Ecclesiastes 10:10
If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!
FALSE.
It is the most natural instinct in the world to swing harder when the tree is resisting the edge of your axe.
It is natural and stupid.
Wisdom helps one to succeed.
Wisdom looks common logic in the face and punches it in the throat!
Don't be a dope.
Sharpen your axe.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is set the axe down to sharpen it.
Trees are not impressed by blunt force.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
day no. 12,791: thrice is nice twice, right? (see day no. 12,782 too)
2 Corinthians 13:14
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
There is one grace.
It comes from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It is in receiving the Holy Spirit to be with you and in you as Counselor.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Paul accesses the Godhead in closing out this
letter to the Corinthians.
Note the three things are grace, love and
fellowship (communion).There is one grace.
It comes from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There is one love.
It is anchored and rooted in the Person and nature and work of God.
There is one communion.It is anchored and rooted in the Person and nature and work of God.
It is in receiving the Holy Spirit to be with you and in you as Counselor.
When you get God, you get all of Him: grace,
love and peace.
Grace from Him, Loved by Him and peace with Him.
Praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise
the Spirit: three in one.
Hallelujah!Tuesday, October 29, 2013
day no, 12,790: driftwood floats like boats, but He steers us home
Hebrews 2:1
We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.
We are like driftwood that floats along the wide path of destruction without any effort at all.
Left to our own, we float away with the current so slowly that we barely recognize how far away our beacon of hope is until it’s too late and we’re entirely lost at sea, tossed about by waves, shipwrecked and sinking to our demise into the deepest, blackest waters.
Hebrews 2:10 KJV
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
My friend, Nicole, reads the KJV and pointed out this verse to me the other day as a result of our Bible read through. She rightly concluded, “He steers us home.”
I was struck by the parallel language of 2:1 and 2:9 as it relates to seafaring adventures and shipwrecks.
Jesus is the Captain of our salvation.
He anchors us in assurance and guides us home through wind, waves, storms, etc…
He is a faithful Captain and as a passenger on His ship, we are safe.
Not because circumstances aren’t actually dangerous, but because we’re with Him.
Safety is a Person, not a place.
Home is being under God, not under a roof.
Monday, October 28, 2013
day no. 12,789: Jesus: the measure of a man
Hebrews 1:8
But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
My friend Tim is reading his Bible with me. The other day he sent me an email pointing out the following:
Jesus Christ as the righteous King has no standard to be compared against. He should be the scale against which every man is measured.
Spot on Tim!
I love that wording, “He should be the scale against which every man is measured.”
He is.
He is the perfect Ruler and the ruler by which we are measured perfectly.
His assessment of us finds us insufficient.
His measurement is perfectly gathered.
He leaves no detail uncontrolled or unaccounted.
By the standard of Jesus, we all fall short.
But God provided by grace the opportunity in faith to receive Jesus’ accomplishments as our very own.
If we are hidden in Christ, we are perfect and measured holy and blameless.
Jesus is the Ruler and the ruler of all mankind.
How do you measure up?
But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
My friend Tim is reading his Bible with me. The other day he sent me an email pointing out the following:
Jesus Christ as the righteous King has no standard to be compared against. He should be the scale against which every man is measured.
Spot on Tim!
I love that wording, “He should be the scale against which every man is measured.”
He is.
He is the perfect Ruler and the ruler by which we are measured perfectly.
His assessment of us finds us insufficient.
His measurement is perfectly gathered.
He leaves no detail uncontrolled or unaccounted.
By the standard of Jesus, we all fall short.
But God provided by grace the opportunity in faith to receive Jesus’ accomplishments as our very own.
If we are hidden in Christ, we are perfect and measured holy and blameless.
Jesus is the Ruler and the ruler of all mankind.
How do you measure up?
Friday, October 25, 2013
day no. 12,786: daily bread
Psalm 68:19-20
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
Bodily training may be of some value in this life, but it is for this life only.
Godliness is of value BOTH today and FOREVER.
I love you my family.
God daily bears us up by His Spirit anchoring our hearts in the completed work of Jesus Christ
19 Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.
Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.
We are daily upheld by God in Christ by grace through faith.
He is our daily bread.
May your heart today be nourished by Christ in reflecting upon His generous love and provision for us, His children.
In no other place is there safety from death.
Mere bread will not protect men from their inevitable demise.
Exercise and good nutrition will find everyone one day dying.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
Bodily training may be of some value in this life, but it is for this life only.
Godliness is of value BOTH today and FOREVER.
I love you my family.
God daily bears us up by His Spirit anchoring our hearts in the completed work of Jesus Christ
Thursday, October 24, 2013
day no. 12,785 continued... help for the heart and mouth
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to hHm.
in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to hHm.
Matthew 12:34b
...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
In trusting in God I find myself and my heart helped.
I find a source of strength that never fails me and always protects me.
In God, I find all the power, all the glory and all the Kingdom forever and ever.
Amen.
In this my heart exults.
From the overflow of my heart comes songs of joy and words of encouragement and testimony on His behalf and for His glory.
I give thanks to God with my mouth because my heart is by His grace transformed and being conformed to the One who did it all as God commanded and all on my behalf.
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