Bilbo Baggins: Good morning!
Gandalf: What do you mean? Do you wish me a good morning or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it to be or not or that you feel good this morning or that it is a morning to be good on?
Bilbo Baggins: All of them at once.
This whimsical scene that opens, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, provides the context for today’s meditation for all four reasons mentioned above:
I wish you all a good morning! Thanks for reading the daily mediations that I share from my study.
It is a good morning whether I want it to be or not. Why? Because God is so good. He is good beyond our wildest dreams.
I feel incredibly good this morning. I PASSED my final PhD viva with the best anticipated outcome! I need to fix some typos this afternoon and resubmit it electronically and then send it on to the university for printing. Furthermore, the examiners urged me to have it published and to “aim high” because in the words of one of my advisors, “it has the potential to shape how all people read 1 Timothy today and in the future.” For this very favorable outcome, I give all the thanks and praise to God and the list of people I could thank from my advisors to my family and friends are too numerous to list. I must thank you for your prayers, as I felt God’s peace all throughout the rigorous and extensive examination.
It is a morning to be good on. The whole purpose of doing a PhD on riches in 1 Timothy was to understand what generosity in God’s economy is all about as a basis for training the leaders of God’s church and His people. It was quite the unexpected journey. While I don’t have all knowledge as a result, the process has changed me. I have learned a lot that will take me a lifetime to apply and share. So my exhortation to you today comes from this last quip of Gandalf: It is a morning to be good on. Each time you get the gift of another day to live, live it to the fullest! Enjoy and share God’s blessings with all you touch for His glory!
The other reason I chose this quote for today’s meditation is this (and like yesterday, I actually did not think of this until walking to my room just now):
When I crossed the pond, I watched the movie: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. As I have the soundtrack on my iPhone, upon arrival at the college, I played it continuously in my room the last three days.
The movie soundtrack by Howard Shore contains a wide variety of the most peaceful and powerful tunes. It filled my room with a sense of anticipation and adventure that depicted these last seven years. Enjoy.
So with that, Good morning from the UK! Although it’s already a good afternoon here. Cheers!