A Life Worthy

One-a-Day Wednesday, 6/18/14

Posted on June 18, 2014 by michaelJune 17, 2014

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness… (2 Peter 1:6).

No pressure.

Just, you know, now that you’re done persevering and all that stuff, go ahead and be godly.

Go on…I’ll wait…

Are you through yet?

Yeah…me neither.

Don’t fret, Beloved. Peter isn’t telling us to be godlike; he’s telling us to be godly. There is a difference. No need to walk on water, heal the blind, or raise the dead—not that you ought to shun the opportunity should the occasion arise. To be godly, as I understand it, means that your life is submitted to Christ. Your attitudes, your actions, your very thoughts, come from a place of reverence and devotion. Your love for Christ informs every move you make.

It takes time to develop godliness. It’s a process—a daily progression of letting go of the world and embracing God’s will. How long does it take? Well, it’s taken me 26 years so far. Ask me in another 26.

You know that self-control you’re working on? You’re going to need it.

You know the perseverance you’re learning? You’ll be using every bit.

It won’t be easy—Peter says, “Make every effort,” not, “Just sit back, enjoy a rootbeer float, and let it happen.” No, it won’t come easily.

But it will come.

It’s Wednesday, Beloved. What a perfect day to grow in godliness.

One-a-Day Tuesday, 6/17/14

Posted on June 17, 2014 by michaelJune 17, 2014

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance… (2 Peter 1:6).

Some days are just hard. You will fail; your self-control will falter. Attacks will come, from within and without, that simply seem too much for you. You will feel that, at best, you are spiritually stagnant, that you will never be the person you know God has called you to be.

Hold on.

Tight.

This is when God calls you to persevere. That is your part of the equation. God supplies the strength—you must supply the will. Are you praying for a deeper relationship with God, but not seeing any results?

Persevere. Press on.

Are you struggling with sin or insecurity or loneliness, and you feel as if things will never change?

Persevere. Wrestle it until you pin it to the ground.

Are you interceding for someone you love, but you feel like your prayers are powerless?

Persevere. Fight on. Stand in the gap for your beloved, even as Christ has stood for you.

Fight though you are tired. Fight though you are discouraged. Fight though you see no results in this world. Fight through the sadness and pain and brokenness and fear and rejection and disappointment and loss and grief.

Fight until he gives you the victory.

Beloved, I don’t know what challenge you face today, but I know that you are called to persevere. And I know something else—if it’s a battle worth fighting, then it’s a battle worth winning.

So go win.

One-a-Day Monday 6/16/14

Posted on June 16, 2014 by michaelJune 16, 2014

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control… (2 Peter 1:6a).

When my classroom of thirteen-year-olds gets ornery, I point out to them one of life’s great lessons—you will be controlled. You have the option of controlling yourself, but if you don’t take that option, you will be controlled by someone else. In the classroom setting, that “Someone else” is me, and my tools for controlling behavior take the form of discipline—unpleasant and unwanted for most people.

It’s very much the same when it comes to the spiritual life. If you don’t control yourself, someone else will. Peter is talking here to believers, and we don’t need to worry about our Enemy controlling us. But if the Holy Spirit needs to step in and control your behavior, you’re not going to like it. Remember, God is not interested in robots—He won’t simply remote-control you into proper behavior. He will discipline you, much as a father or a teacher might. And it won’t be pleasant.

Self-control is an important fruit of the Spirit. Peter tells us elsewhere that we should, “Be clear minded and self-controlled, so you can pray” (1 Peter 4:7). As believers, we are expected to practice this discipline, so that we can be useful and productive members of His kingdom.

So, Beloved, who will control you today? Will you be a spiritual grown up, or a spiritual 8^th grader? Because, trust me, you aren’t going to like God’s version of after-school detention.

Holding Tight…Letting Go

Posted on June 14, 2014 by michaelJune 13, 2014

I remember teaching you to ride a bicycle. You were so scared, the Hands bicycle so big. It was, in truth, a tiny machine, long since sold at a yard sale. On that morning, however, it was your Goliath to conquer, your stallion to tame and to claim.

“Deeda, hold on tight. You won’t let go, will you?”

Never, if I have the choice. Continue reading →

One-a-Day Friday, 6/13/14

Posted on June 13, 2014 by michaelJune 13, 2014

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge… (2 Peter 1:5b)

So you’re trusting God.

Excellent.

You’re practicing the goodness that comes out of a faith relationship with Him.

Wonderful.

Peter’s not through with you yet.

You see, there’s only so far you can go if you’re ignorant. Just ask my students. Think about it. How much can you trust God, really, if you don’t have knowledge of who he is and how he has chosen to work in our world? What we call “blind faith,” is really just, “lazy hope.” I am willing to climb on an airplane because, though I don’t fully understand the physics of how it works, I understand enough to know that an airplane does fly.

Usually

If someone offered me a ride on a flying chicken sandwich, I would have to say “no,” because I understand enough to be confident that a chicken sandwich big enough to hold me would never be capable of sustained flight.

That may be the worst analogy I have ever allowed to go to print. But you get the point, right?

If you are going to live for Christ, if you are going to do good on his behalf, then you must know him. Spend time today getting to know him better. God has given us 66 books on the subject of how much he loves us, and how he wants to work in us and through us. Study them. Study him.

There will be a test, Beloved.

It’s called Life.

One-a-Day Thursday, 6/12/14

Posted on June 12, 2014 by michaelJune 12, 2014

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness… (2 Peter 1:5a)

Faith is the starting point. If you don’t trust God, if you don’t act out of that trust, then nothing you do will have any lasting significance.

So, it starts with faith.

But it doesn’t end there.

If your faith is real, it will produce good deeds. They will flow naturally from your relationship with the Father. Don’t take my word for it—go talk to James. He says that, “Faith without deeds is useless.” (James 2:20)

I like James. He gets right to the point.

As will I.

What are you doing to add goodness to your faith? What actions stand as proof that your trust in the Father is more than just words?

Thursday awaits…

Be good, Beloved.

One-a-Day Wednesday, 6/11/14

Posted on June 11, 2014 by michaelJune 11, 2014

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness (2 Peter 1:3).

We have everything we need—We talked about that yesterday.

Through our knowledge of him—That takes us back to Monday.

Who called us—We didn’t call him. He called us. Which is a good thing, because, frankly, we probably never would have called him, and the consequences of that are terrifying.

Chew on it for a moment, Beloved. The Lord of the Universe has called you. Muddy, itchy, scabby, sloppy you. He knew just who he was calling, and he is in no way disappointed now that you’re his.

By his own glory and goodness—Notice that it does not say, “For his glory,” or, “Because of his goodness,” though either of those would make sense. It says, “By his glory and goodness.” These are the attributes that draw us to God. His glory—the holy, powerful, awesome, untouchable, unattainable perfection who is the Lion of Judah. His goodness—the gentle, kind, loving, cross-bearing, wretch-saving peacemaker who is the Lamb of God.

This is He who calls you. This is He who equips you. This is He who sends you forth in his name.

Wednesday is no match for you. Go get ‘em, Beloved.

One-a-Day Tuesday, 6/10/14

Posted on June 10, 2014 by michaelJune 10, 2014

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness … (2 Peter 1:3).

Everything we need.

Everything.

You know all those reasons you have for not living the kind of spiritual life God has called you to? Yeah, your weakness, your lack of insight, an absent spiritual gift or two or three or five—all those good excuses that allow you to live a plain, ordinary life?

Peter just blew those out the window.

Open window

Poof

Gone.

You have everything you need to live the life you have been called to live.

So…

Chew on that this morning, Beloved. It’s kind of a game changer.

One-a-Day Monday 6/9/14

Posted on June 9, 2014 by michaelJune 8, 2014

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:2).

I know we have talked about this before, but I think it bears repeating. The phrase grace and peace appears in nearly every New Testament letter. Paul used it. John used it. Here we see Peter using the phrase. It is always used as a blessing to believers. It is always used at the beginning of the letter, kind of a launching pad. It is always used in the same order.

Grace

and

Peace.

Which reminds us that grace must come first. Without grace—the completely undeserved blessing we have received from God—how can we ever know peace? His grace sent his Son to the cross to purchase our peace with his blood.

Peter goes another step, pointing out that this grace and peace come through “The knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” God’s grace is not an anonymous gift left on our doorstep. Jesus stands and holds it out to you; you must come and take it. You must learn what it cost, and why.

To appreciate the gift, you must know the giver.

Spend time with him today, Beloved. Take hold of the grace and peace he offers you.

The gift cost him more than you can ever fully know.

And you are worth it.

One-a-Day Friday, 6/6/14

Posted on June 6, 2014 by michaelJune 5, 2014

…find out what pleases the Lord (Ephesians 5:10).

There’s a big difference between desire and love. Desire is about you—your wants, your needs, and how the object of your desire can fulfill them. Even the term, “Object of your desire,” connotes a thing, not a person.

Love is not about you; it is about the beloved. Your wants, your needs are subordinated to theirs. When you love someone, you want to know everything about them. So you spend hours with them, hanging on their every word. You study them, looking for the things they like to do, to eat, to wear. Kind of like stalking, only not so creepy. You pay attention; you get to know them. Then you show your love by doing things that you know they’ll appreciate. It can be hard work, but it feels like pure joy.

Beloved, when was the last time you dove into Scripture with the sole purpose of knowing God better, of finding out what makes him happy? Better question: When will be the next time?