No Surprises  One-a-Day Tuesday  3/26/24

Posted on by March 26, 2024
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A life worthy

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).                          

They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing (Psalm 22:18).

Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet (Psalm 22:16).

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.  They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for a firstborn son (Zechariah 12:10).

He knew what was coming.  

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 slapped him around.  They laughed at him.  They dressed him up to look like a petty king, complete with a crown of thorns.  They took his clothes. They spat on him.

And he took it.  For you.  For me.

The key is to remember 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, Beloved, are worth dying for.

Happy Tuesday

Stand One-a-Day Monday  3/25/24

Posted on by March 25, 2024
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A life worthy

The Cleansing of the Temple

…for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me (Psalm 69:9).

Jesus entered the city and went up to the temple.  It was Passover, the biggest holiday of the Jewish year, so the joint was really jumping.  Many people had come from a long way away to be part of the celebration.  Rather than transport all the animals you would need for the various sacrifices, it was normal and acceptable to buy what you needed when you got to Jerusalem.  The customary practice was for vendors to set up shop at a convenient place near the temple.

What Jesus saw when he arrived was dramatically different. The vendors had their booths and tables set up in the temple itself.  They were operating in an area called the Outer Court, the only place in the temple where non-Jews could come to worship God.  There they were, selling animals and changing foreign currency into local currency, and just generally carrying on noisy business, all while people were trying to worship.

Jesus was furious.  He knocked over the tables and chased the vendors out of there.  John even says that Jesus made a whip and used it to drive the blasphemers away.  He yelled at them, saying, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers!’”

This is not the meek and mild Jesus we think of from Sunday School flannel boards.

He is not holding a lamb on his shoulders.

He does not have little kids crawling all over him.

He is not smiling.

This is the Messiah, the Lion of Judah.  This is a man of righteous integrity, protecting the purity of his father’s house.

Do the insults of those who insult God fall on you?  There are a lot of people out there who mock Jesus, and this is a prime season for it.  Does that bother you, Beloved?  What are you doing about it?  Do you stand for Christ in your daily world?  Look, I’m not calling you to grab a whip and chase the heathen out of town—of course if you do, please send me pictures and I’ll post them.

There is no sitting for Christ.  You stand, or you fall.

Stand for him today, Beloved.

Happy Monday

Triumph One-a-Day Sunday  3/24/24

Posted on by March 24, 2024
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A life worthy

Note: I’m pausing 1 Corinthians as we celebrate Holy Week.  Not that every week isn’t holy, but you know what I mean. 

Palm Sunday

The Triumphal Entry

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).

O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success.  

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

From the house of the Lord we bless you.

The Lord is God, and he has made his face shine upon us.

With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar (Psalm 118:25-27).

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.)

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.

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.

Do you praise him, Beloved?  I know you pray, and you study his word—at least you’re reading this—but when was the last time you threw your head back, spread your arms wide, and declared your love for the King of your heart?

You know what?  Don’t worry about the last time.  When will be the next time?

How about now?

Happy Sunday, Beloved

Stand Firm One-a-Day Friday 3/22/24

Posted on by March 22, 2024
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A life worthy

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain  (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Sometimes it feels like my whole life is in vain.

I’m not trying to be Eeyore here, but it’s true. Whether I’m teaching my students, or trying to keep the bills paid, or writing this…whatever this is that I write–there are days when it feels like none of it matters.

On those days, I am wrong.

Because God is victorious over death and sin

Because God will clothe the perishable with the imperishable

Even my efforts–feeble as they are–matter, if my labor is for him and through him and in him.

Beloved, if our lives are lived for God, if our purpose is to give him glory, then God will clothe the insignificant with significance. 

So, then, how shall we go about our day?

Happy Friday, Beloved

Thanks to God One-a-Day Thursday  3/21/24

Posted on by March 21, 2024
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A life worthy

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ  (1 Corinthians 15:56-57).

His love desired that I have a choice–and I chose  evil.

His justice required that I pay for my sin–and the penalty was death.

His mercy allowed for a substitute–and he sent his Son.

Thank God

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

Sting? One-a-Day Wednesday    3/20/24

Posted on by March 20, 2024
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A life worthy

Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:55/ Hosea 13:14).

The Emperor is naked.

The Great and Powerful Oz is a little man in a special effects booth.

The sixth-grade bully has a glass jaw.

Beloved, the terror of a thousand generations is powerless before Jesus. Death has been defeated by the Author of Life. Yes, people still pass away, and these bodies of flesh still fail and fall and crumble–and it hurts us and the people we love. That hurt can be unfathomable, crushing, unbearable in our own strength.

But 

We who are in Christ know that death cannot keep us, the grave cannot hold us, and when our Lord calls us, we will be “clothed with the imperishable.” 

We will rise, and there’s not a thing death can do about it.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

Swallowed Up    One-a-Day Tuesday  3/19/24

Posted on by March 19, 2024
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A life worthy

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will be true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”  (1 Corinthians 15:46)

There is no “if” in this verse.

Did you notice that?

No “might”

No “perhaps”

No “Wow, I really hope so”

God gives us “when” and “then” and “will be.”

It’s a foregone conclusion.

Just a matter of time

So breathe deeply, Beloved. Today may look and feel and smell and taste like chaos, but His plan is in motion, and His victory is assured.

And His victory is your victory.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

New Duds One-a-Day Monday  3/18/24

Posted on by March 18, 2024
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A life worthy

For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality  (1 Corinthians 15:53).

It simply won’t work.

If you try to go into orbit without a spacesuit, things will not go well for you. It doesn’t matter how hard you work at it, or how well-intentioned you are. The body you have simply won’t do the job.

Plug in the analogy of your choice: bottom of the sea, pit of a volcano…

Nope

This world, and things of this world, are out of phase with the things of heaven. If you want to get there from here, you’re going to need a new…

you.

I happen to know someone who can help with that.

Happy Monday, Beloved

Mystery One-a-Day Friday 3/15/24

Posted on by March 15, 2024
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A life worthy

 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed  (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

I don’t know when.

I can’t fathom how.

But the moment will come.

Whether we’re sleeping or working or long in the grave, our Lord will decide that the time is right, and it will happen. 

We will be changed.

What do you imagine, Beloved? 

A butterfly emerging from the cocoon? 

A kernel of corn popping?

The acorn becoming an oak–only at lightning speed?

Will it be like a superhero in a movie–minus the toxic waste and radiation?

Yes, and

no, and

more. 

So much more

Odds are, it won’t happen today–but it will happen.

And who knows? Maybe…

Not a bad thought for ending the week, ya?

Happy Friday, Beloved

Inheritance One-a-Day Thursday  3/14/24

Posted on by March 14, 2024
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A life worthy

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable  (1 Corinthians 15:50).

It’s not a question of rules, but of nature.

Flesh and spirit are fundamentally different.

Jesus took on flesh so that he could be with us.

We will take on spirit so that we can be with him.

It’s that simple.

And that glorious

Happy Thursday, Beloved.