A Life Worthy

Category: Holiday

  • No Surprises One-a-Day Thursday 4/18/19

    No Surprises One-a-Day Thursday 4/18/19

    I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting (Isaiah 50:6).                          

    He knew what was coming.  

    It was no surprise.

    He knew he would die to pay the price for our sins.  He also knew that more than death would be involved. There would be pain, and humiliation, and loneliness. The soldiers would slap him around. They would laugh at him. They would dress him up to look like a petty king, complete with crown of thorns. They would take his clothes. They would spit on him.

    And he would take it.  

    For you.  

    For me.

    The thing to remember today is that Jesus was not surprised by any of this. He didn’t accidentally let his guard down. He didn’t get caught up in circumstances beyond his control.

    There are no circumstances beyond his control.

    As he spent this day teaching in the temple, he was moving purposefully and steadily toward the pain that waited for him.   At any point along the way, Jesus could have said, “I’m done.” He chose to wait until he could say, “It is finished.”

    The spiritual accomplishments of the Cross are so monumental that sometimes we forget about the physical agony Christ endured both after his arrest and on the Cross.  Remember it today, Beloved. Remember what he suffered, and why. And don’t ever, in all the days ahead, wonder if you are worthy of any good thing.

    You are worthy of every good thing.

    You, Beloved, are worth dying for.

    Happy Thursday

  • The Crowd One-a-Day Monday 4/15/19

    The Crowd One-a-Day Monday 4/15/19

    Note:  Time to celebrate Holy Week.  Not that every week isn’t holy, but you know what I mean.   

    Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!  Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).

    Jesus was arriving in Jerusalem for the Passover.  This week would be the climax of his ministry, and would represent the very reason he came to live among us.  The time had come to declare himself the Messiah. (“Messiah,” by the way, is a Hebrew word that means “anointed one,” or “chosen one.” The same word is translated “Christ” in the Greek. Just so’s you knows.)

    So, Jesus did what anyone would do—he sent for a donkey.

    This really does make sense.  Zechariah had prophesied that the Messiah would arrive as a king, and would come to claim his throne riding on a donkey.  By arriving in this manner, Jesus was sending an unmistakable signal to the crowds. Now I know that a donkey is not the manliest of animals…certainly not very king-like.  But to the Hebrews, the donkey was significant. A king used a stallion when he rode to war, but a donkey when he came in peace. Thus, Jesus came as the King of Peace, to make peace between man and God.

    The crowds loved it.  They spread cloaks and leafy branches on the ground for Jesus to ride upon—sort of a red carpet treatment. They cried out “Hosanna!” which means, “Save us,” and, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  They were quoting Psalm 118, essentially acknowledging Jesus as Messiah and pledging themselves to him. They treated Jesus like a rock star.

    Crowds are so fickle.

    As he descended the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem was spread out before him.  Jesus wept over the city, knowing that, though they praised him at that moment, they would soon turn on him.

    Are we fickle, Beloved?  Do we praise him when the crowd is cheering and waving palm branches, but turn away when they scream and reach for the hammer and nails?

    Serving this King is a serious business indeed.

    Serve faithfully, Beloved.

    Happy Monday

  • Love One-a-Day Thursday 2/14/19

    Love One-a-Day Thursday 2/14/19

    …God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

    It’s Valentine’s Day, right?

    OK, so let’s talk love.

    Forget the hearts and flowers.  Forget the candy.

    OK, remember candy.  Candy is good. But set it aside for the moment.

    Real love sacrifices.  Real love gives, even when there is no reasonable expectation of a return on the investment.  Real love sees you at your worst, and does not turn away.

    While we were still sinners.  While we were totally unworthy and unlovable.  Beyond pot bellies and vanishing hairlines. Beyond bad hair and no makeup.  While we were steeped in darkness, inside and out, Jesus died for us.

    For you.

    Want him to prove his love?

    He did.  We call it the Cross.

    When I write these One-a-Days, I often call you “Beloved.”  I’m not putting the moves on you, nor am I trying to be J. Vernon McGee. I’m praying, along with Paul, that you, “May…grasp how high and long and wide and deep is the love of Christ.”

    In the Song of Songs, God gives us a picture of the love between a man and a woman.  Beyond that, though, he paints a picture of Christ’s love for his Church.

    He calls the Church his Beloved.

    He calls you his Beloved.

    And so you are.

    Happy Valentine’s Day, Beloved.

  • Brothers and Sisters One-a-Day Monday 1/21/19

    Brothers and Sisters One-a-Day Monday 1/21/19

    How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore (Psalm 133).

    When I was little, my mom used to sing to me at bedtime. One of my favorites went like this:

    Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world

    Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight

    Jesus loves the little children of the world.

    In today’s climate, some will consider that song wildly inappropriate. “Red children? Yellow? How racist!” Others will ask, “What about brown children? Why are they left out?” None of those questions ever came into my little-kid brain.  All I heard was that Jesus loved us all; all children were precious to him.

    Today we honor Martin Luther King, Jr. The best way to do that? Dwell together in unity, brothers and sisters of the One who loves us all.

    The oil is entirely optional.

    Happy Monday, Beloved

  • New Year’s  Day One-a-Day Tuesday  1/1/19

    New Year’s  Day One-a-Day Tuesday  1/1/19

    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

    Bright Morning Star

    Wonderful Counselor

    The Amen

    Man of Sorrows

    Lion of the Tribe of Judah

    The Word

    Author and Finisher of Our Faith

    Bread of Life

    Living Water

    The Father calls him by another name.

    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?

    Something to chew on as you begin 2019.

    Happy New Year, Beloved

  • Mighty One-a-Day Friday  12/28/18

    Mighty One-a-Day Friday  12/28/18

    …Mighty God,  (Isaiah 9:6)

    We’re almost there.

    The New Year.

    New beginnings, new chances, new opportunities, new gym memberships…

    So why am I stressed?

    As we get closer to flipping the calendar, all sorts of tensions get stirred up in me.  I mean, I’d love to say I’m focused on what’s ahead, but there’s so much that was supposed to get done this year that still hasn’t been done. Goals I haven’t reached, projects I haven’t completed, promises I haven’t fulfilled, garages I haven’t cleaned.

    Oy, you should see my garage.

    Does that resonate with you? Even a little?

    If it does, well, 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 our day, be they mundane or monstrous.

    And he will love us, no matter what our garages look like.

    Because we are his beloved.

    Because we are his, Beloved.

    Happy Friday

  • Wonderful Counselor One-a-Day Thursday  12/27/18

    Wonderful Counselor One-a-Day Thursday  12/27/18

    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 called 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—listens deeply. He doesn’t just pretend to listen while he mentally plans out his day, the way I might.  He actually considers every word you speak—and those 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, Beloved, have a Wonderful Counselor.  Walk in his wisdom today.

    Happy Thursday.

  • Kingdom One-a-Day Wednesday  12/26/18

    Kingdom One-a-Day Wednesday  12/26/18

    …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 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.

    Oh.

    Same holds true for Communism, monarchies, aristocracies, feudal societies, even theocracies.  On paper, they look great. It’s when you add the people that things go 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 Wednesday, Beloved

  • The Baby One-a-Day Monday 12/24/18

    The Baby One-a-Day Monday 12/24/18

    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, of life, that you get from holding a newborn—it’s…wow.  It 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 Monday 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.

    Merry Christmas, Beloved.

  • Light One-a-Day Friday  12/21/18

    Light One-a-Day Friday  12/21/18

    The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5).

    This is the nature of light and dark.

    We instinctively fear the dark and crave light.  In fact, a flashlight or candle or somesuch is near the top of every emergency supplies list. And it’s not just for the practical value–light is also, by its very nature, comforting and encouraging.

    The deepest, blackest darkness can be pushed back by the light of a single candle.

    Metaphorically and literally

    An alternate translation of this verse is, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it. As though if only the enemies of God could really understand his light, his love, his purpose for us…everything would be different.

    If only the darkness in me could truly understand…

    Someday, Beloved.

    Happy Friday