Fresh Daily II

January 1
Life Paradox

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)

So, how did it go? How was your New Year’s Eve? Did you spend the time with others waiting to “ring in the new year,” or did you watch it happen on TV? Or, did you just turn in when you normally do? And now that this is New Year’s Day, January 1st, are you now moving into the frame of mind most of us move into on this day: What will this year bring?
Jesus has a challenge for us as we move into the new year. The verse above and its context point to one of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith: Life is discovered by giving it up. If you seek your own life apart from God, you will lose your life. If you give up your own life to the Lord in order to follow after Him and His will rather than your own, you will find life. This is almost like saying that with slavery comes freedom. Who thinks that makes sense? But that’s what a paradox is: a truth that does not make sense logically but is nevertheless true. Paul, for example, considered himself a slave of Christ, but this same man also wrote of the great freedom that we enjoy in Christ. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free,” is what he wrote to the Galatians.
You are now poised to move into the next year of your life. As you consider directions for this year and what you hope will happen and what your goals will be, remember the Lord’s paradoxical challenge to us: the more you serve the Lord, the more life you find.

Guide us, Lord, into all truth, so that we may more fully understand that which is not so easy to understand, and help us make the application of Your truth day by day this year. Amen.

January 2
Think about It

“My dearly loved brothers, understand this: everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.” (James 2:19-20)

Have you ever known someone who hears a statement and reacts without thinking? They may lace their remarks with anger. These are the sort of folks who will also finish your sentences for you.
Somewhere between “hearing” and “speaking” a response takes place in the mind, one that leads to speaking. Sometimes folks may hear something they don’t like, react immediately, and then – boom! – an explosion of emotion and a cacophony of words. We generally excuse this by saying, “Well, he’s just ‘wired’ that way.” Maybe, but we should probably still not excuse it.
James advises us to adopt a “grace” practice. He uses two modifying words to help us see this. The practice is twofold: 1) quick to hear, and 2) slow to speak. What this does is to give the normal reaction between the two events a time to sift, time to settle, and time to stimulate a thoughtful response in place of a reaction. Reactions generally do not help because most of them go straight to anger, which, says James, does not accomplish God’s righteousness, or, what God wants. Reactive anger is generally all us and not much of God. The grace practice is to think about it before we speak. We must be eager to listen, but we must also be slow to speak, so we can hear from the Holy Spirit in our thought processes.
For those who have a quick mind, this is easier said than done. But, practice makes perfect. Deciding that we are going to be quick to hear and slow to speak is the starting point.

Lord, Help us to practice this grace of being quick to hear and slow to speak, so that we can serve more fully according to Your will. Amen.

January 3
Forever Blessed

“So now, You have been pleased to bless Your servant’s house that it may continue before you forever. For You, Lord, have blessed it, and it is blessed forever.” (1 Chronicles 17:27)

David’s prayer of gratitude before the Lord reveals a humble heart. He also expresses a significant truth: When God blesses, His blessings are forever. Eternal.
“Bless” means to speak or act in ways that benefit someone, or that lead to some measure of prosperity for them. When we hear the word “blessing,” we often think of material blessings, such as money and possessions and wealth. Blessing of the sort David is talking about has more to do with a “spiritual prosperity” than with material gain, however. Spiritual blessing is the sort that has an eternal character.
God does not bless and then turn around and curse. That never happens. When God blesses, He means it, and He gives us the kind of blessings that abide with us now and endure forever. The physical world and its blessings may come and go, but the spiritual prosperity God gives us will last beyond our ability to measure.

Lord, Show us the true nature of the blessings You give. We thank You for all these ways that You have blessed us. Amen.

January 4
A Force to Be Reckoned With

“And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies; it pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6)

James apparently had some experience with the tongue. He uses several interesting metaphors to describe its power. He described its power as a teacher, on the positive side. He noted that as a bit is a very small device that can be used to control a powerful horse, the tongue can similarly control. He mentioned that the pilot of a ship uses a relatively small rudder to control a huge ship that is driven by powerful winds. He compared the tongue to a small fire that ignites a devastating forest fire. He noted that man has tamed every animal on earth in some way but has not been able to tame the tongue. He reminds us that out of the same mouth come both blessing and cursing, which ought not to be.
Make no mistake about it – the tongue, or speech, is a powerful force. Nations have been set on collision courses by it. Napoleon was a powerful orator who whipped the French nation and army into a nationalistic frenzy that stood Europe on its head. Adolph Hitler was an even more powerful orator who used his communication abilities to ignite a world war. This tiny part of the human body has done enormous damage in human history.
But the tongue is only the tool. Like everything, its value is in its use and in who uses it. A bit can control a horse to get someone to a place of ministry. A rudder can control a ship to bring food and needed supplies. A fire can either destroy a forest or cook a meal. It all depends on purpose, intent, use, and control.
To use the tongue in the ways that God intended, we must keep constant vigil on the heart and the mind, which are the “hands” behind the use of the tongue. These must be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit who alone has the ability to reckon with this powerful force. Discipline of the tongue, empowered by the Holy Spirit is how we can use it for good, to bless rather than curse.

Lord, May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to You, and may they be used as a force for good in our world. Amen.