A Life Worthy

Tag: Blessing

  • One-a-Day Wednesday, 10/22/14

    number 1He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.  (Psalm 1:3)

    OK, I really appreciate the tree image.  On a day like today, when I’m running crazy, the idea of solid, deep stillness is delicious.  On a day like today, when so little that I do seems to be of real value, the thought of being useful, of fulfilling my purpose, is profoundly satisfying.  On a day like today, when my back aches and the gray is spreading, the hope of not withering invigorates me.

    But I gotta tell you, Beloved–I struggle with the rest of the verse.  I’m trying to be a Psalm 1 kinda guy, but I can’t honestly say that whatever I do prospers.  Maybe I’m not Psalm 1ish enough.  Maybe I sit in the seat of mockers more often than I like to admit.  Maybe my meditation isn’t up to snuff.

    Maybe.

    Maybe I don’t have a good enough grip on what it means to “prosper.”  Maybe, just maybe, God is prospering me in ways I can’t see, can’t even imagine.

    I like that “Maybe” better.

    For all that I don’t know—which is plenty—there is one thing I do know.

    I wanna be a tree.

  • One-a-Day Tuesday 4/22/14

    number 1Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).

    It’s good to mourn.

    Oh maybe not good in the sense of, “Woohooo, my heart is breaking, I’ve lost everything I love—let’s get ice cream and cheesy puffs!”

    Not good in that sense.

    Good in the sense that it’s a natural part of who we are.  It’s healthy; it shows that we love.  After all, we don’t mourn that which we did not love.

    God mourns.  Jesus mourned Jerusalem (Matt. 23:37).  He wept at the grave of Lazarus.  I believe that the Father mourns those who choose to live and die apart from him. When we mourn, we show that we are made in his image.  We reveal the stamp of our Creator.

    And when we mourn, we are comforted.

    There’s the promise.  The God of all peace, all healing, all love, stands ready to comfort us in our loss.  And that comfort outweighs our pain.

    Eventually.

    So, once again God invites us to be vulnerable and rest in his protection, to be weak and draw on his strength, to be empty and let him fill us, to be broken and allow him to restore.

    When we are weak, he is strong—in us and through us.

    What have you lost, Beloved?  What do you mourn?

    Walk in his comfort today.

  • One-a-Day Monday 11/18/13

    number 1Blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. (Psalm 1:1)

    Who do you listen to?  Not on Sunday, but on Monday, Tuesday, and the rest.

    I like to listen to talk radio.  I enjoy the news analysis and commentary, but I have to keep one thing in mind—these are not Christian shows.  The hosts are not coming from a Christian perspective. Even though we may agree on many issues, we are fundamentally at odds.

    Again I ask:  who do you listen to?  Are you following the teaching of the Word, or of the world?  Are you seeking to imitate Jesus, or celebrities?  Are you fellowshipping with Godly believers, or the lost?

    The people who surround you, the communion you immerse yourself in, will have a profound impact upon your thought life.  So step back today and take a look at who that is.  If you need to make some changes, do so.

    Mondays are a great time for fresh starts.