Psalm 85
Common English Bible (CEB)
I think the Psalms so beautifully present a picture of the faithful life. The Psalms are honest about the pain and hurt in the world, about the sin that is present in our lives. There is no gain from hiding these things. We can acknowledge our sin and failings before God because we trust that God is ready to forgive.
While remembering our own sin, we can also rejoice at God's provision, giving thanks for the peace and love God has poured out, even though we don't deserve them. God's vision for the future is one of beauty, love and peace, and though we only get misty visions of them through the haze of sin and brokenness that surrounds this world, when moments of clarity strike and the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven shines through, it is a beautiful sight, one that should motivate us to lead a life that is oriented around that beautiful kingdom that will last forever, rather than trying to build our own mortal kingdoms that will one day topple.
May you invest your energy today in the eternal Kingdom of God
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Psalm 84
Psalm 84
English Standard Version (ESV)
There are a lot of things that excite me. For example, baseball season begins again in 5 short months. I love a good dessert. A nice run on a beautiful fall day is hard to beat.
I have to confess, though, that I often don't get excited about God's presence in my life. I get so wrapped up in myself that I forget to pay attention to God's nearness and his love for me. I don't think I pay attention to my soul's deepest longing for God. I'm too busy with so many other things, I forget to pay tribute to my creator and thank him for saving grace and eternal mercy and love.
When I stop to think about it, I realize how foolish I am. The problem is that I often don't stop to think about it. I just keep plowing forward.
I don't know the answer to this one. It's a tough dilemma, trying to make time to slow down in a fast-paced world. But it's worth the struggle, to let the soul's deepest longing lead us into a place of deep communion with the Almighty God.
May you find God's peace today
English Standard Version (ESV)
There are a lot of things that excite me. For example, baseball season begins again in 5 short months. I love a good dessert. A nice run on a beautiful fall day is hard to beat.
I have to confess, though, that I often don't get excited about God's presence in my life. I get so wrapped up in myself that I forget to pay attention to God's nearness and his love for me. I don't think I pay attention to my soul's deepest longing for God. I'm too busy with so many other things, I forget to pay tribute to my creator and thank him for saving grace and eternal mercy and love.
When I stop to think about it, I realize how foolish I am. The problem is that I often don't stop to think about it. I just keep plowing forward.
I don't know the answer to this one. It's a tough dilemma, trying to make time to slow down in a fast-paced world. But it's worth the struggle, to let the soul's deepest longing lead us into a place of deep communion with the Almighty God.
May you find God's peace today
Monday, September 29, 2014
Psalm 83:9-18
Psalm 83:9-18
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's tough to read passages like this. I want everything and everyone to have a happy, warm and fuzzy ending. Destruction isn't a fun thing to entertain.
But if God is pure love, that means that the hatred and enmity that oppose that love must be destroyed if we want there to be nothing but love one day. If we believe that there is no evil in heaven, then evil must vanish from the face of the earth. I believe that God wants people not to cling to that evil, so that the evil could vanish without people who cling to it, but there are people who refuse to let go of evil.
For them, Jesus says, we should pray. Even for those who seek to do us evil. It is no easy thing, but true love is not easy. It asks much of us, but promises to give much more in return.
May you know pure love today
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's tough to read passages like this. I want everything and everyone to have a happy, warm and fuzzy ending. Destruction isn't a fun thing to entertain.
But if God is pure love, that means that the hatred and enmity that oppose that love must be destroyed if we want there to be nothing but love one day. If we believe that there is no evil in heaven, then evil must vanish from the face of the earth. I believe that God wants people not to cling to that evil, so that the evil could vanish without people who cling to it, but there are people who refuse to let go of evil.
For them, Jesus says, we should pray. Even for those who seek to do us evil. It is no easy thing, but true love is not easy. It asks much of us, but promises to give much more in return.
May you know pure love today
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Psalm 83:1-8
Psalm 83:1-8
English Standard Version (ESV)
The things opposing you in the world?
They are not in your imagination. I believe the forces that are tearing at humanity, the evil that is present in the world, is not just some imaginary power. I believe it is real, and it has agency in the world.
That said, let us not make too much of it. The Devil opposes us, but the Devil shall not win. May we not doubt this truth even for a moment. God wins. He is victorious and shall reign forever. The Devil has his day, but it will not last.
May we invest our lives with the triumphant side
English Standard Version (ESV)
The things opposing you in the world?
They are not in your imagination. I believe the forces that are tearing at humanity, the evil that is present in the world, is not just some imaginary power. I believe it is real, and it has agency in the world.
That said, let us not make too much of it. The Devil opposes us, but the Devil shall not win. May we not doubt this truth even for a moment. God wins. He is victorious and shall reign forever. The Devil has his day, but it will not last.
May we invest our lives with the triumphant side
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