As an American I find the ongoing interest in royalty annoying. I mean, we threw off the shackles of King George two hundred plus years ago. Why draw more water from that tainted well? But I suppose the side-show aspect of wealthy blue-bloods spatting in the press is hard to ignore. Today’s kings and queens form one more cul-de-sac in the world of celebrity culture.

Often referred to as nobles, no one seem to regard these figureheads as excessively wise or brave. In contrast, the prophet Isaiah spoke of the noble: He who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands.

What is noble? I think of a knight in shining armor, rescuing a damsel in distress. Or a lion—the king of the beasts. Or perhaps Aragorn (the true king) in Lord of the Rings. But Isaiah doesn’t speak of those born to power and wealth. Instead he refers to the virtuous, decent, honest and generous souls among us.

A thousand years later the apostle Paul brought a clue to nobility when he instructed the church members in Corinth to leave behind malice and evil, and instead pursue sincerity and truth.

What is noble? Doing justly, loving mercy, and pursuing sincerity and truth. I don’t need a suit of armor to love my neighbor (although it may help at times), but I do need the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures to live a noble life.

Nobility is found all around us. It looks like kind souls taking care of the sick, loving their neighbors, and praying for the needs of others. Royalty is flashy, nobility is not. While I will never rise to the status of a king, I can live a life among the noble.

Isaiah 32:8 & 1 Corinthians 5:8

Photo by Tom Parsons

Today is Labor Day in the United States, a day to celebrate working men and women, a federal holiday since 1894. This holiday also marks the unofficial end of summer, always bittersweet for those of us to hate to see it go. But summer or fall, winter or spring, we labor away in the places God called us.

The Apostle Paul wrote quite a bit about working hard. He mentioned these trades in a discussion of how workers deserved their wages: the soldier, the vintner (grower of grapes), the shepherd, the plowman, and the thresher. Paul even referenced a line from Moses—You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain.

Paul argued that even apostles, missionaries and ministers of the gospel deserve to reap a living from the field in which they work. Traveling and working ceaselessly for the kingdom of God, Paul rarely asked for funds, but he still depended on the good graces of those to whom he ministered. He even worked as a tentmaker at times, truly a bi-vocational missions worker. Why? Because Paul wanted to become all things to all people so that by all means he might save some.

We labor in a similar way, working for a living as well as sharing the good news of the kingdom of God. Our day jobs fade, but our labor in the Lord lasts long after we’ve retired from the field.

1 Corinthians 9

Photo by Museums Victoria

Are you an early riser, one who loves the first glimmer of light and greets the day with enthusiasm? Or do you enjoy the stillness of late nights, seeing the sun come up only because you never went to bed? The early bird starts the day with a hearty Good morning, Lord! While the night owl, annoyed at eagerness before caffeine, grumbles Good Lord, it’s morning.

I consider myself a mid-morning person. I tend to rise early, and do my best work before noon. I slog away late into the evening sometimes, but that’s not my preference. My wife is definitely a morning person (even in college she went to bed before 10:30).

I often feel that the morning people among us have co-opted this verse as their own: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Heard early enough and loud enough, I tend to rebel. But with coffee and reflection, I realize the psalmist meant this truth for all of us.

Today’s day, indeed this very morning as I type and deal with clogged sinuses from seasonal allergies, comes to me as a gift from God. I may never get another. I live an imperfect life in a fallen world, surrounded by challenges. But opportunities and blessings encircle me as well. This verse reminds me to start my day with gratitude, thankful for the Lord’s good hand in my life.

Whether my prime time starts at sun up or sun down, it’s good for me to pause and thank the Lord for another day, regardless of what may come with it.

Psalm 118:24

Photo by Jonas Weckschmied

Occasionally a provocation uttered by an Old Testament prophet proves too good not to discuss. Like how Isaiah taunted the king of Babylon:

Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers.

A mattress of maggots with a blanket of worms. So much for the glory of Babylon. Isaiah reminded powerful rulers of the Lord’s disdain for pride and arrogance. Sheol represents the grave, and forms the final resting place of vanity and hubris. It’s quite the picture, the trappings of court rotting away in the dirt. Such is the final result of all who seek glory at the expense of the Lord.

How do I apply this teaching to my life? To start, I ask the Holy Spirit to point out areas of pride (or vainglory to use an older term) that move me away from God. Where do I place myself above others? In what areas might I need a dose of humility? Then I reflect on the end result of life. I too will end up in the grave, with the worms who consume both my mortal flesh and my self-centered ways. No one remembers the king of Babylon anymore, nor will they long remember me and you. We all disappear.

The Lord, however, never forgets. My soul, if placed under his care and in the hand of his instruction, will find a better home than a moldering bed of worms.

Isaiah 14:11

Photo by Morten Jakob Pedersen