Good Friday Friends...

Over the last several weeks, I have been reading "a 40-day Bible Study" book on Matthew's gospel by Dr. Charles Quarles, New Testament Professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. It is a walk through the gospel of Matthew over a 40 day period. Each day's devotion contains several parts: focus passage, a longer passage to read, commentary on the passage, a focus on Christ section, application section, and some reflection questions. 

I have found this to be a great resource and help in understanding the gospel of Matthew. The commentary is superb and substantive. There is no fluff here; yet, the application to real life...excellent! If you are looking for devotion book without the fluff and stuff, here's a good one. Click the link for Amazon: Planted in the Word - Matthew. 

One of the big takeaways for me: the tie in from Matthew 1 to Matthew 28 that Jesus is "Immanuel". Everything in between is the revelation of Jesus as God with us. That is the link throughout the gospel, and it becomes evident the more you read. 

Immanuel - God with us. 

In the Grip of God's Grace,

MBH

Good Friday Friends...

Living the Christian life often feels like taking one step forward and two steps back when it comes to our sanctification. The flesh we battle against rears its ugly head like a weed in the flowerbed you thought you had pulled up from the roots; yet, there it is...again.

You confess...you repent...you pray for the Lord's help to gain the upper hand. But, alas...the reality of Romans 7 hits hard again and again. 

Romans 7:21-24 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 

"Wretched man that I am" -- what a phrase to really motivate you toward obedience, right? It reminds me of the original lyrics to the great hymn "At the Cross" in verse 1 by Isaac Watts, "for such a worm as I". Thankfully, the Holy Spirit prompted Paul to keep writing in Romans 7 and 8 and prompted Isaac Watts to keep writing the refrain of that great hymn. 

Romans 7:25 "But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord". 

And, then Romans 8:1 -- "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

When the battle with the flesh rages and we give in...when we lose...with humility and repentance we keep running to the cross of Christ because "at the cross where I first saw the light the burden of my heart rolled away". 

Hold Fast in the Fight for Holiness,

MBH

And...just like that...part 2

 And, just like that...it's June, 2023...

Almost half-way through the GOAT year as it has been labeled...you know, "23", you know, Michael Jordan...okay...as long as we are on the same page (had to throw that in).

One of the many things about God's grace and His work in our lives is the opportunity to hit the "reset" button. In fact, every morning since His mercy's are new each day, is really an opportunity to hit "reset". 

Even with a desire to faithfully walk with the Lord each day and be obedient to Him, we often (more often than we want to admit) just flat out blow it. We say a cross word here, we have an ungodly thought there -- sometimes, it's just like -- Ugh!

Yet, in God's mercy and the promises of scripture grounded in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, in humble confession and repentance, He allows us to hit "reset". And, for that, I am so very thankful. 

So, as we head toward the middle of the year and make the turn, maybe you need to hit reset -- maybe on your goals for the year, your spiritual goals, your physical goals, your relational goals -- maybe there are others. Well, hit the reset button. Take Philippians 3:14 to heart - "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus".

And...just like that...

 And...just like that...January is gone. 

Time marches on. The hours and minutes tick on by. 

Did you think 10 years ago that you would be where you are today? 

While I am by nature a nostalgic kind of person (most of us are at various times I suppose), as I approach 50 years old in just 15 months, questions of that nature are more prevalent in my thinking these days. I mean, most likely, more than half of my life is in the books. Wow!

Have I been as faithful to the Lord as I could have been? How many times have a made excuses for the sins I've committed along the way rather than owning them before the Lord? Have I learned from the mistakes I made along the way? Why am I still struggling with certain things in my life -- I mean, I figured I would have "mastered" that by now. 

Yeah, I know. Too much introspection can be unhealthy. And, there is that verse in Philippians that says "forgetting those things which are behind". Yet, I can't help but wonder -- what if we used introspection in a healthy manner as a tool to motivate us toward the days ahead to endeavor by God's grace to "press on toward the mark" our our calling in Christ Jesus?

That's what I want moving forward -- because, just like that...it'll be 10 years down the road...what will that blog post read like? I wonder...

How about you?

13 Days In

We are 13 days into what has been termed the "GOAT" year. Not sure about that? Well, it's 2023...the last two digits happen to be the jersey number for arguably the greatest basketball player of all time...ole Michael Jordan himself. 

But...I'm thinking...what would it take for it to be the "GOAT" year (at least up to this point) for us personally -- spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally? In the midst of the chaos, how can we maintain a growth mindset for developing our relationship with the Lord this year?

In my office at school, there is a white board. On that whiteboard, I have written two phrases:

• No more excuses
• First Things First (Yes, I realize that's a book title. Just work with me.)

No more excuses -- we (at least, I am) are really good at making excuses. And...sometimes, if we are being truthful, we couch those excuses as "legitimate reasons"...even though, we really know they are not "legitimate reasons". This is especially true when it comes to the sin in our lives that clings so closely & so entangles us. This is especially true when it comes to being distracted from that which is most important.

First things First -- ah, the issue of priorities. For whom or for what are we leveraging the best of our time, energy, and resources? The roles you are fulfilling and what those roles require will determine how you leverage the best of your time, energy, and resources. Man, when the tyranny of the urgent & unimportant strikes, it is a challenge to stay on track.

A GOAT year ahead? I'm praying toward that and pursuing that for my own life as I seek to follow Christ with everything I have. What are you pursuing?