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Psalm 7 Day 7
You have done this to yourself. What goes around comes around. You made your bed, now lie in it. Those phrases are no doubt familiar to us all. We know that when we mess up, we have to be ready to reap the consequences of our ill-conceived actions.
Being a Christian does not exempt us from doing the wrong thing sometimes. We all have fallen short in our attempt at being righteous (Romans 3:22-24). Even though we have been justified (absolved) of our wrongdoing through Jesus death, that does not mean we no longer have to suffer the consequences of the misstep.
It is just like when our children misbehave. When we catch them being naughty, they may genuinely be sorry for what they did, but we still discipline them. It will help them remember not to do the same thing again the next time if they suffer through a day without their beloved video game than if we had just let it go once they became remorseful. So it is in our lives with God. He still disciplines his children just as we do with our own.
Most likely the discipline comes in the form of natural consequences. For instance if we are rude to people who serve us, the people behind the counter are not likely to go out of their way to accommodate us. The consequence can even be further reaching in that the next time we find ourselves in a position to serve, we may be faced with rude patrons. It is that negative reinforcement that keeps us from being rude the next time we are tempted to be short with someone in service.
This is just a small example of how all of our lives are intertwined. It gives a representation of how what we do affects others and in turn affects us. That is why it behooves us all to live by the Golden Rule. It just makes good sense.
Psalm 8 Day 8
Sometimes I am questioned about my zeal with environmental issues. My husband wonders why we need to pay 3.00 for a dozen eggs from cruelty free grain fed chickens when the conventional ones are less than half that. I am asked why it is important to buy credits in wind energy when the electricity we now use is working well enough.
My answers are simple - I need to be a good guardian of the earth, its plants and animals because God has given me this responsibility. It is my belief that God gave humans authority over the earth because he expected us to be smart enough to take care of it, not so that we could simply do with it whatever we wanted.
Our lives have grown so convenient and every one of those conveniences takes its toll on our environment. Pollution in every area has become staggering. Even in these lean economic times we are still a throw away society. Gone are the days when our grandparents mended a pair of socks so they could be wore again. How many of us would do that? So much easier just to buy a new pair, they are just a couple of dollars a pair after all. If, however, we actually look at the true cost of a pair of socks, from the environmental impact of cotton farming to the sweat shop labor to the over packaging of the final product, we might think twice about simply tossing a pair.
This is what it means to be a good steward of what we were so freely given by our creator - to take care of the land and animals that are in our charge. In order to do this we have to be thoughtful about our purchases and lifestyle. We have to think bigger than just ourselves because what we do impacts more than just ourselves. The world is our oyster, so let's not trample them to death just because we are hungry for more.
Psalm 9 Day 9
This was a difficult Psalm today. When I read these passages, I always try to find something to take away with me - something I can relate to. This Psalm, however seemed to be very personal to David. It was obviously written at a time when his enemies were circling about him like vultures. He spent a great deal of time in this position, so it stands to reason that a number of his Psalms would deal with this situation. It makes it hard for me to read these scriptures and really relate to them because I undoubtedly will never encounter the same type of suffering that befell David. I can learn from it though.
Through all of David's tumultuous life, he relied on God to save him from his enemies. Sometimes David's enemies where from the outside and sometimes from within his own tortured soul, but regardless of its origin, he leaned on God to help him deal with his suffering. It makes me wonder, though, did he deserve to suffer because of his disobedience to God? Was he being punished?
In the world their will always be those who have a lot and those who have little. Does this fact mean that those who have little have somehow brought disfavor onto themselves? In 21st Century America a lot of people feel that this is the case. The poor are scorned as lazy, deep beats and moochers. I have heard it said so many times - Everyone should just be responsible for oneself, get a job and be a contributing member of society, if they are unable to, then they just made bad choices, therefore deserve to languish in their poverty.
This thought process just doesn't square with scripture to me, however. In this passage the poor are mentioned twice (verses 9 and 18). In those verses it says that God listens to them and that they should never lose hope. Giving to the poor is mentioned several times in the New Testament also. Jesus told his followers to give freely to the poor, never expecting repayment (Luke 14:12-14). It is then, he continues, that they will receive blessings.
So, how does giving to the poor tie in with this Psalm where David is seeking refuge from his descending enemies? I think it illustrates that no matter what our problems are, that just like David, we as believers can call on our God for redemptive power. Often we will find the power manifests itself in the form of helping others. When we are at our lowest and we help someone who is really down on their luck, it lifts our spirits and causes us to understand the true power of God resides in all of us, in the form of love and charity.
© KDV
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Day 6 150 Day Challenge
Psalm 6
In this Psalm, David's pain in almost palpable to me. He seems to be in deep distress. How often I have been in that same place - a place where regret for my actions weighed so heavy on my heart that it was difficult to breath much less get past it.
What a joy to know that God is always there to show me mercy. If it weren't for his mercy and grace I would have died of guilt a long, long time ago. I have felt that deep ache in my bones that David describes and it is only through my Father that I am able to move on and forgive myself as He has forgiven me.
Thankfully I have a God who holds nothing against me. The love of God keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:4-6). This is the kind of love we are supposed to model in our own lives. It is truly hard to do sometimes, but try we must. How can we expect mercy and grace to be extended to us if we are not willing to extend it to others?
I know that there are things that I have done in my life that some would think are unforgivable, but in my God's eyes no one is beyond redemption. So, I have to feel the same way about other people. Perhaps they have caused me such grievous pain that I feel it is just beyond forgiving them for. I have to remember that God has already forgiven me for things that in the worlds eyes are unforgivable, so I have to look at my neighbor through the eyes of God and forgive them too.
There will always be times when I fail, but I am grateful for a God who picks me up, dusts me off and sets me back on my path. This is what I am also called to do for others. I have to see that others will make mistakes, but that doesn't mean they are evil people, but yet fallible, just like me. When I take the time to notice the humanity in everyone, it is much easier to forgive my 'enemies' as God forgives me.
In this Psalm, David's pain in almost palpable to me. He seems to be in deep distress. How often I have been in that same place - a place where regret for my actions weighed so heavy on my heart that it was difficult to breath much less get past it.
What a joy to know that God is always there to show me mercy. If it weren't for his mercy and grace I would have died of guilt a long, long time ago. I have felt that deep ache in my bones that David describes and it is only through my Father that I am able to move on and forgive myself as He has forgiven me.
Thankfully I have a God who holds nothing against me. The love of God keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:4-6). This is the kind of love we are supposed to model in our own lives. It is truly hard to do sometimes, but try we must. How can we expect mercy and grace to be extended to us if we are not willing to extend it to others?
I know that there are things that I have done in my life that some would think are unforgivable, but in my God's eyes no one is beyond redemption. So, I have to feel the same way about other people. Perhaps they have caused me such grievous pain that I feel it is just beyond forgiving them for. I have to remember that God has already forgiven me for things that in the worlds eyes are unforgivable, so I have to look at my neighbor through the eyes of God and forgive them too.
There will always be times when I fail, but I am grateful for a God who picks me up, dusts me off and sets me back on my path. This is what I am also called to do for others. I have to see that others will make mistakes, but that doesn't mean they are evil people, but yet fallible, just like me. When I take the time to notice the humanity in everyone, it is much easier to forgive my 'enemies' as God forgives me.
Friday, June 19, 2009
150 Day Cahllenge - Day 5
Psalm 5
Do you ever get that feeling that the walls are closing in on you? Like the flames are licking up on your heels no matter how hard you try to run from them? That is the feeling I get from the author of this Psalm. He goes to bed feeling heavy and wakes up feeling heavy instead of refreshed, yet he is hopeful that the Lord will listen to his groans and painful prayers.
This got me to thinking about hope. There is an old hymn that, in part says 'My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness'. As Christians we do build our hope on nothing less than Jesus blood and his righteousness. Nothing less will fill the void that can be filled with Jesus.
Without hope what do we really have? Fear, anxiety, worry - none of those emotions will produce a positive outcome. Who among us has added even a minute to our lives by worrying? (Matthew 6:27) No truer words have ever been spoken. It is impossible to solve a problem by worrying it to death.
Hope does not disappoint. Let me repeat that. Hope. Does. Not. Disappoint. That is so important for us to remember because we can get so caught up in our suffering that we forget that it is through the suffering that we are gifted with perseverance and it is via that character producing perseverance that our hope springs. (Romans 5:1-5)
Although it seems that at times we are being attacked from all sides, we should not see that as an oppression. We should count it a joy that we are able to be strengthened by our pain.
I don't know about you, but at times, I wish that I could be a little less refined and feel the fire licking at my heals a little less often. But suffer, I must. I have to fix my eyes on God though, because surely God has great plans for those whose suffering is great. The enemy doesn't bother tormenting those who pose no threat.
So, If we find ourselves in these situations where the walls are closing in, we should remind ourselves that 'to those whom much is given, much is expected'. (JFK) If we trust God and place our hope in Him, he will show us where to go from here.
Do you ever get that feeling that the walls are closing in on you? Like the flames are licking up on your heels no matter how hard you try to run from them? That is the feeling I get from the author of this Psalm. He goes to bed feeling heavy and wakes up feeling heavy instead of refreshed, yet he is hopeful that the Lord will listen to his groans and painful prayers.
This got me to thinking about hope. There is an old hymn that, in part says 'My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness'. As Christians we do build our hope on nothing less than Jesus blood and his righteousness. Nothing less will fill the void that can be filled with Jesus.
Without hope what do we really have? Fear, anxiety, worry - none of those emotions will produce a positive outcome. Who among us has added even a minute to our lives by worrying? (Matthew 6:27) No truer words have ever been spoken. It is impossible to solve a problem by worrying it to death.
Hope does not disappoint. Let me repeat that. Hope. Does. Not. Disappoint. That is so important for us to remember because we can get so caught up in our suffering that we forget that it is through the suffering that we are gifted with perseverance and it is via that character producing perseverance that our hope springs. (Romans 5:1-5)
Although it seems that at times we are being attacked from all sides, we should not see that as an oppression. We should count it a joy that we are able to be strengthened by our pain.
I don't know about you, but at times, I wish that I could be a little less refined and feel the fire licking at my heals a little less often. But suffer, I must. I have to fix my eyes on God though, because surely God has great plans for those whose suffering is great. The enemy doesn't bother tormenting those who pose no threat.
So, If we find ourselves in these situations where the walls are closing in, we should remind ourselves that 'to those whom much is given, much is expected'. (JFK) If we trust God and place our hope in Him, he will show us where to go from here.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
150 Day Cahllenge - Day 4
Psalm 4
How often do we get angry when other people put us down? I know it is an anger trigger for me. I read somewhere (I wish I remembered where) that anger is really just a mask for other emotions like fear, hurt, anxiety, embarrassment, etc. This does makes sense to me, especially when it comes to other people slandering our name and character. It hurts. That hurt then turns to anger as we want to get back at the one who hurt us.
As Christians we are called to love our enemies instead of giving way to anger and retaliating. This is not an easy task. It is yet another thing that I am unable to do on my own. I have to call on the strength of my God in order that I do not fall into sin and reach back and hurt someone else as they have hurt me. Do I succeed in withholding my wrath 100% of the time? Not even close, but I press on.
We are also called as followers of Christ to present ourselves as living sacrifices to our God. Daily we have to renew this sacrifice so that we can remember who we are living for. This helps me when I encounter someone who says a hurtful word against me. I remind myself that I represent God in all that I do and say, so if I react unkindly to that person, I am not exemplifying God.
It helps me to bear in mind that those who say mean things to me are often only doing it because of their own pain. They have been hurt by others and have not yet learned how to deal with their distress, so they pass their hurt on to me. It is up to me to stop the cycle and turn it around.
This is something that we can all learn - how to turn suffering into blessing. Instead of reacting in a negative way to the hurtful words, we have to see the wounded soul from which the comment came. This helps us to get beyond ourselves and minister to the other person. Often a kind word or two is all it takes to disarm someone. Then they see that we are not really the enemy they thought we were to begin with.
The trick is to remember to do this in the midst of a stressful situation. That is often times easier said than done. This is where we come back to committing ourselves daily (or hourly) as living sacrifices to our Lord. When we do that, then we aren't drawing from our own strength and understanding, but yet from God's strength and understanding. It is the only way that I can react positively to a negative.
© KDV 2009
How often do we get angry when other people put us down? I know it is an anger trigger for me. I read somewhere (I wish I remembered where) that anger is really just a mask for other emotions like fear, hurt, anxiety, embarrassment, etc. This does makes sense to me, especially when it comes to other people slandering our name and character. It hurts. That hurt then turns to anger as we want to get back at the one who hurt us.
As Christians we are called to love our enemies instead of giving way to anger and retaliating. This is not an easy task. It is yet another thing that I am unable to do on my own. I have to call on the strength of my God in order that I do not fall into sin and reach back and hurt someone else as they have hurt me. Do I succeed in withholding my wrath 100% of the time? Not even close, but I press on.
We are also called as followers of Christ to present ourselves as living sacrifices to our God. Daily we have to renew this sacrifice so that we can remember who we are living for. This helps me when I encounter someone who says a hurtful word against me. I remind myself that I represent God in all that I do and say, so if I react unkindly to that person, I am not exemplifying God.
It helps me to bear in mind that those who say mean things to me are often only doing it because of their own pain. They have been hurt by others and have not yet learned how to deal with their distress, so they pass their hurt on to me. It is up to me to stop the cycle and turn it around.
This is something that we can all learn - how to turn suffering into blessing. Instead of reacting in a negative way to the hurtful words, we have to see the wounded soul from which the comment came. This helps us to get beyond ourselves and minister to the other person. Often a kind word or two is all it takes to disarm someone. Then they see that we are not really the enemy they thought we were to begin with.
The trick is to remember to do this in the midst of a stressful situation. That is often times easier said than done. This is where we come back to committing ourselves daily (or hourly) as living sacrifices to our Lord. When we do that, then we aren't drawing from our own strength and understanding, but yet from God's strength and understanding. It is the only way that I can react positively to a negative.
© KDV 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Day 3 - 150 Day Challenge
Psalm 3
In this particular Psalm, David is fleeing from physical enemies and is trusting God to rescue him. It occurred to me while I was reading the passage, that it is from more than physical enemies that God can save us if we trust him to.
There are so many things that are considered to be enemies in our lives, things that seem to be closing in on us and are ready to destroy not only our faith, but also our very lives. One such enemy is grief. It can bog us down so much that we become lost in it, so overwhelming it can be.
Recently I had a friend who lost her husband to sudden and unexpected death. Then this past weekend an acquaintance lost a son in a tragic accident. I cannot imagine how these people are able to cope. How do they even function? It seems to me that even putting one foot in front of the other would be a daunting task. Going on with normal life would feel like a useless and futile mission. I am amazed at the strength that they have to go on.
I have never experienced such a loss in my life and I pray I will not, but if I do, I will have to find a way to cope. For me this would mean reliance on my faith. It would mean drawing deeply from a well that to me, as a Christian is bottomless. No matter how deep the pain and suffering, the well of strength is even deeper. The mercy and grace of my God is more powerful than the grief and sadness. It is hard to imagine that, but I have to believe that it is true.
I believe that God's mercy would allow me to go to sleep and night and wake up the next day - just to go on when all seems hopeless. Because as long as I have faith, there is no hopelessness.
I wanted to add a song to this journal but I can't find a video of it on You-tube. If you follow this link it will take you to John Waller's website, where you can hear the song Faith is Living it is number 3 on the music player there. While you are there take a listen to all the songs. You will surely be blessed by them.
In this particular Psalm, David is fleeing from physical enemies and is trusting God to rescue him. It occurred to me while I was reading the passage, that it is from more than physical enemies that God can save us if we trust him to.
There are so many things that are considered to be enemies in our lives, things that seem to be closing in on us and are ready to destroy not only our faith, but also our very lives. One such enemy is grief. It can bog us down so much that we become lost in it, so overwhelming it can be.
Recently I had a friend who lost her husband to sudden and unexpected death. Then this past weekend an acquaintance lost a son in a tragic accident. I cannot imagine how these people are able to cope. How do they even function? It seems to me that even putting one foot in front of the other would be a daunting task. Going on with normal life would feel like a useless and futile mission. I am amazed at the strength that they have to go on.
I have never experienced such a loss in my life and I pray I will not, but if I do, I will have to find a way to cope. For me this would mean reliance on my faith. It would mean drawing deeply from a well that to me, as a Christian is bottomless. No matter how deep the pain and suffering, the well of strength is even deeper. The mercy and grace of my God is more powerful than the grief and sadness. It is hard to imagine that, but I have to believe that it is true.
I believe that God's mercy would allow me to go to sleep and night and wake up the next day - just to go on when all seems hopeless. Because as long as I have faith, there is no hopelessness.
I wanted to add a song to this journal but I can't find a video of it on You-tube. If you follow this link it will take you to John Waller's website, where you can hear the song Faith is Living it is number 3 on the music player there. While you are there take a listen to all the songs. You will surely be blessed by them.
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