The LORD tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
For the LORD is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.--Psalm 11:5-7
If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.[Italics mine]
read
1 Chronicles 16:23-29
I feel the need to quote this passage in its entirety, as Peterson translates it in The Message.
Sing to GOD, everyone and everything!
Get out his salvation news every day!
Publish his glory among the godless nations,
his wonders to all races and religions.
And why? Because GOD is great--well worth praising!
No god or goddess comes close in honor.
All the popular gods are stuff and nonsense,
but GOD made the cosmos!
Splendor and majesty flow out of him,
strength and joy fill his place.Shout Bravo! to GOD, families of the peoples,
in awe of the Glory, in awe of the Strength: Bravo!
Shout Bravo! to his famous Name,
lift high an offering and enter his presence!
Stand resplendent in his robes of holiness!
think
Re-reading the passage and pondering the following...
Consider the words you most relish. What phrase did you particularly enjoy saying as you read the passage dramatically?
There are two. First is the line that says that all the popular gods are stuff and nonsense. Second would be the two lines at the beginning of the "Shout Bravo!" section. Especially the one that says, "in awe of the Glory, in awe of the Strength." I like that he capitalized those two words. Yahweh embodies "Glory" and "Strength."
What would you most want the earth to know or understand about God?
First of all, that he IS. And that he is quite enjoyable. Anyone who doubts that should immediately go get a copy of Desiring God by John Piper and devour it. God is worthy of our praise and honor. He is the "holiday by the sea" to our "mudpies." He is prime rib to our hamburgers.
What would you most want the families of the earth to know or understand about God?
That he loves. He cares. More than any earthly family member is capable of. I can tell from the writings that onlygrace understands this. There are many out there without "families." Widows and orphans. God cares for them the most and expects us, as his children to care for them.
pray
Here's a fresh idea: "Begin by asking God to lead you in your prayer. Wait for him." How often do we just launch off into our wish list when we start praying? How much better to sit in silence, waiting for God to lead us in our prayer to him. "Here is what I want you to say to me!" We would never get it wrong, would we?
live
If you could shout this psalm from anywhere in the world, where would that be?
Hah! After some consideration, I think it would be Capitol Hill. Yeah. Washington D.C. The White House. Somewhere where every elected and appointed official we have, as well as every loser candidate for president that we have this year (oops...sorry...didn't mean to get "political." Ok, maybe I did...just a little.) would have to listen.
Or wait. The best place to shout this psalm from today? YOU TUBE!!
Hahaha...everyone would hear that, eh?
Well. The thing that I most want to take away from today's devotion is this:
We are far too easily pleased.
shout it from the mountaintops