day no. 14,959: run toward the roar

Let us stand fast in what is right and prepare ourselves for trial. 

Let us neither be dogs that do not bark, nor silent onlookers, 

nor paid servants who run away before the wolf. 

Instead, where the battle rages, let us find ourselves. 

Run towards the roar of the lion! 

Run towards the roar of battle! 

That is where Christ's most glorious victories shall be won!

- St. Boniface

Once you embrace the fact that you will die, you are able to find yourself in places where death is a real threat. You can show up and you can be there on purpose. Not accidentally thrown into it, but intentionally there, taking your stand.

Battles are places were people die. People march off knowing that death is a possibility and yet march onward anyways. If you have to die, why not die fighting for what you believe is right? Why not die where you are called? Why shy away from the opportunity to be planted in the ground for the glory of God rather than wilt on the couch for the comfort of of your bones?

Die where you are called. Live where you are called.The soldier swinging his scabbard is alive and ready to die.

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die." - G.K. Chesterton

Courage is willing to die by living. Cowardice is unwilling to live by dying.

"I know I shall die, and I shall die on time. Therefore, I must make the most of the moments between here and there.” - St. Boniface

day no. 14,958: slander is confessing the sins of others

Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Slander is using your mouth to run someone else down because you think they are delinquent in confessing their own sins. In your kindness, you take it upon yourself to confess their sins for them. This benevolence is entirely unChristian. Paul here equates it with bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and malice. It is the fruit of bitter roots, the equivalent of vengeance, is fueled by the anger of man, aims at filling peaceful air with loud noises and desires to tear down rather than build up. It is not for the benefit of the other person that you confess their sins. You are not confessing on their behalf so that they might go free, you are openly confessing their sins in order to enslave them and bind them to them, to identify them by the sins.

This is NOT how God in Christ identifies you! In Christ, He looks for ways to be kind. You are commanded to now do the same for those you may be tempted to be embittered toward, anxious to take vengeance upon, etc...

day no. 14,957: successful by what standard?

When critiquing someone's success, we must always consider the aim and the action.

If someone achieves an aim, they have, in one sense of the word succeeded. But if that aim was ignoble, they have only succeeded at failure. 

If someone aims nobly and fails miserably short, in one sense of the word, they failed. But if they acted nobly, they have failed while succeeding.

If someone aims low and still fail, they have in every sense of the word failed. They have succeeded at missing the mark entirely.

If a man desires to leave a singles bar in the company of another and strikes out. His aim was lame and his actions matched. He has failed and we're all the better off for it. This man should not be given better skills or shinier lures to pick up ladies. His aim is lame. Don't give him a crutch or even worse, teach him to strut.

If a man desires to marry a young lady and be a good husband, but no one is interested, his aim is high, but his actions are insufficient. His goal is noble, but his competency is questionable. This man should be given help, skills, knowledge, encouragement, etc... in order to assist him in accomplishing his noble task. Give him the wisdom he needs, the standards he should keep and the ones he should reconsider in order to more reasonably achieve his intended aim.

This, of course, can be applied to any number of targets and trajectories. It is important when thinking over someone's success to consider that accomplishing ignoble ends is not success and employing ignoble means in order to achieve noble ends is also a failure. There are not shortcuts to integrity. Conversely, there is no glory in accomplishing wickedness.

One could be said to be "good" at something bad. Like being a "successful" pick up artist. One could be said to be "bad" at something good. Like making disciples. 

day no. 14,956: every place on which the sole of your foot treads

Deuteronomy 11:22-25
For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, 23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. 24 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea. 25 No one shall be able to stand against you.

The Christian faith is one of world conquest. It is one of spreading the glory of God to every square inch in every crook and cranny of God's green earth. Every place under which the soles of our feet tread shall one day be ours.

Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

It is not arrogant or proud to assert this. This is what God said would happen. It is not in our strength or because of our cunning that the world becomes ours. The deed to the planet has only ever had one name on it: Jesus. No one, earthly speaking, can possess any of it without God giving it to them. It's not up for the taking. 

But in Christ, God has provided marching orders for His people to spread His Name and the worship of His divinity to any and every where we can go. 

In this mission, no one can stand against us. It is indomitable. It will happen. The earth will be given over to those whose strength is under God's control (meekness).

day no. 14,955: picked, pricked and piqued

Deuteronomy 10:14-17
Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.

God is not partial. He doesn't use one standard and measurement for some people and another for other people. He did not pick Israel because they were given an easier entrance exam. By that standard and measurement, no one passed the test. No one met the minimum qualifications for being chosen by God. God did not troubleshoot His own system by taking a bribe or impartially applying His standards and measures in order to justify His selection of Israel. No, on the basis of works and wages, no one would be chosen. So God, by grace and mercy, picked a people. No one can say they deserved it and no one can make a case that they too ought to be chosen or should have rather been chosen in the stead of Israel. 

That being the case, how grateful and loyal should His chosen people be? The God who owns everything and everyone, in His mercy, set His grace on you. Do not kick back when He then commands you. Do not grow proud because of your new position. God set His heart upon you. Set your heart in reciprocity upon Him. He condescended to set His heart on you. He owed you nothing. You must now ascend and lift your heart to God because you owe Him everything.

day no. 14,954: because of your righteousness

Deuteronomy 9:4-7
Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. 5 Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

6 “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. 7 Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness.


God doesn't give out A's to those who managed to avoid getting any of the answers wrong. He doesn't provide sight to those who are so good at seeing. He doesn't give new hearts to old ones which were working just fine.

It is NOT because of our righteousness that He saved us, but because of His goodness.

If it was earned as a result of our righteousness, we wouldn't need Him to provide us with anything... we would have earned it and could demand it as our wages.

Titus 3:3-5
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy

If our old hearts could believe and be saved, why would we need new ones? If our old eyes could see well enough, why would we need new vision? If our old lives were exemplary, why would they need saving?

day no. 14,953: let's see what God does

Psalm 108:12-13
Give us help from trouble: For vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: For he it is that shall tread down our enemies

"The man of God does not sit down in a cushy spot in order to say, 'Let’s see what God does.' He pulls his sword from the scabbard and says, 'Let’s see what God does.'” - Doug Wilson