day no. 13,430: the unveiled mind‏

2 Corinthians 3:16

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Our brains are blinded until we turn to Jesus.

We don't understand God or His ways until we turn to Jesus.

Only then do we begin to understand and see and behold and find ourselves being changed into His likeness.

day no. 13,429: YES! YES! a thousand times YES!‏

2 Corinthians 1:20

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

In Jesus each and every one of God's promises are YES!

There is nothing that God cannot do and has not done in Jesus.

God never lies.

He gave us Christ.

day no. 13,428: bringing a knife to a gun fight

Luke 9:46

Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest.

We are just as proud as these disciples.

At least I am.

I know this because when I read that they were arguing about being greatest I naturally assume they were making their individual cases as to why they personally were the greatest.

But the text doesn't say that.

But we know that is what the text means because it is unimaginable that they were arguing by making cases as to why their fellow disciples ought to be honored as the greatest and why they personally were not worthy to be considered disciples.

When people argue about who the greatest among a group of people is, the tenor of the fight is always to gather points for the home team you represent.

People do not get into pride fights that end in giving praise and adoration to others, but only in accruing accreditation for one's self and demolishing or mutilating the applause that could be extended to others.

We are just like the disciples and I know it because I read the verses the same way the disciples lived in them: through pride and self-seeking.

day no. 13,427: vocabulary lessons from an almost 2 year old

Laureali, you are the cutest right now!

Your word for ALL animals and actual human children is BABIES.

You get ecstatic at the sight of animals, and even more so around baby animals, and yell out, "BABIES!!!" while pointing interspersed with the words, "RIGHT THERE!!!!" as you continue to point.

Your word for ALL food is BREAKFAST.

You are always excited to eat BREAKFAST whether it be 8 am or pm.  

Lastly, your word for ALL toys is BAD GUYS.

You saw Finneas and Atticus often playing with the soldier toys from Christmas and overheard the term "bad guys" enough apparently that you adopted the phrase to mean ALL toys.

So whether you're pointing at a toy car or a lego, you call it BAD GUYS.

It is the cutest thing ever!

I love you little lady.

day no. 13,426: the flesh profits nothing, yet nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless‏

1 Corinthians 15:50

What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.

The very best we can achieve in these frail, failing bodies can never accomplish for us eternal security.

We cannot muster or materialize a merit that lasts forever.

1 Corinthians 15:54-55

54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

But these dying bodies can be born again and made to live forever by the One who conquered sin, Satan and death forever by His perfect merit.

Death will finally and forever be defeated only upon our admission into eternal life by faith in Christ alone.

Then, and only then, will death be swallowed up and these bodies of ours made ready to survive the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 15:56-57

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The bumble bee's buzz boasts of pain to come, but Jesus has absorbed the poison our sin required and now flying around is merely a wasp with no stinger, a rose with no thorn, a snake without fangs, a death without fear.

1 Corinthians 15:58

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Therefore, be full of joy and hope and faith that is manifested in increasing eagerness and activity in the name of Jesus, not because you need to earn it or pay it back, but because all that is required has already been achieved and is offered to you freely by the triumph of Jesus on our behalf.

Nothing you do for the Lord is EVER useless.

day no. 13,423: understanding standing under‏

1 Corinthians 14:20

Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.

It is childish to desire the gift that gets you the most

It is grown-up and mature to desire the gift that allows you to give the most.

This concept catapults from the end of chapter 13 where Paul mentioned that the transition from childish thinking to adult thinking is anchored in love.

Real men give their lives away for the sake of others.

day no. 13,422: division multiplying problems‏

1 Corinthians 11:16

But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.

Paul begins this chapter by explaining that the distinction between men and women is very important  Dudes should look like dudes and ladies should look like ladies. 

Paul then goes on to explain that there should be unity in the church and that divisions should be dissolved by Christian humility and setting ourselves aside.

The current temperature of our cultural context provides ample evidence of the NEED of this teaching to hit home.

We are daily being bombarded by opportunities that BLUR the distinction between men and women.  The push from Paul here is to work hard to DISTINGUISH one from the other as different categories with specific data points for identification.

We are also daily bombarded by opportunities to DIVIDE and DISTINGUISH ourselves from other Christians over matters which DO NOT matter.

The call here is to rightly DISCERN.

There ARE things that REQUIRE distinction and division and there ARE things that REQUIRE dying to one's self in order to reconcile division and distinction.

Some things are different and should STAY that way.

Some things are different and should BE RECONCILED.