Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
Open the book to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
Tag five people.
The nearest book was What Jesus Demands From the World, by John Piper.
The fifth sentence on page 123 is "He is close enough to separate on hair from another and give each one a number."
The next three are:
"Fear not; he is close."
"He is interested; he cares."
"Be of good courage, and speak the truth whatever the cost."
I tag Requiel, Tricia, Andy, Cherrygash, and shoot...I might be tagging someone that Amy already tagged, but Silverluna.
I don't know everyone's actual name, so I used their diary names.
There you go. Now on to my normal thing.
From Psalm 42:
1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul;
how I would go with the throng, and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
Psalm 53
As I examine my heart today, I find several emotions jumbled around in there. One is confusion, as I continue to struggle with an old adversary, although I feel that it's going better. For some reason, there seems to be something cloudy in there, I can't quite pin it down. It don't think it's anger, because I can't think of anyone...wait. Not anger, but frustration at a situation at work. That's it. Then there is true love for my family. And a desire to better serve my God.
In this Psalm, God seeks someone, anyone who seeks him. He finds none. No one at all. (Again, this is why I don't believe in "seeker" churches.) In fact, what he finds is...
A string of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
Sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd.
The ninety and nine follow the one.Don't they know anything,
all these impostors?
Don't they know
they can't get away with this,
Treating people like a fast-food meal
over which they're too busy to pray?
That's the passage that draws my attention. The fact that, not only is no one actively seeking God (unless God is already drawing them), but they pretend to be "shepherds" themselves.
At the end, though, "God turns life around. Turned-around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter."
What an encouragement for my confusion! What a balm for my frustration! God is there and works on turning lives around.
Hallelujah!
Grace and peace!