A Life Worthy

Tag: God’s love

  • One-a-Day Friday, 11/14/14

    number 1For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; all your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  (Psalm 139:13-14)

    You were made by God, my friend.  Do you know that?  Seriously…are you really realizing that the Lord of the entire universe, he who put the stars in their places, he who designed the atom, he who called it all into being just by the force of his will—he knit you together?  Every fiber of your being was specifically designed by him.  You didn’t come off an assembly line; you didn’t rise from the muck.  You are no accident.  You were custom made by God.

    You are his work; you are wonderful.

    You are Beloved.

    Know that full well.

  • One-a-Day Wednesday, 8/6/14

    number 1Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17).

    He wants good things for you.

    He has given good things to you.

    I’m going to let you in on a little secret, Beloved.

    Sometimes I doubt God.

    Oh, I don’t doubt that he’s there, or that he’s Almighty God.  I don’t doubt the truth of the Resurrection or that he’s coming back for us one day.

    It’s just that, after so many years of following him, there are still moments when, in the secret places of my heart, I doubt that he loves me.

    I mean, why would he?

    Now, I know that you’re way past all that nonsense, and your faith is unshakeable.  But, just for kicks, let me tell you what I do when moods of doubt take hold of me.

    I count my blessings.

    Yes, it sounds trite, but I’m telling you it works.  Stay with me here. This verse tells us that every good gift is from God, right?  And people give gifts to those they love, right?  And God is not fickle, loving one minute and hating the next—if he loves, he loves, right?

    So, as I count the good things in my life, I can take each one as tangible proof of his love.

    And there really are so many good things.

    When I start counting, I invariably come around to counting the people I love.  That’s when I stop.  See, when I consider all the hearts I hold in mine, and I think that each of them is a sign of God’s love for me, my doubts stutter and go silent.

    Anyway, that’s probably just me.  But, as you go through your day, take a moment or two or twenty and think about the great gifts that are yours.

    Then think about the great Giver.

    And know that you are loved.

    Happy Wednesday, Beloved.

  • One-a-Day Monday 8/4/14

    number 1The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position (James 1:9).

    Who do you think you are?

    Do you think you’re kind of a nuthinburger, with a dead-end job, an empty bank account, a lonely heart, and little to offer the world?

    Interesting.  I know that feeling.  May I even suggest that, in the eyes of the world, it may be fairly accurate?

    In the eyes of the world.

    But, since when do we care about the eyes of the world, Beloved?

    Let me remind you of something.  If you belong to Christ, then you are a child of the Lord of Everything.  You are royalty of the highest order.

    Your job? King’s Ambassador.

    Your wealth?  The riches of Heaven.

    Your heart? Loved to distraction by the Author of Love, the one who thought up the very idea of you, the one who knows everything there is to know about you, the one who died so that you can be together forever.

    Your gift to the world?  The message of that love.

    Who do you think you are?

    Who do you know you are?

    Stand tall, Beloved.

  • One-a-Day Friday 3/21/14

    …and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19).

    This love that surpasses knowledge…a love that is more than my brain can contain…frankly, that he loves us at all is mind-blowing—wouldn’t you agree?

    To be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God…to be so full of God that there’s no room for anything else.  You know what that makes me think of?  It makes me think of the scene in It’s a Wonderful Life when Jimmy Stewart is wooing Donna Reed.  He talks about lassoing the moon, and bringing it down for her. She could then swallow the moon, and the moonbeams would shoot out from her fingertips and the ends of her hair.  That’s what this verse makes me think of.  Paul wants us to be so full of God’s love that it pours out of us—shoots out of us in all directions.

    He seems to say that, if we could just grasp the giganticatiousness of God’s love, we would be filled to capacity with his…well, with him.

    Chew on that as you move through your Friday.  Pray that God would help you to know his love, that you might be filled to the brim, and pour out into the lives all around you.

    God runs a full-service station.  Fill ‘er up, Beloved.

  • One-a-Day Friday, 3/14/14

    number 1…neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).

    Of course there’s nothing in the physical world that can separate us from God.  Outer space or ocean floor, you can’t get beyond his reach.  You already knew that.

    But what about the emotional world?

    What about when life is fantastic, and I get so caught up in my own amazingosity that I forget God?

    What about when “I make my bed in the depths,” so depressed and beaten down that I can’t muster the strength to lift my head to Heaven?

    Emotions are within his sphere too, Beloved.

    All Creation is under his sway, and he has promised us, right here, that none of it can separate us from the love of Christ.

    There is only one uncreated being in all the cosmos, only one who would be capable of erasing God’s love from your life, and he’s the one making the promise.

    So I think we’re safe.

    You are safe.

    Take that into your weekend, Beloved.

  • One-a-Day Wednesday, 3/5/14

    number 1Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?  It is God who justifies.  Who is he that condemns? (Romans 8:33-34a).

    Usually it’s me.

    For the most part, I am the one who brings charges against me; I am the one who condemns.  You see, I have lots of inside information that I can use—I am an expert witness against myself.

    You probably can’t identify with that.  It’s most likely just my little quirk.

    I guess I still have trouble believing that God would choose me for his own.  And yet he promises that he has.  Knowing all my expert testimony, and with all that he could add if he chose to, he has justified me, at great cost to himself.  He has paid the penalty for my many crimes.  And so, the charges won’t stick.  The condemnation won’t hold.

    Not even my charges.  My condemnation.

    That makes for a happy Wednesday, Beloved.

  • Truth in Beauty

    roseIt’s show time…again.

    Last night, Beauty and the Beast opened at LifeHouse Theater.  This time, Carissa and I are in the production.  It was supposed to be Cathy’s turn to audition for a show, but when it comes to making our domestic life function, I am ever so much more expendable.  It worked out for the best anyway, because I got cast in the role of the Father—no actual name, just “Father”—and as good as Cathy is, I don’t think she could have pulled it off.

    Before we get too deep into this, I should point out that the show we are doing is not the version that you may be familiar with from the Disney universe.  It is based upon the same source, however, and the underlying story should track.

    Beauty and the Best is a great story, and every great story is an echo of the Great Story.  I know I have said that before, and my readers—both of you—are probably feeling a little redundified.  Still, it’s true, so you’ll just have to go with me for a bit.   Take a look with me at some of the lessons God can teach us through this show.

    Lesson #1—Look Deeply

    Man looks at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).  When God sent his prophet to anoint a new king for his people, Samuel was naturally drawn to the tallest, strongest, manliest looking of the men.  Had I been on the scene, he probably would have gravitated to me. God nixed that one, however—as he would have nixed me—because God could see the man’s heart.  In our show, the Enchantress comes to the Prince to test him.  She sees what is in his heart, and transforms him so that his outward appearance reflects his inward, ugly self.  Over the course of time, the Beast has a change of heart so that, again, the outward visage does not reflect the man within.  Rose must choose to see beyond outward appearances—like both her heavenly and earthly fathers have taught her—in order to see, love, and free her Prince.

     

    Lesson #2—Treasure Wisely

    Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).  Jesus instructed his followers to focus on the things of Heaven, because the things of this world are fragile and temporary.  Ivy and Iris, Rose’s two sisters, apparently missed that message.  These girls are utterly consumed with their place in the world, and how they appear to others.  They are constantly looking for the material possessions—and rich husbands—that they think will bring them happiness.  In all their plans, there is no room for God.  Rose, meanwhile, is content.  Her treasure is her family, particularly her Father, who loves and cares for her.  She does not concern herself with worldly gain, and does not seem to care about other’s opinions. This gives Rose a quiet strength, wisdom, and beauty that her sisters just can’t understand.  When crisis comes, Rose trusts and follows her heart, and it leads her to a far different, far better place than her sisters’ limited imaginations could conceive.

     

    Theme #3 Love Sacrificially

    Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Rose willingly goes to the castle of the Beast in the place of her father.  Her love for her father spurs her to take the punishment that is rightfully his.

    Sound familiar?

    The Beast, who has finally found someone to love in Rose, gives her up so that she can return to her father.  He loves her enough to want what is best for her, even at the cost of his future.  He also risks his life by protecting Rose and her father from the attacking wolves.  Father shows this same love by releasing Rose to return to the Beast.  His other daughters have already left to make their way in the world, and Father knows that his choice may leave him alone and bereft of the person he loves most.  Still, his love for her is such that he must let her go.

     

    Story has power when it reflects the inner truth of our lives and the ultimate truth of God’s will.  Frankly, I’m surprised that I can learn from a dream-sotted girl with a ditzy dad, two obnoxious sisters, and a boyfriend with hygiene issues.  But to the extent that I see myself in the characters—I won’t tell you which—and see God’s truth at work in the plot line, I find power.  Life changing kind of power.

    Every great story is an echo of the Great Story.

    And this is a great story.

  • One-a-Day Thursday, 2/13/14

    number 1For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.  And by him we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).

    Interesting how similar Paul’s discussion of fear is to his discussion of sin.  I mean, he’s right in the middle of talking about sin vs. living by the Spirit, and out pops this comment about being a slave to fear.

    I wonder what connection fear has to sin…

    Something to chew on.

    My children never need to fear being unloved, empty, alone, because they have a father who loves them and stands ready to protect them.  Sure, there will be things that make them afraid, but as long as they are with me they need not be controlled by fear…slaves to fear.  How much more can we all say the same, because we have a Father who is always with us, loves us even more, and is infinitely better able to care for and protect us.

    If I were cool enough, I’d end with a “Who’s your daddy?” line.

    But I’m not.

  • One-a-Day Wednesday, 12/25/13

    number 1Prince of Peace.  (Isaiah 9:6)

    It’s Christmas Day.  A day when we celebrate peace on Earth.  A day that can be, ironically, one of the most hectic and stressful of the year.  For some of you, today will be a reminder of why you see your family only a few times a year.  Others might know the awkwardness of being the extra wheel at someone else’s gathering, or the pain of being alone.

    Except you’re not.

    Remember, he is the Prince of Peace.

    Peace between you and God.

    Peace that passes all understanding.

    Peace that allows the Lord of the universe to make his home in your heart.

    Peace with your freakish relatives.

    Peace within the tumult of your own heart.

    Embrace the baby today.  Celebrate this Prince who brings you peace.

    Merry Christmas.

  • One-a-Day Monday, 12/23/13

    number 1…Mighty God,  (Isaiah 9:6)

    As we move into Christmas week, 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 week.  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 you have someone you love in the hospital.

    Or you’re broke.

    Or things are just falling apart.

    Given all that, I feel blessed 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.

    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.