Psalm 119:81-88
English Standard Version (ESV)
Does it get under your skin when the wicked seem to get ahead? Does seeing the rich and corrupt live glamorous lives while trampling on others make you furious? Have I got some verses for you!
Here, the Psalmist is lamenting how his enemies are triumphing over him. It doesn't seem fair to the Psalmist any more than it seems fair to us. The Psalmist is being trampled upon and fears that the end is near, and he cries out to God for hope and salvation. In God, there is always hope.
When you reach the end of your rope, when it feels like the world is closing in, when all seems lost and the darkness is about to snuff out the light, remember that God never abandons nor forsakes us. The Savior who reigns in eternal light is the same Savior who climbed into an empty tomb and pulled death over himself like a blanket, only to cast it aside later as a show of power and might. Death has been defeated, and God has not forgotten you. In Christ, there is hope and there is life, and your enemies shall not triumph over you!!
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Monday, November 5, 2018
Psalm 119:73-80
Psalm 119:73-80
English Standard Version (ESV)
To truly understand something, we have to understand the motivations of the one who made it. If we come across a piece of art, we can interpret it in a number of different ways, but only the one who sculpted the clay or moved the brush can tell us what they were truly thinking about. Similarly, if we come across a tool, we can find ways to use it, but only the creator can tell us the intent with which it was created. We can learn a lot, but the creator tells us the full story.
So if we want to understand ourselves, truly and deeply, we go back to the Creator. We go back to the God who made us to discern God's intent for us, and only when we have Holy Spirit understanding can we understand ourselves. Scripture teaches us about the God who made us, about God's endless love for us and God's desire for us to live peaceably and in service to one another. Scripture also teaches us about how we turned from God in sin, and then it shows us how God pursues us. This teaches us that we were made to be in communion with God, and when we broke that communion, God took the first step to pursue repairing that relationship.
So knowledge of the self and how to live rightly with God gives us the ability to be at peace in the midst of our enemies, in the midst of chaos, because we know that God made us out of love, and that God pursues us when anything threatens our relationship with God. Be at peace, and know that God is stronger than your enemies.
English Standard Version (ESV)
To truly understand something, we have to understand the motivations of the one who made it. If we come across a piece of art, we can interpret it in a number of different ways, but only the one who sculpted the clay or moved the brush can tell us what they were truly thinking about. Similarly, if we come across a tool, we can find ways to use it, but only the creator can tell us the intent with which it was created. We can learn a lot, but the creator tells us the full story.
So if we want to understand ourselves, truly and deeply, we go back to the Creator. We go back to the God who made us to discern God's intent for us, and only when we have Holy Spirit understanding can we understand ourselves. Scripture teaches us about the God who made us, about God's endless love for us and God's desire for us to live peaceably and in service to one another. Scripture also teaches us about how we turned from God in sin, and then it shows us how God pursues us. This teaches us that we were made to be in communion with God, and when we broke that communion, God took the first step to pursue repairing that relationship.
So knowledge of the self and how to live rightly with God gives us the ability to be at peace in the midst of our enemies, in the midst of chaos, because we know that God made us out of love, and that God pursues us when anything threatens our relationship with God. Be at peace, and know that God is stronger than your enemies.
Friday, November 2, 2018
Psalm 119:65-72
Psalm 119:65-72
English Standard Version (ESV)
How many people out there have ever said that it was good that they were afflicted? I know I'm not raising my hand on that one -- when I feel afflicted, I just want the pain to stop, and when I look back on it, I usually just wish there was another way to learn that lesson. I understand that there are benefits of the trials of life, and that they build character and teach us things, but I'd much rather learn those things in other ways.
Then again, without the crucifixion, we don't get the resurrection. Without the knowledge of how lost we are, we don't have a full grasp of the power of God's grace.
I don't know what God is doing in your life. I'm often unsure of what God is doing in my life. In the dark nights, I wish I better understood where God was and how God was moving and what the Spirit was preparing me for. Sometimes I just stare into the darkness and wonder why I can't see any light. But I also know that God keeps all God's promises, and that one of those promises is to never leave nor forsake us, and also that God has promised to go ahead of us and to prepare a place for us. So some days, I cling to that promise with all of my heart, hoping that these promises are true for me. I believe they are true for each of us, that God walks with us in the valley of the shadow of death, and that we learn of God's grace and power and God leads us through adversity to deliver us into eternal life.
English Standard Version (ESV)
How many people out there have ever said that it was good that they were afflicted? I know I'm not raising my hand on that one -- when I feel afflicted, I just want the pain to stop, and when I look back on it, I usually just wish there was another way to learn that lesson. I understand that there are benefits of the trials of life, and that they build character and teach us things, but I'd much rather learn those things in other ways.
Then again, without the crucifixion, we don't get the resurrection. Without the knowledge of how lost we are, we don't have a full grasp of the power of God's grace.
I don't know what God is doing in your life. I'm often unsure of what God is doing in my life. In the dark nights, I wish I better understood where God was and how God was moving and what the Spirit was preparing me for. Sometimes I just stare into the darkness and wonder why I can't see any light. But I also know that God keeps all God's promises, and that one of those promises is to never leave nor forsake us, and also that God has promised to go ahead of us and to prepare a place for us. So some days, I cling to that promise with all of my heart, hoping that these promises are true for me. I believe they are true for each of us, that God walks with us in the valley of the shadow of death, and that we learn of God's grace and power and God leads us through adversity to deliver us into eternal life.
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Psalm 119:57-64
Psalm 119:57-64
English Standard Version (ESV)
Caleb has reached a phase in his life where he decides that if I do something he doesn't like, I have to pay him a million dollars. Given my current level of indebtedness to him, I'm going to have to start using his 529 money to play the Powerball and hope I can win enough to pay him. If we played by his rules, I'd be very, very poor. Fortunately, we don't play by his rules.
Everything depends on who makes the rules. Humans have set up rules that don't always favor everyone equally. Often, the rules are weighted in favor of keeping people in power who are currently in power. Or maybe those who are the richest and most powerful benefit more from rules than the poorest and most downtrodden.
Here, we are reminded that God's grace isn't given out according to human rules, but by God's rules. We receive grace according to God's promise -- this doesn't rely on us. And we know that God always keeps his promises, and that grace and mercy is promised to all who believe, regardless of our past or our present. Our futures are safe in God, because we are steadfastly loved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Caleb has reached a phase in his life where he decides that if I do something he doesn't like, I have to pay him a million dollars. Given my current level of indebtedness to him, I'm going to have to start using his 529 money to play the Powerball and hope I can win enough to pay him. If we played by his rules, I'd be very, very poor. Fortunately, we don't play by his rules.
Everything depends on who makes the rules. Humans have set up rules that don't always favor everyone equally. Often, the rules are weighted in favor of keeping people in power who are currently in power. Or maybe those who are the richest and most powerful benefit more from rules than the poorest and most downtrodden.
Here, we are reminded that God's grace isn't given out according to human rules, but by God's rules. We receive grace according to God's promise -- this doesn't rely on us. And we know that God always keeps his promises, and that grace and mercy is promised to all who believe, regardless of our past or our present. Our futures are safe in God, because we are steadfastly loved.
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