this week. Family time and all that good stuff. I hope you don’t mind if I repeat these posts from Christmas past. If you do mind, I hope you get over it rapidly. Blessings, Beloved of Christ!
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… (Isaiah 9:6)
Babies are amazing. Tiny noses and toeses and fingernails. They even smell good.
Mostly.
The feeling of joy and life that you get from holding a newborn—it’s…wow. Doesn’t even have to be your baby. It can be a nephew, or a cousin, or the child of a friend. Hey, it could be a random kid from the mall that you grabbed just for the experience.
Not that you would ever do that because that would be very very wrong and earn you psychiatric evaluations and the serious threat of incarceration.
My point is this: Hope arrives with every baby.
How great is it that God chose to bring Christ to us in this way? Think about it—the Messiah could have appeared fully grown, striding out of the desert on a Thursday morning. He could have simply walked into the temple and started preaching. Instead, we get to see him as a baby—yes, so that his genealogy could be verified and so that prophecy would be fulfilled—but also so that we could see the Lord of the Universe willing to humble himself by birth, as he would one day humble himself by death.
Your God loves you so much that he sent a baby—the epitome of life—to call you to eternal life.
Heed the call.
Happy Monday, Beloved.