"Men beget goodwill in other men by giving it. They develop courage in their following mainly as a reflection of the courage which they show in their own action. These two qualities of mind and heart are of the essence of sound officership. One is of little avail without the other, and either helps to sustain the other." -- The Armed Forces Officer, U.S. Department of Defense (1950)
If you want to encourage others, you must enflesh courage in yourself. The simple act of being courageous does more to infuse courage into your followers than a well prepared oratory on the topics accompanied by practical cowardice.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
day no. 15,590: information and transformation
"The services will continue to hold with the idea that strong nationhood comes not of the making of gadgets but of the building of character.." -- The Armed Forces Officer, U.S. Department of Defense (1950)
Just as strong nations are primarily built upon producing people of precious character rather than producing gadgets of precious value, families and churches are built on the character of their members, not the amount of output of their operations.
The aim of education is not merely the transfer of information, but the grandeur of transformation. Education is primarily a matter of character development, not intellectual achievement. The end of education is not the amount of information we can organize into someone else's head. The wins are not measured in megabytes per square inch minted on the minds of our future employees. The wins are measured in character per square inch impressed upon the hearts of our children. Our descendants are not currency, they are stewards.
Just as strong nations are primarily built upon producing people of precious character rather than producing gadgets of precious value, families and churches are built on the character of their members, not the amount of output of their operations.
The aim of education is not merely the transfer of information, but the grandeur of transformation. Education is primarily a matter of character development, not intellectual achievement. The end of education is not the amount of information we can organize into someone else's head. The wins are not measured in megabytes per square inch minted on the minds of our future employees. The wins are measured in character per square inch impressed upon the hearts of our children. Our descendants are not currency, they are stewards.
Monday, June 28, 2021
day no. 15,589: right without being righteous
"He owes it to his country to speak the truth as he sees it. This implies a steadying judgment as to when it should be spoken, and to whom it should be addressed. A truth need not only be well-rounded, but the utterance of it should be cognizant of the stresses and objectives of the hour. Truth becomes falsehood unless it has the strength of perspective... A false idea will come upon a bad fate even though it has the backing of the highest authority." -- The Armed Forces Officer, U.S. Department of Defense (1950)
The Christian faith is full of grace and truth: fully truthful in being gracious and fully gracious in telling the truth. There is a way to be right without being righteousness, a way to give preference to saying the right thing without assessing if it is the right time or place to say it.
There is an unrighteous way to be right.
There is an incorrect way to be correct.
Be patient and remember proportion and perspective. If you are right, but assert it wrongly, you do disservice to the truth, not homage. Anything that cannot go on forever, won't. Its failure doesn't depend upon your word. That isn't to say that you should simply shut your mouth and sit back with a bucket of popcorn as you wait and watch the whole thing implode, but rather to say that if you have something to say, but not the right time or place to say it, the time or place will eventually present itself or the enterprise will fail without you having had to say anything.
The Christian faith is full of grace and truth: fully truthful in being gracious and fully gracious in telling the truth. There is a way to be right without being righteousness, a way to give preference to saying the right thing without assessing if it is the right time or place to say it.
There is an unrighteous way to be right.
There is an incorrect way to be correct.
Be patient and remember proportion and perspective. If you are right, but assert it wrongly, you do disservice to the truth, not homage. Anything that cannot go on forever, won't. Its failure doesn't depend upon your word. That isn't to say that you should simply shut your mouth and sit back with a bucket of popcorn as you wait and watch the whole thing implode, but rather to say that if you have something to say, but not the right time or place to say it, the time or place will eventually present itself or the enterprise will fail without you having had to say anything.
Sunday, June 27, 2021
day no. 15,588: intellectual eunuch societies
"The service officer is not expected to be an intellectual eunuch, oblivious to all of the faults in the institution to which he gives his loyalty. To the contrary, the nature of that loyalty requires that he will use his force toward the righting of those things which reason convinces him are going wrong, though making certain that his action will not do more damage than repair." -- The Armed Forces Officer, U.S. Department of Defense (1950)
Loyalty does not require cutting one's self off from reality. You can love and be loyal to something without having to pretend it doesn't have any problem or defend any of its faults per se. Loyalty insists on seeing the faults of its beloved, but does not insist on separating from the beloved because of them.
It is the same with participation in a local church. A member does not have to pretend that their church has no problems or defend each of its faults in order to be a loyal member. On the contrary, members are obligated to see shortcomings. But what makes them a member is what they do about the problems. Members are not required to be blind to issues. They are required to be active in addressing them. That is what makes one a faithful member of an organization.
Loyalty does not require cutting one's self off from reality. You can love and be loyal to something without having to pretend it doesn't have any problem or defend any of its faults per se. Loyalty insists on seeing the faults of its beloved, but does not insist on separating from the beloved because of them.
It is the same with participation in a local church. A member does not have to pretend that their church has no problems or defend each of its faults in order to be a loyal member. On the contrary, members are obligated to see shortcomings. But what makes them a member is what they do about the problems. Members are not required to be blind to issues. They are required to be active in addressing them. That is what makes one a faithful member of an organization.
“No one doubts that an ordinary man can get on with this world: but we demand not strength enough to get on with it, but strength enough to get it on. Can he hate it enough to change it, and yet love it enough to think it is worth changing?” - G.K. Chesterton
Love of the body produces acknowledgment of the body's deficiencies combined with commitment to strengthening those weaknesses. It loves the body enough to want to grow strong where it is weak which requires seeing holes and seeking to fill them.
Love of the body produces acknowledgment of the body's deficiencies combined with commitment to strengthening those weaknesses. It loves the body enough to want to grow strong where it is weak which requires seeing holes and seeking to fill them.
Saturday, June 26, 2021
day no. 15,587: Callista Janelle turns 1 - 2 - 3 - 4!!!!
Lissa Lou,
In some ways I can't believe you are already four and in other ways I can't believe you weren't already. You are so grown up and yet such a little lady, but whatever you are, you are a force to be reckoned with. You refuse to play second fiddle. You, like your big brother, Finneas, seem to have been born with the gift of an "11." You have the ability to assert and insert yourself into any situation. I am excited to see how God will use that tenacity to teach others about the glory of God. Your name means, "most lovely" and it has been my prayers from the beginning that many would come to see the beauty of God by seeing it reflected powerfully in and through you.
You love looking at your jewelry box on the bed while I work from home. You talk to yourself and pretend to read the note I wrote to you that is kept inside the case of your necklace. You have heard me read it enough times that you even parrot some of the words correctly. It is the sweetest thing to hear you narrating next to me. You frequently ask to put on one of the necklaces and just as often get some of the chains tangled together and then repentantly ask for me help get them sorted out.
You love spending time with your little sister, Juni, and regularly lock yourselves away in a bedroom and play uninterrupted during the day.
You love to read your Bible with me in the morning and sit next to me underlining in pencil verses as you see in my Bible when you look over my shoulder. You often interrupt me to ask me what is happening in one of the pictures in your Bible Stories book as well.
You are a great eater. You frequently clear your plate quicker than any of your siblings. The only one who consistently eats more than you is Atticus and he's got eight years and a Y chromosome on you.
You LOVE being outside. Any opportunity mom gives you, you take full advantage of it. You feel at home in the backyard. Again, taking after your brother Atticus, in this regard, you could spend most of your day outside without any complaint. Well, at least, no complaints about being outside, you're still young enough that you frequently find something to complain about :)
You love your family and don't like being separated from them. The hardest part of taking naps each day isn't that you have to sleep, but that you have to be kept away from the ones you love all afternoon. You love being around people. You like talking to them, being talked to by them, playing with them, being around them, etc... People are your energy drink.
Your hair is finally beginning to grow, but it is taking it's time. I sometimes wonder how long it would be if you hadn't chopped a good chunk of it off a while back. But you finally are able to have piggies for church and they are adorable when you rock them. They suit you well.
You have the best smile. Your HUGE eyes light up the entire room. You have a dominant personality and when you use it for good, everyone is blessed by it. But rest assured, no one is ever left wondering if you're around.
You love your big brothers and like being around them. You don't mind mixing it up with them although you are quick to cry fool when you get in over your head... which is often.
You have the best laugh. Your voice is so raspy and you delight in making it even raspier. You are full of life and the joy of living and receive the best things in life with gusto.
You look like the pictures of your mom when she was your age. And if that is any indication of your future, you have a lifetime of beauty ahead of you. This doesn't shock me as the apple doesn't often fall far from the tree. Your middle name means, "God is gracious or merciful" and He has certainly been both to you.
Happy Fourth Birthday sister friend. I am so excited to see how God will grow you over the course of the next year. It will be fun at this time next year to look back and remember the Lissy that was and rejoice for the Lissy that is. By then, you will have new quirks and qualities to thank God for as well as more mature versions of things He is already at work in you doing.
I love you, Lissy.
Dad.
Friday, June 25, 2021
day no. 15,586: the sin of being our own beloved
1 Chronicles 21:17
And David said to God, "Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father's house. But do not let the plague be on your people."
David's people were suffering because of his sin. His response was to plead with God to remove His wrath from His people and point it solely at him, the person responsible. David took responsibility for his sin and asked that its consequences be spared from others and limited to himself. He begged God to remove the plague that had infected the citizens of the kingdom he stewarded on God's behalf.
Contrast this response to personal failure and consequence with Hezekiah.
2 Kings 20:16-19
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”
Hezekiah was okay with his people suffering for his sin as long as he did not have to personally suffer for it. He was relieved to find out that God's wrath would land on his descendants instead of on himself. He did not take responsibility for his sin or sympathize with the future generations who would suffer as a result of his past sins.
May God make us in this respect more like David -- with masculine hearts faithfully taking responsibility and taking courage to face the consequences of our own decisions. May God extend our concern to others and employ our strength for the sake of securing their safety. May we place ourselves between the danger and our beloved and may He save us from the sin of being our own most beloved subject.
And David said to God, "Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father's house. But do not let the plague be on your people."
David's people were suffering because of his sin. His response was to plead with God to remove His wrath from His people and point it solely at him, the person responsible. David took responsibility for his sin and asked that its consequences be spared from others and limited to himself. He begged God to remove the plague that had infected the citizens of the kingdom he stewarded on God's behalf.
Contrast this response to personal failure and consequence with Hezekiah.
2 Kings 20:16-19
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”
Hezekiah was okay with his people suffering for his sin as long as he did not have to personally suffer for it. He was relieved to find out that God's wrath would land on his descendants instead of on himself. He did not take responsibility for his sin or sympathize with the future generations who would suffer as a result of his past sins.
May God make us in this respect more like David -- with masculine hearts faithfully taking responsibility and taking courage to face the consequences of our own decisions. May God extend our concern to others and employ our strength for the sake of securing their safety. May we place ourselves between the danger and our beloved and may He save us from the sin of being our own most beloved subject.
Thursday, June 24, 2021
day no. 15,585: certain
1 Chronicles 19:13
Be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him.
Courage is being certain of the cause, but not the outcome. Even if you knew for a fact you would survive something dangerous, it would still require courage to walk into it, nut how much more so, when you experience life the way we all do, with the outcome in God's hands, but the present situation begging every ounce of courage and faith you can muster?
2 Samuel 15:21
Ittai answered the king, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.”
Courage is counting the costs and then paying them. May God again produce a generation of men who are strong and use their strength for the sake of their families and their neighbors without knowing for certain how it will end, but certain in their resolve to see it to the end regardless.
Be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him.
Courage is being certain of the cause, but not the outcome. Even if you knew for a fact you would survive something dangerous, it would still require courage to walk into it, nut how much more so, when you experience life the way we all do, with the outcome in God's hands, but the present situation begging every ounce of courage and faith you can muster?
2 Samuel 15:21
Ittai answered the king, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.”
Courage is counting the costs and then paying them. May God again produce a generation of men who are strong and use their strength for the sake of their families and their neighbors without knowing for certain how it will end, but certain in their resolve to see it to the end regardless.
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
day no. 15,584: seeking and striving
"I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart." — Vincent van Gogh
We have a poster with this quote hanging in our bathroom. I found myself thinking about this today (4/12/20, Easter).
No one, by nature, is seeking or striving after God.
Romans 3:11-12
No one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside;
We have a poster with this quote hanging in our bathroom. I found myself thinking about this today (4/12/20, Easter).
No one, by nature, is seeking or striving after God.
Romans 3:11-12
No one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside;
together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.
So if anyone is seeking or striving after God, it is evidence of His supernatural grace already at work.
The interesting thing, then, spiritually speaking, is that any would seek so pathetically. If no one seeks God by nature, why do so many seek so weakly when supernaturally driven to do so? Why do so many whom God calls respond so nonchalantly to the call when calling back upon Him?
Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
If you are seeking at all, why seek weakly? If it has been given to you to seek at all, seek and strive with all your might. Be in it with all your heart. If you cannot have any of your heart in it without God's assistance, why then, since you have His assistance, would you offer so little of your heart to seeking Him?
no one does good,
not even one.
So if anyone is seeking or striving after God, it is evidence of His supernatural grace already at work.
The interesting thing, then, spiritually speaking, is that any would seek so pathetically. If no one seeks God by nature, why do so many seek so weakly when supernaturally driven to do so? Why do so many whom God calls respond so nonchalantly to the call when calling back upon Him?
Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
If you are seeking at all, why seek weakly? If it has been given to you to seek at all, seek and strive with all your might. Be in it with all your heart. If you cannot have any of your heart in it without God's assistance, why then, since you have His assistance, would you offer so little of your heart to seeking Him?
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
day no. 15,583: the Kingdom's ours forever
This version of Luther's famous battle hymn of the reformation was published in the Lutheran Book of Worship in the year of our Lord 1978... the same year I was born. I feel like I've found a twin from whom I was separated at birth. These lyrics speak courage into my soul.
A mighty fortress is our God,
a sword and shield victorious;
He breaks the cruel oppressor's rod
And wins salvation glorious.
The old satanic foe
Has sworn to work us woe!
With craft and dreadful might
He arms himself to fight.
On earth he has no equal.
No strength of ours can match his might!
We would be lost, rejected.
But now a champion comes to fight,
Whom God himself elected.
You ask who this may be?
The Lord of hosts is he!
Christ Jesus, mighty Lord,
God's only Son, adored.
He holds the field victorious.
Though hordes of devils fill the land
All threatening to devour us,
We tremble not, unmoved we stand;
They cannot overpower us.
Let this world's tyrant rage;
In battle we'll engage!
His might is doomed to fail;
God's judgment must prevail!
One little word subdues him.
God's Word forever shall abide,
No thanks to foes, who fear it;
For God himself fights by our side
With weapons of the Spirit.
Were they to take our house,
Goods, honor, child, or spouse,
Though life be wrenched away,
They cannot win the day.
The Kingdom's ours forever!
A mighty fortress is our God,
a sword and shield victorious;
He breaks the cruel oppressor's rod
And wins salvation glorious.
The old satanic foe
Has sworn to work us woe!
With craft and dreadful might
He arms himself to fight.
On earth he has no equal.
No strength of ours can match his might!
We would be lost, rejected.
But now a champion comes to fight,
Whom God himself elected.
You ask who this may be?
The Lord of hosts is he!
Christ Jesus, mighty Lord,
God's only Son, adored.
He holds the field victorious.
Though hordes of devils fill the land
All threatening to devour us,
We tremble not, unmoved we stand;
They cannot overpower us.
Let this world's tyrant rage;
In battle we'll engage!
His might is doomed to fail;
God's judgment must prevail!
One little word subdues him.
God's Word forever shall abide,
No thanks to foes, who fear it;
For God himself fights by our side
With weapons of the Spirit.
Were they to take our house,
Goods, honor, child, or spouse,
Though life be wrenched away,
They cannot win the day.
The Kingdom's ours forever!
Monday, June 21, 2021
day no. 15,582: the best pickle
While reading The Art of Manliness: Classic Skill and Manners for the Modern Man by Brett McKay, I came across Benjamin Franklin's thirteen virtues, the first of which is TEMPERANCE which he resolved to abide by in the following formulation:
"Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation."
The first bite of your favorite food is always better than the fifth. When eating, even your favorite dish, there comes a point where the flavor is dulled. The enjoyment wears off with each bite. And once food reaches its dullness it is your body's way of communicating to you its fullness. Too many of us continue to eat even after food has lost its flavor. The chips no longer taste as good, but we feel compelled to keep eating them. Hunger and/or taste are no longer leading our hand back into the bag. We've all been there. We've discovered ourselves eating something we don't even like any more, but we like the sensation of continuing to eat.
It is here that Franklin's wisdom meets us. We should pay closer attention to our taste buds. They help us to understand when enough is enough. If we want to enjoy our food, we need to stop eating once we've stopped enjoying it. In fact, we actually only enjoy so much of it. At a certain point, we don't even enjoy what we continue to eat and we even begin to dislike ourselves for continuing to eat in the process. So not only do we ruin the food, but we ruin ourselves for the sake of indulging ourselves.
"Hunger is the best pickle." -- Benjamin Franklin
Pickles were a garnish added to a dish to make it more tasty. It would be the same as saying that hunger is the best sauce. In other words, hunger makes everything taste better. Let yourself be hungry and you will discover your food tastes better. There is no better seasoning than hunger. It accentuates the flavors better than salt. The best way to enjoy your food is to stop eating your previous meal before the flavors dull. This will ensure you enjoy that meal to its fullest and prepares your stomach to appreciate your next meal even more.
The first bite of your favorite food is always better than the fifth. When eating, even your favorite dish, there comes a point where the flavor is dulled. The enjoyment wears off with each bite. And once food reaches its dullness it is your body's way of communicating to you its fullness. Too many of us continue to eat even after food has lost its flavor. The chips no longer taste as good, but we feel compelled to keep eating them. Hunger and/or taste are no longer leading our hand back into the bag. We've all been there. We've discovered ourselves eating something we don't even like any more, but we like the sensation of continuing to eat.
It is here that Franklin's wisdom meets us. We should pay closer attention to our taste buds. They help us to understand when enough is enough. If we want to enjoy our food, we need to stop eating once we've stopped enjoying it. In fact, we actually only enjoy so much of it. At a certain point, we don't even enjoy what we continue to eat and we even begin to dislike ourselves for continuing to eat in the process. So not only do we ruin the food, but we ruin ourselves for the sake of indulging ourselves.
"Hunger is the best pickle." -- Benjamin Franklin
Pickles were a garnish added to a dish to make it more tasty. It would be the same as saying that hunger is the best sauce. In other words, hunger makes everything taste better. Let yourself be hungry and you will discover your food tastes better. There is no better seasoning than hunger. It accentuates the flavors better than salt. The best way to enjoy your food is to stop eating your previous meal before the flavors dull. This will ensure you enjoy that meal to its fullest and prepares your stomach to appreciate your next meal even more.
Sunday, June 20, 2021
day no. 15,581: a darker ignorance
"We have learned of evil, though not as the Evil One wished us to learn. We have learned better than that, and know it more, for it is waking that understands sleep and not sleep that understands waking. There is an ignorance of evil that comes from being young: there is a darker ignorance that comes from doing it, as men by sleeping lose the knowledge of sleep." -- C.S. Lewis, Perelandra
The fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil provided a certain kind of knowledge, but it was a lesser knowing than would have been provided by resisting the temptation to eat that forbidden fruit.
The fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil provided a certain kind of knowledge, but it was a lesser knowing than would have been provided by resisting the temptation to eat that forbidden fruit.
One learns something about sleep by sleeping, but one forgets something about being awake in the process. One learns something about drunkenness by drinking too much, but one forgets something about sobriety. There is a way, however, to learn about sleep and drunkenness without sacrificing wakefulness and sobriety in order to learn it. In other words, there is a knowledge that is purer and deeper that doesn't require experience as a pre-req.
The opposite is actually true. You learn something about evil by doing it, but you lose something about purity which you cannot have back. There is a way to be pure and know more about evil than if you had given way to it. God Himself is evidence of this. He created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil without performing evil to produce it. His knowledge precedes its production and His wisdom has never given in to the temptation to perform it and yet His knowledge of the subject is not diminished. He is not a student in the Devil's school of devilry. The Devil doesn't have any tricks that God needs to learn as though God is Book smart and Satan is street smart. Truth of the matter is, street smarts ain't smarts at all. The Devil did not flunk holiness while excelling in evil. He failed at both subjects. He knows less about both because he gave himself to evil. His wisdom is diluted, not enhanced by his experience. Satan does have the market on evil cornered. He knows less about what he's dealing with than God who's never dealt in it.
Saturday, June 19, 2021
day no. 15,580: you cannot have tomorrow's faith today
"The reason for not yet living on the Fixed Land is now so plain. How could I wish to live there except because it was Fixed? And why should I desire the Fixed except to make sure — to be able on one day to command where I should be the next and what should happen to me? It was to reject the wave — to draw my hands out of Maleldil’s, to say to Him, ‘Not thus, but thus’ — to put in our own power what times should roll towards us… as if you gathered fruits together today for tomorrow’s eating instead of taking what came. That would have been cold love and feeble trust." -- C.S. Lewis, Perelandra
Jesus commanded us to pray for today's bread.
Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.
This prayer was obviously designed for the beginning of the day. It would be absurd to pray this before bed in retrospect. We are not commanded to pray for tomorrow's bread, but for today's. We are not to enjoy tomorrow's provision, but today's. We are charged to pray on this day for the bread we need today. It is not that we cannot ever prepare meals in advance, but that we must never forget to pray today for today's provision. We can develop a system of menu planning that leads our hearts away from praying daily. We fill the fridge and chest freezer and empty our hearts. We fill up our pantry and leave the matter out of our prayers. There is value in receiving the day's provision.
Exodus 16:4-5
Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
God prevented Israel in the wilderness from gathering tomorrow's provision. Manna kept overnight went to rot. In similar fashion, our trust in God gets moldy if we try to have tomorrow's trust provided by the comfort of today. We cannot make advance payments in faith. Every day must be lived in light of God's mercies and each day requires its own faith. You cannot forego tomorrow's faithfulness by being extra faithful in today's ventures. Each day requires its own dependence. To delegate tomorrow's dependence is to attempt to create independence. You cannot have tomorrow's faith today in order to excuse tomorrow's faithlessness. Grace cannot be banked. Everyday we need fresh grace. But praise be to God, He is present day in and day out. When we attempt to store it up, it is evidence that we aren't sure if He will be there tomorrow.
Jesus commanded us to pray for today's bread.
Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.
This prayer was obviously designed for the beginning of the day. It would be absurd to pray this before bed in retrospect. We are not commanded to pray for tomorrow's bread, but for today's. We are not to enjoy tomorrow's provision, but today's. We are charged to pray on this day for the bread we need today. It is not that we cannot ever prepare meals in advance, but that we must never forget to pray today for today's provision. We can develop a system of menu planning that leads our hearts away from praying daily. We fill the fridge and chest freezer and empty our hearts. We fill up our pantry and leave the matter out of our prayers. There is value in receiving the day's provision.
Exodus 16:4-5
Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
God prevented Israel in the wilderness from gathering tomorrow's provision. Manna kept overnight went to rot. In similar fashion, our trust in God gets moldy if we try to have tomorrow's trust provided by the comfort of today. We cannot make advance payments in faith. Every day must be lived in light of God's mercies and each day requires its own faith. You cannot forego tomorrow's faithfulness by being extra faithful in today's ventures. Each day requires its own dependence. To delegate tomorrow's dependence is to attempt to create independence. You cannot have tomorrow's faith today in order to excuse tomorrow's faithlessness. Grace cannot be banked. Everyday we need fresh grace. But praise be to God, He is present day in and day out. When we attempt to store it up, it is evidence that we aren't sure if He will be there tomorrow.
Friday, June 18, 2021
day no. 15,579: gender is a reality
"Malacandra was like rhythm and Perelandra like melody. He has said that Malacandra affected him like a quantitative, Perelandra like an accentual, metre. He thinks that the first held in his hand something like a spear, but the hands of the other were open, with the palms towards him. But I don’t know that any of these attempts has helped me much. At all events what Ransom saw at that moment was the real meaning of gender. Everyone must sometimes have wondered why in nearly all tongues certain inanimate objects are masculine and others feminine. What is masculine about a mountain or feminine about certain trees? ... Our ancestors did not make mountains masculine because they projected male characteristics into them. The real process is the reverse. Gender is a reality, and a more fundamental reality than sex. Sex is, in fact, merely the adaptation to organic life of a fundamental polarity which divides all created beings. " -- C.S. Lewis, Perelandra
In our minds maleness is the objective reality and masculinity is the subjective projection, but Lewis here proposes that masculinity is the reality and maleness is the projection. Maleness is the shadow cast by masculinity. Because maleness is more immediately obvious and easier to define, it is assumed to be foundational. Yet Lewis argues here that masculinity is less obvious and harder to define because it is more real, not less. Mountains in their majesty are inherently masculine. We do not see their strength and sturdiness and high, treacherous peaks and project masculine essence on to them. Rather their strength, sturdiness, and treacherous lofty danger are produced by their masculinity. In other words, mountains are not masculine because they are tall, rather they are tall because they are masculine.
In our minds maleness is the objective reality and masculinity is the subjective projection, but Lewis here proposes that masculinity is the reality and maleness is the projection. Maleness is the shadow cast by masculinity. Because maleness is more immediately obvious and easier to define, it is assumed to be foundational. Yet Lewis argues here that masculinity is less obvious and harder to define because it is more real, not less. Mountains in their majesty are inherently masculine. We do not see their strength and sturdiness and high, treacherous peaks and project masculine essence on to them. Rather their strength, sturdiness, and treacherous lofty danger are produced by their masculinity. In other words, mountains are not masculine because they are tall, rather they are tall because they are masculine.
Thursday, June 17, 2021
day no. 15,578: the day after it is finished
Genesis 2:1-2
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
When God says "It is finished," He takes a day off.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth in six days. After finishing His good work, He rested on the seventh day and consecrated it as holy.
On Good Friday, Jesus finished His good work and rested on the Sabbath day that followed.
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished": and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Jesus rested all day Saturday in Sabbath repose. His work done, He prepared to begin afresh at sunrise.
Just as God rested on the seventh day after the world was created by His Word, He rested on the seventh day after the Word was crucified by His world. The Sabbath consecrated His completed work and laid the foundation for the new creation. When the Son rose the next morning, He got to work.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
When God says "It is finished," He takes a day off.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth in six days. After finishing His good work, He rested on the seventh day and consecrated it as holy.
On Good Friday, Jesus finished His good work and rested on the Sabbath day that followed.
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished": and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Jesus rested all day Saturday in Sabbath repose. His work done, He prepared to begin afresh at sunrise.
Just as God rested on the seventh day after the world was created by His Word, He rested on the seventh day after the Word was crucified by His world. The Sabbath consecrated His completed work and laid the foundation for the new creation. When the Son rose the next morning, He got to work.
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
day no. 15,577: what's the matter at any given moment
"Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins." Psalm 25:18
"Note that all David asks concerning his sorrow is, 'Look upon mine affliction and my pain;' but the next petition is vastly more express, definite, decided, plain--'Forgive all my sins.' Many sufferers would have put it, 'Remove my affliction and my pain, and look at my sins.' But David does not say so; he cries, 'Lord, as for my affliction and my pain, I will not dictate to thy wisdom. Lord, look at them, I will leave them to thee, I should be glad to have my pain removed, but do as thou wilt; but as for my sins, Lord, I know what I want with them; I must have them forgiven; I cannot endure to lie under their curse for a moment.' A Christian counts sorrow lighter in the scale than sin; he can bear that his troubles should continue, but he cannot support the burden of his transgressions." -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening
We want God to look upon our difficulties, but we need Him to remove our sins. We often pray for God to remove our difficulties and look upon our sins. We feel the pressing need to have our troubles removed, but we rarely perceive our sin as our largest trouble. The Christian knows the most troubling matter of any moment is our sin. Under its pressure we cannot endure. We can endure difficulty if we must, but we cannot persevere under sin. It will crush us. May God look upon our sufferings and eradicate our iniquities. May He make our sufferings no more difficult than He must and may He remove our sins as far as the east is from the west.
"Note that all David asks concerning his sorrow is, 'Look upon mine affliction and my pain;' but the next petition is vastly more express, definite, decided, plain--'Forgive all my sins.' Many sufferers would have put it, 'Remove my affliction and my pain, and look at my sins.' But David does not say so; he cries, 'Lord, as for my affliction and my pain, I will not dictate to thy wisdom. Lord, look at them, I will leave them to thee, I should be glad to have my pain removed, but do as thou wilt; but as for my sins, Lord, I know what I want with them; I must have them forgiven; I cannot endure to lie under their curse for a moment.' A Christian counts sorrow lighter in the scale than sin; he can bear that his troubles should continue, but he cannot support the burden of his transgressions." -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening
We want God to look upon our difficulties, but we need Him to remove our sins. We often pray for God to remove our difficulties and look upon our sins. We feel the pressing need to have our troubles removed, but we rarely perceive our sin as our largest trouble. The Christian knows the most troubling matter of any moment is our sin. Under its pressure we cannot endure. We can endure difficulty if we must, but we cannot persevere under sin. It will crush us. May God look upon our sufferings and eradicate our iniquities. May He make our sufferings no more difficult than He must and may He remove our sins as far as the east is from the west.
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
day no. 15,576: God is everywhere that He is anywhere
"The Holy Spirit cannot be located as a Guest in a house, He invades everything." -- Oswald Chamber, My Utmost for His Highest
God is not a house guest. He never rents to own. He cannot be contained to a compartment. He is everywhere that He is anywhere. All authority in heaven and on earth and in you belongs to Him. There is not an inch or acre of anywhere, including you, that does not have His name on the deed. There is not a single cent in any account, including yours, that is not borrowed from His treasury. There is not a second that passes on any calendar, including yours, which does not tick by at His command. Seconds don't pass because they have to. The clock doesn't tick because it must. It's hands move and time continues because He decrees it. Things do not fall because of gravity, they fall because of the God of gravity.
God does not set up embassies in people. He does not set aside a sacred space within the boundaries of a person as the official representation of His kingdom. He either takes over a country or He doesn't live there. His banner is the either the flag that waves over the entire nation or it does not fly inside a nation's borders. He is not a state or province, He is the kingdom.
God is not interested in being part of your life. He is not anxiously awaiting an invitation to the graduation party of your heart. Either Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all. He cannot be located anywhere that He is not everywhere. He is no one's house guest. He either owns the house or it is condemned.
God is not a house guest. He never rents to own. He cannot be contained to a compartment. He is everywhere that He is anywhere. All authority in heaven and on earth and in you belongs to Him. There is not an inch or acre of anywhere, including you, that does not have His name on the deed. There is not a single cent in any account, including yours, that is not borrowed from His treasury. There is not a second that passes on any calendar, including yours, which does not tick by at His command. Seconds don't pass because they have to. The clock doesn't tick because it must. It's hands move and time continues because He decrees it. Things do not fall because of gravity, they fall because of the God of gravity.
God does not set up embassies in people. He does not set aside a sacred space within the boundaries of a person as the official representation of His kingdom. He either takes over a country or He doesn't live there. His banner is the either the flag that waves over the entire nation or it does not fly inside a nation's borders. He is not a state or province, He is the kingdom.
God is not interested in being part of your life. He is not anxiously awaiting an invitation to the graduation party of your heart. Either Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all. He cannot be located anywhere that He is not everywhere. He is no one's house guest. He either owns the house or it is condemned.
Monday, June 14, 2021
day no. 15,575: the pattern of planting
Romans 6:5
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
Jesus laid His life down like a seed being planted in the ground. When we repent and believe in Him, we are baptized into this. We are sown like He was sown. We identify with His death. He are planted like He was.
John 12:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Because Jesus died in an utterly unique, isolated way, He has made the way for multiple shoots to grow in the soil fertilized by His blood. Those shoots are then expected to produce fruit and seeds which are laid down in similar fashion to their Savior. In being planted, they multiply, disciples are made, and the world is conquered by the flora of the Father. The world is overtaken by the garden of God by the blood of His children.
And because the kingdom of God is oriented around resurrection, all who lay down their lives like seeds being planted will again see the light of day when they shoot up to inherit the earth when the Son returns to shine upon His creation.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
Jesus laid His life down like a seed being planted in the ground. When we repent and believe in Him, we are baptized into this. We are sown like He was sown. We identify with His death. He are planted like He was.
John 12:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Because Jesus died in an utterly unique, isolated way, He has made the way for multiple shoots to grow in the soil fertilized by His blood. Those shoots are then expected to produce fruit and seeds which are laid down in similar fashion to their Savior. In being planted, they multiply, disciples are made, and the world is conquered by the flora of the Father. The world is overtaken by the garden of God by the blood of His children.
And because the kingdom of God is oriented around resurrection, all who lay down their lives like seeds being planted will again see the light of day when they shoot up to inherit the earth when the Son returns to shine upon His creation.
Sunday, June 13, 2021
day no. 15,574: get your garden on
From the beginning, God's plan A has been the family.
In the beginning, God made a garden. God then made a man out of the garden. He then made a women out of the man. He placed the man into the garden and then out of the man God made a woman with a garden inside of her. The mission He gave them was to expand the pattern. The garden was the blueprint of what was to be done to the untamed wilderness of the rest of the world. In other words, gardenize the world. This was the mission and the team He assembled to accomplish this momentous task was a husband and a wife. God's plan A was the family.
Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Fruitfulness and multiplication were the marching orders of marriage. Make more of the same and do to the rest of the world what you've seen done here. Conquer the world for the glory of God by multiplying the image of God everywhere in the form of children. Pass along the mission and vision and watch these children produce more children. The fruit will produce more fruit.
Genesis 14:14-16
When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
Abram began as one man. He expanded his household. He had 318 men whom he had trained. He was prepared for difficulty by having planned for difficulty. He raised up his men and taught them the skills required to fight and the loyalty by which to fight for his household. One man's household defeated four king's kingdoms. One family was the end of four kingdoms.
Genesis 46:26-27
All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.
What began as Abraham and his one, true son, Isaac, grew to two with Jacob and Esau and then through Jacob expanded to twelve sons, a daughter, their wives and grandchildren for a total of 70 persons. Yet this family continued to grow.
Exodus 1:5-10
All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”o
One family grew so large that the most dominant dynasty the world has ever known was afraid of them. Imagine Europe fearing your family. Imagine empires anxious at the thought of your relatives. This monolithic mega-power passed legislation based on the presence and impact of one family. Egypt was worried about one man's family reunion. Israel had been so fruitful and multiplied with such veracity and faithfulness, that they constituted a large enough voting block to strike fear into the heart of Pharaoh. Israel had sway. And all because of one family. God can change nations and the history of the world by merely multiplying one family.
Imagine what He would do if we took fruitfulness and multiplication seriously. Imagine if within a few generations those bearing your last name were a large enough constituency of common belief and committed practice that they could move the mountains of magistrates. Imagine if your descendants all voted with one voice in one direction for the glory of the one true God and the good of their neighbor. One family could do serious damage to the darkness.
And that is exactly what my family is hoping to accomplish.
We see throughout Scripture the principle repeated, "A little leaven works its way through the whole lump."
But principles can work in either direction.
We see it used to explain the spread of sin and the kingdom of darkness.
Galatians 5:9
A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
1 Corinthians 5:6
Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
And we also see it employed to describe the spread of the kingdom of light.
Matthew 13:33
He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
If God's people spent more time and energy discipling their own children, we would see the leaven spread in the right direction. So instead of investing so much time and thought into discipling other people's kids, we should disciple our own and save the extra time slots for those who legitimately have no one else. Just imagine how the leaven of light would spread if families took responsibility for what God had made them responsible. Imagine if families made as first priority the priorities assigned to them by God.
Leaven doesn't have to spread slowly. While it is a reformation and not a revolution, it doesn't have to reform at a snail's pace. It has the ability to increase inertia and gain momentum as we return to embrace the good, simple work of being fruitful and multiplying our households under one Head.
In the beginning, God made a garden. God then made a man out of the garden. He then made a women out of the man. He placed the man into the garden and then out of the man God made a woman with a garden inside of her. The mission He gave them was to expand the pattern. The garden was the blueprint of what was to be done to the untamed wilderness of the rest of the world. In other words, gardenize the world. This was the mission and the team He assembled to accomplish this momentous task was a husband and a wife. God's plan A was the family.
Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Fruitfulness and multiplication were the marching orders of marriage. Make more of the same and do to the rest of the world what you've seen done here. Conquer the world for the glory of God by multiplying the image of God everywhere in the form of children. Pass along the mission and vision and watch these children produce more children. The fruit will produce more fruit.
Genesis 14:14-16
When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
Abram began as one man. He expanded his household. He had 318 men whom he had trained. He was prepared for difficulty by having planned for difficulty. He raised up his men and taught them the skills required to fight and the loyalty by which to fight for his household. One man's household defeated four king's kingdoms. One family was the end of four kingdoms.
Genesis 46:26-27
All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.
What began as Abraham and his one, true son, Isaac, grew to two with Jacob and Esau and then through Jacob expanded to twelve sons, a daughter, their wives and grandchildren for a total of 70 persons. Yet this family continued to grow.
Exodus 1:5-10
All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”o
One family grew so large that the most dominant dynasty the world has ever known was afraid of them. Imagine Europe fearing your family. Imagine empires anxious at the thought of your relatives. This monolithic mega-power passed legislation based on the presence and impact of one family. Egypt was worried about one man's family reunion. Israel had been so fruitful and multiplied with such veracity and faithfulness, that they constituted a large enough voting block to strike fear into the heart of Pharaoh. Israel had sway. And all because of one family. God can change nations and the history of the world by merely multiplying one family.
Imagine what He would do if we took fruitfulness and multiplication seriously. Imagine if within a few generations those bearing your last name were a large enough constituency of common belief and committed practice that they could move the mountains of magistrates. Imagine if your descendants all voted with one voice in one direction for the glory of the one true God and the good of their neighbor. One family could do serious damage to the darkness.
And that is exactly what my family is hoping to accomplish.
We see throughout Scripture the principle repeated, "A little leaven works its way through the whole lump."
But principles can work in either direction.
We see it used to explain the spread of sin and the kingdom of darkness.
Galatians 5:9
A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
1 Corinthians 5:6
Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
And we also see it employed to describe the spread of the kingdom of light.
Matthew 13:33
He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
If God's people spent more time and energy discipling their own children, we would see the leaven spread in the right direction. So instead of investing so much time and thought into discipling other people's kids, we should disciple our own and save the extra time slots for those who legitimately have no one else. Just imagine how the leaven of light would spread if families took responsibility for what God had made them responsible. Imagine if families made as first priority the priorities assigned to them by God.
Leaven doesn't have to spread slowly. While it is a reformation and not a revolution, it doesn't have to reform at a snail's pace. It has the ability to increase inertia and gain momentum as we return to embrace the good, simple work of being fruitful and multiplying our households under one Head.
Saturday, June 12, 2021
day no. 15,573: solider on
"The true meaning of 'populus,' from which we get the word 'people,' was in the time of ancient Rome the ‘armed body.’ The pure-blooded Roman in the days of the Republic could not conceive of a citizen who was not a warrior... Nor is this concept alien to the ideals on which the Founding Fathers built the American system, since they stated it as the right and duty of every able-bodied citizen to bear arms." -- The Armed Forces Officer, U.S. Department of Defense (1950)
Citizens of a state are soldiers for its welfare.
2 Timothy 2:3-4, 7
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him...Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
Christians are enlisted, active duty. The body of Christ should be an armed body. The people who make up the members of a local body are the soldiers that make up the local brigade. They may not all be on the front lines, but they are all in uniform and on the same team. David made it a law that those who stayed back to guard the supplies should share in the spoils of those engaged in front line affairs.
1 Samuel 30:24-25
“For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.
So all citizens of heaven are also soldiers, although they may be deployed to different posts or expected to engage in different tasks with respect to their rank and/or station.
Citizens of a state are soldiers for its welfare.
2 Timothy 2:3-4, 7
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him...Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
Christians are enlisted, active duty. The body of Christ should be an armed body. The people who make up the members of a local body are the soldiers that make up the local brigade. They may not all be on the front lines, but they are all in uniform and on the same team. David made it a law that those who stayed back to guard the supplies should share in the spoils of those engaged in front line affairs.
1 Samuel 30:24-25
“For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.
So all citizens of heaven are also soldiers, although they may be deployed to different posts or expected to engage in different tasks with respect to their rank and/or station.
Thursday, June 10, 2021
day no. 15,572: the unconditional is critical
As I was reading The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man by Brett McKay, I came across the following quote...
“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body; it calls attention to the development of an unhealthy state of things." -- Winston Churchill
If you do not have any criticism coming at you it is either because you don't have any friends or because you aren't doing anything; and in either case, you have a problem. Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, all will need help knowing exactly where they're falling short or a better assessment of how far short they've fallen. In other words, if you're concussed and confused about how far you just fell, a clear-headed friend probably has a better take on it.
Proverbs 27:5-6
Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
If we aren't receiving any criticism, we aren't loved. We may be liked, tolerated, spoiled, flattered, or feared, but we are not loved. Love is easily pleased and impossible to satisfy. It takes you as you are, but won't let you settle for staying as you are. It delights in the beloved while desiring the best for it. It loves whether you change or not, but never stops encouraging you to change. It always wants better for you... for your own sake.
“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body; it calls attention to the development of an unhealthy state of things." -- Winston Churchill
If you do not have any criticism coming at you it is either because you don't have any friends or because you aren't doing anything; and in either case, you have a problem. Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, all will need help knowing exactly where they're falling short or a better assessment of how far short they've fallen. In other words, if you're concussed and confused about how far you just fell, a clear-headed friend probably has a better take on it.
Proverbs 27:5-6
Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
If we aren't receiving any criticism, we aren't loved. We may be liked, tolerated, spoiled, flattered, or feared, but we are not loved. Love is easily pleased and impossible to satisfy. It takes you as you are, but won't let you settle for staying as you are. It delights in the beloved while desiring the best for it. It loves whether you change or not, but never stops encouraging you to change. It always wants better for you... for your own sake.
day no. 15,571: an officer and a gentleman
"The military officer is considered a gentleman, not because Congress wills it, nor because it has been the custom of people in all times to afford him that courtesy, but specifically because nothing less than a gentleman is truly suited for his particular set of responsibilities." -- The Armed Forces Officer, U.S. Department of Defense (1950)
A man must be a knight if he is to battle dragons.
If he is not stern, he cannot defeat the beast, nor will he likely even try to. If he is not meek, he cannot be trusted to defeat the beast when he may just as well join it or be the very beast from which the people need defending.
"The knight is a man of blood and iron, a man familiar with the sight of smashed faces and ragged stumps of lopped-off limbs; he is also a demure, almost a maidenlike, guest in hall, a gentle modest, unobtrusive man. He is not a compromise of happy mean between ferocity and meekness; he is fierce to the nth and meek to the nth... If we cannot produce Launcelots, humanity falls into two sections—those who can deal in blood and iron but cannot be 'meek in hall,' and those who are 'meek in hall' but useless in battle" -- C.S. Lewis, The Necessity of Chivalry
A military officer must be the kind of man you want in the midst of a battle and the kind of man you want to invite to the victory celebration that follows. If he's only good at minding his manners, there will never be a victory to celebrate. If he's only good at battling, no one will dare throw a party lest they be pillaged by his brutality.
He must, as Spurgeon notes, "practice 'suaviter in modo' as well as the 'fortiter in re.'" (Lectures to My Students, The Need of Decision for the Truth)
A man must be a knight if he is to battle dragons.
If he is not stern, he cannot defeat the beast, nor will he likely even try to. If he is not meek, he cannot be trusted to defeat the beast when he may just as well join it or be the very beast from which the people need defending.
"The knight is a man of blood and iron, a man familiar with the sight of smashed faces and ragged stumps of lopped-off limbs; he is also a demure, almost a maidenlike, guest in hall, a gentle modest, unobtrusive man. He is not a compromise of happy mean between ferocity and meekness; he is fierce to the nth and meek to the nth... If we cannot produce Launcelots, humanity falls into two sections—those who can deal in blood and iron but cannot be 'meek in hall,' and those who are 'meek in hall' but useless in battle" -- C.S. Lewis, The Necessity of Chivalry
A military officer must be the kind of man you want in the midst of a battle and the kind of man you want to invite to the victory celebration that follows. If he's only good at minding his manners, there will never be a victory to celebrate. If he's only good at battling, no one will dare throw a party lest they be pillaged by his brutality.
He must, as Spurgeon notes, "practice 'suaviter in modo' as well as the 'fortiter in re.'" (Lectures to My Students, The Need of Decision for the Truth)
In other words, he must be 'gentle in manner' and 'resolute in deed.'
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
day no. 15,570: know your enemy
As I was reading The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man by Brett McKay, I came across the following quote...
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." -- Winston Churchill
If the only sinless man who ever lived had enemies, you should to. If you don't, you're not a better man than Jesus, you're a worse one. You cannot, in the name of Jesus, declare Christlikeness a sin. If we are to be like Him, we will have to have enemies. We have them because we have something else... conviction, faith, courage, principles, etc... When we have those, we will have enemies. We don't go looking to collect enemies, we go looking to gather up faith, courage, and the kingdom of God and along the way we find enemies looking for us. We cultivate the former realizing that it will create the latter. Enemies will come if conviction is held. We do not look for enemies, we look to God. When God is in focus, enemies will appear in the periphery.
James 4:4
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
There will be enemies. They are inescapable. It is not a question of IF, but WHO. Not will I have enemies, but who will my enemies be? Not will I be at war, but with whom will I be warring? In other words, the question is, "Will we remain God's enemies by befriending the world around us OR will we endure the dilemma of having enemies in our midst in order to befriend our God above?"
Romans 5:10
While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." -- Winston Churchill
If the only sinless man who ever lived had enemies, you should to. If you don't, you're not a better man than Jesus, you're a worse one. You cannot, in the name of Jesus, declare Christlikeness a sin. If we are to be like Him, we will have to have enemies. We have them because we have something else... conviction, faith, courage, principles, etc... When we have those, we will have enemies. We don't go looking to collect enemies, we go looking to gather up faith, courage, and the kingdom of God and along the way we find enemies looking for us. We cultivate the former realizing that it will create the latter. Enemies will come if conviction is held. We do not look for enemies, we look to God. When God is in focus, enemies will appear in the periphery.
James 4:4
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
There will be enemies. They are inescapable. It is not a question of IF, but WHO. Not will I have enemies, but who will my enemies be? Not will I be at war, but with whom will I be warring? In other words, the question is, "Will we remain God's enemies by befriending the world around us OR will we endure the dilemma of having enemies in our midst in order to befriend our God above?"
Romans 5:10
While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
day no. 15,569: the precision of indecision
As I was reading The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man by Brett McKay, I came across the following quote...
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." -- Theodore Roosevelt
The fear of making the wrong decision is worse than making the wrong decision. Indecision is a decision. Indecision is the worst decision. The fear of making the wrong choice can lead you to make the worst choice of all -- not choosing. In worrying too much about getting it wrong, you can guarantee the wrong choice by continuing to worry about it. Anxiously pondering the endless possibilities of each and every one of your options produces with ironic precision the worst of all outcomes.
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." -- Theodore Roosevelt
The fear of making the wrong decision is worse than making the wrong decision. Indecision is a decision. Indecision is the worst decision. The fear of making the wrong choice can lead you to make the worst choice of all -- not choosing. In worrying too much about getting it wrong, you can guarantee the wrong choice by continuing to worry about it. Anxiously pondering the endless possibilities of each and every one of your options produces with ironic precision the worst of all outcomes.
Monday, June 7, 2021
day no. 15,568: a tale of two legacies
Two prophets, two kings, two prophecies, and two responses.
2 Kings 20-16:-19
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”
Isaiah informed Hezekiah that his faithlessness in his latter days would result in disaster for decades to come. Hezekiah was relieved that he would not have to experience the ramifications of his disordered household. He declared God good for allowing him to escape the consequences of his actions although it meant that his descendants would suffer as a result of his disorder.
1 Chronicles 17:11-15
"When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
Nathan informed David that he would not be allowed to build a house for God because of his past actions, but that He would allow one of his sons to build it and that God's kingdom would be built and sustained forever by one of David's descendants. So David would not get to build a physical house for God, but God's house would be established through David's household. How did he respond to this?
1 Chronicles 17:-16-20, 23-27
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O Lord God! And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant. For your servant's sake, O Lord, and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears... And now, O Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as you have spoken, and your name will be established and magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel's God,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you. And now, O Lord, you are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you, for it is you, O Lord, who have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”
David rejoiced that God's name would be praised by his progeny. He took comfort in the present disappointment by believing in the future promise. He would not see what he desired, but he was promised that God would see to it. He would not feast his eyes on that place or hear the sounds of God's praises being sung inside its doors, but he was guaranteed by God that these things would happen as a result of David's descendants. God's name would forever be praised by people produced by David's line.
The contrast could hardly be sharper or clearer: Hezekiah received what he wanted in the short term and was relieved to hear of his descendants' problems, knowing that they would not be his problems. David did not receive what he wanted in the short term but was relieved to hear of his descendants' delights, knowing that God would keep His promise to them. Hezekiah was willing to sacrifice his children's future to secure his comfort in the present. David was willing to sacrifice his comfort in the present in order to secure his children's future. Hezekiah's hope was in avoiding personal disaster for the time being. David's hope was in securing personal delight in his family's future.
2 Kings 20-16:-19
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”
Isaiah informed Hezekiah that his faithlessness in his latter days would result in disaster for decades to come. Hezekiah was relieved that he would not have to experience the ramifications of his disordered household. He declared God good for allowing him to escape the consequences of his actions although it meant that his descendants would suffer as a result of his disorder.
1 Chronicles 17:11-15
"When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
Nathan informed David that he would not be allowed to build a house for God because of his past actions, but that He would allow one of his sons to build it and that God's kingdom would be built and sustained forever by one of David's descendants. So David would not get to build a physical house for God, but God's house would be established through David's household. How did he respond to this?
1 Chronicles 17:-16-20, 23-27
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O Lord God! And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant. For your servant's sake, O Lord, and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears... And now, O Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as you have spoken, and your name will be established and magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel's God,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you. And now, O Lord, you are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you, for it is you, O Lord, who have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”
David rejoiced that God's name would be praised by his progeny. He took comfort in the present disappointment by believing in the future promise. He would not see what he desired, but he was promised that God would see to it. He would not feast his eyes on that place or hear the sounds of God's praises being sung inside its doors, but he was guaranteed by God that these things would happen as a result of David's descendants. God's name would forever be praised by people produced by David's line.
The contrast could hardly be sharper or clearer: Hezekiah received what he wanted in the short term and was relieved to hear of his descendants' problems, knowing that they would not be his problems. David did not receive what he wanted in the short term but was relieved to hear of his descendants' delights, knowing that God would keep His promise to them. Hezekiah was willing to sacrifice his children's future to secure his comfort in the present. David was willing to sacrifice his comfort in the present in order to secure his children's future. Hezekiah's hope was in avoiding personal disaster for the time being. David's hope was in securing personal delight in his family's future.
Sunday, June 6, 2021
day no. 15,567 continued... vespers
I was listening to a sermon last week and the pastor was speaking to the Biblical theme of "morning and evening." After pointing out several places where this rhythm is established and held, he then provided the anecdotal evidence of its observance in the church cadence of "lauds and vespers." Admittedly, I had to look that up. I was fascinated to discover the morning and evening prayers pattern that once was a staple of the Christian church.
I bring this up because this past week I also floated the idea of beginning to pick up a pie at the Amish each week now that we've moved it to Saturdays and I get to participated. I thought it would be fun to add to our Sabbath liturgy.
So we picked up a mixed berry and a pecan pie yesterday and today after having Wendy's frosties and fries for lunch, I decided to hold back the pies for a treat after dinner. So tonight we ate noodles for dinner as per usual, but then I busted out the pies and we had sort of a second Sabbath soiree. That led me to consider perhaps holding the pie back every week for dinner rather than adding it to our lunch liturgy. This connected me to the thought of vespers and the idea of an intentional Sabbath evening mini-liturgy.
While I was carving up the post-dinner pies, I led us in singing "All Glory Be To Christ" which I had originally attempted to include as part of our lunch liturgy, but it didn't work out as well as I had hoped as it delayed the feast longer than made sense. It's fun now to be able to include back in at a natural point and in anticipation of pie. I bought whipped cream earlier today in preparation and made funny designs on each kid's respective piece of pie. I then intuitively said, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!" The kids took to it and just like that, we have a Sabbath supper liturgy. I look forward to rounding it out a bit, but for now, I'm thinking less is more: singing, pie and Psalm 34:8 to cap off our Sabbaths sounds like a great Sunday tradition in the making. Some traditions you enjoy the first time you do them looking ahead to the thousandth time you do it. I am flirting with perhaps rocking the a la mode some week and calling it, "pie-ce cream." God is good and it is so much fun looking for ways to invite my kids into a life of wonder, welcome, good gifts and a whole heaping of gratitude to go along with it.
Psalm 34:8
Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!
day no. 15,567: keep the feast
1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Christians are called to keep the feast. Christ has been sacrificed as our paschal lamb and we have been commissioned to keep that feast. In the blood of Christ, God has passed over our sins. He has acknowledged His blood on our doorways as sufficient to stave off His wrath. He has received Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. He has acknowledged Jesus' authority as our High Priest and accepted the sacrifice of Himself that He offers on behalf of His people. He has passed over our sins as we sit safely inside enjoying the feast of His sacrifice. The blood of the lamb has been painted on our doorways and the meat of the Lamb was enjoyed by the families huddled behind their closed doors. The wrath has passed us by and the grace has been laid in bowls before us. God has offered us clemency from execution and an invitation to celebration.
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast
Christians are call to keep the feast. Christ has died that we might live. Christ has risen that we might delight. Christ forever lives that we may never die. Let us keep this feast forever… in our homes and in our hearts. World without end. Amen.
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Christians are called to keep the feast. Christ has been sacrificed as our paschal lamb and we have been commissioned to keep that feast. In the blood of Christ, God has passed over our sins. He has acknowledged His blood on our doorways as sufficient to stave off His wrath. He has received Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. He has acknowledged Jesus' authority as our High Priest and accepted the sacrifice of Himself that He offers on behalf of His people. He has passed over our sins as we sit safely inside enjoying the feast of His sacrifice. The blood of the lamb has been painted on our doorways and the meat of the Lamb was enjoyed by the families huddled behind their closed doors. The wrath has passed us by and the grace has been laid in bowls before us. God has offered us clemency from execution and an invitation to celebration.
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast
Christians are call to keep the feast. Christ has died that we might live. Christ has risen that we might delight. Christ forever lives that we may never die. Let us keep this feast forever… in our homes and in our hearts. World without end. Amen.
Saturday, June 5, 2021
day no. 15,566: in due order
1 Chronicles 15:13
For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.
There is a way to seek God that offends Him. The first commandment teaches us that there is only one God to be sought and the second commandment teaches us that He will not be found in any or every way. He has declared how He desires to be pursued. He has given us insight into how to worship and acknowledge Him and attempts made outside His orders are not considered on the merits of their sentiments, but are rejected on the basis of their rebellion.
God has not been unclear in His commands. He has not made this command beyond our comprehension or capability. He has provided clarity and continuity.
When we breach His clear commands, He makes a breach upon us. When we seek Him outside of due order, we invite disaster upon our heads. We do not lift up His Name, but we call down curses upon ourselves. We are not free to worship God however we feel like if we expect that worship to be accepted. The worship that God receives is in keeping with His orders and follows them in due order.
For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.
There is a way to seek God that offends Him. The first commandment teaches us that there is only one God to be sought and the second commandment teaches us that He will not be found in any or every way. He has declared how He desires to be pursued. He has given us insight into how to worship and acknowledge Him and attempts made outside His orders are not considered on the merits of their sentiments, but are rejected on the basis of their rebellion.
God has not been unclear in His commands. He has not made this command beyond our comprehension or capability. He has provided clarity and continuity.
When we breach His clear commands, He makes a breach upon us. When we seek Him outside of due order, we invite disaster upon our heads. We do not lift up His Name, but we call down curses upon ourselves. We are not free to worship God however we feel like if we expect that worship to be accepted. The worship that God receives is in keeping with His orders and follows them in due order.
Friday, June 4, 2021
day no. 15,565: delight to fight
Christians should delight in fighting and they should fight with delight. We should use delight as a weapon by which we wage war and we should fight the good fight to delight in goodness.
Psalm 37:3-4
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
When we win the fight of delight on the home front, we find ourselves delighted in God. We fight off false gods for the sake of elevating His renown in our known jurisdiction. As we do this, we grow in delight for Him and as we find ourselves more delighted in Him, we find ourselves free to delight in everything else.
Contentment is a weapon. When we delight in God, we are content with whatever else we have or don't happen to have. Contentment is a side effect of delighting first in God. When we desire Him above all things, we find our desires fulfilled completely. He is happy to give Himself to us. We find our desires growing for Him alone and we discover Him graciously giving more of Himself than we ever dreamed possible. He goes above and beyond, exceeding expectations.
The fight is to delight in Him. When we do, we find ourselves fulfilled. And once content, we use the delight of being delighted to fight off false messiahs and comfauxters.
Psalm 37:3-4
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
When we win the fight of delight on the home front, we find ourselves delighted in God. We fight off false gods for the sake of elevating His renown in our known jurisdiction. As we do this, we grow in delight for Him and as we find ourselves more delighted in Him, we find ourselves free to delight in everything else.
Contentment is a weapon. When we delight in God, we are content with whatever else we have or don't happen to have. Contentment is a side effect of delighting first in God. When we desire Him above all things, we find our desires fulfilled completely. He is happy to give Himself to us. We find our desires growing for Him alone and we discover Him graciously giving more of Himself than we ever dreamed possible. He goes above and beyond, exceeding expectations.
The fight is to delight in Him. When we do, we find ourselves fulfilled. And once content, we use the delight of being delighted to fight off false messiahs and comfauxters.
Thursday, June 3, 2021
day no. 15,564: radix-ulous
Recently, I discovered that the word radical has its etymology in the Latin word radix which means, "root."
When we use the word radical, we are typically referring to someone or something that is way out on a limb, breaking free from all convention and stepping out into some new, extreme endeavor, but the word actually implies someone or something drilled down relentlessly to the root of the matter and refusing to abandon first principles.
In other words, in the modern sense of the word, we assume tip-toeing on tree branches is exciting and extreme; but in reality, sticking with tradition requires extremity. There is nothing radical then about hanging your life out on a limb. That is normative, a yawn-fest, a standard operating procedure common to all men. But what is radical is turning back to the roots and finding life there, defining livelihood by the deep, nourishing, anchored stability of what lies beneath the surface. Now that would be radical. Can you imagine a generation so bold as to refuse to insist upon their unique perspective for the sake of resting on the foundation of their fathers? Crazy, right? Downright, one might say, radical.
Matthew 3:10
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
True repentance begins at the root of the matter. The fruit tattles on the root and if the fruit is rotten and sickly sweet, the problem is at the root level. Getting radical means getting to the root of the matter, which means repenting not merely of rotten fruit, but of rotten roots.
When we use the word radical, we are typically referring to someone or something that is way out on a limb, breaking free from all convention and stepping out into some new, extreme endeavor, but the word actually implies someone or something drilled down relentlessly to the root of the matter and refusing to abandon first principles.
In other words, in the modern sense of the word, we assume tip-toeing on tree branches is exciting and extreme; but in reality, sticking with tradition requires extremity. There is nothing radical then about hanging your life out on a limb. That is normative, a yawn-fest, a standard operating procedure common to all men. But what is radical is turning back to the roots and finding life there, defining livelihood by the deep, nourishing, anchored stability of what lies beneath the surface. Now that would be radical. Can you imagine a generation so bold as to refuse to insist upon their unique perspective for the sake of resting on the foundation of their fathers? Crazy, right? Downright, one might say, radical.
Matthew 3:10
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
True repentance begins at the root of the matter. The fruit tattles on the root and if the fruit is rotten and sickly sweet, the problem is at the root level. Getting radical means getting to the root of the matter, which means repenting not merely of rotten fruit, but of rotten roots.
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
day no. 15,563: out of the eater, something to eat
"Boys, when they see a bear, a lion, or a wolf dead in the street will pull off their hair, insult over them, and deal with them as they please; they will trample upon their bodies, and do that unto them being dead, which they durst not in the least venture upon whilst they are alive. Such a thing is Death, a furious beast, a ramping lion, a devouring wolf, the hellus generis humani (eater up of mankind). Yet Christ has laid him at his length, hath been death of death, so that God's children have played upon him, scorned and derided him, by the faith they had in the life of Christ, who hath subdued him." -- Martin Day as quoted in The Shadow of the Broad Brim by Richard E. Day
Because death is dead, God's children are free to mock it. We are free to treat it in a way that we never would if it were a living thing. But death is dead. It is lying in the street, unable to bite, unable to sting, unable to bind, unable to move and unable to rise ever again.
Because Jesus rose, death stays down.
Because Jesus forever lives, death is forever dead.
Because Jesus is omnipotent, death is impotent.
Because Jesus holds the keys to Hades, death's door remains unlocked.
Because Jesus reigns, we do not fear, but leer at death.
If death was previously the eater up of all mankind, it is now the final course in the feast at the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Judges 14:14
Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet.
Love is as strong as death, but it's sweeter.
Song of Songs 8:6
Set me as a seal upon thine heart,
as a seal upon thine arm:
for love is strong as death
Because love has won, death is done and all of God's children do well to defy it.
1 Corinthians 15:51-58
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Because death is dead, God's children are free to mock it. We are free to treat it in a way that we never would if it were a living thing. But death is dead. It is lying in the street, unable to bite, unable to sting, unable to bind, unable to move and unable to rise ever again.
Because Jesus rose, death stays down.
Because Jesus forever lives, death is forever dead.
Because Jesus is omnipotent, death is impotent.
Because Jesus holds the keys to Hades, death's door remains unlocked.
Because Jesus reigns, we do not fear, but leer at death.
If death was previously the eater up of all mankind, it is now the final course in the feast at the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Judges 14:14
Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet.
Love is as strong as death, but it's sweeter.
Song of Songs 8:6
Set me as a seal upon thine heart,
as a seal upon thine arm:
for love is strong as death
Because love has won, death is done and all of God's children do well to defy it.
1 Corinthians 15:51-58
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
day no. 15,562: no joke
"The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn."-- Martin Luther
"The devil . . the prowde spirite . . cannot endure to be mocked." -- Thomas More
Heretics are, in one sense, no joke; but in another, that's all they are.
"The devil . . the prowde spirite . . cannot endure to be mocked." -- Thomas More
Heretics are, in one sense, no joke; but in another, that's all they are.
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