October 18 - John 16:33

Jesus said,

In this world you will have trouble. 

In me you may have peace.

John 16:33

Two contrasting words: "trouble vs. peace."

They come from two contrasting sources: "in this world" vs. "with Jesus."

And "vs." is, of course, a sporting term. It's a game, a contest, a struggle, a war.

With Jesus ending this full verse with the words, "Take heart! I have overcome the world," take a look at what Jesus can overcome for you ...

hatred LOVE

sin FORGIVENESS

doubt FAITH

despair HOPE

darkness LIGHT

sadness JOY

fear COURAGE

bondage FREEDOM

greed CHARITY

curse BLESSING

foolishness WISDOM

guilt GRACE

arrogance HUMILITY

sickness HEALTH

Pick one of those pairs today, and ask Christ to defeat the lies of the world and grant you peace.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who cut and paste today's full verse

so you'd hear Christ's main point in a new way.

Here's the full verse:

"I have told you these things,

so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world."

October 17 - Genesis 2:15

The Lord God took the man

and put him in the Garden of Eden

to work it and take care of it

Genesis 2:15

 

I'm aware of the irony of choosing a "work" passage for a Sunday -- "the day of rest."

 

It was here, on page two of the scripture -- Genesis 2 -- that Sabbath was woven into the fabric of creation ("and on the seventh day, God ... rested"). And it is here, Genesis 2 again, that God joins our work to his -- which is what Genesis 1 was about.

 

It's Sunday. How will you rest?

 

Wait ... I'm not talking about lying on the couch and watching football. I'm talking about Sabbath rest.

 

In God's economy, he envisioned us devoting six days a week to the world -- not in a worldly way, but in terms of getting things in this worldly existence done. Then he invited us to come and spend a day with him -- not with the NFL ... or shopping ... or ...

 

In our world, we don't understand work nor rest -- at least not the way God intended them. He intended our work to involve joining him in creativity. And he envisioned rest as re-creating ourselves in relationship with him. No wonder we're exhausted. Most of us are doing neither right.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who keeps trying

to not be so upside down and exhausted

October 16 - Isaiah 63:1

Who is this so splendidly robed,

marching in his great might?"

"It is I, announcing vindication,

mighty to save."

Isaiah 63:1

 

I woke up this morning, singing the song "Mighty to Save."

 

Actually, that's not quite true. Someone in my dream was singing "Mighty to Save."

 

Me? I was dreaming about super heroes. (I guess I'm still a kid at heart.) The super heroes saved a stadium full of people, and the band showed up, singing, "Mighty to Save."

 

How frequently do we look to governments, a pay check, or something-that-advertises-itself-as-super to save us? There is only One who is mighty to save. The rest are just fickle comforters and counterfeits.

 

In Christ's Love

a guy who doesn't own tights

and therefore isn't super

October 15 - 1 Corinthians 15:51-57

TODAY: LONG VERSE ... SHORT REFLECTION ...

Behold, I tell you a mystery! We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed -- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

    When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

    "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:51-57

One last C. S. Lewis quote ... and it's worth sitting with for a while ...

You don't have a soul.

You are a Soul.

You have a body.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's getting older

and I feel it in my body

(... and yet -- thank God --

My soul is more alive!)

October 14 - John 3:3

I tell you the truth,

no one can see the kingdom of God

unless he is born again.

John 3:3

 

What does being "born again" mean? C. S. Lewis might have inadvertantly described it like this ...

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.

Being born again means something like this: You and I -- naturally -- have either heads or hearts that are as rocky as a hard-boiled egg. But like the egg, we have to die to our present form in order to stretch our wings and fly.

 

Now, I just used the word "die" -- as in "die to self." Jesus is the master because he used a friendlier term -- new birth! It's not just dying and rising; it's crawling out of darkness and finally discoving light!

 

In Christ's Love

a rotten egg ...

unless I hatch

(better get cracking!)

October 13 - James 1:2

Consider it pure joy ...

James 1:2

 

When I googled yesterday's quote from C. S. Lewis, right below it was another favorite quote:

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.

Therefore, I went backward. I started with the message and tried to discover a verse that applied.

 

First, I need to ask, of course, if comfort, pleasure, and self-satisfaction have ever been your goal. Absolutely! We all are guilty of this! In life, we have to be taught to share, but no one needs to teach us to look out for number one.

 

In my experience, the lazy boy lifestyle feels good ... for a few days. But eventually purposeless boredom sinks in. I was made for more than the couch. And, ultimately, I don't want comfort, I want joy! And James has a strange recipe for purpose and peace, saying ...

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

That's the kind of truth that C. S. Lewis is inviting us to seek -- Trials can lead to joy! If you doubt that, look at the times you've grown the most in your faith and life. Has it been when you were parked in the lazy boy ... or when adversity dropped you to your knees, demanded your faith, and refined your life. 

 

James is not saying that trials are fun. Rather he invites us to look for the red thread of truth and purpose and conviction and joy in the midst of it.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wonders whether 

he needs to change brands of soap ...

is body wash considered soft soap

and does it lead to despair?

October 12 - John 16:33

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.

But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

 

Do you believe in heaven?

 

I mean, really believe in heaven? I mean, enough that you don't let the worries of today overwhelm you?

 

C. S. Lewis said, 

"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither." Do you understand that?

If our vision is on heaven and its victories, then we'll be able to face the world -- no matter what trials it may bring. But if all our focus and all our hope is one the cares of the world, then all we'll really get is hell on earth. 

 

Even those who aim squarely at hope and heaven will walk occasionally through the valley of the shadow of death. That's life. However, those who's home is in heaven ...

+    will fear a whole lot less evil.

+    They'll begin to grasp that God's rod and staff can comfort them.

+    Even in the presence of hurts and turmoils and enemies, they'll begin to discover that a grand table and daily sustenance has been prepared for them.

+    They'll begin to see blessings and notice how frequently their cup is running over.

+    They'll know that goodness and mercy will follow them all the days of their lives.

+    And they will live like they KNOW that they will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who battles the world

knowing that Christ has overcome

the troubles of earth

October 11 - Psalm 139:2

You trace my journeys ...

Psalm 139:2

 

I love that image of God tracing my journey. It's like he runs a gentle finger over the lines of my life. As it says in another Psalm -- 121:8 -- the Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in. Indeed, he'll gently trace our journeys ... and he'll do it in three ways ...

 

1) He wants to know -- and surely does know -- where you're going today, what you'll be doing today, and what you hope to accomplish. In other words, God attends to our present.

 

2) He's watched over you journeys in the past. He's cheered for you, encouraged you, challenged you, and wept with you when the sins of the world and the shadow of death have intruded on your days.

 

3) He also holds the future in his hands, and is tracing your journey in advance. Our gracious Father says -- Jeremiah 29:11 -- "I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, plans to give you a future and a hope." Now, we can easily stray from those plans -- and he knows in advance if we will -- but our Lord always stands ready to write an new plan and another direction for you.

 

With all your heart, trust in the Lord and invite him to write a more glorious future for you. And then invite him to give you the strength to follow his ways instead of your own.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's found a compass along the path

and it points to our true north!

October 10 - Psalm 138:2

I bow down toward your holy temple

... for you have glorified your name

and your word above everything.

Psalm 138:2

 

Question 1: Do you bow down before God? Do you humble your heart and submit every inclination to his authority?

 

Question 2: If you do -- or want to -- what is it about God that bends your heart?

 

Answer: You could pick scores of great answers to what bends your heart and knees -- God's love, mercy, and grace, for example. But today's lesson adds two more ...

 

1) Above of all things is God's Word -- which means both the holy scriptures and God's faithfulness in keeping his promises (i.e. he gives his word).

 

2) He has "glorified his own name." Whenever you look at the vastness of the night sky, the detail in a fingerprint, the smile of a baby, and the love of the cross -- and say, "Wow!" -- God's name has been gloried!!!

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be more flexible

(Lord, help me bend toward you!)

October 9 - Psalm 136:3-4

Give thanks to the Lord ...

who only does great wonders,

for his mercy endures forever.

Psalm 136:3-4

 

In my life I do a lot of things. I watch football. I draw cartoons. I make Chex party mix. And lately I've been exercising each day. Yes, I do a lot of things, but it would be wrong and ridiculous to say that "I only do _____."

 

But I love the awesome reflection of Psalm 136: "the Lord ... only does ... great wonders!"

 

Now, this might more accurately be translated, "only the Lord is able to do great wonders," but I think this translation gets is marvelously true too!

 

Therefore, today, pause for a moment and worship the Lord who only, totally, and eternally works wonders!

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who liked Wonder Woman as a kid

but as an adult is in awe of a God who works wonders!

October 8 - Psalm 132:4-5

I will not let my eyes sleep

nor close my eyelids in slumber

until ...

Psalm 132:4-5

 

Have you ever wanted to stay awake for something significant, but your eyes seemed to close irresistably?

 

Before you know it, your head is bobbing and moments -- maybe hours -- have seemed to have passed you by.

 

In today's Psalm, David vowed not to nod off "until I find a place to build a house for the Lord" (i.e. the temple).

 

What are the kingdom things you are not willing to sleep until ...

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs another cup of coffee

so I won't sleep until another purpose is fulfilled 

October 7 - Psalm 133:1

How wonderful it is, how pleasant,

when brothers live together in harmony!

Psalm 133:1

 

Here's what I want you to do this morning ... Go to the cupboard, get out a jug of vegetable oil, pour it all over your head, and let it run down over your face and onto your clothes.

 

Sound good?

 

Actually, a head full of oil is precisely how good this Psalm says people living together in unity is: "How wonderful it is ... when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the fragrant anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe."

 

Sound good? Well, let's make it a little more pleasant ... It wasn't vegetable oil that scripture was talking about. It was a fragrant anointing oil. A little mark of oil on the forehead would have meant that the sweet smell of prayer would have followed you throughout the day. Oil running down your face and saturating your robes would have been like being completely bathed in prayer.

 

That's how good and important church unity is to God.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs a bath

October 6 - Matthew 9:28

"Do you believe that I am able to do this?" 

[The two blind men] said to him, "Yes, Lord."

Matthew 9:28

 

God is awesome, powerful ... and good. Let that last word sink in for a minute. God is good.

 

Therefore -- as Psalm 66 puts it -- "2 Sing about the glory of his name! ... 3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!" ... 9 Our lives are in [your] hands, and [you] keep our feet from stumbling. 5 Come and see what our God has done! 16 Come and listen ... and I will tell you what he did for me."

 

Yes, God is mighty and able and willing to act. But one thing limits him ...

 

Wait!!! God is NOT limited. And yet sometimes he limits himself. Sometimes he waits for us.

 

Oft times we are broken, slow, cynical, and ungrateful. Therefore, our Lord sometimes waits for us to say, "Yes, Lord." 

 

Now other times our Lord simply overwhelms us in the midst of our valleys! He can do that too! But for his believers, he sometimes wants for us to learn to trust ... to learn to ask ... to learn to watch for his provision instead of our own ability ... so sometimes he waits until we who are blind submit to his power and say, "I believe you are able."

 

And in this respect, it's our faith that opens the door. It's our faith that allows us to receive the Malachi 3:10 promise: "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!"

 

Try reading the context to that verse. Indeed, try, in new ways, to trust in his power and provision. 

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs new glasses

(somedays I see, but it's blurry.

I want to see more power and might!)

October 5 - Judges 2:10

that whole generation

was gathered to their ancestors,

and another generation grew up after them,

who did not know the Lord

or the work that he had done for Israel.

Judges 2:10

 

With God's help, Moses parted the Red Sea and led Israel toward the Promised Land. With God's help, Moses' successor, Joshua, "parted" the Jordan River and led Israel into the Promised Land. But when a generation grew up after them, how was it that they didn't know?

 

The church is always one generation from extinction. Therefore, it is the churches primary job to nurture the faith of children. And one way we do that is by nurturing the faith of adults. Kids copy what they see at home, and a vibrant, authentic faith tends to rub off.

 

No matter if you have kids or what age they are, what are you doing right now to pass on the faith to the next generation?

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who has 200 kids

(either Mary Louise has been busy

or I care about everyone of the kids in church!)

October 4 - Isaiah 45:23

I have sworn by my own name,

and I will never go back on my word:

Every knee will bow to me,

and every tongue will confess

allegiance to my name."

Isaiah 45:23

 

When we borrow money, we have to put up collateral. Sometimes a person's house can serve as collateral -- meaning, if you run away with the car that you borrowed the money to purchase, the bank can come and take away your house. Ouch.

 

Other times it's simply a person's good name that serves as their collateral. You are essentially saying, "by my good name I promise to repay this debt." And if your name is good enough -- and your credit score high enough -- they'll lend you money based just on your own good name.

 

In Isaiah 45, God says, "20 What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols and pray to gods that cannot save! ... 23 By my [own good] name ... I have sworn [that] ... 22 all the world [can] look to me for salvation." 

 

Some of the world takes God at his word through the collateral of his own good name. Others don't. They choose wooden idols and false priorities.

 

That sounds pitiful ... until we admit that we do this too. What false priorities -- big or probably small -- do you trust in rather than bowing your knee to God and taking him at his name?

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's relied in his own good name

rather than on God's good name

from time to time

October 3 - Galatians 2:20

I live my life in this earthly body

by trusting in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

 

Earth means messy. While earth is often filled with beauty and wonder, it is also filled with anger, darkness, hatred, wars, grief, greed, pain, and death. 

 

So, says Paul, how do I manage to live my life on this embattled earth? His answer is simple ... and profound: We live by trusting God.

 

If we don't trust in God, we have to battle and solve all the pain and grief on our own. If we do trust in God, we have not only the armor of light but love, joy, peace, patience, self-control and all the rest of the fruits the Spirit pours into us.

 

The problems is that trust is rarely like a light switch -- 100% on or 100% off. It's a dimmer switch. Sometimes I trust more. Sometimes I trust less. Sometimes I battle the hurts of the past and have trouble trusting anyone. 

 

My temptation as a response -- and I've tried this with a few people -- is "You need to 'just do it.'" Paul is a little more practical. He shows us a proof that may help us trust God more fully. In fact, his final words in this verse are a restatement of the John 3:16 blessing -- He "love[s us] and gave himself for [us]."

 

In Christ's Love,

a dim bulb

(when I'm on my own)

October 2 - Galatians 2:19

For through the law I died to the law

so that I might live for God.

Galatians 2:19

 

What if someone said to you in anger, "You're dead to me!", what would they mean? They'd be saying that they're not going to have anything to do with you anymore.

 

That's what Paul is saying about the law! "Law and legalism and legalistic pride, you're dead to me!!!"

 

It's not that he's giving up and is going to be an unrighteous and unholy jerk; it's that his futile attempts at perfection aren't going to define his faith and his character.

 

Let's try another translation -- New Living -- that says this a little more clearly. Paul says,

When I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law[making futile attempts at perfection the center of my life] so that I might live for God [making him the center of my life].

Paul goes on to say ...

I have been crucified with Christ. [In other words, after confessing my sin and my inability to be perfect, I have nailed my heart, soul, strength, and mind to the cross. I have died to myself and my ability to be perfect.] [Therefore,] I myself no longer live, [rather] Christ lives in me. 

In Christ's Love,

call me Jesus

(not because I'm perfect or presumptuous

but because Christ lives in me)

October 1 - 1 Corinthians 1:21-22

It is God who

makes both us and you

stand firm in Christ

and has anointed us

by putting his seal on us and

giving us his Spirit in our hearts

as a first installment.

1 Corinthians 1:21-22

 

What makes us stand firm in Christ?

• Answer 1: God.
• Answer 2: "His Spirit [which has been poured] in our hearts."
• Answer 3: And "his seal" which is an indication of ownership or a guarantee of security.

Did you notice those answers? "God ... God ... and His Spirit."

 

Most of us are do-it-yourselfers. We try to pray on our own ... and understand the Bible on our own ... and stand firm on our own in the face of life's trials. And we forget that it's God who sows faith and helps us stand.

 

Yesterday we tried to remember that we can do all things who strengthens us. Today, tell God where you are weak and let him be your strength.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be

in good standing

September 30 - Philippians 4:12

... I have learned the secret ...

Philippians 4:12

 

Would you like to know the secret of life? That's what Paul is talking about today.

 

If we read a little more of this verse, he gives us a little more context for contentment, joy, and the secret of life. He says, "I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty ... of being well fed and going hungry."

 

Circumstances! Good and bad. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. Apparently the secret Paul's learned transcends circumstances. So what is it?

 

It's a relationship with the author of life!

 

Paul says -- next verse -- "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

 

That's why Jesus kept telling us, "blessed are the poor ... the meek ... the merciful ... and the ones who persevere." Why? Because theirs is kingdom, hope, love, and joy.

 

In Christ's Love,

one whoooo

can doooo

all throoo

Christ whoooo

strengthens this yahoooo

September 29 - 1 Samuel 12:24

yBut be sure to fear the Lord

and serve him faithfully with all your heart;

consider what great things he has done for you.

1 Samuel 12:24

How do we honor and serve the Lord -- the first half of this verse? By following the second half of this verse!

I have created a new discipline for myself in the past year. I have a prayer journal. It's pretty simple. I pray for a few big general things each day -- including church finances and personal, congregational, and national revival. Then I pray for a few specific things -- like members in hospitals, kids in trouble, marriages in crisis, and friends out of work.

And the more I pray in this intentional way, the more the word "thank you" starts popping up on the page! I can cross off answers to pray. I can "consider what great things [God] has done for [us]."

And that helps me fear, honor, and serve him even more energetically. When we take the time to look -- and rehearse daily his blessings (and for me it's been helpful to do it in written form) -- it gets easier and easier to see that God is an active, loving, powerful God!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who will pray

for each of you

as I send this out today!

September 28 - Judges 1:6

Adoni-bezek fled;

but they pursued him,

and caught him, and

cut off his thumbs and big toes.

Judges 1:6

 

In my daily reading I came across this unsettling verse -- unsettling enough that I was tempted to switch to an alternative ... Galatians 6:7, for example: "Remember ... you will always reap what you sow!"

 

My guess, however, is that most of us don't like that verse much better. We want to reap better than we sow. We want blessings without costs or discipline.

 

You would expect the toe-less king, Adoni-bezek, to be angry in his response. Instead, he was reflective and chastened. "7 Adoni-bezek said, 'Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has paid me back.'"

 

I tend to think than "reaping what we sow" is usually more logic and Biblical wisdom than divine judgment and retribution. But today think for a minute about what you'd rather not reap and be repaid in your life ... and resolve to sew a little more faith, hope, and love.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's lucky he still has his tongue

(how many of us haven't wounded with our words?)

September 27 - 1 Samuel 2:2

There is no one holy like the Lord;

there is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:2

 

Lately, I've been focusing a little on St. Peter -- the rock -- and I couldn't help but think about how he occasionally sank like a rock. So when 1 Samuel 2:2 talked about God being a rock, the first words that slipped into my mind were sinking and seas.

 

And then I payed closer attention -- "there is no Rock like our God."

 

I sink. He is the foundation at the base of the seas. He is Gibralter -- not only the bedrock that keeps me from sinking, but the promontory that towers from the sea. He is God ... and "there is no one besides you."

 

How many things besides God do I try to stand on and rely upon?

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's a sinker at worst

and a bobber at best

(but who's been thankfully invited

to stand on the Rock!)

September 26 - Proverbs 19:2

Desire without knowledge is not good,

and one who moves too hurriedly

misses the way.

Proverbs 19:2

 

Instant gratification. I'm increasingly believing that it is one of the greatest curses of our current age.

 

Not only do we want things, but we want them right now. And we don't stop to count the cost. Teens naturally enjoy friendships and fun more than school work ... then are surprised when career doors are closed to them. Companies want immediate profits and lay off the wise but costly experienced workers ... then are surprised when bankruptcy follows.

 

The Scriptures tell us that desire without counting the cost in every knowledgeable way is foolish. Indeed, moving too hurriedly -- without considering the long-term ramifications -- will lead us astray.

 

In what ways are you addicted to instant gratification?

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs less candy

(instant gratification)

and more fruits and vegetables

Spetember 25 - Proverbs 14:17

One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly,

and the schemer is hated.

Proverbs 14:17

 

Surely you know what a bell curve is, right? Using this bell shaped graph, pretend we're measuring we're measuring intelligence. In the large center are most people with a few brilliant and less than brilliant people at either extreme. 

 

In our reading for today, scripture tells us about two unfavorable extremes. At the one end are the plotters and schemers. Scripture labels them as despised. At the other end are the people who fail to plot and plan. They are impulsive. Quick tempered. They are resented for an entirely different reason.

 

The question is ... how would you describe the middle?! Rather than quick-tempered, we might define someone as joyful, satisfied, easy-going, and content. And rather than planning, plotting, and scheming, we might say that the joyful, satisfied person does not have an agenda and is not manipulative.

 

Now, in our world today, what percent of people -- would you say -- are satisfied and content rather than impulsive or driving? 

 

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that the bell curve is flattening ... if not flipping. Too many of us are upside down, exhausted, pressing, and uncontent. Peace is discovering the joy of the Lord and rising above the pressures of the world.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to ring the bell

of joy and contentment

September 24 - Psalm 64:10

The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord

and trust in Him,

and all the upright in heart shall glory. 

Psalm 64:10

 

Who shall rejoice? The righteous. Why?

 

It's normal and natural for all of us to desire God's blessings. So why don't we see more? Often it's because our lives aren't aligned with God's plans and purposes. Even a few degrees off of center makes a greater and greater difference as the miles of life add up.

 

Righteousness -- and right living -- aligns our lives with God. Righteousness is more than just honorable acts and upstanding ethics. It's proper prayer, deeper devotion, wonderful worship, and passionate praise.

 

If you want even more rejoicing and joy, start asking God where you're a degree or two off. And settle even more fully into his grace.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's odometer

keeps reading more miles

and needs to save the engine

by heading in the right direction

September 23 - Genesis 39:6-7

Joseph was handsome and good-looking.

And after a time his master's wife cast

her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me."

Genesis 39:6-7

I learned a new word this morning from an old devotional. "Perfidious" means "guilty, treacherous, faithless, or deceitful."

With that in mind, I'm very intrigued by the phrase "Lie with me." In English (and in this context), "lie" has two perfidious (treachous) meanings. In the more literal sense, a perfidious wife wants to lie down with someone other than her husband. But I'm more interested in the less literal sense ...

Potipher's wife wants Joseph to "lie with [her]." Yes, she wants to physically entangle him in her adultery (perfidity), but she also wants to entangle him in her lies and deceitfulness and treachery.

Adultery, obviously, entangles not just one person in a web of lies. But the question is: Who are you entangling in other kinds of lies and perfidity? And whose treachery are you tangled up in?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who used to use conditioner on his hair

(I didn't even want my hair to be tangled

... but God made sure I didn't have to worry

anymore about tangled hair.