Domination One-a-Day Monday  2/19/24

A life worthy

Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:25).

The Lord said to my Lord:

Sit at my right hand

Until I make your enemies

A footstool for your feet (Psalm 110:1)

I don’t know exactly how it will happen.

But it will happen.

Every person, every institution, every spirit, every idea, every sin, every thing that stands against God will fail and fall. 

Yep, even that.

Rejoice, Beloved!

Happy Monday

Finis One-a-Day Friday 2/16/24

A life worthy

Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power (1 Corinthians 15:24).

Someday,

some glorious day,

this  chapter of eternity will be over.

Every person,  every world system, every spirit that has stood against the Lord God Almighty will be 

defeated 

destroyed 

done.

And we’ll be there, Beloved

too humbled to speak,

too joyous to remain silent,

too full of Him to give Self more than a passing thought.

Man, I can’t wait for Someday.

Happy Friday, Beloved

Death and Life One-a-Day Wednesday    2/14/24

A life worthy

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Poor Adam

Yeah, you heard me.

He gets the credit for the death of humanity–right there in Scripture, for everybody to see.

That’s brutal.

It gives the impression that it was all his fault.

Now don’t get me wrong–Adam broke the relationship. He chose to disobey God, and in doing so he set the sin ball rolling. He earned his death, and ours.

But here’s the thing:

I am Adam.

I would have taken the fruit.

How do I know?

Because I do it today. Even with a new heart and a clean slate and a mind that is being renewed, I sin.

I choose to sin.

You know, the name Adam means, “Son of the red earth.”

That applies to me as it did to him.

So, while I firmly believe that there was a literal Adam, I also believe that Adam was a type that we all would follow. And do

But, thank God, the verse doesn’t end here…and neither do we.

Thanks to the mercy and grace and goodness and boundless love of our Father, in Christ we are made alive. We, who were born into death, have been reborn into life.

Take a deep breath, Beloved. There is no smell of the grave. You live.

In Him

Through Him

For Him

Because of Him

Rejoice, and live today.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

Adam       One-a-Day Tuesday  2/13/24

A life worthy

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man  (1 Corinthians 15:21).

It makes sense.

Man broke his relationship with God. Man should fix it.

It’s the “take responsibility for your own actions” philosophy we’ve been taught from childhood.

Except it doesn’t work here.

Yes, I broke the vase, but I can’t unbreak it. I can’t find all the pieces, and even if I could the glue would never hold. I can’t replace it, because it is one-of-a-kind. And even if, by some miracle, a replacement could be found, I could never pay the price.

Man broke his relationship with God–that I could do. 

Man should fix it–but not this man.

So,

God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law…(Galatians 4:4-5).

God did more than provide the solution–He became the solution.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

Firstfruits One-a-Day Monday  2/12/24

A life worthy

Hey, remember when we were in 1 Corinthians? Yeah, it’s been a while–I went off down some rabbit holes for a bit. So, here’s a reminder of where we were before we continue…

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20).

In the beginning was the Word.

In the new beginning, also, the Word.

Beloved, you know that the firstfruits were the portion of the harvest dedicated to God. It makes sense that this would be Christ, the first raised under the New Covenant. But, of course, the firstfruits were not the whole crop.

They were only the beginning.

The harvest continues, even today.

You and I are part of that harvest, Beloved. Whenever He returns, whether we are in the field or under it, we will follow our Lord into eternal life.

Makes Monday a little easier to bear, does it not?

Happy Monday, Beloved

Israel    One-a-Day Friday  2/9/24

A life worthy

Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles (Psalm 25:22).

Good for Israel!

They are God’s chosen people, after all. It makes sense that He would look out for them.

Beloved, do you realize that you are also Israel?

Remember what Paul says to the Romans? He talks about Israel as an olive tree, and says that we have been grafted into the tree and so have become part of the tree.

And so we have become part of Israel.

We have joined God’s chosen people.

And he has redeemed us from the greatest trouble ever imagined.

Shalom, Beloved

Happy Friday

Only in Him   One-a-Day Thursday  2/8/24

A life worthy

May integrity and uprightness protect me, for my hope, Lord, is in you (Psalm 25:21).

Pssssssst–

He’s talking about God’s integrity and God’s uprightness. Because if we were relying on our own integrity and uprightness to protect us…well…

some thoughts are better left unexplored, eh Beloved?

Happy Thursday.

Refuge One-a-Day Wednesday  2/7/24

A life worthy

Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you (Psalm 25:20).

Why?

Because I work so hard?

nope

Because I know so much?

huh uh

Because I give my 10%?

um…no

Because I offer wise advice?

not so much

Because I have the Jumbo Study Bible with built in concordance?

Ooooohhh…swingandamiss

Because, in the end, I’m such a groovy guy?

seriously

Because I’m his.  Hear that, Beloved. Because I’m his, I have the right to claim refuge in him, the right to run to him when I am in distress. Because I’m his I have confidence that the yuck will never get too deep, the mountains never too high, the stress never too much. You have a whole Thursday full of stuff to deal with today. Don’t be afraid to run to your Father and claim the shelter that is rightfully yours.

Because you are the Beloved of Christ.

Happy Wednesday

Enemies  One-a-Day Tuesday   2/6/24

A life worthy

See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! (Psalm 25:19).

OK, so I don’t literally have people out to kill me.

To the best of my knowledge

Although I do teach middle school, so…

Still, there are days when finances and job stress and finances and traffic idiots and finances and people and finances and house repairs and finances and car issues and finances leave me feeling that I am surrounded on all sides by people with bad attitudes and pointy sticks. Beyond that, I live in a society that is moving further and further away from the values that I hold and into a nether region of stupidity and sin. It may not attack my body, but it daily attacks my sense of right and wrong.

Not to mention my logic

So, yeah, I can identify in a very small way with David’s plight here. Far more importantly, I can identify with David’s rescue. The Psalmist knew he would be saved, because he knew his savior.

As do I

As do you

Take a deep breath, Beloved of Christ.

Happy Tuesday