Category: Morning Musings

Morning Musing: Proverbs 22:6

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“Start a youth out on his way; even when he grows old he will not depart from it.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

For a nation that is supposedly reeling from superhero fatigue, filmmakers don’t seem to be getting the message. This summer we have been treated to a number of big budget action movies, several of which have fallen in the superhero genre. And they’ve mostly done well. Thunderbolts* (which I haven’t seen yet) was a moderate success, especially as compared with more recent Marvel releases. Fantastic Four (which I also haven’t yet seen) scored Marvel’s biggest box office opening weekend of the year and seems to have been a hit with both audiences and critics – a rare treat for any superhero movie. But of all the summer box office hits this year, only one of them really hit the mark of super. Let’s talk about Superman.

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Morning Musing: Romans 10:5-8a

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“…since Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: ‘The one who does these things will live by them.’ But the righteousness that comes from faith speaks like this: ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?”’ that is, to bring Christ down or, ‘Who will go down into the abyss?’ that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. On the contrary, what does it say? ‘The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.’” (CSB – Read the chapter)

In Christ, God did something totally new. At the same time, He was continuing something very old. He was completing an old covenant and creating a new one. The goal of both covenants was the same: our living in a right relationship with Him. The path these two covenants took to get there, however, was not. Paul offers a little study in contrasts here. Let’s talk about the differences and explore how Paul makes this distinction.

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Something Special

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“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.” (Ephesians 5:25 CSB)

The much cliched saying is that time flies when you are having fun. I remember enjoying my high school experience thoroughly. I had a terrific community I was a part of in my school with strong traditions and lots of fun along the way. It never felt like it flew by, though, when the end of that season finally arrived it all felt very much surreal. The same thing goes for college. Those years felt faster, but I don’t remember consciously processing the thought that the time was moving particularly quickly. Given that, you would think that a span of twenty years as compared with that combined eight years would feel like an eternity. But the last twenty years have passed by in the blink of an eye. As much fun as high school and college were, it doesn’t even compare with the joys of marriage. Today I’ve been married for twenty years to my one and only, and the joys of the journey are only getting sweeter. Let me share a few with you.

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Morning Musing: Romans 10:4

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“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes…” (CSB – Read the chapter)

It’s hard to know what something is unless you know what it’s for. But if you get what it is for wrong, you’ll get what it is wrong too. Perhaps the best illustration of this comes from Scuttle the seagull in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. When Ariel brings him a fork, he identifies it as a “dinglehopper,” used by humans for doing their hair. Among followers of Jesus there is an occasionally robust debate about the purpose of the Law of Moses in light of Christ and His ministry. Paul gives us an important clue here. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Romans 10:1-3

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“Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation. I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

One of the most entertaining, but also frustrating experiences in life is having an argument with a toddler who is convinced she’s right when she’s really not. That little girl will passionately defend her position to the ground. It’s cute, really. The problem, of course, is that she doesn’t know what she is talking about. She has zeal, but insufficient knowledge. Knowing something with a lot of passion and even confidence doesn’t count for much when you’re still wrong. As Paul continues talking about Israel and the church here, he says one of those groups was in that position. Let’s talk about which one and why.

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