Partner One-a-Day Monday  11/28/22

Posted on by November 28, 2022
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A life worthy

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, back in 1 Corinthians…

Now for the matters you wrote about: it is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband (1 Corinthians 7:2).

As we settle back into 1 Corinthians for a bit, let me remind you that in this chapter Paul is shifting from dealing with sin in the Corinthian church to answering questions that they had posed to him. It seems that, while some in the church were falling into sexual craziness, others were going the opposite direction. They were wondering if it wouldn’t be better to remain unmarried. Paul has noted that there are advantages to being unmarried, and we’ll talk about those later. However, given the immorality that was prevalent in Corinth, it was more important for each person to have a safe and godly outlet for their sexuality.

This is one of the great things about God, Beloved. He knows that you are a physical being as well as a spiritual being. He made you, after all. Unlike the ascetics, who tried to deny their bodies any pleasure so that they could enhance their spiritual life, we are called to enjoy physical pleasure–within its proper bounds. Food, entertainment, sport, sleep, sex–all are desires that God has built into us. He has also given us healthy ways to engage in them. 

If you are married, rejoice. God has given you a partner, and you get to enjoy your partner.  If you are not married, and want to be, and are praying for your partner, I pray that God will fulfill the desire of your heart. Things work differently in our culture than they did in Paul’s, and the process of finding a spouse is not always so simple. I know, and more importantly, God knows. As you wait, hold fast to God and live in a way that you know will please him. It is no easy thing to do, but your Father will honor it. 

Happy Monday, Beloved.

Still Thankful?  One-a-Day Friday  11/25/22

Posted on by November 25, 2022
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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  11/24/22

Posted on by November 24, 2022
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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  11/23/22

Posted on by November 23, 2022
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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  11/22/22

Posted on by November 22, 2022
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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 11/21/22

Posted on by November 21, 2022
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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

Marriage…or Not One-a-Day Friday 11/18/22

Posted on by November 18, 2022
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A life worthy

Now for the matters you wrote about: it is good for a man not to marry. (1 Corinthians 7:1).

Huh?

Not marry?

But God designed marriage, did he not? I mean, the whole rib thing in Genesis, the “It’s not good for man to be alone…the two shall become one flesh” part.

Is Paul trying to change the fundamental nature of humanity?

Nope

This, Beloved, is why it is dangerous to overemphasize any one passage of Scripture. Doing so is confusing and can lead you astray and make you annoying. Yes, the Bible is clear that marriage is a gift from God to be treasured and respected. Paul himself extolled the importance of marriage, even using it as an analogy for Christ’s relationship with his Church.

Yes, it’s OK to be married, or get married, or want to get married.

So, what about this verse?

Context, Beloved

Paul starts the verse by referencing, “The matters you wrote about.” So in this chapter he is answering questions that the Corinthians had previously asked him. As we will see later in the chapter, the Corinthian Church was dealing with a lot of garbage, and people were having a rough time of it. Since their world was in so much turmoil, they had apparently asked Paul if he thought it was wise for people to be making lifelong commitments…and Paul gave his answer.

He was talking to the Corinthians.

No offense, Beloved…but it’s not always about you.

Happy Friday

Bought One-a-Day Thursday 11/17/22

Posted on by November 17, 2022
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A life worthy

You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20). 

“But it’s my body!”

Not really, no

You belong to God.

That’s what redemption means, Beloved–you had sold yourself as a slave to sin, and God bought you back–redeemed you–with the blood of Jesus Christ. 

A very high price was paid for you.

So that meat sack you live in is not your meat sack. It is God’s meat sack. You are merely the tenant.

No, you are not a robot. God is not remote-controlling you through your day. You make a gajillion choices, moment by moment, about what you are going to do in and with and for that body. He gives you these choices, because he loves you.

So choose wisely today. 

Choose to bring him honor..

Happy Thursday, Beloved

Temple One-a-Day Wednesday  11/16/22

Posted on by November 16, 2022
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A life worthy

Remember how we were in 1 Corinthians? Well, we’re back!

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  (1 Corinthians 6:18-19a).

Your body is not just your body.

It is the temple of God.

If you are a Christian, your body  is home to the Holy One, Lord God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth. If you are not a Christian, then your body is a slave to sin.

Either way, you’ve got a roommate.

Sexual sins are perhaps the most private, the most deeply personal of sins. And they very much involve your body.

People use the Bodily Autonomy argument to justify a number of evil things.

It doesn’t really work for any of them.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

Praise and Silence  One-a-Day Tuesday  11/15/16

Posted on by November 15, 2022
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A life worthy

But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God’s name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced (Psalm 63:11).

All will be as it should be.

God’s people will praise him, and God’s enemies will be silenced.

It’s gonna happen.

You don’t need to make it happen

Or worry that it won’t happen

Because it’s gonna happen.

So do your part (that’s the praise bit) and leave the rest to the Lord God Almighty.

He can handle it.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.