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64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Some run around yelling, "Quit sinning! Start living righteously!" Often there's even a subtly cloaked "Shame on you!" in their message.
Instead, I yell, "God loves you! Get to know him!!" I think the sinning problem is better solved by getting to know our loving Savior than seeking righteousness on our own.
The way I see it, the grace of God is far more beautiful, far more praiseworthy, than my self-motivated works of righteousness. At least one NT writer also believed that the grace of God was far lovelier than anything he could accomplish himself. 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
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A meditation for today... 33:20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 33:21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 33:22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
We rush, frenetically, to and fro, accomplishing as much in this life as we can, because this is how we feel good about ourselves, how we look good in the eyes of others, how we get it done for the kingdom of God. We resolve everything, vindicate ourselves, make everything right, finish the story, achieve the goal, solve the problem,
NO. We wait… Deep breath… We wait for the Lord. *sigh* (warning: read the rest slowly)
We wait in HOPE. Hope is not a now thing. Hope looks forward. Hope is reassurance that worries and concerns are for naught, because all will be right when the time comes. God really does have everything under control, so we don’t have to.
We wait in hope for the Lord. HE IS our portion, our fulfillment. He is our ALL. Not the resolution of our problems, the healing of our pains, the accumulation and safeguarding of our wealth. Let our contentment be in HIM. We enjoy him now, and we will enjoy him even more after we’ve waited for him, anticipated him, watched for him, sought him, loved him.
He is our help and our shield. But I need help NOW, and he is too slow! No, wait in hope for the Lord. He is in the midst of my waiting. And he is truth, so therefore he is also my shield. My attackers and accusers have NOTHING on me, for my shield is impenetrable!
IN HIM our hearts rejoice! Yep, still waiting. He is invisible, and he is eternal. AND he is here. With me, with you, with each of us. My, he is so big! Yet he loves even me! I REJOICE!!
And trust, in his holy name, which is truth eternal. What safer place could there be. I feel your unfailing love, Lord. Resting on me, covering me, soothing me, seeping into every corner of my life, redeeming it all. Lord, thank you for your precious words to me today.
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I read the following in my "quiet time" yesterday, and it highlighted for me a real purpose for living: 28:1 To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. Turn a deaf ear? Remain silent? This sounds like two-way interaction, or the loss of it, to me. Apparently the psalmist clearly believed, as he wrote this, that if God turned a deaf ear toward him, if God stopped listening to him and revealing Himself to him, if God ceased to fellowship with him.....he (the writer) may as well have been dead. Therefore the writer's purpose was to fellowship with God, to communicate to Him, and with Him.
I asked myself, do I feel this way? If God turned a deaf ear to me, and became silent to me, would I feel as though I may as well be dead? Would I lose my very purpose for living?
Would you? |
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19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
19:2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
19:3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
19:4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
What do we see when we look up into the sky? Do we see the glory, the magesty, the power, the vastness, the beauty, the love (etc.) of our God, whose handiwork we are daily witnesses to? Do we pause and awe at something infinitely larger than ourselves? Or do we glance disinterestedly at the sky, promptly turning our attention back to our small personal affections? Do we completely ignore the immensity of God clearly visible above us, too intent on the little things that have stolen our attention? Are we ourselves the biggest thing we see?
1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
God is proclaiming himself, and language is no barrier when it comes to understanding the voice of the heavens and skies! God is no secret, and he doesn’t actually need us, or anyone, to open people’s eyes to him, because he has already made himself plain for all to see. (Though it is our privilege to be able to share his glorious truths, to play a part in the salvation of people!)
What, or who, we see when we look into the heavens and skies says something about the orientation of our hearts. Every person is a worshiper. We choose either to recognize God, and thus worship him, or to disregard God, and thus set ourselves up in his place.
The heavens and skies are pouring forth speech, declaring God’s glory in every language, to be seen and understood throughout all the earth! Wanna see God? Just look up!!! |
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1:9 …he is faithful and just and will forgive us…
This is no formal arrangement, no legal transaction. The legal settlement was initiated at the Cross, and consumated with our first confession of faith.
Rather, this is the promise of full restoration of an interrupted relationship. Like when a brother, sister, friend, wife, parent, child forgives, puts an offense behind them, embraces and restores the relationship to the way it was before the offense. Except when God forgives, he doesn’t just put the offense behind...
103:12 …as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
God is faithful. He does not deny forgiveness. And when he forgives, he really forgives!
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