Tag: Thomas Ken

Overflow

JeffLeave a comment

Today is Tuesday, the second day of June, 2026, in the Season of the Church.

May the peace of Christ dwell within you today!

It is day 153 of 2026, with 212 days left in the year.

Day 24,918 of my life

21,625 days since I was baptized into Christ

Nineteen days until Father’s Day

Today is International Volkswagen Bus Day. I would have liked to have owned one of those, once upon a time. What a symbol of the “summer of love.”

Daily writing prompt
What’s a moment in your life that felt like it was straight out of a movie?
View all responses

Not too long after my wife and I got married, when we lived in the first house we rented together (what a dump, too), in the middle of the night, one night, C got up to go to the bathroom. Something, probably a noise that she made, stirred me from my sleep, and I didn’t realize she wasn’t in the bed. Suddenly, a shadowy figure walked through the door into the room. I sat bolt-upright and screamed, “Aah! Aah! Aah! Aah!” She jumped up and down and screamed, “It’s me! It’s me! It’s me! It’s me!” It was at that moment that I realized that I would be probably the first to die in a horror movie. We still laugh about that moment.

Today is a normal Tuesday around here. C is at the office, and I will be working at the library from 4:15-8:15 tonight.

Today’s first cup of coffee is CAFE Olé by H‑E‑B Snickernut Cookie Medium Roast Coffee. It is my last cup of that flavor, and will be replaced by Cinnamon Hazelnut, next round. The second cup is Moka Java, by Angelion’s. “Full-bodied with nutty and chocolate notes.” Today, I will be making lunch for Mama, S, and me, and C will have her portion for dinner tonight. It will be Meal Simple by H‑E‑B Chicken, Rice & Broccoli Casserole, along with the usual Caesar Salad, and garlic Texas Toast.

JESUS TIME

Our Father who art in heaven, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. O dear Lord, You know that if the world cannot destroy Your name or Your kingdom, there are those who work day and night with tricks, fraud, and many strange conspiracies to try and do so. They encourage and support every evil intention raging against Your name, Your Word, Your kingdom, and Your children, threatening to destroy them.

Therefore, dear Lord, God and Father, convert and restrain them. Convert those who have yet to acknowledge Your good will, that together with them we may obey Your will. Let us gladly and patiently bear every cross and adversity and thereby acknowledge, test, and experience Your good, gracious, and perfect will. Constrain those who seek to harm us, and turn against them their own tricks and devices, as we sing:

He makes a pit, digging it out,
and falls into the hole that he has made.
His mischief returns upon his own head,
and on his own skull his violence descends.

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High
(Psalm 7:15-17)
Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 50, Tuesday Morning)

Gracious heavenly Father, I thank You for keeping me safe through the quiet hours of this past night. As a new day dawns, help me to see, through the eyes of faith, that the challenges that might be in front of me today are not greater than the power behind me. Help me to see that everyone I engage with today was created in Your image and thus worthy of respect. If someone has a need, help me to meet that need where I am able. Enable me to trust the promise that You have the power to work all things for my good. In the name of Jesus, Your dear Son, I pray. Amen.
(Portals of Prayer, Prayer for Tuesday Morning)

Almighty and merciful God, in your goodness keep us, we pray, from all things that may hurt us, that we, being ready both in mind and body, may accomplish with free hearts those things which belong to your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Tuesday After the Holy Trinity, Opening Prayer)

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
(Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

  1. For the assurance of Christ’s return to save us who are eagerly waiting for Him
  2. For the promises of answered prayer (knowing, though, that the answer may not always be in the form or the time frame I am hoping for)
  3. That there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)
  4. For the love of God, the source of all of our love for one another; if we abide in His love, we will love one another . . . we can’t help it
  5. That Christ wants to do everything in me and for me; I simply need to surrender and stop striving; “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Exodus 14:14)
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 71:7-18

I have been as a portent to many,
    but you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
    and with your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
    forsake me not when my strength is spent.
For my enemies speak concerning me;
    those who watch for my life consult together
and say, “God has forsaken him;
    pursue and seize him,
    for there is none to deliver him.”

O God, be not far from me;
    O my God, make haste to help me!
May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
    with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
    who seek my hurt.
But I will hope continually
    and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
    O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
(Psalms 71:7-18 ESV)

Untamed Prayers, Old Age and Gray Hairs, by Chad Bird

Many things get better with age. Cheese and wine, for example. People, for the most part, are not among those things. In the words of Thomas a Kempis, “If it is a fearful thing to die, it may be perchance a yet more fearful thing to live long.” (The Imitation of Christ) Bird writes, “Some, while living long, have souls shortening, wrinkling, withering into small and grotesque chambers full of nothing but the gasping wheezes of ego.”

Egad.

I, myself, have often been heard to say things like, “I almost hope I don’t live that long.” Easy for me to say, because I have a hope of an imperishable, incorruptible inheritance in Christ.

The psalmist, after beginning his autobiography “in utero,” now fast forwards to old age with statements like, “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent” (v. 9), and “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come” (vv. 17-18).

“He is a marvel, a portent, an example of a believer who trust that, no matter what, the Lord’s innumerable ‘deeds of salvation’ are his haven of rest (71:15). Grant, dear Father, that such a confession of faith in your loving, faithful, rescuing Son may be our legacy, as we praise you and proclaim your saving ‘power to all those to come’ (71:18).”

For All the Saints, Tuesday After the Holy Trinity

“Get wisdom; get insight;
    do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
    love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
    and whatever you get, get insight.
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
    she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will place on your head a graceful garland;
    she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
(Proverbs 4:5-9 ESV)

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
    which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
(Proverbs 4:18 ESV)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
(1 John 4:7-21 ESV)

Charles Haddon Spurgeon compares our love for one another to a huge fountain in a city square, with multiple levels of water cascading down. Yes, there is water in the fountain, but it must come from a larger, deeper source. “Thus the love we have to our fellow-creatures drops from us like the descending silvery cataract from the full basin, but the first source of it is the immeasurable love of God which is hidden away in His very essence, which never changes, and never can be diminished. Herein is love! If you and I desire to love our fellow Christians and to love the fallen race of man, we must be joined on to the aqueduct which conducts love from this eternal source, or else we shall soon fail in love!

“Observe, brethren, then, that as the love of God is the source of all true love in us, so a sense of that love stimulates us. Whenever you feel that you love God you overflow with love to all God’s people; I am sure you do. It is when you get to doubt the love of God that you grow hard and cold; but when you are fired with the love of the dying Saviour who gave Himself for you, you feel as if you loved every beggar in the street, and you long to bring every harlot to Christ’s dear feet; you cannot help it. Man, if Christ baptizes your heart into his love, you will be covered with it and filled with it.”
(Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Humility and How to Get It)

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Who is the man who fears the LORD?
    Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
(Psalms 25:12 ESV)

Chambers asks the question, “What are you haunted by?” Everyone is haunted by something, either by ourselves or by an experience. But Chambers says we should be haunted by God. “The abiding consciousness of the life is to be God, not thinking about Him. The whole of our life inside and out is to be absolutely haunted by the presence of God. . . . So we are to live and move and have our being in God, to look at everything in relation to God, because the abiding consciousness of God pushes itself to the front all the time.”

If this is true of us, “nothing else can get in, no cares, no tribulation, no anxieties.” This is why Christ emphasized worry so much. “How can we dare be so utterly unbelieving when God is round about us?” (Emphasis added)

This flows quite well along with my realization, yesterday, from the book of Leviticus, that my heart is His altar, and that I must keep the fire burning, non-stop, never allowing it to be extinguished. And then, last night . . . as I was about to fall asleep, I had a bit of an epiphany (I call them “whooshes”). You see, Christ wants to do everything. I am still striving too hard, trying to hard to “do better,” to “be better,” when all I need to do is surrender. And if my abiding consciousness is God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so much so that I don’t even have to think about Him, but He is always there, surrounding me, then He accomplishes everything for me!

Christ invites us into His “easy yoke.” And when we step into that yoke with Him, He takes our burden from us! And since He is all-powerful, then that yoke is easy, that burden is light to Him!

Indeed, how dare I be “so utterly unbelieving when God is round about” me!! Have mercy, Lord!

Blessing and honour, thanksgiving and praise
more than we can utter be unto thee,
O most adorable Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
by all angels, all men, all creatures
for ever and ever Amen and Amen.
To God the Father, who first loved us,
and made us accepted in the Beloved;
To God the Son who loved us,
and washed us from our sins in his own blood;
To God the Holy Ghost,
who sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts
be all love and all glory for time and for eternity.
Amen.
(For All the Saints, Tuesday After the Holy Trinity, Closing Prayer, Thomas Ken)

My Lord, I thank You for all that You have been pouring into me, recently. I acknowledge Your desire to do all for me and in me. I know, Lord, that it is not about what I desire, but about what You have determined; it is not about what I want, but about what You will. Help me to rest in this, Lord, to rest in Your will. It is about loving Jesus, His Word, and walking with Him in His easy yoke!

Help me to surrender, Lord! Utterly and wholly surrendered to You, Your Word, and Your will for my life. Help me to stop striving, and to stop beating myself up when my striving fails, as it always will, because I am an imperfect human. But You, Lord, are perfect in all of Your way; You are good and You do good. Haunt me, Lord!

I do believe! Help my unbelief!

May Your flow into me, like the waters into a fountain, and may it overflow on to everyone around me, Lord.

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters!

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

Walking In the Spirit

Jeff

Today is Saturday, the twenty-third day of May, 2026, in the seventh week of the season of Easter.

May the peace of the Lord be with you always!

It is day 143 of 2026, with 222 days left in the year.

Day 24,908 of my life and 21,615 days since I was baptized into Christ

Tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday, and the day after that is Memorial Day in the U.S., the day we commemorate those who lost their lives in military service.

Today is World Turtle Day. If you’re a fan of turtles, it’s your day. Well, technically, it’s their day, not yours. I’m a fan of The Turtles, but I don’t think that’s who they are referring to.

It’s also National Taffy Day. I’m a huge fan of taffy. There’s a wonderful candy store in Galveston, called LA Kings, that makes fresh salt water taffy at least once a week, and if you’re lucky, you can watch them make it and get free warm samples. Yum!!

Daily writing prompt
What is the meaning of life?
View all responses

42!

IYKYK

Okay. I can’t just let it go at that. I tried. But I feel compelled to give a serious answer. Everything that this blog is about is the “meaning of life.” The question could be answered in a number of ways. The short answer, and most accurate, is “Jesus.” Jesus is not only the meaning of life, He is Life, Himself. But I could also quote verses like Micah 6:8 to give an answer to that question.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
(Micah 6:8 ESV)

Or I could quote Jesus’s answer to the question, “What is the greatest commandment?”, which can be found in Matthew 22.

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
(Matthew 22:36-40 ESV)

But ultimately, the answer is Jesus. He is the reason that I write this blog. He is the reason that I am alive. “I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.”

Today is a working Saturday for me, so I will be in the circulation department at the Hurst Public Library from 9:30 to 6:15. I will be working with my library bestie today, and one other coworker. C will hopefully be resting. Monday is a holiday, as previously mentioned, so C won’t have to work. I wasn’t scheduled to work this Monday, anyway, but I will be working next Saturday, as I switched with another employee who needed to be off on June 6. Then I will have two Saturdays in a row off.

My first cup of coffee this morning is CAFE Olé by H‑E‑B Snickernut Cookie. I think I have one or two more cups of this one left, and have already ordered a box of Cinnamon Hazelnut for my next grocery order to be picked up on Monday. My second cup is White Chocolate Marshmallow, by Angelino’s, a limited edition that appears to no longer be available. That’s a shame, because this one is really good. Tonight’s dinner will likely be an H-E-B Meal Simple family sized meal of Chicken Parmesan and pasta, along with a Caesar Salad and garlic Texas Toast. I say “likely” because audibles have been called in the past, so who knows?

JESUS TIME

I thank You, heavenly Father, for setting Your angel to guard my slumber during the night past and for the day of grace and service into which You have awakened me. Keep me steadfast in the awareness of Your protection and in faith in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Lord, make me mindful of the temptations of sinful care, selfishness, and impure desires, which beset me on every side and from within. Help me in this hour to put on anew the armor of light, that I may be fitted with every weapon of offense and defense against the perils that threaten my spiritual life. Let Your Gospel call me with new sweetness to be reconciled to you; let Your Spirit call me with new power to follow You. Teach me to live this day as though it is my last on earth, knowing that whether I live or whether I die I am present with You. Be my Protector, my Guide, and my Father; for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 30, Saturday Morning)

Father, today is another gift from You. Every good thing I enjoy is from You, and I thank You for Your abundant blessings. All I own is Yours, to be used for Your good purposes and especially for the good of others. Where I would take these blessings and use them selfishly, move me instead to generosity, kindness, goodness, and love. Among the greatest gifts You’ve given me are the people in my life—especially my family, friends, and neighbors. I want them to know Your love and to feel cared for and blessed when they are with me. Fill me with Your Spirit that they see Jesus through me today. In His name. Amen.
(Portals of Prayer, Prayer for Saturday Morning)

Almighty Father, let the love we have celebrated in this Easter season be put into practice in our daily lives. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Saturday of the Week of Easter 7, Opening Prayer)

The fear of the LORD leads to life,  
    and whoever has it rests satisfied;  
    he will not be visited by harm.  
(Proverbs 19:23 ESV) 
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.  
(Galatians 5:25 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  1. That the fear of the Lord leads to Life, and I am resting satisfied in that Life 
  2. For the Holy Spirit, dwelling in me, leading me to walk in Him, at His pace, not mine 
  3. That “I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Heidelberg Catechism) 
  4. That no one who trust in Christ is an “outsider,” because we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28) 
  5. For this home that Christ has given us, a house built on His wisdom, established by His understanding, with rooms filled with the precious riches of His knowledge 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

What is my theme for today? I’ve not read all of my “morning” material today, as it was time to get ready for work. Generally, when that happens, I will push whatever I didn’t read in the morning to my evening Jesus Time, which is right before bedtime.

This morning, the focus was on walking. I was led to read this Scripture.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.  
(Galatians 5:25 ESV) 

I was reading the Jen Weaver Bible plan from You Version, From Promise to Presence: 50 Days of Living the Resurrected Life.

“Live by the Spirit,” says Paul. “Not visit occasionally. Not consult when things unravel. Not reach for when you’re out of options.” Live by . . . walk with. I like what Ms. Weaver says here. “That language is slower than I prefer. I’d rather sprint.” Over and over, Scripture calls us to “walk.” Paul does mention running a time or two, but most of the time, the Christian life is described by walking. And that requires attention. “It means Someone else sets the pace.” And that Someone is the Spirit, who dwells in us, actively leading (if we will pay attention). The Spirit is not always loud (remember Elijah’s “quiet whisper?”), but the Presence is always there. “Through Scripture that won’t loosen its grip on you. Through conviction that presses gently but persistently. Through desires that He renews over time. Through wisdom confirmed in voices that love Jesus too.” 

I’m reminded of Ephesians 4, where Paul says, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (verses 1-3)

Walk. With humility and gentleness and patience, decisively not our favorite characteristics, as twenty-first century humans. We like to run (or “sprint,” as Jen said), with arrogance, aggressiveness, and impatience.

But back to the last line of Jen Weaver’s quote. That last one is big, to me. Those other voices that also love Christ have played a big part in my life, especially in the last fifteen months! But one thing we must know. Not every voice that speaks to us is His voice. We know that His voice always glorifies Christ and never contradicts His Word. It will not lead us away from obedience. 

So let us never surge ahead in our own pace or steps. And let us not drag our feet. “Walking in step means neither racing nor resisting. It means aligning. . . . Daily. . . . Moved by the pace of God’s grace.” 

Walking.

Here are a couple of passages from For All the Saints, this morning.

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”  
(Ezekiel 36:22-27 ESV) 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.  
(Ephesians 6:10-20 ESV) 

The Ezekiel passage is well-known more for the last couple of verses that speak of the Lord removing our stone hearts and giving us living hearts of flesh, and filling us with His Spirit. But I keyed in more on the earlier verses, this morning, noting that the reason God does these things is not for our sake. He does all things for the sake of His holy name! We would do well to keep that name holy among ourselves, as well and remember that everything that the Lord does is for His own glory. And if you think that to be arrogant, I would remind you that He created you; He created all things. He owns you. And yes, He owns you whether you acknowledge Him or not.

As for the Ephesians passage, I would encourage all who read this to say a prayer for their pastors, this morning, tomorrow morning, and every day. Pray those words toward the end of the passage, that words would be given to them to open their mouths boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel of Christ.

O God, make the door of this house wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship, and a heavenly Father’s care; and narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and hate. 
 
Make its threshold smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children, nor to straying feet, but rugged enough to turn back the tempter’s power. 
 
Make it a gateway to thine eternal kingdom. Amen. 
(For All the Saints, Saturday of the Week of Easter 7, Closing Prayer, Thomas Ken) 

Father, I thank You for these reminders to “walk” in the Spirit. I pray that You help me to keep walking in the Spirit, to keep walking in the easy yoke of Christ. I am so very grateful to You for everything, Lord, more than I can adequately express, for You have given me everything that I need, and even more. I praise You for the life that I have, now. I praise You for those voices that have spoken into my life in the last few years, that have encouraged me to walk in Your grace and mercy and love.

And speaking of love, I praise You for that. The love that You have poured into me has resulted in an overwhelming love for other people in my life. Sometimes I feel so full of love that I fear I might burst, or at least that my heart would burst. That is such an amazing feeling, my Lord. Thank You for turning that switch to “on” in my heart. I believe that is only part of what You began working in me last February.

Thank You for our home, Lord, not just the physical house, but the feeling of “home” that is so prevalent there. Indeed, we feel that Your wisdom has filled our house, not only with the riches of Your knowledge, but Your presence, as well.

I thank You for Your call on my life, Lord. You truly own my life, and everything/everyone associated with it. You are beautiful to me, and You have made my life beautiful, even with the occasional not-so-beautiful parts. You do all things for Your glory, but what is to Your glory is also for my good.

Thank you, my Lord!

I pray all of this in the precious, holy, and so very beautiful name of Jesus!

Amen.

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters. Walk in the Spirit.

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

The Air That I Breathe

Jeff2 Comments

Today is Wednesday, the eighteenth day of June, 2025, in the Season of the Church.

May the peace of the Lord be with you always!

It is day 169 of 2025, with 196 days remaining

Day 25,569 of my life

Summer officially begins in two days (and a few hours, because it starts at 22:42 on Friday night, in my time zone.

Sixteen days until July 4th.

Daily writing prompt
What countries do you want to visit?
View all responses

That’s a good question. There are a few, and, at this point in my life, I don’t know if it will happen, but the dream is alive. Most of the countries that I want to visit are European. I want to visit all of the UK, but especially England, Scotland, and Ireland. I really want to visit Stonehenge, as it has been a fascination for me, ever since I wrote a research paper on it in high school.

I also want to visit Germany, because getting to see Neuschwanstein Castle in person is one of my top “bucket list” items (if I actually had a bucket list). I suppose I would really like to visit Italy, as well, because of the number of cathedrals there, as well as other archeological wonders.

I would also like to visit some South American countries. It would be cool to visit the Jesus statue in Rio, and, while I would love to see Machu Pichu in person, I’m not sure I’m up for the hike.

There is so much beauty in the world. I’ve seen pictures of places like Croatia and Cambodia that are stunning. I have a feeling, though, that some of the places of which I have seen pictures would be terribly difficult to get to. So I will be grateful for the Internet and keep looking at the pictures.

Last night was a great night at the library. There was a “slime” program that was very well-attended. This is a regular Summer Reading Club program where families get to make their own slime. It is a very popular event, and last night, our lobby was packed with people waiting to get into the program room. We have been having record numbers for events, this year, so far, so that’s a good thing for the library. And, as always, I had a small amount of shelving to do, and had some wonderful conversations with my library friends. My next shift will be Friday.

Today is a normal Wednesday. I am off work, and C is working from home. We plan to take a walk at around 11:30 this morning (even though it will probably be already between 85 and 90 degrees out there . . . ’tis the season). I have a couple of things that I would like to get accomplished today. So I should get moving with what is truly important for the day.

And when I say that, it is in no way “tongue in cheek” or taken lightly. My Jesus Time is truly the most important part of the day. It sets the pace and tone for the entire day. I cannot even imagine trying to get through a day without Him.

I failed to make note of the fact that yesterday was the four-month anniversary of the beginning of this “new life” in Christ. I call it that because I’m kind of at a loss for words on what else to call it. It was (and continues to be) “new,” but, as my pastor said, it wasn’t from “point zero.” I was already a “well-versed, Jesus loving, faith filled man.” He has brought me so much more, during this time, refreshing everything to the point that it really does, at times, feel like I am a “new convert.” He makes and is making all things new, all the time.

JESUS TIME

I love you, O LORD, my strength.  
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 
 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,  
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  
(Psalms 18:1-2 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • That the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer 
  • That it is You, Lord, who lights my lamp and lightens my darkness 
  • That God is the Sun that shines on my life and Christ is the air that I breathe 
  • For the faith that I have in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself FOR ME! 
  • That Jesus is the Bread of life 

Almighty God, I recognize that I cannot stand on my own this day. I need Your power to fill me with Your strength, wisdom, and protection. Let me put on Your whole armor this morning: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness given by the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is Your Holy Word. When I have confusion or conflict, cause me to remember Your belt of truth and the Gospel of peace. When I am in danger, strengthen me to take up the shield of faith against the flaming darts of the evil one. May I share Your love with those around me. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 
(Portals of Prayer – Prayer for Wednesday Morning) 

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

For it is you who light my lamp;  
the LORD my God lightens my darkness.  
For by you I can run against a troop, 
 and by my God I can leap over a wall. 
 This God—his way is perfect;  
the word of the LORD proves true;  
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.  
 
For who is God, but the LORD?  
And who is a rock, except our God?—  
the God who equipped me with strength  
and made my way blameless.  
He made my feet like the feet of a deer  
and set me secure on the heights.  
He trains my hands for war, 
 so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.  
You have given me the shield of your salvation, 
 and your right hand supported me, 
 and your gentleness made me great.  
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,  
and my feet did not slip.  
(Psalms 18:28-36 ESV) 

My heart is steadfast, O God!  
I will sing and make melody with all my being!  
Awake, O harp and lyre! 
 I will awake the dawn! 
 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;  
I will sing praises to you among the nations.  
For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;  
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  
 
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!  
Let your glory be over all the earth!  
(Psalms 108:1-5 ESV) 

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, 
 who walk in the law of the LORD!  
(Psalms 119:1 ESV) 

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,  
but only in expressing his opinion.  
(Proverbs 18:2 ESV) 

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; 
 the righteous man runs into it and is safe.  
(Proverbs 18:10 ESV) 

A man of many companions may come to ruin,  
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  
(Proverbs 18:24 ESV) 

O Lord, open my lips,  
and my mouth will declare your praise.  
(Psalms 51:15 ESV) 

He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”  
 
And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”  
 
He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”  
(Luke 13:18-30 ESV) 

“Well, we haven’t yet answered the question we set out to answer: Which school of Christian thinkers did St. Paul belong to? Did he see the Incarnation as something important in itself, or as something important because of what it led up to – the Atonement? If you had put the question in that way, I don’t think he would have known what to answer; because to him the Atonement was part of the Incarnation, one aspect of it, one mood of it, not to be isolated in contrast with the rest. ‘All I know,’ he would have told you, ‘is that when Jesus Christ became man, you and I were somehow mystically identified with him. His life, not just by the circumstances of it but by the whole purpose and dedication of it, led up to his death on the cross. And when he died, you and I, mystically identified with him, became dead to our old life of sin and disobedience; we were buried with him, and rose again with him into a new life, in which God is our sun and Christ is the air we breathe. Was it the Incarnation, or the Atonement, that did that? I cannot tell; all I know is that my life is “the faith I have in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20.'” 
(For All the Saint – Wednesday After the Holy Trinity, Reading IV: Ronald Knox)

“Blessing and honor, thanksgiving and praise 
more than we can utter be unto you, 
O most adorable Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 
by all angels, all men, all creatures 
for ever and ever. Amen and amen. 
To God the Father, who first loved us, 
and made us accepted in the beloved; 
to God the Son who loved us, 
and washed us from our sins in his own blood; 
to God the Holy Ghost, 
who sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts 
be all love and glory for time and for eternity. 
Amen.” 
(Closing Prayer: Thomas Ken)

The following is from New Morning Mercies, by Paul Tripp

“The temporary pleasures of this present world are meant to point you to the lasting pleasures of knowing God.” 

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” . . .  
 
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. . . .  
 
I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”  
(John 6:25-27, 35, 48-51 ESV) 

Every now and then, multiple sources seem to go hand in hand. Today is one of those days. The main thing that I got from the reading from For All the Saints today was that Jesus Christ is the air that I breathe. He is essential for my life. I cannot live without Him.  

In this passage in John, the people want to make Jesus King because He fed them all with a little boy’s lunch. But He wants none of that. He then proceeds to essentially tell them, “I came to earth not just to be your physical provider, but to meet your deepest spiritual need.” Every beautiful and pleasant thing around us is designed to point us to the spiritual blessings that we receive when we surrender our hearts to Him. 

“What do we really want out of life? What do we really want from God? Do we really esteem his work of grace? Do we really admit how much we need his moment-by-moment rescue? Do we value his forgiveness? Do we really care to be transformed? Are we concerned about the character of our hearts and the conditions of our souls? Do we have an interest in being holy as he is holy? All these questions boil down to one question: Do we value God’s grace, or would we rather have comfortable lives – nice houses, cars, vacations, cuisine, and friends?” 

And then we remember what Jesus tells us in Matthew 6.  

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  
(Matthew 6:33 ESV) 

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.  
(Titus 2:11-14 ESV) 

I thank You, Jesus, that You have become the air that I breathe. I cannot live without You. You are essential for my life. You are more than a provider of physical needs for me, for You have given me everything that I need for life and godliness, having made me alive in You and my life is hidden with You in the Father. You are truly everything to me, Jesus!

Thank You, thank You, thank You. I pray that Your love and life will overflow out of me, affecting everyone around me in a positive and loving way. Please give me the opportunity to show Your love to others today.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen!

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
(Ephesians 3:20-21 NRSV)

Grace and peace, my friends.

Christ Died for the Ungodly

Jeff2 Comments

Today is Saturday, the thirteenth of March, 2021, in the third week of Lent.

Peace be with you!

Day 23,011

Oddly, that number of days does not divide equally by 63, which is how many times I have traveled around the sun, as of early this morning.

22 days until Resurrection Sunday

We had another great time, yesterday. After a brunch of eggs and accessories (and a somewhat failed experiment with an egg bite maker), C and I headed up to the Electric Starship Arcade, where we spent a couple of hours playing various video games and pinball machines. It was great fun! They have a Tempest game, which is one of our favorites. The pinball machines were also fun, but I have to say I miss the days of the more simple machines. These days, there are so many flashing lights and things to hit and ramps to aim for . . . it’s really hard to tell what’s going on.

We also played Guitar Hero for about a half hour, which was also fun. I played Pac Man, Centipede, Q-Bert, and a few others, including a golf game and a bowling game. It was great fun. It only cost us $10 to play all we wanted. I’m sure we will be back.

Today, we will attend our WW Workshop at 10:30, after which we will figure out our lunch plans. Right now, I think Hoffbrau Steakhouse is in the lead, but I’m also thinking about seafood/pasta, as well. I’m probably planning to go into my “weekly” points for the day.

At this point, however, there are no other plans. I need to get the oil changed in my car, and C has said she would do that for me today, since it’s my birthday.

JESUS TIME

Giver of all good things, we thank you:
for health and vigour,
for the air that gives the breath of life,
the sun that warms us,
and the good food that makes us strong;
for happy homes and for the friends we love,
for all that makes it good to live.

Make us thankful and eager to repay,
by cheerfulness and kindliness,
and by a readiness to help others.

Freely we have received;
 let us freely give,
in the name of him who gave his life for us,
Jesus Christ our Lord.  
Amen.

(Giver of All Good Things, Thomas Ken (1637-1711)

But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”
(Psalms 50:23 NLT)

Today I am grateful:

  • To be beginning my 64th time around the sun, today
  • That I am alive and breathing
  • For Tempest, Pac Man, Guitar Hero, and pinball
  • That Christ died for us while we were “still sinners”
  • That, because of this work of Christ, our Father is not angry with us any more

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

LENT – DAY 22

INVITATION

They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
(Isaiah 6:3 NLT)

Take a moment to quietly express gratitude to the Lord for something in your life.

BIBLE SONG

A psalm of David.

Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
(Psalms 29:1-11 NIV)

BIBLE READING

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
(Romans 5:6-11 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

There was a course that used to be taught at The Exchange Church. It was called “Equipped for Life.” I never went through the course (mostly because they insisted on having it at 7:30 on Saturday mornings), but I know a few of the principles involved.

One of those was a loose, perhaps over-simplified, definition of “propitiation.” EFL stated that propitiation means that God is not angry with us any more.

This is a hard pill for some of us to swallow, who were raised believing in an angry, wrathful God. And, while it is true that God is angry at sin, I now believe that the Scriptures teach us that, once we have received the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as our own, and believed in Him for our salvation, God is, in fact, no longer angry at us for sin. If He were, there would be something amiss in the sacrifice of Jesus, and we believe, of course, that there is nothing at all amiss in the completed work of Christ.

And, while the definition is, as I said, a bit over-simplified, it is not inaccurate. This astonishing passage from Romans 5 bears this out. “Christ died for the ungodly,” we first see in verse 6. Verses 7 and 8 explain why this is so amazing. In human terms, it would be rare for someone to die for another person, even one who is “righteous.” Paul does allow that someone “might possible dare to die” for a “good person,” whatever that means.

But Christ died for us while we were “still sinners!”

It would probably do us well to sit on that thought for a few minutes.

God does not wait for us to get our lives together before offering salvation to us. He does not wait for us to become “good” or “righteous.” In fact, the only way that we are considered “good” or “righteous” is because of the fact stated in Romans 5:8, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners!

This is, and always has been, most astonishing to me. It is a powerful verse and displays perfectly an important piece of the Gospel message.

Then, Paul goes on, though. Since we are justified by the blood of Christ, we are also spared from the wrath of God, hence the simplified definition of propitiation, that God is not angry at us, any more. We are saved from God’s wrath. Once and for all.

Before being brought into Christ, we were enemies of God. But we have been saved through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and will be His enemies no more. Ever. And this is the only grounds we have for boasting.

Father, I praise You for these truths. I am grateful that You are not angry with me, because of the work of Jesus Christ. Help me to remember this, each day, as I walk in Your kingdom. Thank You for the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and that You didn’t decide to wait for us to become “good” or “righteous” on our own. Because that simply would not have happened. All glory to You, Father!

Jesus,
Son of God and Son of Man,
I praise you,
worship you,
and love you.
On the cross you shouldered the weight
of God's just anger against my sin
and restored for me the righteousness
and life,
setting me completely free
and making me right with God.
There are not enough words
to thank you,
my Savior.
Amen.
(Heidelberg Catechism 17-18)

BLESSING

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
(Psalms 32:1-2 NIV)

“But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.”
(Revelation 2:14 NLT)

John begins the letter to the Pergamum church by displaying Christ as having a double-edged sword. If you recall, this sword was coming from the mouth of Jesus, earlier, in chapter 1. This tell us that He will have “something decisive to say,” words that will make a difference.

Eugene Peterson refers to the writer of Hebrews, who told us this:

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
(Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT)

Peterson surmises that, because Jesus is introduced in this way, the Pergamum Christians had “become sloppy with their words . . . their faith had become fuzzy.”

However, Jesus does begin with some praise, showing that He knows that they have held fast to His name, even though they live “where Satan’s throne is.” They, just as the people of Smyrna, were experiencing persecution. This was illustrated through the life of one Antipas, a martyr from Pergamum. This church was heroic.

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

Father, I pray that You help us with our words. Give us wisdom to know what words to use when talking about our faith. May our words be salt and light to the world around us. All too often our words are brutal attacks on those who don’t believe like we do. We criticize and shame; help us, rather, to edify; to build up; to be uplifting and encouraging. There are plenty of critical words being spewed in the world, plenty, more than enough, hateful words. Let the words of Your people be good and true, but also filled with love, not hate. Help us to love as Jesus has loved us.

Lord, I pray diligently for unity and holiness within Your Church. We are divided, sadly, and most tragically, it is politics that divides us. I pray, Father, that Your people would get their eyes off of men and put them on Christ, the hope of glory, and our only hope of salvation. I lift up the families in our little church community, Father, that You would keep them under Your protection in whatever they need to do in their lives. I pray for wisdom for those of us who are leaders in this little band of believers. Help us to know how to best serve You and others.

I pray for peace in our nation, peace in our world. I pray for racial injustice to end, and I pray for the pandemic to be over. Above all else, though, I pray for Your will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us

Grace and peace, friends.