A Life Worthy

Roller Coaster

Posted on July 12, 2014 by michaelJuly 12, 2014

roller coaster I am not a fan of heights.

Roller coasters most often involve great heights.

Therefore…

When I was about twelve years old, I got to spend the day at Knott’s Berry Farm with my best friend, Michael. My friend knew I was afraid of roller coasters, and he decided that this was the day for me to conquer my fear. The roller coaster of choice at the park in those days was called Corkscrew, and Michael was determined to get me on that ride. He spoke with all the eloquence his twelve-year-old self could muster about safety records and engineering and not being a wusmeister.

I didn’t want to be a wusmeister. So I rode the ride.

Thanks, peer pressure. Continue reading →

One-a-Day Friday, 7/11/14

Posted on July 11, 2014 by michaelJuly 10, 2014

My soul finds rest in God alone (Psalm 62:1).

It begins and ends here.

In God alone.

Beloved, if I had the power to put one thought in your heart this morning, and keep it there all your life, it would be this:

God is enough.

He is strong enough.

He is wise enough.

He is good enough.

And oh, he loves you enough.

Your God is completely, utterly worthy of the trust that is so hard for you to give.

And you’re so silly, Beloved. You have trusted God with your eternity, but you have trouble trusting him with your Friday.

How do I know? Because I’m right there with you. We’re in the same boat, fighting over the paddle.

Does your soul ache this morning? Is it carrying the burden of too much responsibility, too much pain, too much stress…just too much?

There’s only one place to go. And it’s enough.

He’s enough.

And he’s waiting for you.

Have a restful Friday, Beloved.

One-a-Day Thursday, 7/10/14

Posted on July 10, 2014 by michaelJuly 9, 2014

My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest (Exodus 33:14).

As Israel moved into the Promised Land, God granted his assurance that he would not leave his children on their own. He would be with them on their journey, come what may. God knew that his people needed more than his blessing, more than his power.

They needed him.

As do I.

As do you.

What is your journey today, Beloved? Are you heading to far-off lands of adventure, or nearby streets of tedium? Are you frightened by the uncertainty of what today might hold, or are you frustrated at the drudgery of another monotonous day of the same-old-same-old? Either way, you can breathe deeply in the knowledge that the God who first conceived the very idea of you goes with you into this day. Nothing is going to surprise him. Nothing is going to confuse him.

He’s got your back.

And your front.

And everything in between.

Today, even today, you can enjoy the rest that comes from simply being in his presence.

I hope you do.

Go get ‘em.

One-a-Day Wednesday, 7/9/14

Posted on July 9, 2014 by michaelJuly 8, 2014

…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

You’re not who you want to be.

I get that—neither am I.

That “not being who you want to be” business, yeah, that causes stress.

I get that, too.

And frankly, if it were up to you to become the strong, caring, mature child of God that you want to be, I’d tell you to pack it in. It ain’t gonna happen, my friend.

But it’s not up to you.

Hear that, Beloved. It is not up to you.

You are in the hands and heart of your creator, and he is an artist without compare.

I have heard that great sculptors can look at a block of stone or wood or clay and see the finished work before they even begin. It’s like that with God. He looks at you—lumpy blob of clay that you are—and he sees a work of such beauty, such grace, such power that it will bring tears to the eyes. All he needs is a little time to bring the beauty from the blob. He will not forget you. He will not get bored with you and wander off to watch TV or make nachos. He will stick with you until his vision is realized, until you are complete.

So don’t stress because you’re not “there” yet. You don’t even know where “there” is. Just let God keep doing what he’s doing.

Because what he’s doing is fantastic.

One-a-Day Tuesday, 7/8/14

Posted on July 8, 2014 by michaelJuly 8, 2014

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

Here’s the payoff.

I told you yesterday that when you release your stress and worries to God he would give you something in return. Well, here it is.

Peace.

Oh, so very much better than stress.

So let’s break this down a bit…

The peace of God It comes from him. It is at his command. You can’t manufacture it; you can’t go and find it. It is his gift—another form of the grace by which you have been saved.

Which transcends all understanding Like God’s grace, like his love for us, this peace makes no worldly sense. Why should you have peace when your life is a teeming, steaming mess? And yet like his grace, like his love, he gives us this priceless gift because it brings him pleasure and glory. It’s one of those things I can never get my brain around, but I can get my heart around. That’s enough.

Will guard your hearts and your minds Stress is a dangerous thing. It results from—and produces—a powerful need to control our circumstances. Left to ourselves, this quest for control can lead us into a whole bucketful of sins. Left to ourselves, the realization that we have no control can plunge us into despair. So God sets his peace around you like a bodyguard, protecting you from the attacks of your enemies—those outside and inside.

In Christ Jesus We only have peace because of the cross. We are reconciled to God by and through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, and our peace is possible only through him and in him.

Take his peace this morning. Receive this gift that he offers. I call it a gift, but it will cost you something. It will cost you your façade of power, the cardboard cutout you call control. Offer it up to him. He’ll take it from you. For you.

Now.

Release it to him, Beloved. This illusion that you can manipulate your life, your circumstances, the people around you, it’s got you locked in a cycle of fruitless striving and perpetual despair. Let God break the cycle—break you, if necessary.

It will leave you feeling insanely, foolishly vulnerable.

You will be safer than you have ever imagined.

One-a-Day Monday 7/7/14

Posted on July 7, 2014 by michaelJuly 7, 2014

number 1 I don’t know about you, but I could use another week of resting in Him. So, since this is my blog…

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, and with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6).

I can only do so much.

Like we talked about last week, a huge part of our anxiety comes from the need to control our situation. When circumstances, or people, are not working in the ways we want, and we aren’t able to change them, we get stressed. Paul is reminding us here that we are not in control—that we will never be in control—but that we have a lifeline to the one who is. Rather than relying on our own ability to manipulate our situation, we are called to take the things that worry us directly to God.

Nothing too big.

Nothing too small.

But we need to do it with the right attitude, Beloved. It’s not a list of demands. It’s not a blueprint for our lives that we just need God to sign off on. We are to come with thanksgiving, recognizing that he loves us, he wants the best for us, and he is more capable of knowing and doing what is best than we can ever think or imagine.

I’m gonna let you in on a secret, just between the two of us. This verse has often annoyed me.

Yeah I know—just a touch of arrogance there.

When I focus on the first part—Do not be anxious about anything—I get frustrated. It’s like someone telling me, “Don’t think about squirrels.” All that does is plant the picture of those fluffy little rats firmly in my brain. Telling me not to worry only makes me worry more, because now I feel guilty and ungodly for worrying in the first place.

Thanks a lot, Paul.

But I find that if I focus on the second half of the verse—in everything…present your requests to God—things work a little better. I do my part by bringing my worries to him, but then I let him do his part and be God, which, frankly, he is ever so much better at than I am.

Though that’s tough to admit.

What worries are holding you down today, Beloved? I won’t tell you not to worry. I will tell you that you have a really big, strong God who is waiting to hear all about it. Go to him. Release your stress to him. He can handle it. And he’s got something to give you in return, but we’ll talk about that tomorrow.

Happy Monday, Beloved.

One-a-Day Friday, 7/4/14

Posted on July 4, 2014 by michaelJuly 3, 2014

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).

“Hey, Michael, I thought this week was about rest.”

It is, my friend.

“So, what does this verse have to do with resting?”

Stick around and I’ll try to show you.

Today is Independence Day. This day we celebrate our freedom. Of course, as Americans we celebrate our national and political freedom. As men and women of God, we celebrate our spiritual freedom. Christ has set us free from our bondage to sin. He has set us free from our need to try and earn our salvation, to somehow save ourselves. He has set us free from the stress and worry and angst and anxiety which so often attack us.

Hear me, Beloved. I’m not saying that those things are gone. On the contrary, sin and self-righteousness and anxiety are still very much evident in this world and, at times, in our lives. I’m saying that you are no longer in bondage to them.

When Paul wrote the above verse to the Galatians he was talking about freedom from the Mosaic Law. Some Jews had chosen to follow Christ, but still felt compelled to meet the demands of the old covenant. Paul was pointing out that a person who has Christ no longer needs the old law, and to try and follow it is to be like a slave who, once free, returns to his chains.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that, for some of us, worry and stress operate in the same way as the Mosaic Law.

It’s about power.

The Judaizers liked the Law because it gave them a sense of control over their destinies. They had rules to follow, stuff to do, that they thought would get them to Heaven.

“But Michael, I don’t worry because I feel powerful. I worry because I feel powerless.”

Yes, but it’s still about power. About control. You worry because you know you are not in control, and you desperately want to be. Because if you’re not in control, someone else is, and there’s a part of you that just cannot handle that.

I’m in the same boat, by the way. May I steer? Of course not.

Sometimes trust seems beyond our grasp. And without trust, there is no rest.

And this, after all, is “Rest in Him” week.

So let’s pray for trust today, shall we? I’ll pray for you, and you for me. Maybe we can both get some rest.

Today is the day to celebrate your independence.

And your dependence.

Happy Fourth, Beloved.

One-a-Day Thursday, 7/3/14

Posted on July 3, 2014 by michaelJuly 3, 2014

My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me (Psalm 131:1-2).

I mentioned this Psalm in a post a couple of weeks ago, but it’s still on my heart. The image is so powerful—a small child walking quietly along, holding his mother’s hand and going wherever she leads. The child is not worried about where they are going or when they will get there or how they will pay the rent or who will be President. Mom is there, and so all is well. And that’s all that matters.

God is here.

Isn’t that all that matters?

Take his hand today, Beloved. Walk quietly with him, content that he is here, and so all is well.

Breathe deeply, and have a peaceful Thursday.

One-a-Day Wednesday, 7/2/14

Posted on July 2, 2014 by michaelJuly 2, 2014

Take my yoke upon on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:29-30).

So here’s what I think…

As you well know, a yoke is a contraption that allows an ox, or some other suitable creature, to pull a plow. Oxen are yoked together in teams of two, with one ox leading, and the other ox more or less along for the ride. This second, or “off” ox, is constrained by the yoke to follow the lead ox and do what he does.

Jesus is inviting you to be his off ox.

Follow his lead. Do what he does. Be conformed to his image. That’s the offer. And what is the result of this?

You will find rest for your soul.

Now Jesus could be talking about that rest as a reward for faithfully serving him, but I think it’s more than that. I think rest is a natural byproduct of following Jesus. Because following Jesus means walking in obedience to the Father, and obedience to the Father is the key to a peaceful heart. Think about it—how could Jesus say that his yoke was easy, his burden light? He was going to the cross to bear the sin of all mankind, and he knew it.

He could call it easy and light because it was the Father’s will, and doing the Father’s will put him in harmony with—at peace with—the Father. He was doing what he was sent to do. He was fulfilling his destiny.

When we obey God, when we allow him to direct our steps, we know peace, even when the path itself seems impossibly difficult. When we do what we were designed to do for the One who designed us, our souls will know rest.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus…

What is he calling you to this day, Beloved? Where are you most likely to fight against the yoke? Could that—fighting against his lead—could that be the source of your stress today? Could submission bring rest to your soul?

Who am I to say? What do I know? But, maybe…

Oxen are notoriously dull-witted creatures, but they manage to get it right.

I think there’s hope for us, Beloved.

One-a-Day Tuesday, 7/1/14

Posted on July 1, 2014 by michaelJuly 1, 2014

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

Some mornings I look at a verse and I think, “This is so clear, so simple, that trying to ‘explain’ it would only complicate matters.”

Today would be one of those mornings.

Let’s not discuss this verse, Beloved.

Let’s not analyze it.

Let’s just embrace it.

Jesus is inviting you to take the worry, the stress, the anxiety that plagues you today and lay it all at his feet.

He’s waiting…

I’ll meet you there, Beloved.