Still Thankful?  One-a-Day Friday  11/24/23

A life worthy

…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).

Are you still thankful today, Beloved?  Or has the Christmas to-do list already kicked aside your “Things I am thankful for” list?  Look, I’m not judging; I know you’ve got a lot to do.  Myself, I’m looking at a garage that needs to be cleaned–I’ve been putting it off until next Saturday for eighteen months now–just so I can get to the Christmas lights, most of which are broken, if I remember correctly.  I have a vague memory of an entire string of lights falling from the roof last January, resulting in a string of mini-explosions and a decision that I would replace all the lights “Next year,” when finances would undoubtedly be better, except they’re not.  So I’ve probably gotta buy lights, and garland, and maybe a lawn elf–but no inflatables, I’m passionately against inflatables–before I can even start decorating, and the neighbors are pretty much done already…

Yeah, so I get it.

But, for those of us in Christ, the One we were thankful for yesterday is the same One we celebrate at Christmas.  It’s pretty much the same holiday; you just have to swap funny hats.

Of course, you know that already…you’re a bright one.

So, take time during the craziness–like today, like right now–to stop and breathe and give thanks.  

For him

For you and him

Happy Friday, Beloved.

Thanks One-a-Day Thursday  11/23/23

A life worthy

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (1 Chronicles 16: 34).

Busy day today.

You’ve got a turkey to burn, cranberries to sauce, potatoes to mash, tables to set, dishes to break, shards to sweep up, relatives to endure/enjoy/escape…

Beloved, take a moment, right now, before the craziness descends.  Offer your heart and your mind and your day and your life to Him in thanksgiving.  If you don’t do it now…

Breathe deep, and thank him that he chooses to be good

That he chooses to love you

That he chooses to love you forever, not until he gets bored with you or until you mess up in some way and displease him

Because…no offense…but I’m sure that’s already happened.

He could choose to stop loving you, but he won’t.

It’s in his power, but it’s not in his nature.

His love endures forever.

You are his Beloved.  

Forever

Happy Thanksgiving, Beloved.

Prepositions Matter  One-a-Day Wednesday  11/22/23

A life worthy

…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

“in”

Not “for”

but 

“in.”

Beloved, there are things that occur in our lives that only a deranged person would be happy about.

Hey, I can’t pay my mortgage and I’m about to be homeless. Thanks, God!!

Wow, I just lost seven of my toes in a tragic rollerblading accident. Thanks, God!!

Gee, the dog just vomited up half of Kentucky on the carpet. Thanks, God!!

Feel free to add to the list.

Point is, trying to be thankful for the horrible nastiness of life is something best left to the truly psychotic,

which you are not.

I hope.

But God is not calling you to be thankful for these circumstances.

Only in them

See, being thankful in all circumstances is an acknowledgement that your circumstances do not define you, that they are not the end goal of your existence. No matter what awful, dystopic, dyspeptic, yougottabekiddingme events overtake us, our lives and selves remain rooted with Christ in God.

Uncrushable

Unsinkable

Unshakeable 

Whatever this world rolls your way, you can be thankful that God remains God, and you remain his, and that remains everything.

So, be thankful, Beloved.

Happy Wednesday

Chosen One-a-Day Tuesday  11/21/23

A life worthy

For he (God) chose us in him (Jesus) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephesians 1:4).

So, as we move through Thanksgiving week, here’s a little something else to be thankful for:

You are the chosen one.

Well, maybe not the chosen one, but certainly a chosen one.

Consider this: before he made the world, God had you in mind.  

Yeah, you.

He knew who you would be, how you would be.  He saw your “We are the Champions” moments, your happy times,

your foolish choices

your many sins

your epic, seemingly endless failures

before they ever happened.

And he loved you.

And he chose you.

Wow

Now consider this: God is not bound by time, right?  Past, present, future—it’s all kind of now to him.  So when he looks at you he sees you not only as you are, but as you will be.

Holy

Blameless

Complete

His

Now, if only you could learn to see yourself as he sees you, hmm?

In the meantime, color yourself thankful and go forth in joy.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.

He is Good One-a-Day Monday 11/20/23

A life worthy

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 107:1).

God is good.

He doesn’t have to be.

He chooses to be.

God loves us.

He doesn’t have to.

He chooses to.

Look, we can get into a theotechnical debate about whether God is bound by his own nature to be what he is, or whether he possesses self-determinative power

and that would be fun

but until you convince me otherwise, I’m gonna go with the fact that God is…you know…God, and he could have done it any way he wanted to.

There is an image that comes to my mind as I write these words.

It’s Calvin and Hobbes.

Not the theologian and the sociopolitical philosopher, although…

No, I’m talking about the kid and the tiger.

If you aren’t familiar with the famous comic strip by Bill Watterson, I weep for your ignorance and encourage you to avail yourself of the great riches to be found before you continue here. For the enlightened among you, I’m thinking of the strip in which Calvin imagines himself as God, “but Calvin is no kind and loving god…and the puny inhabitants of Earth displease him!”

What follows is destruction on ohsomany levels.

Beloved, we need never ever even for a moment fear that God will decide to stop being good, or stop loving us, or restructure the foundation of the Universe to reflect darkness rather than light.

He has chosen to be good, and it is so.

He chose to be kind and loving and giving and gracious and merciful.

And it is so.

Forever.

Give thanks, Beloved.

Happy Monday

Indeed One-a-Day Friday 11/17/23

A life worthy

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…  (1 Corinthians 15:20).

There it is!

I’ve been waiting for this ever since verse 12.

Of course, the world had been waiting for that verse for millenia, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.

Rejoice, Beloved of Christ. Your Messiah is risen.

I don’t care if it’s Friday, or if it’s November.

Today is Resurrection Day!

Hallelujah!

Happy Friday, Beloved

If Only For This Life One-a-Day Thursday  11/16/23

A life worthy

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:19).

I know, I know, I know.

I know

We covered this verse yesterday, and I promised that Paul–and we–would be moving on today.

But I had a thought.

Please go easy on the sarcasm.

My thought is this: If there were no resurrection, and I knew it, would I still live for Christ?

Would you?

If death were the end, not the beginning,

if there were no light at the end of the tunnel,

if I came to realize that I was wrong about the very nature of God…

What would I do?

Who would I be?

Would I still serve a Lord who remained kind and loving, but perhaps wasn’t omniscient after all?

I know how I would like to respond to that question, how I pray that I would respond to that question…

but sometimes on a cold, rainy morning…I wonder.

And you know what?

He knows, I wonder,  and still he loves me.

Wow 

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

Pity the Fool One-a-Day Wednesday    11/15/23

A life worthy

Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:18-19).

Wow

What fools we would be if it were not true, if the Resurrection were not real.

And all those through the ages who have died believing that they would be raised to life again in that great gettin up morning…

Idiots 

Morons

Imbeciles 

If, that is, the Resurrection weren’t true.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for Paul to turn the corner on this idea.

Joyful joy–he’s about to.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

Still in Your Sins        One-a-Day Tuesday  11/14/23

A life worthy

For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins  (1 Corinthians 15:16-17).

Your faith is futile.

You are still in your sins.

Those words terrify me.

Many moons ago, I was visiting a church. During the worship service, a young woman was sharing some original poetry. The poem came from the heart of someone who had known betrayal and deceit, and it was addressed to God. The poem asked God, in essence,

What if I give you my whole heart, and it turns out you’re not real?

I don’t remember the exact words, but I remember the effect they had on me.

Much the same effect as this verse.

Praise God that he is real, and the resurrection true.

No, seriously–praise him for that today.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

False Witnesses One-a-Day Monday  11/13/23

A life worthy

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised (1 Corinthians 15:15).

You’re on the witness stand.

Are you gonna lie?

About God?

Paul found himself, perpetually, a witness for the Almighty.

Paul took his job seriously. He testified to the truth that had been revealed to him. And he was not about to let any man call him a liar.

You’re a witness too, Beloved. If you claim the title Christian, then you must be prepared to be called to the stand at any moment.

Do you know what you believe?

Do you know why you believe it?

If you don’t, then do the work to figure it out. If you do, stand firm in that belief. Hold fast to the truth that has been given to you, and let no man call you a liar. 

By his grace.

For his glory.

Happy Monday, Beloved