What follows can be surprising.

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that..."

Now certainly, we know God's blessing can be immediate and tangible in our daily lives. We know that his blessing isn't always apparent. We know that his blessing isn't necessarily what we had in mind. We know that his blessing can overwhelm us with joy and gladness, sometimes tears. We know that his blessing is often pervasive and greater than our imagination. So often we know his blessing extends beyond our own thinking, however, in our own regular, finite thinking, we assume his blessing falls chiefly and primarily on us and goes no further. Is it healthy for a creature to be the end-all recipient of the Creator's eternal blessing? I don't think we can handle the weight of such a gracious gift.

Do we know that his blessing, his gracious act towards us and his causing his face to shine upon us is ultimately for himself? The very notion that he would involve us in his blessing is wonderful, but it doesn't come near the wonder of his self-revelation in Jesus. His blessing is that we may know the supremacy of Christ and so glorify his name! What participation he has given us in his saving purpose and eternal plan!

"... that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations." Psalm 67:1-2

Real Conversation

Will the copy say to what is real, "I have no need of you"? And yet, we think and live in copies all day long. Are we not beating the air aimlessly? Is your truth, to which you hold so dearly, tangible? Is it painful, powerful and desirable? Does it delight you?

In our own unconsciousness, copies suck dry every byte of energy within us unless they move us toward the real. Real truth does the opposite when it is rooted in our hearts. It builds up, fills up and nearly explodes with joy inexpressible.

How much real do you have in your life right now?

Besides your last words...

If you are conscious when you breathe your last breath, what will you be thinking? Who would you want to be present?

Different Day

The Hebrew understanding of the 24 hour day is very different from modern western society. It began in the evening and ended in the afternoon.

Genesis 1:5 "God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day."

Psalm 5:3 "O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch."

Lamentations 3:22-23 "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

I usually look forward to the end of the day - the evening. What if I were to hope for the end of the day - the morning, when God speaks and I'm reminded of his steadfast love and his never-ending mercies. Then, I will exult in his faithfulness.

Morning is more apt to remind me of these things than the evening.

When you breathe in...

your chest expands to make room for the air. Then, you must exhale or you'll look like a puffed up blowfish, and so is learning. So, what are you breathing and why?