A Life Worthy

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:3).

Paul begins each of his epistles with these words.

And always in this order.  

Grace and Peace

Go ahead and check for yourself.  I’ll wait…

…

…

See what I mean?

Grace comes first, because without grace there can be no peace.

No peace with God

No peace with family

No peace in your own heart

None of it happens without the grace of God.  And why would it?  Without grace, you are judged solely on your own merit.

And you know how far that gets you.

Nope, peace is not something you can earn or deserve or accomplish.

Only receive.

You can’t get there, but you can be there.

Oh, of course you know all that already, you being so spiritual and all.

But Paul seems to think it’s worth the reminder, and who am I to argue?

Walk in grace, Beloved.  And know peace.

Happy Tuesday

My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and then someone should bring him back, remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.  (James 5:19-20)

You’re a rescue hero.  Didya know that?

You have the power to save someone from death.  Woo Hooo!

But of course, with great power comes great…

Yep.

My wife’s family used to have a dog named Cabo.  Fantastic, strong, loyal Labrador Retriever.  Dogs just don’t get any better than that.  Cabo used to do a funny thing that quickly became annoying when he wouldn’t stop (man, do I identify with that dog).  Anyway, when people were swimming in the pool, Cabo would dive in, grab them by the arm, and drag them to safety.

Except they weren’t in danger.

They were just swimming.

Until the massive, hairy beast clamped his jaws ever so gently on an appendage and bodily removed them from the pool.

Cabo thought he was a hero.

He was just annoying.

On the flip side, when I was a kid my friend’s toddler-aged brother decided to teach himself to swim.  He wasn’t very good at it.  

At all

We looked over and saw him thrashing around under water.  Had someone not immediately jumped to the rescue, we would have lost him.  The kid was annoying, but still…

My point?

Before you dive into the pool, make sure the person is really drowning.  Maybe their swimming technique is just a little different.

But if they are drowning, don’t stand and yell at them to get out of the water.  Dive in.

Be a rescue hero.

Um…you know this is a metaphor, right?

Good

Happy Friday, Beloved.

Is any one of you in trouble?  He should pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let him sings songs of praise.  Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13-14).

Is anyone else detecting a pattern here?

Look, I know you pray.

I pray, too.  I’m a prayer-guy from way back.

But

What James is talking about here is a level of prayer that, I gotta confess, is sometimes beyond me.  He’s not just giving a check-off list for when it is appropriate to pray.  James is talking about prayer as the go-to attitude for any situation.  

It’s a habit.

It’s a lifestyle.

As you head into your Wednesday, take a moment for a little spiritual self-check. Ask yourself this question:

Is prayer something I have to think about doing

or

is it something I’m already doing?

Happy Wednesday, Beloved.

Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered.  You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.  The Lord is full of compassion and mercy   (James 5:10-11).

Oh, fine, James–bring the prophets into this!  

I was just working up a good pity party–I mean, I can’t afford new carpet for my house, and my optometrist just said I need stronger reading glasses, and vacation is over so I have to go back to work today.  I’m feeling the suffering of the ages pressing down upon me, and you bring up Job?

Oy

Beloved, we all suffer.  Sometimes it’s a fluffy sort of suffering, what we’ve taken to calling First World Problems.

Sometimes it’s the real deal.

Regardless of what you’re faced with today, remember that the same God who carried those Old Testament guys through now carries you.  You can bank on that.

Because, well, you’re his Beloved.

Now, go do Monday.  

By His grace…for His glory.

Be patient then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming.  See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.  You, too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near (James 5:7-8).

When I was a little kid my grandparents took me to see Zorba the Greek.

I don’t know why…maybe they couldn’t find a babysitter.

I didn’t understand most of it, which is probably for the best, but one song planted itself deep in my brain. It is called The Butterfly, and it tells of a man who finds a cocoon.  The man is so excited to free the butterfly within the cocoon that he warms it in his hands, breathing on it to speed things along.  

I don’t know if that would work in real life, but it does in the song.

The cocoon opens, but the butterfly is not yet fully developed.  Instead of a beautiful, graceful creature, the man holds a tattered, unfinished life that dies in his hands.  His lament,

All at once I discovered his delicate wings were all crumpled and torn,

When he still wasn’t ready I had made him be born

haunted my little kid self, and has stuck with me since.  

Beloved, your Lord has a plan.  A plan for your life, and a plan for this world.  He hasn’t forgotten you, and he hasn’t cast you aside, and he hasn’t put you on the back burner until he gets around to you.

He is thinking of you constantly, and he is asking you to be patient while his plan unfolds.

Trust him, Beloved.  He’s worth the wait.

Happy Thursday.