My reflections

Reflection - Arise and Depart

2026-02-07T04:37:12Z

Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening reflection for this morning is Micah 2:10 “Arise, and depart”.

context

Typical note about reflections not being deep study. Also noting that Spurgeon’s meditations are often about what comes to mind from the words of a verse (or part of it) as opposed to the context of the verse.

Micah 2:10

Arise and go, for this is no resting place, on account of uncleanness that destroys with painful destruction.

So the context of the rest of the verse isn’t that consistent with the direction of Spurgon’s meditation but nonetheless his springboard is good to think about…

Someday everyone of us will answer the call to “arise and go” - death comes for us all but death isn’t itself an existential end, it is the time to obey the Lord. At his word, I will leave the world and go to where he calls me. This is true for everyone, it’s an inescapable part of the reality that Yahweh has created for all Creation.

Death fills some with dread, but for the Christian it’s the passage to eternity. We live (or “are to live”) in Heaven today - Jesus brought Heaven to earth. But his life, death, and resurrection did not fully bring Heaven to earth - the melding is happening, the reunification of Heaven and earth as it was in Eden is taking place, and when he comes again the kingdom will be consummated.

So we live unto his Name and glory, because it’s the best thing for humanity. And at the end of our living on this present earth, God calls everyone to the next phase of reality. What awaits those who do not believe? and who haven’t been chosen? I really wouldn’t claim to know concrete facts beyond the truth that “they are not citizens of heaven, and so they do not live with the Lord”. But what awaits the Christian? That’s a much easier answer to take a stand on - those loved by Jesus are not left dead in the cold dark underground, we are called to the skies - to glory and to the kingdom.

I think this thought of future unification with the Lord, in a newly consummated kingdom, when Death is dead and there is no more competition amongst the gods, when all Creation is in right relationship with the King - this thought should bring joy and anticipation to the Christian, to me.

Let me work for the glory of God today, with the right perspective that at any moment I could be called away from this work (my family, my home, my job, etc.) and to the next thing Jesus would have me do. I look forward to the call to “Arise and go” and I pray that the future hope of the Kingdom fills me today with joy and motivation to live a godly life and that death never looks like anything other than a river to cross with new life on the other side.

Revel in imparted righteousness

2026-01-31T05:45:42Z

Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening today is from Jeremiah 23:6.

Warning

Again with these reflections, I"m not an OT scholar and I don’t know, or didn’t do a lot of search on, the context of the passage. This isn’t educational, this if a reflection on what God brings to mind through his Word and my time with him, not teaching about the historical context of where the words in Jeremiah 23 actually affect the story

Jeremiah 23:6

In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

The Lord is our righteousness #

There’s a lot of tension in the details of the story of the world in how humans and God relate to each other. On one hand, God created everything, and he created humans with a unique purpose to be his seen-imagers in the physical world who carry out his will. On the other hand, humans take that position of privilege and often destroy the world in our sin and dismay. The theology surrounding this tension is the thing that can affect the Christian’s daily life… As I walk through the world, am I more aware of my position as God’s child, with responsibility to bear his Name and steward the earth, or am I more aware of my sin and the fact that I often make choices Jesus wouldn’t be proud of? Both things are true, but where I put my mind and heart drives if I have a contented smile on my face or if my brow is sweaty and scunched up in frustration.

I think that if we somehow filtered our view to all “true Christians” we’d see that a majority of them lean in on emphasizing their sin because it is the thing that makes Jesus’ work necessary - it is the un-overcomable thing that we have to be saved from and Glory to God! for saving us. But on the daily, not putting equal emphasis on the next step of the story, which is that in God’s saving he imparts the righteousness of Jesus right onto us, is a disservice to us as God’s children.

I want my kids to be proud and secure in their name and place as my kids. I don’t want them to spend their energy focusing on where they have contributed chaos and disorder to my life, I want them to focus on the things they do worth being proud of, and there’s grace for the rest. I think this must be true of the Lord as well - without a doubt I am a sinner and a wretch who, left to my own devices, would end up a drunken addict lying in the street somewhere… but why would I focus on that when Yahweh chooses me, imparts Jesus' righteousness to me, adopts me as his own! The reality of my sin is reality, but the reality of Jesus’ grace on my life is no less true. Christians shouldn’t be ignorant of the sin they carry and the choices they make which dishonor God, but we also shouldn’t be ignorant of the grace God shows to us!

I have noticed in my life, as the scales have tipped somewhat in favor of focusing more on Yahweh adopting me as opposed to focusing on where I fall short of the glory of God, that’s it’s more natural for me to be joyful about almost anything in the world (worth experiencing joy over)

May Jesus call you today if you’re reading this and he hasnt’ yet, and if he has may joy follow your acknowledgement of your adoption rather than sorrow over your previous state. Glory to God in the highest!

Reflection - Galatians 2:19-20

2025-12-28T06:18:57Z

Galatians 2:19-20

19 For through the law I died to the law, in order that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, 20 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This is one of the most common verse-memory verses I think. Probably there’s good reason for that - Paul has a lot to say to the Galatians, and these 2 verses summarize one of the simple truths of the Gospel - the life a Christian is given is freed from the law of death and make alive to Jesus. The gospel truth is that the law is no longer the thing we answer to - everyone will, certainly. There’s no mistake to be made that every human has accountability for their own agency. In our “free” will, bound to sin and death and to the law for approval, we aren’t free at all but slaves to an oppressive overlord. Jesus frees the Christian to live a life free from that oppression, in the life-giving security of God’s adoption.

Who love me and gave himself for me #

God adopts whoever he chooses. And the ones he chooses are then freely able to choose him in return. Through the life-giving power of God’s sovereignty my life can be fundamentally altered, my make-up changed, my family line updated. I am free to live my life by faith in Jesus, because he loved me and gave himself for me.

Reflection - Ecclesiastes 9:10

2025-11-26T05:04:07Z

Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatever your hand finds to do—do it with all your might; for in Sheol—where you are going—no one works, plans, knows, or thinks about anything.

Reflection vs Hermeneutics

I put this little disclaimer on posts where I’m sure the direction of my reflection isn’t necessarily consistent with a exegetical teachin gon the passage I’m reflecting on. I do not know the intimate context of Ecclesiastes 9 and so this reflection in very inra-personal and is not meant to be a point in teaching in any capacity

Finding #

Whatever your hand finds to do… The beginning assumes a search. The faithful Christian is not idle… he seeks to do good because it’s God’s calling on the human life to steward creation well which requires work.

Finding doesn’t only presume a search, it indicates finding things on the search… There is no shortage of godly things to do because every single day we’re faced with choices that either align or don’t with the will Yahweh.

So whatever my hand does in fact find to do I am to do with might…

Lately I have not done what I find to do with all my might. I think God is so good to me, and has blessed me through years of transformation to align more and more of my will with his… but I’ve been meaning to refactor something at work for 7 months that’s actually keeping me up at night, I pick up my phone to scroll when I have a ticket to work on or worse - when I could be watching my kids play. I very clearly do not do with all my might whatever my hand finds to do

Grace #

And yet God continues to be good to me. He continues to teach me and correct me, and in this reflection I feel the same consistent & persistent nudge I’ve been feeling since the end of Summer. Praise God for this nudge - to keep going in his grace and seek to make better choices today than yesterday.

By God’s grace, the things I do with my might/strength, he often blesses. And I have full confidence in my King that I will be able to work, plan, know, and think a lot both in this unconsecrated heavenly age as well as in the eschaton. Sheol still holds some power over me, I have been freed by my King but he hasn’t yet come back. In the already but not yet the Christian is still to seek the Lord and trust him.

He’s been faithful to me - Ebenezer.

Reflection - Psalm 93

2025-11-19T05:59:43Z

Yahweh is king

Psalm 93

93 Yahweh is king; he clothes himself with majesty. Yahweh clothes himself; he girds himself with might. Yes, the world is established so that it will not be moved. 2 Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. 3 The rivers have lifted up, O Yahweh; the rivers have lifted up their ⌊rumbling⌋; the rivers have lifted up their pounding. 4 Mightier than the rumblings of many waters, mightier than the mighty breakers of the sea, Yahweh on high is mighty. 5 Your testimonies are fully reliable. Holiness is fitting for your house, O Yahweh, ⌊forever⌋.

Observations #

Yahweh is king; he clothes himself with majesty. Yahweh clothes himself; he girds himself with might.
- It seems relevant to focus on Yahweh, the king, clothing himself. He has partners, humans, and ceremonial guardians in the spiritual realm (cherubim, seraphim, etc) and yet he clothes himself. His court doesn’t clothe him - they praise him certainly, but no one puts on Yahweh’s kingly attire besides Yahweh himself
You are everlasting
- In my post By God's Grace I note that Yahweh owns us and everything. He is the ruler of the universe because he is everlasting… no beginning and no end

Reflection #

By God's Grace the words “Yahweh is king” are a comfort to me. I am a wretch, but a wretch Yahweh is working on, has grace with, and ultimately invites into paradise… Paradise in that he invites me to be a complete human, to fulfil purpose I was designed for. By God’s grace, he is king and he’s given me a will that seeks to align with his… Amen

By God’s Grace

2025-11-18T13:27:15Z

Style

This blog was fully orated and transcribed. I edited the transcript with some links and formatting

Okay, so I had this thought about, honestly, just like what I would say. If somebody asked me, why do I say the phrase “by God’s grace” so often? And it’s related to a thought I had a while back where my best friend would, where Michael would say, “praise God”, out of like forced habit. And it developed into a great point of spiritual maturity to say by reflex “praise God” in you know our slightly older age here, in our young parenthood. And so it’s really related to that - I also say “by God’s grace” a lot and why do I say that?

I think it’s related to these central themes that have been a part of my reflections of freedom but freedom to what? It is freedom to love Jesus - see Helkyo - What is it for God to draw man to him? And before that, I’m not free at all.

Danger

I’m just bound by sin.

And that paired with believing loyalty and the choices I make every day - And I’m free to make the right choice… And sometimes even in God’s sovereignty, I obey my sin instead of my king. Which brings me to by God’s grace.

God’s Grace #

My life is not my own, and this is kind of a cliched phrase almost, but it’s something I think I’m just, I’m coming to accept in a new way.

Note

My life does not belong to me.

Belongings #

I have possessions and I can do kind of whatever I want with them. I could break them and mend them and use them or not or let them get dirty or clean them. And it’s up to me because they’re my possessions.

And we have lots of Christian language - “God adopts us as sons” and we’re “co-heirs and co-conquerers with Jesus”…

Those things are true, but also God owns us.

Note

Everything in creation is his.

He redeems us unto himself, not just as a father and son, not just as the prodigal son or something like that - all things are made by him and held together by him.

He owns us.

So that’s a fundamental reality for all people to either… accept or not, because there’s nothing they can do to affect it.

Nothing anybody can do will update the reality that Yahweh is king. People can either accept that or not.

By God’s grace, I am free to accept it. By God’s grace, he has picked me out of the kingdom of darkness and placed me, imported me into the kingdom of light. He has made me a citizen of the celestial city.

I didn’t choose it.

I didn’t ask.

He drew me to him.

Freedom #

I can say “by God’s grace” because it’s by no other thing that I have breath right now and that I can write this reflection. He holds the universe together. My life is not my own to live to me because I don’t own my life. I am the possession of the king of the universe. And I am free to find fulfillment and joy in that. I am free to be satisfied by the king.

Freed from the oppression of materialism and worldliness and lust and greed.

I’m freed from the oppression of darkness. Freed to accept and call Yahweh my loving king rather than the conquering king who I stand opposed to in the end times, whatever that kind of means.

By God’s grace, I get to love him.

And so to today, why do I say by God’s grace?

Because everything that is good that happens to me is by his grace. And every trial or pain or bad thing I could think of or experience is only as bad as it is by his grace. And that trial, whatever it was or whatever may come - I pray I can echo Paul’s words and say that it pales in comparison to the glory of the king.

Praise the Lord.

Reflection - Go Forward - Only Thing To Do

2025-11-05T06:04:16Z

Reflection #

Today I am thinking about the blessings in my life… In my opinion, I have a lot going for me - God has been so utterly good to me that finding fault with anything that was outside my control feels near-sinful…

In my adult life I have a reached several “checkpoints of success” for lack of a better stupid word…

smokin’ hot wife that loves Jesus
2 beautiful daughters
stable work that I’m also good at
by all accounts - excellent physical health
by all accounts - very decent mental health (more on this later)
a house, food, water, and the means to do recreation

So, it’s very clear that God has been very good to me - and at the same time it’s probably wrong to give the impression that there was no sacrifice, pain, or affliction in my life so far…

Here’s what’s on my mind - I kind of think God has given me so much in my adult life as a byproduct of my childhood. This note will not be full of gory details, but here’s one I find comical (though my wife finds it sad… you be the judge)

Breakfast and School #

When I was a kid, like elementary school, I would take care of myself to pretty extraordinary degrees. The short of this example is that at 5 years old I was getting myself up in the morning, getting dressed, making breakfast, and then waking my mom up to take me to school.

I recently found out that my dad knew this and when he made some work changes that resulted in him being home in the morning, it turned out I wanted nearly nothing to do with it! I still wanted to make my own breakfast and do my normal routine.

Note

Turns out a lot of that is explained by Autism shrug emoji who knew?

Looking back, there’s deep threads about who I am, my work ethic, outlook on responsibility, etc. that have roots in my childhood morning situation… but to me, what I think are the results of this upbringing are the gifts that God has given me… not to “make up” for a lost childhood, but as humans simply adapt they evolve and become better at handling what’s thrown at them. Theologically I would say these experiences teach wisdom, and wisdom is a pattern in which we are to walk through life in a godly manner.

Let me wrap up this short anecdote - my dad was visiting recently and over the course of conversation this fact about my childhood came up. We’re all adults now, my parents are divorced and married to other people, and when this came up I saw for just a second some pain on my dad’s face. It’s probably why my wife thinks this is sad too - for the observer, my childhood wasn’t taken from me, but it was never given either (again - there’s much more than this silly breakfast thing). That’s sad to emotionally-regulated adults who know what a child needs. And in my journey as a dad I totally see how I was neglected in many ways - but again, I’m not upset about it, and at the same time I wouldn’t attempt to replicate my experience for my own children…

I guess what I’m saying is that God is good, and I think it’s in spending so much time and energy in focusing on his goodness that the sad stuff can kind of just… fall away… It certainly happened, but it happened and today is a new day.

Finally consider Bilbo, The Hobbit, when he falls down deep into the goblin’s cave, right before meeting Golem. He takes a tumble, gets up, and…

Only thing to do

“Go back?" he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!” So up he got, and trotted along…

Reflection - Psalm 9:1

2025-10-30T06:12:37Z

Psalm 9:1

I will thank Yahweh with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Praise God #

The phrase “praise God” has become a common phrase in my life. I’m blessed to have my best friend, Michael, in my life after 15+ years. Back in high school, I forget how it came up, but he told me that anytime something good happens, he forces himself to just audibly say “praise God”. Jesus certainly quickened that to my heart, and it was again in high school that I witnessed some fruit of, not using the phrase, but practicing giving glory to God in the smaller moments.

Some youth group kids were helping a church member replace their roof - so lots of high-schoolers tearing shingles off, hauling garbage, etc. As we were on the roof, one of the guys nearly fell off (we hadn’t even heard of “tie-offs” before). Something like a nail caught his shorts and he recovered his grip. I immediately said “Praise God”, and him and another guy looked at me and they go “…. ya! Praise God for sure!” and I think they had a similar experience then like I had with Michael, where when something good happens we draw attention to the Lord, and that edifies those around us.

I don’t know when it became habit, but certainly “today” not a day goes by where the phrase “Praise God” doesn’t leave my lips at least once. On one hand, I think Jesus has changed my heart to be more immediately responsive to him as the giver of good things, and so it’s natural now that when something good happens not to “just say” “Praise the Lord”, but to give thanks and actually praise the Lord!. This has been an edifying practice in my life for my own heart. However, on the other hand, bringing attention to God’s glory in the wake of good things is good for others. I have noticed my wife and kids, in their own ways, adopt a similar response to good things, and that’s been a steady stream of encouragement for me as the Lord continues to shape me and my family.

Reflection - Mark 4:1-20

2025-10-21T06:09:43Z

The Soils #

I am in the middle of reprocessing the soils’ parable - I heard a very interesting interpretation the other day that I’m following up on. BUt while I wait for clarity in that conversation, there is still obvious truth for me to reflect on this morning…

Mark 4:1-20

Mark 4:1–20 (LEB): 4And again he began to teach beside the sea, and a very large crowd was gathered to him, so that he got into a boat and sat on the sea, and the whole crowd was at the sea on the land. 2 And he began to teach them many things in parables, and was saying to them in his teaching, 3 “Listen! Behold, the sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened that while he was sowing, some seed fell on the side of the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up at once, because it did not have any depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose it was scorched, and because it did not have enough root, it withered. 7 And other seed fell among the thorn plants, and the thorn plants came up and choked it, and it did not produce grain. 8 And other seed fell on the good soil, and produced grain, coming up and increasing, and it bore a crop—one thirty and one sixty and one a hundred times as much. 9 And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!” 10 And when he was alone, those around him together with the twelve began asking him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been granted the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything is in parables, 12 so that ‘they may look closely and not perceive, and they may listen carefully and not understand, lest they turn and it be forgiven them.’ ” 13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones beside the path where the word is sown, and whenever they hear it, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 And these are like the ones sown on the rocky ground, who whenever they hear the word immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Then when affliction or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among the thorn plants—these are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word and it becomes unproductive. 20 And those are the ones sown on the good soil, who hear the word and receive it and bear fruit—one thirty and one sixty and one a hundred times as much.”

Mark 4:18-19

18 And others are the ones sown among the thorn plants—these are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word and it becomes unproductive.

The Thorny Soil #

By God’s good grace on my life, the Word has been sown and without a doubt my faith has been proven beyond the depths of the path and shallow soils. My life has not been without testing (not that I would ever claim to have not been given a better life than 99% of humans in the history of the world), but I fear the test of my heart as it pertains to the thorny soil. God has been very good to me in work and finances. We aren’t ultra-wealthy, but I do have more than I need. And something I notice… as I’ve earned more, and invested more, I care more… My thoughts often wander around from “I should read that Proverb” to “If I can save X more dollars I could retire N weeks sooner”. I think what I desire is freedom from the corporate cycle in America, but I fear what I desire is the comfort to give into my own whims without having to show up to a job tomorrow.

I do not think financial independence is a sin, or the desire of it. But I think it does take a special constitution, a unique gifting from God, to steward riches appropriately in a broken world while submitting oneself to the kingship of Jesus. I have known several wealthy Christians - they’re hard workers and in general I think they’re honoring God with their work… but do I? And in the working, whether honoring or not in the manner that I do it, am I honoring God in the manner in which I think about it? I don’t know… I honestly can only say with 100% certainty that I’m thankful God knows my heart better than I do, and I pray he helps my unbelief and quenches the underlying fears and anxieties about the riches of this life and what those riches enable.

Reflection - John 21:12

2025-10-17T05:22:12Z

John 21:12

Jesus said to them, “Come, eat breakfast!” But none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew that it was the Lord.

Come and eat #

Jesus offers this communion with himself every day, and to very believer… Sharing a meal with someone is a pretty intimate thing (it’s why hibachi with strangers is awkward). Sitting around a table, especially where you’d be eating with your hands, is a setting for family, or the family you choose (friends).

Jesus is the King of the universe, and he offers a seat at the table. I want this to sit in my head without some unknown ethereal deep metaphorical meaning… The simple truth is Jesus offers not only a place to sit next to him, to enjoy his company and wisdom, but the contents of the table. At the Last Supper he says he is the bread and cup, and after his resurrection he invites his disciples to sit with him on the beach and eat breakfast here in John 21. Every invitation to eat with him is to share the same meat, the wine, the conversation with the Saints, and ultimately the prize of time with the Lord.

Jesus is the prize, not what he can do.

I am hesitant to answer this call often… and it’s because I’m often more satisfied by drive-thru wings eaten alone in my office than I am around the table with Jesus and his other disciples. But he still offers an invitation

“Come, eat”

Choose this day whom you will serve #

His invitation strikes me as the choice following in Joshua 24:15:

Note

But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.”

Jesus’ offer to come and dine is him presenting a choice… “choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve…. but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.”

The choice is daily, and every reflection of mine comes back to this. Jesus offers himself, his table, his righteousness, everything we need for godliness and flourishing as creatures made in his image. And yet every day, face to face with the reality of the world the choice is still yours and mine to make - today, whom will you serve? Every day I have to say “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”

May that be true today, and tomorrow but tomorrow has enough trouble of its own, so today thank you Jesus for offering the table, to eat and drink together. And by the grace of his calling, today I will say “we will serve the Lord.”

Reflection - Philippians 3:8

2025-10-14T05:30:47Z

Philippians 3:8

More than that, I even consider all things to be loss because of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for the sake of whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and consider them dung, in order that I may gain Christ

Loss #

Paul’s words are convicting this morning… I even consider all things to be loss.

Danger

Do I?

Do I consider anything and everything as closer to literally nothing when compared to knowing Jesus? I don’t know, this morning I can’t even articulate what it means to consider allthings “loss”.

What a trivial picture but how often is my mind and spirit stuck between the green boxes… fixated again on my retirement, kid’s school costs, the fact that ribeye steak is still $20/lbs. I have anxities like anyone else over things in the world, and if my net worth increased by $3M today what would my response be… would I consider it a loss when compared to the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Or would I experience joy and hope for my earthly future…

Of course Paul’s note here isn’t that we have to just be angry about good things and be sad forever until we’re on the other side of a consecrated heaven, but I think the point is if my net worth goes up by a lot of down by a lot, at the end of the day that’s still between the 2 green boxes in my diagram… And my mind needs to focus on Jesus. Not for what he can do for me, pursuing him in light of my own fancies makes him out to be a Santa Claus, and in light of Paul’s words to the Philippian church would miss the point entirely. There is nothing for us to pursue for gain - that is the point.

The ultimate gift is the knowledge of Christ. This knowledge changs us - by the molding hand of Yahweh through the mediating power and authority of Jesus by the Spirit indwelling our lives - the knowledge of Christ conforms us into his image and likeness. But Jesus is the prize, he is the gain. Knowledge of him isn’t just knowing his name, it’s being known by him through communion and meditation. Through daily repentence.

Gain #

I just found myself downcast over this reflection, knowledge of Christ is hard… he chooses whome he chooses, frees whom he frees. In that freedom is where the comparison can be made. Only in the freedom of Jesus can you remove yourself from the line between the 2 green boxes in my picture, and even consider the glory of the knowledge of Christ. Before new life all we know is this:

He chooses… but then what? For some, loss must follow. In fact, for all loss will eventually follow. The degree of that loss is not outside his sovereignty. Paul says he “suffered the loss of all things” - in this experience his mind is opened to the reality that was hidden from him, the knowledge that there’s more but the only thing worth gaining is Jesus.

I hope I don’t have to suffer the loss of all things in order to more fully grasp the gravity of my King. But his will be done on earth as it is in heaven, whatever that may mean for my life. And may it be that I gain Christ.

Reflection - Psalm 119:15

2025-10-12T05:59:30Z

Psalm 119:15

I will meditate on your precepts and look at your ways.

Meditate #

Spurgeon had a good thought here… It is not the act of eating that actually nourishes our bodies, it is digestion… The same is true for our spiritual growth - merely listening to a sermon will not transform your heart and life, the Word of God must be digested and meditated upon to work in our members and change us.

What is it to go to church every week but never spend time musing upon the things of God? If you chew your food and spit it out right after the meal what good did it do you? Maybe you felt good during the songs, liked the taste of the food, heard something interesting from the pastor, commented on the decor in the dining room…. but once you leave, do you remember what you ate? Do you talk about it with those who ate with you? Did you practice cooking that delicious meal later in the week?

So it is with us and the precepts of the Lord.

The law of God, in light of Jesus, is not a burden any longer. We are free to follow, free to choose good. But knowing good takes time… a captive isn’t illuminated to all the ways of the free man who saved him the day his bonds are cut, he must study the new civilization he’s brought into - out of slavery and into freedom, out of death and into life.

And in that new life, Jesus - the embodiment of the law and the perfector of our faith changes us, molds us, teaches us about good and bad. His word is sweet and good.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are pleasing, whatever things are commendable, if there is any excellence of character and if anything praiseworthy, think about these things.

Think about these things #

The instruction from Paul is almost too simple… “just think about these things”. By God’s grace I think a lot… a lot. My thoughts are often hard to take hold of, and I’m led rather than leading in what I put my attention to, but also by God’s grace I fixate on the things of God often. This has not always been, and is not always fun or exciting or without pain.

But we are all gifted by God in different ways, and afflicted in different ways. An affliction he’s permitted in my life is often a blessing to me as my mind sometimes can’t let go of things that are pure and pleasing and commendable. The overall thing that’s on my mind every day is the freedom Jesus offers to choose good. The choice can only be made by the power of his resurrection, not by any moral teaching to be gleaned from his sermons as though he’s nothing more than a philosopher.

Success

He raised me to life, I didn’t attend a lecture.

But what could be sweeter today in our finite lives, than the ability and freedom to participate in bringing heaven to earth?

We have no means to do this though without meditating on the Lord’s precepts… How else can we know what is pleasing to heaven?

Reflection - Jude 24

2025-10-10T05:52:12Z

Jude 24-25

24 Now to the one who is able to protect you from stumbling and make you to stand before his glory blameless with exultation, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time and now and for all eternity. Amen.

make you to stand before his glory blameless with exultation #

The ultimate hope of the one called to Jesus - to be made blameless.

Those who are blameless are those who are free. When we are in debt we are limited - this feels like a pretty natural thing. I owe money on my house, so there’s about $1000/mo that I have to put towards that, no options. Worse than a necessity (cause a place to live is a foundational need for humans) is unnecessary debt - debt for free choices.

pay as you go

Have you seen these pay-as-you-go services? Affirm and Klarna, etc…. You can finance (go into debt) your door dash orders, uber rides, amazon cart all usually with just a few clicks! They want you poor. Jesus doesn’t exactly want you rich with earthly wealth, but we make ourselves spiritually poor in the same manner and it’s that poverty that he saves us from.

So on one hand I’m “born a sinner” (take this as my mortgage) and on the other hand I make choices that dishonor my Lord - my heart gets worrisome or filled with lust, I abandon my faith for anxiety over my future… In this reflection I’m not debating Original Sin, for me today it’s moot… I do sin, I will sin, and Jesus has saved me yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So the hope is a blessed gift from Jesus - that I will be made to stand before him blameless with exultation.

To stand before the face of God is perhaps the most terrifying thing imaginable, or it should be for anyone in a wretched state. Ultimate goodness has a way of making anyone less very uncomfortable. We even have a taste of this truth on earth - consider this example. If you were at the gym or somewhere having a conversation with someone who was a pastor and you let a curse word fly, often people’s follow-up is to apologize to the pastor… why? My personal conviction is that cuss-words are just words, and most pastors aren’t offended by them. But we all generally recognize pastors as “good men” (not all, mind you - don’t come at me with horror stories of abuse in the Church, I know it’s there, I hate it too, and those demons aren’t who I’m talking about). So when we are face to face with “goodness” we recognize that some behavior isn’t appropriate, if only for a second. So we apologize… But a pastor is just a man - to come face to face with the Lord Almighty, the very definer of Good, should horrify anyone not perfectly good themselves. A scary thing to have anything bad in me present before the Judge of the universe.

And yet to the one who is able to protect you from stumbling and make you to stand before his glory blameless with exultation… Who is Jesus? The one who makes me blameless. To be blameless is to be able to come face to face with goodness. This is my hope, that in Christ alone for his glory and sake alone, am I made new and blameless.

But hope isn’t only in the future #

This ultimate hope isn’t the only hope though, it’s not the only thing Jesus does… He saves us from more than just hell, and for more than just an ethereal idea of goodness. He saves me to be free to choose goodness today as he works in me to align my will with his

Hebrews 13:20-21

20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with every good thing to do his will, carrying out in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.

Jesus left us a helper, the Holy Spirit. This person is the conduit through which Yahweh works in us to equip {me} with every good thing to do his will, carrying out in {me} what is pleasing before him

Hope is for tomorrow, but it’s also for today. Jesus makes us free today as new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17) to align with his will. You can’t choose him until he frees you to make the choice, and then in that freedom what else can you do? Say “no thanks”… lol. His call is the mighty arm of Yahweh reaching into the ocean of chaos and death to raise the corpse of your soul to new life, to breath air for the first time, to walk on God’s green earth with new feet and new purpose.

Praise the freaking Lord for salvation - for tomorrow and today. May my choices today reflect the goodness of my King, and if you’re reading this reflection, may God bless you with this blessed hope of salvation.

Reflection - Numbers 11:11

2025-10-07T05:07:19Z

As if the Lord orchestrated Spurgeon’s meditation to give me a spring board to what I need for the third day in a row…

Reflection - 1 Kings 19:8 He showed me that he sustains me unto his own service and glory
Reflection - John 4:14 He showed me that I’ve been pushing away aspects of his provision

And today I see the trials in my life reveal the status of my faith… Last night I got a phone call that I missed a credit card payment, which I thought odd since everything is on auto-pay. Well, turns out our checking account got a smidge low, low enough that the credit card payment was cancelled… In reality this isn’t a huge deal, but it threw me off and continues to this morning. The truth is, the only issue is my lack of in-depth understanding of our money movement. Our lifestyle and living expenses are well below what we can otherwise afford, but in my laziness I have mostly neglected each of our accounts individually. No doubt this “trial” is self-imposed but Spurgeon’s meditation is snapping me out of the funk that threw me into last night

fearless faith

If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: the paste gem dreads to be touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test

The text is Numbers 11:11

Numbers 11:11

And Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you brought trouble to your servant? Why have I not found favor in your eyes, that the burdens of all these people have been placed on me?

The meditation came from “Why have you brought trouble to your servant?”

Meditation vs Homily

My reflections over the summer have following the pattern of finding a scripture reference from Morning and Evening and then simply asking God to speak through the words of the text and Spurgeon’s meditation. Historically I would study the text, but in the season of life I am in, where I do have years of studious foundation, I am trying to exercise trust in God to speak to me in ways outside of connecting theological knowledge dots that construct a mosaic of my own choosing. Instead I’m trying to just trust his sovereignty - he brought me to Morning and Evening on October 7, 2025 perhaps so that I could be encouraged in my faith in light of this missed credit card payment event/trial. These reflections are not meant to be educational on the Bible, or even on theology necessarily - I am practicing opening my mind and heart to God speaking to me in ways otherwise uncomfortable but with prudence as I’m not approaching these texts in ignorance. As I put these reflections into the world I want to be clear these are personal meditations, not Bible lessons

Reflection #

Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith… Are the source of those trials my own choices? Other’s choices? Some meta-truth about the fallenness of creation? I think probably it’s all of that… In reality, it doesn’t matter where the trial comes from - directly from the heavens above or originating in our own mistakes (such as mine of note above). There is almost certainly some significance in the source but ultimately God is sovereign over every one of those possibilities, and so in another sense, it’s almost insignificant what I consider the “source” of a trial. The real issue is how I respond to it.

Last night I was filled in my physical chest with a feeling of dread… Seeing my checking account low revealed that I have more digging to do to uncover any internal reliance on my own systems of security (like money). And the dumb part dear reader, is we have other accounts and plenty of money… I am in zero financial strain, but even so - seeing the number too low to make one of the payments sent my head into a whirlwind. God has also already provided a way out of this trial… I have budgeting software that I’ve been using for a long time and am just not on top of. He gave me the software I use and the ability to use it but it’s my own lack of diligence that I think led to this “trial”. And yet, with all that knowledge I find that I’m still troubled… I think I have a strong faith and one of my most common prayer is “Lord help my unbelief”, and apparently today I need to shout this to the heavens. How dare I allow dread to overcome me when I claim to know my God provides.

And in that I know he is still sweet to me. I’m a father, and when my kids make a mess of themselves my first response (often, though I’m not perfect) to them is to kneel and say “hey I’m here, you’re safe”. The trial they make for themselves may fill them with the dread I filled myself with last night in missing that credit card payment…. If I will approach my kids joyfully in their own mess, and if I write all these pages about God’s love for me and his people, then ought I not adopt the mindset towrads God that I want my daughter’s to have when I come to save them?

God approaches me knowing that missing a credit card payment is hardly a bigger deal than my 4 year old spilling milk on the table. But my world can become small just like their worlds are small and then my issues can feel big. I need my heavenly father to kneel next to me and say “hey I’m here, you’re safe”. I say I need it, but actually I mean to say that I have it, and because I have it is the only reason I can in-turn treat my daughter’s this way when their problems fill their little worlds.

Praise God for trials certainly, for what they reveal and for the Gospel truth that by the calling of Jesus our faith can be made pure and complete.

Reflection - John 4:14

2025-10-06T06:09:02Z

Today Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” was on John 4:14

John 4:14

But whoever drinks of this water which I will give to him will never be thirsty for eternity, but the water which I will give to him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Being autistic and growing up in the Church led to a few acute pain points for me growing up. A commonplace issue for me was when theological truths were expressed in absolute terms but didn’t “feel absolutely true” for me. I made a practice of trying to force myself to just “be ok” in light of the truth.

A Memory

Marissa was one of my best friends in high school - we spent a lot of time together in church, school, extra-curriculars, etc. She was an ever-present friend to me even when I was difficult to love. I recall multiple times, and one vivid memory for sure where I wasn’t doing well and she inquired. But my response was “I have Jesus, so I have to be OK”. I tried to filter my immediate acute pain through the lens of eternal glory. And yes, Paul muses in this fashion as well, but Paul wasn’t a 16 year old undiagnosed autistic… Was everythign going to be alright in the end when I was 16? Oh ya, but was everything all right then? No… Marissa was a great friend, and Jesus has been sweet to me in this struggle, but nonetheless it would’ve been awesome if someone recognized the pain I was in with the wisdom to address me back then.

Today, one of those truths comes up but it is not painful - it is so relieving

The heart is as insatiable as the grave until Jesus enters it #

Yesterday God brought me a truth that he sustains me unto his own service - Reflection - 1 Kings 19:8. And today I’m reminded that on his sustenance I will “never thirst”. But of course this isn’t a plain and simple truth. I thirst for grace more and more every day, but what I’m finding in the season of ending Summer 2025, post/present-multiple years of political awareness, and near-hatred for my financial reliance on some other guy’s company that my heart wants for much right now, but even in that wanting this truth rests softly on me that Jesus is and ought to be enough. I can be resistant to this out of fear of losing a drive to provide more and more for my family. Contentedness is certainly a gift from God, but as I’ve been reflecting I see fear in my heart… As I’ve rejected the truth that “Jesus is enough” my heart longs for satisfaction, and when I get in my own way then fear and sin creep in.

For me and my reflection right now the competing ideas are building financial wealth for myself and my family out of a desire for freedom from a system that I don’t like, but also… isn’t Jesus enough? My heart is in the same cunundrum as I was in at 16 when asked “are you OK?”. But with wisdom, experince, and perspective I guess the tension isn’t uncomfortable anymore (not that I’m living in the tension perfectly). There’s work for Jesus to do on my heart, and yet I know the work he has done and that proves his faithfulness to me to not leave me unfinished.

As he works on me, I have day-to-day choices to make.

Whom will I serve?
What will fill my heart?
Will what I fill it with satisfy or like a glass of salt-water at sea leave me worse-off in the end?

Jesus has been good to me in ushering my heart through truths like this where there’s an “already but not yet” element to them. Jesus fully satisfies my heart, this is true. It’s also true that I’m still a sinner. I don’t feel like I always only thirst for more of my Lord - today I thirst for a larger retirement account and assets to financially support me for the next 20 years… is this wrong? I don’t think so, not with appropriate perspective. And I’ve been feeling more and more in the last few weeks that Jesus is restoring me unto a new season of service and work. I don’t know what it’ll look like and accepting a murky future feels scary, but in the light of the Son - by whose grace my lungs fill with air as I type - I can walk and work with plans that change knowing my faithful God satisfies.

Reflection - 1 Kings 19:8

2025-10-05T06:59:52Z

Spurgeon picked 1 Kings 19:8 this morning and his meditation was encouraging at a meta-level. Highlighting to me that we (Christians) in maturity can be refreshed from any passage of scripture. This isn’t because the Bible is magic, and I believe it should be studied appropriately in context (heavily) in order to solidify foundational pieces of understanding.

But I also cannot deny that I serve a living God who actively works in the lives of people - and one way he might do that is to encourage through pastoral reflection on Biblical truths that may be brought to mind though not necessarily instructed in a passage. This is a specific point of Christian life that I have been meditating loosely on lately - to be open in my heart to finding joy and refreshment in Biblical truths that God may bring to mind even though the “origin” of that thought might be an unrelated passage of Scripture. This has been the case for a few weeks at this point, and today felt significant as I read Spurgeon’s thoughts on being supplied for the sake of the Lord’s service.

1 Kings 19:8

So he got up, ate, drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights up to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Quick Context

Jezebel is chasing the prophet Elijah who has fled into the wilderness. Elijah fears for his life and asks Yahweh to simply kill him. Yahweh (well, the Angel of Yahweh… but we’ll do that another time) meets him in his distress resting under a tree - he provides food, water, and protection for Elijah to take a nap. He does it again and then tells Elijah to travel to Horeb.

Reflection #

Elijah is faithful to the Lord, and finds himself tired and in need. Yahweh meets him, feeds him, and then gives him more work to do. This is the point of Spurgeon’s writing this morning, that every ounce of work should be poured out unto the Lord’s service. Every single thing I do should be laced with songs of praise to the King. It’s easy to say “blessed be the Name of the Lord” when I am in surplus, and even in trial and want I think my faith has been tested and proven to some non-trivial degrees… But what about when I’m tired? Do I seek rest as a means to be refreshed unto his service? Or do I seek a hollow shell of rest, one that in reality isn’t restorative and refreshing, but is instead deadening and numbing… I think I find myself actively pushing against holy rest out of love for, and slavery to myself. Maybe not quite to doom and selfish as to say “myself” only, but out of fear of something else - maybe as trivial as failure.

God is bringing to my mind why I haven’t built more, why I’m disconnected from work, why I zonk out so much… If I accept refreshment - physical refreshment- through a God-given grace then I am duty-bound to use it wisely… But I find that I am afraid of the daunting work of doing something well, and day to day I find myself hesitant to accept the refreshment out of an abandonment of the good that can come through the hard work of doing it well.

God is telling me to eat and drink, to be refreshed… I genuinely believe God is speaking to me through 1 King 19:8 - to take the strength he provides via the channels I know he provides them, and to wisely-steward the work he’s given me to do.

This week I’ve pre-planned to dedicate time away from work to my own project and I feel encouraged going into tomorrow almost with foreknowledge of the strength God will offer me in the morning

Reflection - Psalm 84:11

2025-10-01T06:34:25Z

Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening today (actually the evening one) is for Psalm 84:11.

Psalm 84:11

Psalm 84:11 (LEB): 11 Because Yahweh God is a sun and a shield; Yahweh gives grace and honor. He does not withhold good from those who walk blamelessly.

What is it to me to hear and know that Yahweh gives grace and honor? I’m asking this because Spurgon’s meditation this morning has a particularly striking line in it

The little conjunction “and” in this verse is a diamond rivet binding the present with the future: grace and glory always go together.

The translation he was using has “glory”, I quoted “honor”. The word is כָּבוֹד (kabod) which generally basically means “weight”.

I got very distracted this morning unfortunately and therefore my reflection will be cut short… I know meditating on these things opens my day up to go in a better direction… May Yahweh give grace to me today, to live in a glorified and honorable way… one worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Philippians 1:27

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel

Reflection - Deuteronomy 33:29

2025-09-27T06:38:42Z

Note reflections are not theological study

Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening today starts with:

Deuteronomy 33:29

Deuteronomy 33:29 (LEB): 29 Blessed are you, O Israel. Who is like you, a people who is saved by Yahweh, the shield of your help, and who is the sword of your triumph, and your enemies, they shall fawn before you, and you shall tread on their backs.”

What is it to be saved by Yahweh? It is to be blessed… Material blessings are the cheapest understanding of this idea…

Danger

I feel such a strong need to even say that, in any of my public reflections to try to caveat every statement that someone hostile to my faith might say while reading, or get ahead of a bad idea a less mature Christian might hear me say without enough context… but ultimately these reflections are not deep study, and when I acknowledge that ’to be saved by God is to be blessed’ I don’t need to follow it up with “but not necessarily with money and possessions”… No, the truth of God flows from the Word and through our lives out of experience with him, and out of that intersection this morning do I proclaim I am blessed and saved by Yahweh…

The blessing is the saving, and the saving is the blessing. Apart from faith in Jesus, I see no way to understand this biblical truth appropriately. In Yahweh’s divine grace he has called me - he is the shield of my help in what he has called me to. A simple summary is that he enables me to do the job he’s given. This is why the saving is the blessing… Any creature is most happy, most safe, most successful when it is operating within the bounds of its design and purpose… An airplane is a fast mode of transportation but if you place it on the highway - outside the boundaries of the sky and put in the context it wasn’t meant to operate it, it won’t be a very fast or useful means of getting from A to B.

Yahweh’s saving act of grace invites humans into the context whereby they can live according to their design and purpose. I believe the humanitarian efforts to unite humanity along common grounds are good-faith efforts doomed to fail because to be truly human is to be saved by the One Who Saves… Yahweh saves his people back to humanity (or forward to a new humanity - I’m not here to debate eschatology with anyone at the moment). In this grace is unity and freedom.

My reflections consistently revolve around what is becoming a central theme in my theology - the meaning of freedom in Jesus. He saved me back to being truly human, and in my humanity I freely choose to live my life in loyalty to the one who saves me. I’m only free to choose the right thing because he enabled me to. In making that choice, whatever it might be, if I choose the godly option it comes with the most blessing. That blessing is being conformed into the image and likeness of Jesus. Yahweh molds me into what it means to be hunman… Sanctification is the process by which we “more naturally” choose the godly thing. Because as our will is molded to his, our natural choice more often aligns with what God wants. The blessing has to be understood ultimately as being saved, as restoration… To see blessing as money or power or success is to remain broken, remaining broken is evidence of not being saved. ie. It’s only by the saving power of Jesus that the blessing of being saved can be understood - this is how Paul can say that even blessings on earth are garbage compared to the glories of heaven.

The picture of the perfect human becomes more clear to me day by day as Jesus reveals himself to me, and I pray the freedom in Christ permeates my life quickly and deeply so that my free-will choice aligns with God’s will for my life. In that state is shalom.

Reflection - Romans 3:26

2025-09-24T05:42:24Z

From Morning and Evening today, Spurgeon has thoughts on Romans 3:26. I need more context personally, so here’s a newer translation of 3:25-26

Romans 3:25-26

25God put Jesus forth as the place of mercy, through faithfulness, by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his covenant justice, because of the passing over (in divine forbearance) of sins committed beforehand. 26This was to demonstrate his covenant justice in the present time: that is, that he himself is in the right, and that he declares to be in the right everyone who trusts in the faithfulness of Jesus.

Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Ro 3:25–26). SPCK.

NPP

I’m not here to debate “faith in Jesus” vs “faithfulness of Jesus”… I feel so beyond debating semantics when either way it’s Jesus who gives you faith and chooses in the first place

Spurgeon’s meditation certainly resolves around Penal Substitutionary Atonement, a doctrine I have come to mostly reject, but I have plenty of common-ground with a conviction of PSA-subscribers and Spurgeon - and that’s that we can trust, as chosen people of God, that “there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus”

Not only is there no condemnation, but on the contrary Jesus declares to be in the right everyone who trusts.

This is the great confidence of the Christian, and the source of my comfort - that even though there is sin in my past and future (and I pray sorrow over it), I can trust in God’s unchanging nature. He says in effect “Out of my divine grace to call your name from the grave, by the covering of Jesus and the work of the cross, you are free. Free from condemnation, free from judgement, and today (and everyday) free from the yoke of sin”

Freedom… such an interesting word… It came up recently in my Reflection - Galatians 5:1 as well. I guess as I reflect here, freedom is about our behavior and what we do or don’t do. But confidence is the partner of freedom. A child who has the freedom on the playground to play with whatever they want will sit in the corner if they are afraid of consequences of doing something wrong - this would come from a place of not trusting in the freedom they’ve been given. The child lacks comfort in their freedom to play with what they want unless the faithfulness and goodness of the one who gives the freedom is impressed into the child and they can exercise trust in that authority - which is manifest in their joyful play on the playground.

So for the Christian this obviously doesn’t mean “free to do whatever I want”, the metaphor isn’t perfect (it’s made better by aligning the walls around a playground with the boundaries of proper-human living)… Jesus actually gives me the freedom to do his will over my own, because apart from him I am not able to choose anything besides the sinful desires of my own heart.

But this morning, I think the full circle is that when I do choose my own desires, when I fall back into the “not yet”, when I sacrifice my divine freedom on the altar of my own life for a cheap song, I can still have confidence that my God calls me right by the work of my Lord, Jesus

This great confidence can never excuse sin, can never justify the choice. But the reality is that a good God ordered and created the world, and he chooses whomever he chooses… By his graceful choice to adopt me, I have confidence in his Name that the sin I run to will not ultimately destroy me - because Jesus intervened and gives me new life everyday

Reflection - Galatians 5:1

2025-09-19T06:04:58Z

Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” today is about the freedom we have in Christ. Freedom is a core concept of Christianity, and one no doubt bastardized and warped by modern progressive culture (like Ancient Greek modern, not 2010s modern).

Freedom is not the ability to do whatever I want without consequence… it’s not even the ability to do whatever I want! What a nightmarish hell the world would be if each one of us could (and especially did) act on every desire that comes into our hearts…

Isle of Dreams

It’s like the Island of Dreams in CS Lewis’ Voyage of the Dawn Treader… The seaman are all excited about their “dreams” (long lost lovers, money, etc) but the man they rescue makes it clear to them it’s not the place where daydreams come true… but dreams…. think of the scary dreams you’ve had, or you’ve heard your kids have… With that context you probably don’t want to go to the Island of Dreams

So, this childish anti-view of “freedom” should immediately be rejected by any well-reasoned adult, let alone Christian… In this view, self-restraint is the antithesis of freedom, and not that I have some well-endowed argument against that - only I’d say it feels ridiculous that these 2 ideas would be at odds. It’s simply unreasonable to me. But perhaps my conviction on that unreasonableness stems from an understanding that the freedom Jesus offers is so much better than whatever pleases my fleeting fancies.

And by that same token, freedom is not our daydreams… we were all created with purpose - humans made in the image of God. Accepting and understanding that truth absolutely ought to affect how we live. I am not a “good person” by default - I have the freedom to act “good” because Jesus saves me, and calls me to a higher standard of living than I would call myself to.

And that’s the meditation today - bourne out of the words in Galatians 5:1

Galatians 5:1

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

If I were to submit myself to my own desires, I’d end up a slave to them. I’ve felt this reality in many ways over my life, and Jesus has been good to me. He frees me from myself, he freely offers himself to me (aye, his message goes out to all the world, and the ones who are called answer). In that freedom I’m faced with a choice, the same choice as the Garden… Do what I want (eat of the tree of knowledge of good and bad) or trust what God says is good, is good, and make the choice by Jesus’ grace to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and bad, but instead of the tree of life, presently experienced as communion with the Holy Spirit and fellowship with my King Jesus.

For freedom Christ has set me free, may I walk in his freedom today.