Psalm 53

Psalm 53
 The Message (MSG)

  1-2 Bilious and bloated, they gas, “God is gone.” It’s poison gas— they foul themselves, they poison Rivers and skies; thistles are their cash crop. God sticks his head out of heaven. He looks around. He’s looking for someone not stupid— one man, even, God-expectant, just one God-ready woman.
  3 He comes up empty. A string of zeros. Useless, unshepherded Sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd. The ninety and nine follow the one.
  4 Don’t they know anything, all these impostors? Don’t they know they can’t get away with this, Treating people like a fast-food meal over which they’re too busy to pray? 5 Night is coming for them, and nightmare— a nightmare they’ll never wake up from. God will make hash of these squatters, send them packing for good.
  6 Is there anyone around to save Israel? God turns life around. Turned-around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter.

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  When will we learn?
  We cannot save ourselves.  We don't proclaim with our words that there is no God, but we often act like it.  We live like we aren't accountable.  We build bigger barns, save like we'll live forever, focus on ourselves and ignore the presence and teachings of Jesus.
  When I read the Gospels, I get a picture of a life that looks different.  This life values property differently.  It values people differently.  It has different expectations and different goals.  It holds onto things lightly, recognizing their (and our) transient nature.  A Gospel-centered life is hard to describe or capture in a paragraph, but it's different.
  So the question I find myself asking is this:  Am I struggling to live differently?  Or am I just settling in and ignoring the places in the Gospel that challenge me?
  Fools say in their heart that there is no God.  It is just as foolish to proclaim Christ's Lordship with our lives and deny it by our lifestyle.
  May we be wise and live our discipleship daily.

May you hear the Spirit's call today