Tag: Morning Musings

Morning Musing: Isaiah 30:18-21

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“Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God. All who wait patiently for him are happy. For people will live on Zion in Jerusalem. You will never weep again; he will show favor to you at the sound of your outcry; as soon as he hears, he will answer you. The Lord will give you meager bread and water during oppression, but your Teacher will not hide any longer. Your eyes will see your Teacher, and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: ‘This is the way. Walk in it.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The most common characterization of God people have from the prophets is that He is angry. He is filled with wrath and is waiting up in heaven to catch us in some wrongdoing so He can smite us. He’s like a kid with a magnifying glass on a sunny day perched over an ant hill. The first time we show our head out of the pile, He’s going to smoke it off with a blast of lightning. And, there are some passages scattered throughout the prophets that would seem to justify such an image. But what you perhaps don’t realize is those are the exceptions, not the rule. The rule throughout the prophets is something very different and entirely more New Testament-y in their flavor than you might expect. This morning as we finish up our short look at Isaiah 30, I want to set before a passage that is much more in line with the major picture of God we get from the prophets. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Psalm 119:11

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“I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Do you struggle with sin? From some of our recent conversations, I hope you understand better what I mean by that question. I’m not talking about your giving in to sin. What I’m asking is this: Do you genuinely endeavor to not sin? If you are a committed follower of Jesus, I suspect you do. How’s that battle going? Where are you finding success and what are the circumstances under which you fail the most frequently? What kind of tools are you using to aid you in your efforts? This morning, I’d like to tell you about one of the most important tools to have in your toolbox. Let’s talk this morning about how God’s word can keep us from sin.

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Morning Musing: Matthew 5:14-16

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“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

One of the strangest amusement park rides I’ve ever been on was at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan. The park at the base of the famous Mount Fuji is home to what was once the tallest, fastest roller coaster in the world, Fujiyama (which I rode, but that’s another story). For this ride…attraction, really…you sit down in a room that looks like an old, run-down barn, in a high-backed chair up against a wall with a little ledge in front of you. On the ledge is a pair of headphones. When the experience begins, you put on the headphones and the room goes completely pitch black. From there, a sound track plays and the floor vibrates with what sounds like a person being horribly beaten by a torturer of some kind. At the end of the recording, a sinister voice says, “You’re next,” in Japanese (my host family translated for me afterwards). Now, if you take the headphones off, all you hear is a roomful of actual screaming people, unnerved by the sounds, the vibrations, and the lack of light. And really, that’s the key to the ride: the darkness. Light is a powerful thing. It is far more powerful than we normally imagine it to be. And in a world awash in darkness, it is something Jesus’ followers have been called to be. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Galatians 5:14

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“For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Our world is broken. Brokenness is everywhere we look. Our politics are a mess. Our cultures are crumbling. We are surrounded by hatred and racism. People are at odds with one another over the smallest things. If we’re not careful, the whole scene can begin to get a bit overwhelming. While in some places this may feel like it’s all very new and scary, the truth is, this is simply the world as it has always been. The question for us to wrestle with is the same question people have wrestled with since there were more than one of us on the planet: What can we do about all of this? Jesus offered us a solution to the mess. It is simple and nearly impossible on our own. But if we will pursue it, it just may change everything. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Matthew 6:7-8

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“When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

This week we are talking about prayer. Specifically, we are looking at some of Jesus’ thoughts on prayer from the Sermon on the Mount. When He starts talking about prayer in the middle of His sermon, His first comments are focused on what not to do. After that He shifts gears to giving us an example to follow in our own praying. Yesterday we looked at the first example of what not to do. Specifically, we are not to use prayer as a means of self-advancement. Prayer is about building and developing our relationship with Jesus. Anything less and it won’t do us any good. This morning, let’s take a look at His second caution. If His first caution was focused on why we pray, this one focuses more on the how.

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