Psalm 119:49-56
English Standard Version (ESV)
Being the center of attention can be hard, especially when it's not good attention. When we're surrounded by our enemies, beset on all sides by opposition, we want to strike out, because it seems so unfair. We want to make others feel the way we do when we suffer, and the world can often seem like an unfeeling place, where suffering is meted out upon those who do not deserve any more, while some who seem to care little about their fellow humans can get by with little trouble.
In these times, the promise of God is what keeps us going. Bitterness and anger can eat away at us -- holding a grudge has been likened to eating rat poison and waiting for the rat to die. Entrusting ourselves and our fates and our futures to God and relying on his promises, however, allows us to forgive one another, because we aren't called to set things right -- that's in God's hands. We trust in God, the God who forgives us when we don't deserve it, the same God who forgives others when they seem not to deserve it. The Romans didn't deserve Jesus' forgiveness when he was hanging on the cross, but he gave it anyway, because Jesus loves without condition or restraint.
Jesus loves you, and when you are surrounded and beset by affliction, know that God chooses to be for you, and by focusing on the unconditional love of God, you can entrust your enemies to God and know that you are safe in God's hands. May you find the words to sing to God in the midst of affliction, and may you keep the long view, knowing that eternity with God awaits all who are in Christ Jesus, no matter what.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Psalm 119:41-48
Psalm 119:41-48
English Standard Version (ESV)
Note the order here in the beginning -- God's love comes to us, and then we get an answer. It's like in school -- you study for the test, and then you're ready for it when it comes. Or maybe at work -- you prepare for the presentation, so that when it comes, you're prepared. If you go in cold, you're going to struggle.
So God prepares us for what is to come. By studying God's Word, we learn to delight in it, because of the riches that are there. When we study God's Word, we learn how others have endured through tribulation, how they've learned to depend on God and found the light on the other side of the darkness. By studying God's Word, we learn that it is enough, that God's love conquers death, that peace prevails. Every time we study God's Word, we draw closer to God, and farther from sin, and we are prepared for what is to come.
So study God's Word, and you will come to delight in it. Delight in it, and it will sustain you. Let is sustain you, and you will discover abundant life in the author who stands behind it
English Standard Version (ESV)
Note the order here in the beginning -- God's love comes to us, and then we get an answer. It's like in school -- you study for the test, and then you're ready for it when it comes. Or maybe at work -- you prepare for the presentation, so that when it comes, you're prepared. If you go in cold, you're going to struggle.
So God prepares us for what is to come. By studying God's Word, we learn to delight in it, because of the riches that are there. When we study God's Word, we learn how others have endured through tribulation, how they've learned to depend on God and found the light on the other side of the darkness. By studying God's Word, we learn that it is enough, that God's love conquers death, that peace prevails. Every time we study God's Word, we draw closer to God, and farther from sin, and we are prepared for what is to come.
So study God's Word, and you will come to delight in it. Delight in it, and it will sustain you. Let is sustain you, and you will discover abundant life in the author who stands behind it
Monday, October 29, 2018
Psalm 119:33-40
Psalm 119:33-40
English Standard Version (ESV)
When we talk about faith, we focus a lot on issues of the heart. In many churches, we can go too far, making faith a purely emotional exercise. In other churches, we lean too far the other way, making faith an intellectual exercise and forget to bring the emotions into faith.
Here in the Psalms, we're called to bring both the heart and brain into our faith. We ask for understanding, that our minds might be led into obedience and understanding, and we ask that the teachings of faith might lead our hearts, might transform what we look at and how we act. This mindful obedience leads our lives and teaches us to desire righteousness and a proper life.
As a church, we need people who are on the emotional side of things, and we need the intellectuals as well -- we balance each other, and the body as a whole is richer for it. We need to be in the middle, growing in knowledge and finding space for our hearts to be captivated by the love and wonder of God. We incline our hearts to God, and we grow in understanding, and we learn how to become a whole person in the light of God's wonder and love.
English Standard Version (ESV)
When we talk about faith, we focus a lot on issues of the heart. In many churches, we can go too far, making faith a purely emotional exercise. In other churches, we lean too far the other way, making faith an intellectual exercise and forget to bring the emotions into faith.
Here in the Psalms, we're called to bring both the heart and brain into our faith. We ask for understanding, that our minds might be led into obedience and understanding, and we ask that the teachings of faith might lead our hearts, might transform what we look at and how we act. This mindful obedience leads our lives and teaches us to desire righteousness and a proper life.
As a church, we need people who are on the emotional side of things, and we need the intellectuals as well -- we balance each other, and the body as a whole is richer for it. We need to be in the middle, growing in knowledge and finding space for our hearts to be captivated by the love and wonder of God. We incline our hearts to God, and we grow in understanding, and we learn how to become a whole person in the light of God's wonder and love.
Friday, October 26, 2018
Psalm 119:25-32
Psalm 119:25-32
English Standard Version (ESV)
Have you ever gotten out of bed in the morning only to turn around and crawl right back in? Sometimes I'll wake up on Wednesday morning and spend the first thirty minutes wishing that it was Friday. Every once in a while, I'll spend the evening wondering if I should call in sick the next day, even if I don't feel sick. Am I the only one?
If we live according to how we feel, we're on a constant roller coaster ride. We're up one day, down the next, constantly buffeted by the joys and struggles of life. I've had a number of struggles lately -- and it's all I can do some days to keep my head above water. At times, my soul melts away for sorrow. If I judged how I was doing based on how I felt, I'd be pretty down.
If, however, I look to the constant and steady presence of God, my temptation to be depressed is relieved, for God is a faithful servant to those whom God loves. God chooses to be for us, and the eternal love and mercy of Almighty God is poured into your life. No matter what your past and present look like, your future is safe and secure because it is with God. If you define yourselves and define your feelings based on being judged worthy because you are covered in Christ, then that's a different approach, right? Things are better, right? Your eternal future is safe in the hands of God because you have been deemed worthy to stand in eternal light due to the sacrifice of Christ. That should make you feel great!!! You've won a lottery that makes two billion dollars look paltry -- you have eternal life in Christ!!!!! Nothing can ever separate you from God's love!!!!!!
So cling to God's Word, and let the voice of life lead you forward!
English Standard Version (ESV)
Have you ever gotten out of bed in the morning only to turn around and crawl right back in? Sometimes I'll wake up on Wednesday morning and spend the first thirty minutes wishing that it was Friday. Every once in a while, I'll spend the evening wondering if I should call in sick the next day, even if I don't feel sick. Am I the only one?
If we live according to how we feel, we're on a constant roller coaster ride. We're up one day, down the next, constantly buffeted by the joys and struggles of life. I've had a number of struggles lately -- and it's all I can do some days to keep my head above water. At times, my soul melts away for sorrow. If I judged how I was doing based on how I felt, I'd be pretty down.
If, however, I look to the constant and steady presence of God, my temptation to be depressed is relieved, for God is a faithful servant to those whom God loves. God chooses to be for us, and the eternal love and mercy of Almighty God is poured into your life. No matter what your past and present look like, your future is safe and secure because it is with God. If you define yourselves and define your feelings based on being judged worthy because you are covered in Christ, then that's a different approach, right? Things are better, right? Your eternal future is safe in the hands of God because you have been deemed worthy to stand in eternal light due to the sacrifice of Christ. That should make you feel great!!! You've won a lottery that makes two billion dollars look paltry -- you have eternal life in Christ!!!!! Nothing can ever separate you from God's love!!!!!!
So cling to God's Word, and let the voice of life lead you forward!
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Psalm 119:17-24
Psalm 119:17-24
English Standard Version (ESV)
I got an email yesterday that hurt. A notification of a death, of a man who I knew as one of the best, and who I knew as fighting a battle that I didn't know about, struggling, dealing with life, trying to find his way. Life is hard enough, and we all have days where the sun is shining and the wind is at our backs and we surge forward with the providence of God, and then we have weeks where the stars laugh at our feeble attempts to find our way in what feels like the dead of night. My friend who died was caught in that space in between, a good man who lost his way, who was fighting something stronger than himself, who didn't know or didn't choose to find the light in the midst of the night. I don't know much of the story, but it hurts. It aches with sorrow at what was lost, and I can't for a moment make sense of it.
You've been there. I've been there. We live in a middle place, in between grace and sin. We know of grace and we see it, we live it, we witness it around us. We know that God is good, and that God loves us, and we drink deeply from the well of God's mercy and sovereign provision for us. It sustains us, like manna from the heavens, and we delight in the wonder of God's presence here.
And then we shift from that into the utter darkness, crying out for God from the depths of our souls, hoping against hope that there might be some deliverance from the oppression that crushes us. We wonder if the valley walls will collapse and cover us, and our enemies surround us.
I am complicated. So are you. You have good and evil within you, often crying out all at once. If you're like me, and like everyone else, you tend to hide your struggles within you, afraid that if anyone else knows how hard you have it, they'll turn from you and reject you. You put on a strong face and tell the world that everything is fine.
Know two things. First, God loves you and accepts you as you are, filled with contradictions and imperfections. God knows your weaknesses and still chose to die on a cross so that you might be redeemed God knew the mistakes you would make and set out to rescue you anyway. You are worth the sacrifice, and God would make it again if that's what it took to redeem you. God doesn't make junk, and you are worth the price God paid for you.
Second, there is a community of faith that will accept you as you are, because they are like you, even if they struggle to admit it. Find that community, the one that allows you to be honest and open about your struggles. We're all broken and being healed by the Spirit. Love others as God loves you, and fine a community that shows unconditional love to you, and be honest -- in your honesty about your struggles, you invite others to be honest as well, and there we discover how broken we all are, and we fall together into grace, where God heals us.
English Standard Version (ESV)
I got an email yesterday that hurt. A notification of a death, of a man who I knew as one of the best, and who I knew as fighting a battle that I didn't know about, struggling, dealing with life, trying to find his way. Life is hard enough, and we all have days where the sun is shining and the wind is at our backs and we surge forward with the providence of God, and then we have weeks where the stars laugh at our feeble attempts to find our way in what feels like the dead of night. My friend who died was caught in that space in between, a good man who lost his way, who was fighting something stronger than himself, who didn't know or didn't choose to find the light in the midst of the night. I don't know much of the story, but it hurts. It aches with sorrow at what was lost, and I can't for a moment make sense of it.
You've been there. I've been there. We live in a middle place, in between grace and sin. We know of grace and we see it, we live it, we witness it around us. We know that God is good, and that God loves us, and we drink deeply from the well of God's mercy and sovereign provision for us. It sustains us, like manna from the heavens, and we delight in the wonder of God's presence here.
And then we shift from that into the utter darkness, crying out for God from the depths of our souls, hoping against hope that there might be some deliverance from the oppression that crushes us. We wonder if the valley walls will collapse and cover us, and our enemies surround us.
I am complicated. So are you. You have good and evil within you, often crying out all at once. If you're like me, and like everyone else, you tend to hide your struggles within you, afraid that if anyone else knows how hard you have it, they'll turn from you and reject you. You put on a strong face and tell the world that everything is fine.
Know two things. First, God loves you and accepts you as you are, filled with contradictions and imperfections. God knows your weaknesses and still chose to die on a cross so that you might be redeemed God knew the mistakes you would make and set out to rescue you anyway. You are worth the sacrifice, and God would make it again if that's what it took to redeem you. God doesn't make junk, and you are worth the price God paid for you.
Second, there is a community of faith that will accept you as you are, because they are like you, even if they struggle to admit it. Find that community, the one that allows you to be honest and open about your struggles. We're all broken and being healed by the Spirit. Love others as God loves you, and fine a community that shows unconditional love to you, and be honest -- in your honesty about your struggles, you invite others to be honest as well, and there we discover how broken we all are, and we fall together into grace, where God heals us.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Psalm 119:9-16
Psalm 119:9-16
English Standard Version (ESV)
What truly delights you? The thought of winning a few billion dollars certainly seems to offer delight!
Ice cream and sunshine and the laughter of a child all bring happiness. When the planets align and the kids are quiet and I can sit in my backyard and listen to the world go round, I feel peace. At times, I've experienced a deep joy, combined with a wonder at the beauty of God's creation.
God offers us delight beyond riches. God brings us forth into a new economy, one that is based on grace and doesn't define us based on our status in the world. We aren't left looking at our bank account and wondering if we are good enough -- we delight in God, and that is a deeper, sustaining delight, one that doesn't bounce around depending on our life circumstances. When we discover delight in God, we are anchored to the steady deep even in the most tumultuous storm. When we discover delight in God, we're brought into light that darkness can only threaten, never destroy.
To find this delight in God, we study God's Word. It's there that we see the wonders of God's love, and we realize that much of the law is there to organize our life around God. It's a gift, meant to point all of life to God, meant to help us marvel at God's provision for us. God isn't just looking to restrict us -- God is trying to call us deeper into delight, into joy, so that we turn from fear and anxiety and wonder at God's amazing love for us.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What truly delights you? The thought of winning a few billion dollars certainly seems to offer delight!
Ice cream and sunshine and the laughter of a child all bring happiness. When the planets align and the kids are quiet and I can sit in my backyard and listen to the world go round, I feel peace. At times, I've experienced a deep joy, combined with a wonder at the beauty of God's creation.
God offers us delight beyond riches. God brings us forth into a new economy, one that is based on grace and doesn't define us based on our status in the world. We aren't left looking at our bank account and wondering if we are good enough -- we delight in God, and that is a deeper, sustaining delight, one that doesn't bounce around depending on our life circumstances. When we discover delight in God, we are anchored to the steady deep even in the most tumultuous storm. When we discover delight in God, we're brought into light that darkness can only threaten, never destroy.
To find this delight in God, we study God's Word. It's there that we see the wonders of God's love, and we realize that much of the law is there to organize our life around God. It's a gift, meant to point all of life to God, meant to help us marvel at God's provision for us. God isn't just looking to restrict us -- God is trying to call us deeper into delight, into joy, so that we turn from fear and anxiety and wonder at God's amazing love for us.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Psalm 119:1-8
Psalm 119:1-8
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is at work. God is at work in your life, in your heart and in your home and in your workplace and in your relationships. God is calling you deeper into the waters of discipleship, that you might entrust yourself to God and allow the waters to wash over your feet and your hands and your life, that you might know and understand the depths of God's love and the breadth of God's claim on your life. Like the sun on a warm summer morning, rising above the hills and desperate to bathe the world in warmth and light, God is seeking to enfold all of you in grace, and God is inviting you into a relationship that is deeper and richer than anything you can imagine.
And so every day, we seek God. Our hearts and our minds and our lives seek God and God's guidance, that we might follow God faithfully and understand how God is at work. We want to know the next step in our walk of faith, so we might grow as disciples and access more of the abundant grace and love God has for us.
In the midst of life, we find struggles. There is death of loved ones and friends and family, and we wonder where God is in the chaos and dark of night. We shrink into the pain and a community gathers around us, uncertain of the answers but confidant that God is still there. God did not shrink from death in the Bible, and God doesn't turn from it in the here and now. I don't understand how God is at work, but I believe that God is, because I have read the end of the Gospels -- we worship a God who cannot be contained by the tomb and by death. Sin itself cannot hold God, and so we place ourselves in the grip of a sovereign God who can crush sin and death in the palm of his powerful and righteous right hand.
Death still lingers, reminding us all of what it once was, threatening to cause dismay, stealing our loved ones from this present realm, sowing chaos in this place. I cannot say that I understand how God is at work, and my heart weeps with those who mourn the death of loved ones taken too soon. What I do believe, along with the saints of old, is that the God who emerged from the tomb on the first Easter morning still has power over sin and death, and this God calls us into discipleship today, encouraging us to take up our cross, to confront the waning power of death and proclaim a confidence in resurrection and a kingdom that will have no end.
I know not when my life will be taken from me, but I know that it will pass through the grasping fingers of death, a power that has no claim upon me, and into the hands of God almighty, who will smile at the presence of God's child that God has crafted in the womb and returned from a pilgrimage to worship in the Kingdom of God forevermore. I will discover, upon reflection, that in fact I never left the providence of God. While my adventures (and misadventures) have taken me to the precipice where I wondered if God was still present, in fact I was only staring into the depths that I could glimpse from my perch in the folds of God's hand, where I was safe and covered in the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. There, in that place, I was made and have dwelt and will forever worship the King who has welcomed me home, the father who enfolds the Prodigal Son in loving arms, the mother who shelters her beloved under the shadow of her wings, the crucified Savior who lays down his life for those whom he loves, the Shepherd who seeks me when I am lost.
Death calls for me, it reaches for me, it whispers to me in the depths of night, but a greater voice, a stronger power, has already staked its claim on my life, and I shall not be moved, not by the greatest army that might rise in this world, for the Kingdom of light shall be my home, and I will dwell with my King forevermore.
And so death still is, but life is greater, and it shall stand eternal.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is at work. God is at work in your life, in your heart and in your home and in your workplace and in your relationships. God is calling you deeper into the waters of discipleship, that you might entrust yourself to God and allow the waters to wash over your feet and your hands and your life, that you might know and understand the depths of God's love and the breadth of God's claim on your life. Like the sun on a warm summer morning, rising above the hills and desperate to bathe the world in warmth and light, God is seeking to enfold all of you in grace, and God is inviting you into a relationship that is deeper and richer than anything you can imagine.
And so every day, we seek God. Our hearts and our minds and our lives seek God and God's guidance, that we might follow God faithfully and understand how God is at work. We want to know the next step in our walk of faith, so we might grow as disciples and access more of the abundant grace and love God has for us.
In the midst of life, we find struggles. There is death of loved ones and friends and family, and we wonder where God is in the chaos and dark of night. We shrink into the pain and a community gathers around us, uncertain of the answers but confidant that God is still there. God did not shrink from death in the Bible, and God doesn't turn from it in the here and now. I don't understand how God is at work, but I believe that God is, because I have read the end of the Gospels -- we worship a God who cannot be contained by the tomb and by death. Sin itself cannot hold God, and so we place ourselves in the grip of a sovereign God who can crush sin and death in the palm of his powerful and righteous right hand.
Death still lingers, reminding us all of what it once was, threatening to cause dismay, stealing our loved ones from this present realm, sowing chaos in this place. I cannot say that I understand how God is at work, and my heart weeps with those who mourn the death of loved ones taken too soon. What I do believe, along with the saints of old, is that the God who emerged from the tomb on the first Easter morning still has power over sin and death, and this God calls us into discipleship today, encouraging us to take up our cross, to confront the waning power of death and proclaim a confidence in resurrection and a kingdom that will have no end.
I know not when my life will be taken from me, but I know that it will pass through the grasping fingers of death, a power that has no claim upon me, and into the hands of God almighty, who will smile at the presence of God's child that God has crafted in the womb and returned from a pilgrimage to worship in the Kingdom of God forevermore. I will discover, upon reflection, that in fact I never left the providence of God. While my adventures (and misadventures) have taken me to the precipice where I wondered if God was still present, in fact I was only staring into the depths that I could glimpse from my perch in the folds of God's hand, where I was safe and covered in the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. There, in that place, I was made and have dwelt and will forever worship the King who has welcomed me home, the father who enfolds the Prodigal Son in loving arms, the mother who shelters her beloved under the shadow of her wings, the crucified Savior who lays down his life for those whom he loves, the Shepherd who seeks me when I am lost.
Death calls for me, it reaches for me, it whispers to me in the depths of night, but a greater voice, a stronger power, has already staked its claim on my life, and I shall not be moved, not by the greatest army that might rise in this world, for the Kingdom of light shall be my home, and I will dwell with my King forevermore.
And so death still is, but life is greater, and it shall stand eternal.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Romans 8:31-39
Romans 8:31-39
English Standard Version (ESV)
We should all memorize these verses -- they teach us about how highly God values you. God believes that redeeming you is worth sacrificing God's own Son, Jesus Christ. You were lost in the depths of sin, residing in darkness, and God voluntarily made the choice to pay the ultimate price so that you would be redeemed. You have been saved from sin and death because Jesus Christ ascended the cross.
If the God of the universe, the author of the stars and the one who has demonstrated power over death, decides that God is for you, who or what could oppose that? What in creation can stand up to the power of God? Nothing, and God has chosen to be for you. God opts to redeem you, to save you, and to keep you in the palm of God's hand for all of eternity. Do not doubt, even for a moment, that nothing can separate you from God's love.
English Standard Version (ESV)
We should all memorize these verses -- they teach us about how highly God values you. God believes that redeeming you is worth sacrificing God's own Son, Jesus Christ. You were lost in the depths of sin, residing in darkness, and God voluntarily made the choice to pay the ultimate price so that you would be redeemed. You have been saved from sin and death because Jesus Christ ascended the cross.
If the God of the universe, the author of the stars and the one who has demonstrated power over death, decides that God is for you, who or what could oppose that? What in creation can stand up to the power of God? Nothing, and God has chosen to be for you. God opts to redeem you, to save you, and to keep you in the palm of God's hand for all of eternity. Do not doubt, even for a moment, that nothing can separate you from God's love.
Friday, October 19, 2018
Romans 8:26-30
Romans 8:26-30
English Standard Version (ESV)
We forget that God is for us. When we can't figure out how to pray or what to say, God helps us. God is a gentle, caring parent, encouraging God's children and wanting them to succeed. God isn't waiting for us to make a mistake so we can be punished -- God is cheering for us, encouraging us, longing to see us succeed in faithfulness so our lives can be enriched by grace and mercy and we can step into the abundance that awaits us.
This is our future, our destiny for those who believe -- when we can't pray, when we can't figure out why things are happening the way they are, remember that God helps you pray, and that things eventually work together for good. All things -- it's hard to remember this, and we need people to remind us of the hope we have in Christ, so that we can endure through the long nights and look forward to the dawning of the new creation that exists in and through Christ Jesus our Lord!
English Standard Version (ESV)
We forget that God is for us. When we can't figure out how to pray or what to say, God helps us. God is a gentle, caring parent, encouraging God's children and wanting them to succeed. God isn't waiting for us to make a mistake so we can be punished -- God is cheering for us, encouraging us, longing to see us succeed in faithfulness so our lives can be enriched by grace and mercy and we can step into the abundance that awaits us.
This is our future, our destiny for those who believe -- when we can't pray, when we can't figure out why things are happening the way they are, remember that God helps you pray, and that things eventually work together for good. All things -- it's hard to remember this, and we need people to remind us of the hope we have in Christ, so that we can endure through the long nights and look forward to the dawning of the new creation that exists in and through Christ Jesus our Lord!
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Romans 8:18-25
Romans 8:18-25
English Standard Version (ESV)
When I'm sick, the world gets very small -- I forget what it's like to be healthy, and I can quickly lose hope that I'll ever feel better again. When I'm sick, all I think about is being sick, and every ache and pain is magnified.
We do the same with all the suffering and hurt in this world -- we forget that there is a glory waiting to be revealed to us, and that glory is far beyond what we can even imagine in our wildest dreams. We forget that God has made promises (and God keeps all his promises!) that there is a Kingdom of nothing but light waiting for us, and the hope of that Kingdom should allow us to endure our present sufferings.
Hope is a beautiful thing, and Paul is reminding us of our hope in Christ. Lift up your heads in the midst of suffering, and know that God is with you, and what God has in store for you is far greater than anything you can even imagine.
English Standard Version (ESV)
When I'm sick, the world gets very small -- I forget what it's like to be healthy, and I can quickly lose hope that I'll ever feel better again. When I'm sick, all I think about is being sick, and every ache and pain is magnified.
We do the same with all the suffering and hurt in this world -- we forget that there is a glory waiting to be revealed to us, and that glory is far beyond what we can even imagine in our wildest dreams. We forget that God has made promises (and God keeps all his promises!) that there is a Kingdom of nothing but light waiting for us, and the hope of that Kingdom should allow us to endure our present sufferings.
Hope is a beautiful thing, and Paul is reminding us of our hope in Christ. Lift up your heads in the midst of suffering, and know that God is with you, and what God has in store for you is far greater than anything you can even imagine.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Romans 8:12-17
Romans 8:12-17
English Standard Version (ESV)
To quote C.S. Lewis: “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
The Lord our God offers us an abundant life, one drenched in grace and free from fear. To reach it is hard -- it means turning our back on much of what the world offers and living differently. It is a hard road of daily discipleship, highlighted by the daily lifting of our cross and dying to the self.
But what we get in return... a life free from fear and bathed in the spirit! We are fellow heirs with Christ, glorified with him because of what Christ has done for us!! We are offered joy and peace and love that knows no end. We often live according to the flesh, ignoring the riches God offers, instead trying to close our hands around the riches of the world, fooling ourselves into believing that they will bring real peace and joy, when only God can provide that.
You are extended life, abundant life, through the power of the Spirit. Will you take it? Will you follow Christ daily, listening to the still small voice of the Spirit that calls you into the deep waters of discipleship?
English Standard Version (ESV)
To quote C.S. Lewis: “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
The Lord our God offers us an abundant life, one drenched in grace and free from fear. To reach it is hard -- it means turning our back on much of what the world offers and living differently. It is a hard road of daily discipleship, highlighted by the daily lifting of our cross and dying to the self.
But what we get in return... a life free from fear and bathed in the spirit! We are fellow heirs with Christ, glorified with him because of what Christ has done for us!! We are offered joy and peace and love that knows no end. We often live according to the flesh, ignoring the riches God offers, instead trying to close our hands around the riches of the world, fooling ourselves into believing that they will bring real peace and joy, when only God can provide that.
You are extended life, abundant life, through the power of the Spirit. Will you take it? Will you follow Christ daily, listening to the still small voice of the Spirit that calls you into the deep waters of discipleship?
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Romans 8:9-11
Romans 8:9-11
English Standard Version (ESV)
I would imagine I'm not the only one that has gone out to start the car one day to discover the battery is dead. At that moment, no one calls the wrecker to tow the car to the junkyard to scrap it -- they either jump it or catch a ride to the parts store for a new battery.
In the same way, our body is dead because of sin. While that means that all is not as it should be, this doesn't mean that all is lost. God, who is gracious and displays a willingness to seek out the lost and forsaken, makes a path back to life -- through Jesus Christ, our mortal bodies are given life and the Holy Spirit dwells in us.
What's amazing is that through the gift of Jesus Christ, we aren't just restored to what we once were -- we are elevated to be new creations. What once was is no more, and we can dream of a future where we can worship before God Almighty because we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. You were dead, condemned by sin, and you have been set free and are alive to Christ. A future of eternal light and love awaits, and it's a gift, free to you and to all who bow the knee to Christ as Lord and Savior.
English Standard Version (ESV)
I would imagine I'm not the only one that has gone out to start the car one day to discover the battery is dead. At that moment, no one calls the wrecker to tow the car to the junkyard to scrap it -- they either jump it or catch a ride to the parts store for a new battery.
In the same way, our body is dead because of sin. While that means that all is not as it should be, this doesn't mean that all is lost. God, who is gracious and displays a willingness to seek out the lost and forsaken, makes a path back to life -- through Jesus Christ, our mortal bodies are given life and the Holy Spirit dwells in us.
What's amazing is that through the gift of Jesus Christ, we aren't just restored to what we once were -- we are elevated to be new creations. What once was is no more, and we can dream of a future where we can worship before God Almighty because we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. You were dead, condemned by sin, and you have been set free and are alive to Christ. A future of eternal light and love awaits, and it's a gift, free to you and to all who bow the knee to Christ as Lord and Savior.
Monday, October 15, 2018
Romans 8:1-8
Romans 8:1-8
English Standard Version (ESV)
I remember someone once telling me about adopting former racing greyhounds. They've been cooped up so long in pens and cages that they need a fence to serve as a barrier -- without it, they tremble at the sight of open spaces. They're so accustomed to limitations that true freedom can be intimidating.
In the same way, our minds wrestle with the freedom we've been given in Christ. We're so accustomed to having to earn things, to be worthy or deserving of things, that the absolute freedom we have in Christ is hard for us to fathom. Because of what Christ has done, and not because of what we have done, we are able to stand before the throne of grace and be accepted. We struggle to wrap our minds around that truth, and so we spend our lives trying to earn God's love and fearful of God's wrath. Our minds get focused on little things, all the while eternity stretches out before us, calling us forward in love and truth.
Friend, you are covered in mercy. Fix your mind on what Christ has done, and know that you are accepted as you are because of the transforming love of God. All of those anxieties and fears can fall away -- receive the peace of the Spirit and walk in the light of unconditional love.
English Standard Version (ESV)
I remember someone once telling me about adopting former racing greyhounds. They've been cooped up so long in pens and cages that they need a fence to serve as a barrier -- without it, they tremble at the sight of open spaces. They're so accustomed to limitations that true freedom can be intimidating.
In the same way, our minds wrestle with the freedom we've been given in Christ. We're so accustomed to having to earn things, to be worthy or deserving of things, that the absolute freedom we have in Christ is hard for us to fathom. Because of what Christ has done, and not because of what we have done, we are able to stand before the throne of grace and be accepted. We struggle to wrap our minds around that truth, and so we spend our lives trying to earn God's love and fearful of God's wrath. Our minds get focused on little things, all the while eternity stretches out before us, calling us forward in love and truth.
Friend, you are covered in mercy. Fix your mind on what Christ has done, and know that you are accepted as you are because of the transforming love of God. All of those anxieties and fears can fall away -- receive the peace of the Spirit and walk in the light of unconditional love.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Psalm 103:1-5
Psalm 103:1-5
English Standard Version (ESV)
These first two verses are the middle verses of the Bible, and they are a fantastic reminder for us to remember all that God has done. In today's what-have-you-done-for-me-lately culture, we get disappointed in a number of people and things because they don't always do what we want. We get frustrated at a car that doesn't start, forgetting the 5 years in a row when it started every time. We yell at sports teams for losing big games, even if they won the pennant the year before. We get frustrated at friends who don't answer our messages, forgetting all the times they did, even in the middle of the night.
And we get upset at God sometimes because we don't get a prayer answered, forgetting all that God has done for us. The Psalmist here is reminding us all the great things God has done for us -- forgiving all of our sins, redeeming our life from the pit, crowning us with love and mercy, and being the ultimate satisfier of our soul. When we find ourselves frustrated at unanswered prayers or unwanted trials, remember the big picture -- that God loves you unconditionally and has paid the ultimate price to buy you back from sin and death, and that life eternal in the Kingdom of God awaits each of us who bow the knee before the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
English Standard Version (ESV)
These first two verses are the middle verses of the Bible, and they are a fantastic reminder for us to remember all that God has done. In today's what-have-you-done-for-me-lately culture, we get disappointed in a number of people and things because they don't always do what we want. We get frustrated at a car that doesn't start, forgetting the 5 years in a row when it started every time. We yell at sports teams for losing big games, even if they won the pennant the year before. We get frustrated at friends who don't answer our messages, forgetting all the times they did, even in the middle of the night.
And we get upset at God sometimes because we don't get a prayer answered, forgetting all that God has done for us. The Psalmist here is reminding us all the great things God has done for us -- forgiving all of our sins, redeeming our life from the pit, crowning us with love and mercy, and being the ultimate satisfier of our soul. When we find ourselves frustrated at unanswered prayers or unwanted trials, remember the big picture -- that God loves you unconditionally and has paid the ultimate price to buy you back from sin and death, and that life eternal in the Kingdom of God awaits each of us who bow the knee before the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Psalm 1
Psalm 1
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy for me to tell my kids that they can choose their attitude every day, that they're not locked into a certain path.
It's much harder for me to remember that the same is true for myself. Every day is a choice about how I want to serve God -- will I choose the harder work of faithfulness, or will I put off discipleship until tomorrow? The Psalmist uses the metaphor of a tree, helping us think about how a tree nourished by a stream will grow quickly and abundantly, much more so than one planted far from the stream. This is meant to encourage us to think about how we are drawing life from the Word of God.
But it's also easy to think of ourselves as inflexible, focusing on how we are like a tree, with roots planted deep and hard to move. We get accustomed to our daily rhythms and patterns, no matter if some of them are not very helpful, and we can get stuck. It's hard work to uproot and move closer to the stream -- but that's where abundance is.
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy for me to tell my kids that they can choose their attitude every day, that they're not locked into a certain path.
It's much harder for me to remember that the same is true for myself. Every day is a choice about how I want to serve God -- will I choose the harder work of faithfulness, or will I put off discipleship until tomorrow? The Psalmist uses the metaphor of a tree, helping us think about how a tree nourished by a stream will grow quickly and abundantly, much more so than one planted far from the stream. This is meant to encourage us to think about how we are drawing life from the Word of God.
But it's also easy to think of ourselves as inflexible, focusing on how we are like a tree, with roots planted deep and hard to move. We get accustomed to our daily rhythms and patterns, no matter if some of them are not very helpful, and we can get stuck. It's hard work to uproot and move closer to the stream -- but that's where abundance is.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Isaiah 40:27-31
Isaiah 40:27-31
English Standard Version (ESV)
There is a man who can run 26.2 miles in less than 123 minutes. To do so, he averages around thirteen miles an hour, running 26 consecutive sub-five minute miles. That's quick.
There are some people who aren't content with running 26 miles. They run 50 and 100 mile events. Proving that some people will stop at nothing to test the limits of the human body, there is a 135-mile race across Death Valley that people run.
But all these people will, eventually, go so far so fast that they will tire. They will tire out like a college student around finals and a new parent whose baby keeps crying at night. We all wear out in some way -- we have so much fun we exhaust ourselves at times, and at other times we are so worried and stressed that we need a break.
We who depend upon the Lord find ourselves with a Savior who offers us a rest for our weary souls. We find a Savior who pours the Spirit into us, and promises us an eternity without worry and fear, without bodies that wear out, without minds burdened by stress. We who wait upon the Lord will find that God is enough for our weaknesses, and that while we often tire, the Lord never does, and there is always enough in Christ.
English Standard Version (ESV)
There is a man who can run 26.2 miles in less than 123 minutes. To do so, he averages around thirteen miles an hour, running 26 consecutive sub-five minute miles. That's quick.
There are some people who aren't content with running 26 miles. They run 50 and 100 mile events. Proving that some people will stop at nothing to test the limits of the human body, there is a 135-mile race across Death Valley that people run.
But all these people will, eventually, go so far so fast that they will tire. They will tire out like a college student around finals and a new parent whose baby keeps crying at night. We all wear out in some way -- we have so much fun we exhaust ourselves at times, and at other times we are so worried and stressed that we need a break.
We who depend upon the Lord find ourselves with a Savior who offers us a rest for our weary souls. We find a Savior who pours the Spirit into us, and promises us an eternity without worry and fear, without bodies that wear out, without minds burdened by stress. We who wait upon the Lord will find that God is enough for our weaknesses, and that while we often tire, the Lord never does, and there is always enough in Christ.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
2 Timothy 3:10-17
2 Timothy 3:10-17
English Standard Version (ESV)
I hear from my kids quite a bit that life isn't fair. Sometimes they're fighting over who gets to pick the songs in the car, sometimes they fight over who gets to brush their teeth first, and sometimes it's over who gets to use the vacuum cleaner. Really important debates going on in our house!
Paul, here, is addressing the church's sense that life isn't fair. The church is watching their loved ones be persecuted, while the evil ones seem to escape without punishment. (Someone once said that while history doesn't repeat itself, it often rhymes.)
Meanwhile, Paul exhorts the church to endure, and then reminds us that all of Scripture is helpful. It's easy to pick out the parts we like and ignore the rest, but Paul reminds us that it is all there for a reason. It teaches us, even the parts we don't like, and helps equip us to grow in Christ. Those parts you struggle with? Press in on those -- study how they fit together, what makes you uncomfortable, and why. That's crucial -- Scripture should challenge us and make us examine who and how we are. We can't get too comfortable. The Holy Spirit is always at work, refining us, pulling us forward into the future God has in mind for us. So press in. Linger on those difficult passages, and trust that God is speaking through them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
I hear from my kids quite a bit that life isn't fair. Sometimes they're fighting over who gets to pick the songs in the car, sometimes they fight over who gets to brush their teeth first, and sometimes it's over who gets to use the vacuum cleaner. Really important debates going on in our house!
Paul, here, is addressing the church's sense that life isn't fair. The church is watching their loved ones be persecuted, while the evil ones seem to escape without punishment. (Someone once said that while history doesn't repeat itself, it often rhymes.)
Meanwhile, Paul exhorts the church to endure, and then reminds us that all of Scripture is helpful. It's easy to pick out the parts we like and ignore the rest, but Paul reminds us that it is all there for a reason. It teaches us, even the parts we don't like, and helps equip us to grow in Christ. Those parts you struggle with? Press in on those -- study how they fit together, what makes you uncomfortable, and why. That's crucial -- Scripture should challenge us and make us examine who and how we are. We can't get too comfortable. The Holy Spirit is always at work, refining us, pulling us forward into the future God has in mind for us. So press in. Linger on those difficult passages, and trust that God is speaking through them.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Philippians 2:1-11
Philippians 2:1-11
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's the first thing you would do if you were God?
Would you give yourself a million dollars? Maybe you'd exact some vengeance on an enemy. I bet we'd all come up with different lists, some of which would serve our own needs, while other items would likely serve the needs of others. Maybe you'd get rid of pollution or finally take care of human trafficking.
God, the most powerful being in the universe, opted to take on a lowly existence as a poor carpenter. Having done so, after laboring in obscurity for decades, Jesus then traveled the countryside performing selfless acts of service. He healed the lame and brought sight to the blind, often transcending cultural taboos by reaching out to the lowest of the low in society. After three years, rather than choosing to ascend a throne and reign in regal power, Jesus instead allowed himself to be publicly mocked and crucified.
Why?
Because God saw that as the necessary path to redeem you. You are worth all of the suffering in the world to God. God treasures you, and there wasn't a price too high to pay, so God offered everything in order to bring you forgiveness.
You are infinitely treasured and loved by the most powerful being in creation. I hope that truth changes the way you live today.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's the first thing you would do if you were God?
Would you give yourself a million dollars? Maybe you'd exact some vengeance on an enemy. I bet we'd all come up with different lists, some of which would serve our own needs, while other items would likely serve the needs of others. Maybe you'd get rid of pollution or finally take care of human trafficking.
God, the most powerful being in the universe, opted to take on a lowly existence as a poor carpenter. Having done so, after laboring in obscurity for decades, Jesus then traveled the countryside performing selfless acts of service. He healed the lame and brought sight to the blind, often transcending cultural taboos by reaching out to the lowest of the low in society. After three years, rather than choosing to ascend a throne and reign in regal power, Jesus instead allowed himself to be publicly mocked and crucified.
Why?
Because God saw that as the necessary path to redeem you. You are worth all of the suffering in the world to God. God treasures you, and there wasn't a price too high to pay, so God offered everything in order to bring you forgiveness.
You are infinitely treasured and loved by the most powerful being in creation. I hope that truth changes the way you live today.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Acts 14:19-23
Acts 14:19-23
English Standard Version (ESV)
How do you know how determined you are to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
With Paul, he was stoned by crowds in Lystra who then left him for dead, but instead of taking the hint and heading off somewhere that might be a little more welcoming, he gets on his feet and goes right back into the city, continuing on after that, determined to proclaim the Word of God.
It's easy to become frustrated when one meets resistance. Maybe you're unsure of what God wants from you, or maybe you're certain that God is leading you in one direction but nothing seems to be affirming that. Maybe it feels like everything around you is falling apart.
God's work often moves forward in uncertain stages. From the outside, it may not seem like progress, but God is always at work, even in the hardest and most uncertain chapters of life. Even when the church was being persecuted and seemed like it was shrinking, God was at work, growing disciples and preparing the church for something new. God is always at work, and our responsibility is to faithfully endure, trusting in God, focused on the long-term Kingdom of God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
How do you know how determined you are to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
With Paul, he was stoned by crowds in Lystra who then left him for dead, but instead of taking the hint and heading off somewhere that might be a little more welcoming, he gets on his feet and goes right back into the city, continuing on after that, determined to proclaim the Word of God.
It's easy to become frustrated when one meets resistance. Maybe you're unsure of what God wants from you, or maybe you're certain that God is leading you in one direction but nothing seems to be affirming that. Maybe it feels like everything around you is falling apart.
God's work often moves forward in uncertain stages. From the outside, it may not seem like progress, but God is always at work, even in the hardest and most uncertain chapters of life. Even when the church was being persecuted and seemed like it was shrinking, God was at work, growing disciples and preparing the church for something new. God is always at work, and our responsibility is to faithfully endure, trusting in God, focused on the long-term Kingdom of God.
Monday, October 1, 2018
2 Timothy 2:1-13
2 Timothy 2:1-13
English Standard Version (ESV)
Here in Paul's second letter to Timothy, he lifts up athletes and farmers as models of how the church ought to work.
Think of how challenging it is to be a farmer. Seed is sown, but there's no guarantee that anything happens after that. There has to be faith and trust that the seed will grow into something, that the water and the work will ultimately result in a harvest.
In the same way, we place our trust in God to shepherd the church forward. We trust that God will do astounding things through the church, and we stay faithful, enduring to the end, because we trust that God's work will triumph in the end. We trust in the outcome, even though the process is uncertain, and it's hard, and there will be plenty of temptations to find easier ways. Just as the athlete is tempted to sleep in rather than wake up early and train, the Christian is tempted to be spiritually lazy, to trust in things other than God, to forget about the long-term and opt for short-term wins.
If we endure, we reign with him. Day after day, make the small choices, the right choices, and trust in the God who remains faithful.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Here in Paul's second letter to Timothy, he lifts up athletes and farmers as models of how the church ought to work.
Think of how challenging it is to be a farmer. Seed is sown, but there's no guarantee that anything happens after that. There has to be faith and trust that the seed will grow into something, that the water and the work will ultimately result in a harvest.
In the same way, we place our trust in God to shepherd the church forward. We trust that God will do astounding things through the church, and we stay faithful, enduring to the end, because we trust that God's work will triumph in the end. We trust in the outcome, even though the process is uncertain, and it's hard, and there will be plenty of temptations to find easier ways. Just as the athlete is tempted to sleep in rather than wake up early and train, the Christian is tempted to be spiritually lazy, to trust in things other than God, to forget about the long-term and opt for short-term wins.
If we endure, we reign with him. Day after day, make the small choices, the right choices, and trust in the God who remains faithful.
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