One-a-Day Monday, 12/8/14

number 1Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread (Matthew 6:9-11).

Frankly, this verse bugs me.

I know…I know!

But really—why couldn’t Jesus have told us to pray for our yearly bread?  It would have cut down on the uncertainty, the stress

the trust

the faith.

Sometimes I feel like one of the wandering Israelites, wondering each day if the manna would be there.

Of course…it was.

Every day.

Chew on that today, Beloved.

Pun intended.

One-a-Day Friday, 12/5/14

number 1Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10).

I have to be careful with this one.

I mean, it’s easy to say I want God’s will. “Thy will be done” sounds so spiritually mature, so wise and strong and Godly.  And most of the time I have a pretty good handle on what God’s will is, particularly in my own life and circumstances.  I mean, he wants me happy, strong, prosperous…pretty much to have a great life, right?

Um…yeah.

You see sometimes, when God’s will actually plays out, I discover to my chagrin that it really had very little in common with my own will.  That’s frustrating and frightening and, frankly, a trifle annoying.

That’s when I have to decide: Do I really want God’s will?  No matter what that may be?  Do I trust that he knows what he’s doing?  Do I love him enough to put his desires before my own, just as I should—but often don’t—with Cathy and the kids?

God’s will is a frightening concept…but a very safe place.

Happy Friday, Beloved.

One-a-Day Thursday, 12/4/14

number 1Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come… (Matthew 6:9-10).

It’s that glorious Someday.

There will be no more pain

or fear

or suffering

or loss

or loneliness

or sin

or death

or shame.

There will be only, always, ever…him.

Oh, Glorious Someday.

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Can I get an Amen, Beloved?

One-a-Day Wednesday, 12/3/14

number 1Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, (Matthew 6:9).

My apologies to those of you on a tight schedule, but I need another day of holiness.

Actually, I need a full eon of holiness…but you know what I’m saying.

God.  Perfect.  Untouched by sin.  Unable—if that word can apply to God—to be in the same room with sin.

God.  Thoroughly in love with me, a creature thoroughly in love with sin.  Determined to bring me to himself in a way that wouldn’t obliterate me.

God.  Willing to sacrifice his very heart to save me from death.

God.  Taking the holiness of his son and applying it to me, so that I might deserve what I didn’t earn and belong where I have no right to be.

Wow, Beloved.  I mean…wow.

One-a-Day Tuesday, 12/2/14

number 1Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, (Matthew 6:9).

Holy.

His name is holy.

I had a friend once upon a time who pursued holiness with an intensity you rarely encounter.  He told me that, each night, he would lie in bed and review the events of the day, looking for areas in which he had fallen short.  He would then take the time to pray and seek forgiveness.  The process sometimes took an hour or more. I loved my friend, but I thought he was being legalistic an over the-top.

And yet…

God told the Israelites, “I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt…therefore be holy, because I am holy” (Lev. 11-45).    OK, I’ve never been to North Africa, but I’ve been in my own personal Egypt, if you get my drift.  God brought me out, as surely as he parted the sea for Moses.

And in his prayer, Jesus emphasizes God’s holiness.

His name is holy.

We are called to be holy.

We are called to be like him.

Of course, I’ll never attain true holiness this side of Heaven.

But…should I not make the attempt?

Hmmm.

Something to chew on, Beloved.

One-a-Day Monday, 12/1/14

number 1This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in Heaven… (Matthew 6:9).

Jesus taught us how to pray.  It’s probably worth paying attention, hmm?

For the next several mornings, let’s take a look at the model prayer that Christ gave us in Matthew.  I don’t think it’s a mantra that we’re meant to recite; I do think it’s an example that we would be wise to follow.

First thing to notice—Jesus directs his prayer to the Father.  He could have called him “Lord,” or “Master,” or even “God.”

But he didn’t.

He called him Father.

Do you have Dad issues, Beloved?  When you think of your father, do you see an always loving, completely understanding, thoroughly trustworthy, totally forgiving man of perfect wisdom and strength who makes it easy for you to identify with an all-loving Lord of the Universe?

Yeah, me neither.

Nor do my kids, come to think of it.

Look, this isn’t a therapy session—it’s just a One-a-Day.  Let’s keep it simple.  No matter how your earthly dad stacks up against Perfection, no matter how hard he tried—or didn’t—he’s gonna fall short somewhere.

And that’s OK.

You have a Father in Heaven who is strength and wisdom and compassion and love personified.  He is your glorious Father, and he loves you…gloriously.  He is worthy of your praise, your devotion, your trust

And your prayers, which brings us back to where we started.

He is God, and King, and Lord.

You get to call him Father.

Because you are his Beloved.

Remember that…no matter what Monday brings.

One-a-Day Friday, 11/28/14

number 1Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive honor and glory and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being (Revelation 4:9-11).

Thoughts from the early-morning-post-Thanksgiving stupor:

It’s true, you know.  All of it.  Somewhere, in a dimension that I do not yet have access to, the above scene is playing out.  Someday, somehow, I’ll get to see it.  I’ll even, in some small way, get to be a part of it.

How can that be so?

I dunno..but it is.

The point is, it isn’t just metaphor.  It’s happening.

Sometimes I get caught up in the philosophy of Christianity and neglect the reality of Christ.  That’s not such a good idea.  Because as wondrous as the concepts of grace, and salvation, and eternal life are, they must be anchored in real events.

The manger

The cross

The empty tomb

As we move forward into the Christmas season, I need to remind myself—and maybe you, Beloved—that the story we celebrate is not only Truth.

It is true.

Happy Friday.

One-a-Day Wednesday, 11/26/14

number 1I thank my God every time I remember you (Philippians 1:3).

We all have them.

You know, those people who are a pure blessing.  The ones who bring undiluted joy to our lives.  The very thought of them makes us grin.

You’re thinking about yours right now.

Take a few moments this morning to thank God for those people.  Let your smile grow wide and your heart full.  Praise the One who loves you, because he knows you need these people, and he puts them in your heart to bless you.

He could work in you without them.

But he chooses to use them.

Just as he uses you in them.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved.

One-a-Day Tuesday, 11/25/14

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

Over the past several months, I have replaced both cars (going from no car payments to two car payments), the stove, and the dishwasher.  I have had major work difficulties and have been the victim of a threatened lawsuit and minor religious persecution.  My daughter just went through an agonizing bout of oral surgery, and I spent the vast bulk of my yesterday at the urgent care with my son.

Seriously?  I should give thanks in all that?

Over the past several months, I have seen both of my ancient cars fall apart, in traffic, without anyone getting hurt.  I have received a pay raise to cover (barely) the cost of car payments.  God has used work difficulties, potential lawsuits, and mild persecution to take my wisdom up a much-needed notch and give me a platform for sharing Him with coworkers.  My daughter has turned the corner on her pain.  My son and I got to spend the vast bulk of our yesterday people watching, before he overcame his fear of needles and learned that his heart is strong and his pancreas fully functional.

Seriously.  I should give thanks in all that.

Sometimes it’s a matter of perspective, Beloved.

Remind me of that the next time you need to talk me in from the ledge, will you?