Mighty God One-a-Day Friday  12/23/22

Posted on by December 23, 2022
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A life worthy

…Mighty God,  (Isaiah 9:6)

We’re almost there. The “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” part.

 So why are we stressed?

With two days to go, all sorts of emotions are getting stirred up.  Although we would like to say we are focused strictly on the birth of our Savior, the fact is this can be a really crazy time.  Perhaps you are rushing to wrap—or get—or think of—those last gifts.  Maybe you are frantically trying to get ready to travel—tickets, luggage, ohnowhatdowedowiththedogwhilewe’regone.  Could be you’re receiving guests into your nightmare of a house—good luck with that.

Or you’re moving.

Or someone you love is sick.

Or you’re broke.

Or things are just falling apart.

Given all that, I feel pretty spiffy that you’ve taken the time to read this.  Since you have, make the most of the moment.  Let the words soak in:

He is Mighty God.

Read it again.  Go on.

Now, say it out loud.

This King we serve, this Lord we love, this Savior we celebrate is fully capable of meeting the challenges of your day, be they mundane or monstrous.

And he will.

Because you are his Beloved.

Because you are his, Beloved.

Happy Thursday

Wonderful Counselor One-a-Day Thursday  12/22/22

Posted on by December 22, 2022
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A life worthy

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, (Isaiah 9:6)

There can be a lot in a name.  My name is Michael, which means, “Who is like God?”  I like that—it’s a constant reminder of the answer…Nobody.  When I begin to get a little too big for my proverbial britches, my very name brings me back to Earth.

Jesus has been given the name Wonderful Counselor.  Think about it—what does a counselor do?  A good counselor does three things—listen deeply, see to the heart of the issue, and offer wisdom.    So, we serve a God who actually listens to us—listens deeply.  He doesn’t just pretend to listen to you while he is mentally planning out his day, the way I might.  He actually considers every word you speak—and those you don’t.

Jesus also sees to the heart of your issue—after all, he knows you better than you do—remember Psalm 139?  You couldn’t hide the truth from him if you tried, so knock it off already.

Wisdom?  Uh…do I need to point out that his words are the very words of God?  Literally?  Yeah, worth listening to.

You, Beloved, have a Wonderful Counselor.  Walk in his wisdom today.

Happy Thursday

On His Shoulders One-a-Day Wednesday  12/21/22

Posted on by December 21, 2022
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…and the government will be on his shoulders. (Isaiah 9:6)

Here’s the thing with governments—they’re generally made up of people.  And, well, I hate to tell you this, but people tend toward selfishness and greed.

I just heard a bubble burst out there…sorry.

Democracy works, except when the people are ignorant, selfish, and lazy.

Oh.

Same holds true for Communism, republics, feudal societies, even theocracies.  On paper, they look great.  It’s when you add the people that things go winky-wonky.

Frankly, the best, strongest, most efficient form of government is a benevolent dictatorship.  The problem, of course, is that you can guarantee the dictator part, but not the benevolent bit.

Yet.

But guess what, Beloved?  The day will come when we will have an absolute monarch, a king of kings, who will rule with complete authority over all nations.  His reign will be perfect, unhampered by greed, unsullied by sin.  He will know what’s best, want what’s best, do what’s best.

He will be what’s best.

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

The Child One-a-Day Tuesday 12/20/22

Posted on by December 20, 2022
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A life worthy

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…  (Isaiah 9:6)

I don’t know if there is anything more exciting than the birth of a baby.   The feeling of joy, of life, that you get from holding a newborn—it’s astounding.  It doesn’t even have to be your child.  It can be a nephew, or a cousin, or the child of a friend.  Hey, it could be a random kid from the maternity ward that you grabbed just for the experience.

Not that you would ever do that because that would be wrong and earn you psychiatric evaluations and the serious threat of incarceration.

My point is this: Hope arrives with every baby.

How wonderful is it that God chose to bring Christ to us in this way!  Think about it—the Christ could have appeared fully grown, striding out of the desert on a Thursday morning.  He could have simply walked into the temple and started preaching.  Instead, we get to see him as a baby—yes, so that his genealogy could be verified and so that prophecy would be fulfilled—but also so that we could see a God willing to humble himself by birth, as he would one day humble himself by death.

Your God loves you so much that he sent a baby—the epitome of life—to call you to eternal life.

Heed the call, Beloved.

Happy Tuesday

Beginning One-a-Day Monday  12/19/22

Posted on by December 19, 2022
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‘Tis the Season…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

Before the tomb

Before the Cross

Before the trial

Before the betrayal

Before the garden

Before the temple

Before the mount

Before the desert

Before the river

Before the wise men

Before the manger

Before the star

Before the angel

Before the prophecies

He was.

And he was God.

Happy Monday, Beloved

Called One-a-Day Friday 12/16/22

Posted on by December 16, 2022
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A life worthy

Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to (1 Corinthians 7:-24).

Once again, Paul comes around to his main point: 

It’s not about your circumstances, but about how you live in those circumstances.

And yet, you must live in your circumstances. 

Don’t grumble about how much better your neighbor’s house is than your own.

Or his car

Or his bank account

Or his wife

Or his kids

Instead, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and be the best homeowner, driver, husband, and father you can be.

For the glory of God

God is eversomuchmore concerned with the inward than the outward. Don’t waste the opportunity to live for him today because you’re spending all your energy working and wishing and daydreaming about who you might be. God knows the Someday You–but he chose the Right Now You.

Happy Friday, Beloved

The Price One-a-Day Thursday 12/15/22

Posted on by December 15, 2022
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You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men (1 Corinthians 7:23).

You were lost.

Your sin had put you in so much debt that you were, quite frankly,  owned by Death.

You had as much chance of saving yourself as a corpse does of digging his way out of the grave and back to light and life.

You were without hope.

And then He arrived on the scene, paid your debt, and redeemed you from Death.

The Bible tells us that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but you weren’t redeemed with cattle.

He is Creator of heaven and earth, but you weren’t redeemed with heaven or earth.

The price, Beloved, was infinitely higher than that,

and he paid it willingly

because he loves you.

Given all that, don’t sell yourself back to the world. 

You are much too valuable.

Happy Thursday, Beloved

Slave and Free One-a-Day Wednesday 12/14/22

Posted on by December 14, 2022
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A life worthy

For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freeman; similarly, he who was free when he was called is Christ’s slave  (1 Corinthians 7:22).

As Americans, we bristle at the thought of being anyone’s slave. Our nation has known too much pain, caused too much pain, to read those words without a shudder and a twitch. Besides, that’s all behind us now, right? We needn’t think about such things anymore.

But consider this, Beloved. You were a slave. Oh, maybe not chained with iron, but chained nonetheless. And you have been called out of that bondage so that you can submit yourself to the only Lord worthy of the title.

Your King

Your Lord

Your Master

Yep, you have been set free so that you can willingly serve.

Seems kind of paradoxical, doesn’t it?

No worries; just lean into the paradox, because only those are are the slaves of Christ are ever truly free.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

Remain One-a-Day Tuesday 12/13/22

Posted on by December 13, 2022
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A life worthy

Each man should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you–although if you can gain freedom, do so (1 Corinthians 7:20-21). 

And now we move from the religious sphere to the socio economic sphere. 

Look, before you get your knickers in a twist, Paul is not advocating for slavery. Nor is he condemning slavery. His point in this passage really has nothing to do with slavery, any more than yesterday’s passage was about circumcision. Paul is encouraging his readers to stop focusing on their outward lives and start focusing on their relationship with God. Beloved, we can get so caught up in improving our lives that we forget about improving our hearts.

And there are metaphorical chains that can bind us just as tightly as physical ones.

Be content with your outward circumstances, but never your inward.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

What Counts One-a-Day Monday  12/12/22

Posted on by December 12, 2022
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Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. Was a man circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts(1 Corinthians 7:18-19).

For the last several verses Paul has been talking about marriage. Now he segues into the religious sphere. Apparently the Gentile Christians were feeling pressure to become more Jewish-ish, while the Jews who had come to Christ were feeling pressure to de-Jew themselves. 

They were missing the point–subtle pun intended.

Beloved, it’s not about the outward things. Yes, before Christ the people of God had abundant outward measures they had to take to show that they were in the club. But the Cross wiped all that away. Jesus proclaimed the Law fulfilled and our priorities shifted from outward to inward, as in “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength.” The Corinthians tended to forget that, and tended to look to ritual and appearance–things they know well–to measure up. 

Silly Corinthians. I’m so glad we’re beyond all that.

Happy Monday, Beloved