“Give us today our daily bread.” -Matthew 6:11 (NIV)

You see a lot of bread working at a bakery. When customers come in, they’ll stare in wonder (and hunger) at the stacks of pastries, bagels, and loaves of bread behind the display window. Being in such close proximity to baked goods, I’ve become somewhat jaded when it comes to bread. I have learned quite a bit about it, however. People love and crave bread. The body is preprogrammed to desire the carbohydrates all that dough contains, which is bad if you happen to be dieting.  Bread provides physical nourishment. No one can eat only once, however, and be energized for the rest of their lives. Eating is a perpetual activity. In the same way, we need constant spiritual nourishment to function and grow within God’s will. I think this is one of the reasons Jesus includes a reference to “daily bread” in the prayer he taught to his disciples. Just like we cannot go a day without eating, we cannot function spiritually without a daily spiritual revival. In John, Jesus calls himself the bread of life. Whoever comes to him will never be hungry again. It is in this sort of daily bread—constantly connecting to the presence of Christ, his message, and the gift of his salvation— that we receive our greatest blessing.

What exactly is a scar? A scar, in the simplest of terms, is a place where healing has taken place over a deep wound, leaving a mark where the new skin has grown. These marks show up a little darker and a little different from the surrounding skin.

All of us have scars. Some scars are physical (like my soccer playing friend). Some scars are psychological or spiritual in nature. All of us have suffered wounds in one way or another. We all battle inner demons and confront our weaknesses and short-comings on a regular basis. I’ve often wondered, like Paul, why my particular thorns remain firmly imbedded in my side, seemingly immovable and constantly creating pain.

In spiritual terms, our many scars of suffering are not blemishes, but instead stand as monuments to where a great wound was inflicted and an equally great healing has occurred. If a wound isn’t closing, then something is wrong.

The healing of our wounds comes from the blood of our savior, Jesus Christ. His own gaping wounds bled as he lay nailed to a cross, a sinless sufferer for our very sinful souls. When something seems too great to bear—when those painful wounds just don’t seem to close— it is important to realize that, though we suffer, His suffering was greater. The God of the universe has felt our pain and understands it. The prophet Isaiah once wrote, “by his [Jesus’] stripes we are healed”. No wound is too hard for Him to stitch back together. He endured it all so that our lives could be monuments to His greatness.

As Christ followers, we don’t need to be ashamed of past pain. Instead, our past, purified by our Savior, can now stand as a monument to the world. Our scars are badges of honor.

In the book of 1 John, the apostle John talks a lot about light. He refers to God as light—a light so powerful that no darkness exists within His presence. The really tough part comes next, though. Since no darkness can exist within God’s presence, we cannot exist within the presence of God while allowing evil to exist in our lives. Imagine turning on a spotlight and watching the shadows disappear from its vicinity. Shadows cannot exist when the light is on them. In the same way, we cannot truly be living in God’s presence if we are willingly living in sin. We almost never like having our shady hearts exposed, but that is exactly the price and gift of being in God’s presence. We see that we are living in opposition to his will and law. We must either run away or stay and be cleansed.

We have the choice of what we do with our lives. We can live in the darkness and continue sinning, or we can step into the light. It burns away all the darkness and evil in our lives. But the end result is beautiful. We can at last commune fully with God, unsoiled by our past mistakes.

The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter five (I quote the NLT version), “once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of the light!” In darkness, everything looks the same. Only in light can reality be shown clearly. By being filled with the light of God, we suddenly stand out clearly in the darkness surrounding us. We become sort of like the nightlight I used to own. If you think I am being a little silly in my comparison, I’ll reinforce the analogy with the words of Jesus, who calls his followers (in Matthew chapter five) “lamps”. Jesus also calls us a “city on a hill” that illuminates the surrounding countryside. We are lights to the world, shining in the deep darkness of sin, confusion, and pain.

Are you willing to be a light standing in the darkness?

I shouldn’t be living in the state of Tennessee. In fact, if you had a time machine and could ask twelve year-old Zach, he would have told you I was never supposed to move down south at all. At the age of twelve, I made the decision—and let my parents know—that I would not be happily moving with them to Nashville. I liked where we lived at the time—Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. All my friends were there. I had a cool youth group there. My future plans revolved around staying in the Keystone State. God–and my parents—had a different plan, however. When my parents told me we were moving back to the state of my birth, I first threw a twelve year-old version of a hissy fit, then tried sulking. When neither of these methods worked, I began making secret plans to live with my best friend until I graduated from middle school.

Moses had an experience similar to my own—albeit a little bit more intense than a cross-country move in a mini-van. Moses was an Israelite slave child who was adopted into the royal family of Egypt (see Exodus chapters one and two to read the whole story). He was a prince of Egypt, pretty much the greatest civilization at the time. He wasn’t going to be pharaoh or anything, but he still had a pretty sweet gig. Moses most likely assumed he’d stay a prince forever, but God had a different purpose for his life.

After he reached adulthood, Moses took a tour of the Israeli slave works. Moses knew of his heritage and, seeing an Egyptian brutally beating a Hebrew slave, let his temper get the better of him. He killed the Egyptian and attempted to cover the murder up. There was a witness, however, another Hebrew slave. Moses, when confronted with his crime, chose to flee his home and run to the desert. There he eventually settled down to live as a shepherd in the wilderness.

Being a shepherd was a major step down from being a prince. Moses went from ordering servants around to steering sheep to pasture. Instead of a royal scepter, he was carrying around a wooden staff. Moses probably assumed he would die in the desert far from his homeland. He raised a family, watched sheep, and spent years wandering in the wilderness. Can you imagine the thoughts running through Moses’ mind when he remembered his life as a prince?

God had never given up on Moses, though. Moses was going to lead the Hebrew people out of bondage and show the power of God to the Egyptians in the process. God did not want a prince for his chosen people, however. He wanted a shepherd. Princes are used to commanding, demanding, and forcing their will onto their subjects. Shepherds are used to guiding, nurturing, and leading their sheep to safety. A prince would proudly take credit for his achievements. A shepherd would humbly thank God for his blessings in the wilderness. God wanted Moses to be a shepherd for the Hebrew people, and Moses became that shepherd only through the years spent exiled in the wilderness.

The desert Moses lived in was harsh and dangerous, toughening a spoiled prince into a hardened survivalist. Moses learned how to guide his charges through potentially dangerous terrain, not through shouted orders, but with his staff and presence instead. Moses’ life in the desert was what shaped him into a willing instrument for God’s plan.

Back to twelve year-old me. I did, in fact, move to Nashville (apparently all my scheming to live without my family failed…). The first few years were not good—nothing could change how much I missed my friends, church, and home back in Pennsylvania. Tennessee, though, was the place I began to explore the gifts God had given me in areas like teaching and writing. I firmly believe that the things I’ve experienced and participated in here are what shaped me into the person I am today.

We are shaped by our circumstances—both good and bad. We cannot always choose our situations, only how we will react and grow within them. Life is not usually filled with “princely” settings. Instead, most of us feel like we’re wandering in the desert looking for water and a place to rest. Yet it is often the places that feel like wildernesses that make us into the people God wants us to be.

God has a plan for our lives no matter what our circumstances. Will you choose to meet him where you are right now?

Though the internet hasn’t really been around that long, the idea of image-crafting is nothing new. We as people like to create an image of ourselves that looks good to other people. I don’t think it’s bad to want a really noteworthy Facebook profile (I would fall quickly under the “hypocrite” category if I did), but I do think it can be bad to create a fake persona just to look good.

In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about two very different people praying. One, a Pharisee, prays loudly about how great he is compared to the other guy, a sinful tax collector. The tax collector, well aware that he is a sinner, cannot even look toward heaven and prays quietly for forgiveness. Jesus ends the story by saying “I tell you that this man went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee”.

The interesting thing about the Pharisee was that he really was the “cool” guy of Jesus’ day. Most Jews would have considered Pharisees wise and holier than the average person. Tax collectors, on the other hand, were viewed as closely connected to prostitutes and other low life types on the Israeli social radar. Tax collectors were usually tied to the hated Romans and often cheated ordinary citizens.

In this parable, however, Jesus clearly defines the Pharisee as the one outside of God’s mercy. The tax collector had the right idea when he prayed humbly for God’s forgiveness.

The bottom line when it comes to our spiritual natures is that God doesn’t care how many friends we have, the number of “likes” our status updates hold, or the symmetry and artistry of our profile pictures. No outer image can fool God. In 1 Samuel 16 (Message version) God tells his prophet Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with looks and stature… God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart”.

What does your heart look like? Does your inside match what you are showing on the outside?

-John 13:3-5

You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am.  And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

-John 13:13-15

Our culture generally fails to grasp the true meaning of love. The type of love movie stars, pop divas, politicians, and—to be honest— many of us display is selfish and completely self-serving. We as a people fail to understand the sort of love Jesus displayed when He walked the earth. I personally cannot comprehend the sort of love that found the Savior of the Universe kneeling by His followers, washing their dirt-caked feet.

It is amazing that Jesus, with time rapidly moving towards His crucifixion, decided to give up precious minutes to wash His disciple’s feet.  Jesus stared death in the face and bent down to perform a service usually the duty of the lowliest servant.  After He finished, He then told his disciples to follow His example!

This command wasn’t just for the disciples, either. It is a direct command to any follower of Christ. Loving others, and in that love serving others, must have no limit, no restrictions, and no excuses attached. It is an unending blessing and responsibility that comes from the fact that Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice out of love for us.  Maybe this kind of love isn’t so hard to grasp. All we have to do is look at the life of the One who first loved us.

We have been saved from certain death. Now, as we live and walk with Christ, we have to learn to imitate his actions. We must follow the example of Jesus, who sacrificed himself to destroy the disease of our sins and came back from death to give us the gift of new life. I pray that all of us would seek the ability to love others like Jesus.

Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.

Meditation seems to be a huge part of the Psalms. In this passage, those who meditate on the Lord’s commands are “like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season”. In Biblical times, rivers were the site of unbelievable fertility and growth. Whole civilizations sprang up around rivers. So the Psalmist is saying that those who meditate on the Lord’s commands are tapping into this immense source of life.

When I follow God’s commands and allow the Spirit to fill me, I grow strong like the trees on a riverbank. I am in constant contact with the Source of Life. If I unplug from this flow by allowing distractions, fears, or sins to hold me, I become less of who God wants me to be.

The foremost goal of my life is to always be wading neck deep in the Spirit’s flow. I want the fruit in my life to be a sign of how deeply I am planted in His Word and His grace. That is my constant prayer.

¹⁵ Only simpletons believe everything they’re told!
The prudent carefully consider their steps.

¹⁶ The wise are cautious and avoid danger;
fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence.

¹⁷ Short-tempered people do foolish things,
and schemers are hated.

¹⁸ Simpletons are clothed with foolishness,
but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Stop Here and Reflect Before Reading Ahead

There is a naivety to youth that I don’t necessarily miss.  Sometimes I miss the carefree feeling of no mortgage.  Less worries.  More hair. But I certainly don’t miss that unmistakable vulnerability that characterizes early adolescence.  It’s the tendency to trust the first story that we hear . . . to listen to the first voice that speaks.  In some cases, to place ourselves in danger because we can’t recognize it.

Now, some of that trusting nature is great!  It’s idealism that keeps us young and often makes us feel invincible.  As one who spends most of his days around teenagers, I’m no stranger to the “trusting” soul.  I could not begin to recount the thousands of students who have sat in my office to lament their current situation.  On almost all accounts, there is usually another human being involved in their issue.  A boyfriend.  Girlfriend.  Classmate.  Parent.  Online friend. Whatever the issue, there is usually an influence that was exerted within the boundaries of some sort of relationship.

I stole the car because my friend told me it wasn’t illegal.  I slept with them the first night that I met them because they told me they loved me.  I snuck out of the house because my friend convinced me that my parents were being unreasonably strict.

Ah, but don’t be so quick to judge the young ones . . . adults have their own versions of being easily influenced.  I got into irreparable credit card debt because the commercial said the rate would never go up.  I lost my temper towards that lady at the office because another coworker told me what she had said about me.  I fudged on my taxes because my accountant said that the IRS would never find out.

In the end, “only simpletons believe everything they’re told!”  (vs. 15).  With the advent of the information age, knowledge rains down upon us like a blitzkrieg of digital data.  But as any college professor will attest to, only information that is credibly-received from a credible source will hold up when the grade is determined.

Therefore, this passage leads us towards being “prudent” and “wise” by being cautious and carefully considering our steps.  Caution?  Ah, now there’s an adventurous concept!  I just don’t think that they’ll ever make an Indiana Jones movie about caution . . . Indiana Jones and the Dewey Decimal System. I can see it now . . .Harrison Ford knocking reference books off of their shelves with the crack of his whip . . . just before he sits down to spend a few hours reading them just to make sure that the journey he is considering is safe.

Imagine typical villain in diabolical voice with thick German accent: “Dr. Jones, I see that your paper cut is deep!  How about this lemon juice!  Aha!”  Yeah, I just don’t think that would do well at the box office (although it couldn’t be much worse than the last Indiana Jones movie.)

No, we prefer to jump and then check the bungee cord!  We like to push send and then proofread the email.  We like to speak our minds and then think about what we just said.  But as this passage plainly states, to be “reckless” and“short-tempered” without considering the outcome only leads one into the not-so-serene landscape of Simpleton.  For that matter, some of us could probably run for mayor of Simpleton!

Just like Forrest Gump, no one wants to be called foolish . . . or “stooopid” as he would say it (insert your own poorly-executed southern accent here.) In some cases, we can’t avoid foolishness altogether.  But as a principle, we can seek Godly wisdom and counsel . . .we can slow down and prayerfully think things through before setting out on our course.  We can ask for directions before driving off of the cliff.

We can be prudent and wise . . . it may not sell many movies, but it sure beats the alternative: foolishness.  Somebody call Steven Spielberg!

Don’t we want our soldiers to be well-equipped?  Don’t we want them to understand how to fight and the correct procedures for securing peace in any situation?  These skills will require a season of testing.  They will be require training.  Basic training, to be exact.

I Timothy 4:8 (NLT) says, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”  Training, by definition, will require testing.  The process is a crucible of sorts that heats up the consistency of who we are . . . and changes our physical state.  From solid to liquid, certain things that were once stationary within us will now float to the top.  They could never be removed without the heat.  They could never surface without the testing.  Training brings liquidity, and therefore the possibility for movement, to that which is static within us.

So today, I remember my friend who is in training and I remember that I am also in my own boot camp.  Today, may I face the training that is necessary to equip me for battle.

What about you?

Note that I said “Peyton” and not “the Colts.”

Now I have to confess that I am a fan of Manning.  As an alumnus from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Peyton Manning and I go way back . . . in fact, I take personal credit for much of his success as an athlete.  The year was 1997.  It was already past sunset on a beautiful fall evening in East Tennessee and I was leaving a student government meeting at the University Center.  As I strolled down the massive, now seemingly empty main hallway that usually teems with young minds clamoring about for knowledge, I saw in the distance a silhouette of a man . . . . a tall man.

I often wonder how Peyton Manning recollects the story from his vantage point.  He would probably say, ” . . . and down the hallway, I saw the silhouette of a man . . . a short, funny-looking pudgy man.”

Anyhoo, as I approached him, a conversation ensued that changed the course of his entire career.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey,” he replied.

Yep, those two seemingly small words we exchanged that night no doubt inspired a young, struggling SEC athlete in his Senior year to go on to greatness.  Hey, they did win the SEC Championship that year.  I’m still waiting on my check as his motivational mentor.

Back to reality.  Today, I hope that Peyton doesn’t turn on his television at all.  Why?  Because all that he will hear is commentator upon commentator commentating with their many comments on how Peyton blew it and whether or not he will be remembered as the greatest of all time.  Isn’t it funny how our society can zero in on one moment to the exclusion of one’s lifetime or life’s work?

That’s why there’s a waiting period of several years before an athlete can be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Why?  Because present perception always taints the accuracy of reality.  In other words, if I only take this single moment and make it the “arrival point” of my opinions of people, the economy, athletic teams, or even the world, then I will miss the reality of bigger picture.

Let’s get a grip for a moment.  The Colts lost the Super Bowl, not Peyton Manning.  If things continue as they have, Peyton’s statistics will most likely exceed most NFL quarterbacks in the history of the league.  ”Only time will tell” is the expression we love to tout, yet we seldom give time the opportunity to speak.

So that’s Peyton, but what about you?  If we took your snapshot this morning and judged your entire life by it, how would you fare?  Are you failing?  Overweight?  Depressed?  Confused?  Or are you confident?  Successful?  Unstoppable?

Rest assured, only time will tell what the full consistency of your life will be made up of and you can bet it will be difficult to describe in one word.  If that’s the case, why do we struggle so hard to find the singular labels for ourselves?  God is intimately aware of our wins and your losses.  He has perspective on the big picture.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust myself to evaluate my own life.  I’m a neurotic freak of nature in most respects.  And I certainly don’t trust the world at large who will defame Peyton for a day over one game to throw in their two cents on my life.  When I stand before the Judge, I want nothing but who my Savior is and what He has done in my life to be the marker of my success.  Any temporary snapshots that I can produce as evidence won’t suffice.

His is the grand scheme . . . the big picture that will define my eternal reality.  Who cares what story time tells . . . only He will tell.

Hey.