After that, we head to Mineral Wells to visit my parents.
For members of the Obama administration to do justice
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
�Micah 6:8 (NIV)
O God, You are a just and righteous God. Every human form of law looks to Your standards to establish right from wrong, good from evil, just from unjust. In You is found all authority for human law and society. Your ways are higher than our ways, and the smallest injustice is as important to You as the greatest travesty. I lift my heart in praise and honor to You today for Your perfect, flawless authority.
Mighty God, our world is filled with injustice and unfairness; many are pushed out to the margins, hurt and abused by those who misuse their authority. Laws are overlooked and lives are damaged because of these abuses. Today, I ask You to bring justice to our world, righting the wrongs that have been done to innocents. I pray that You will work through the members of President Obama�s administration to bring about a great and mighty swell of justice in our nation, bringing glory to You and to Your holy name. I ask this humbly by the authority of Jesus Christ, amen.
O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
The sum is, that hypocrites, who occupy a place in the temple of God, in vain pretend to be his people, for he acknowledges none as such but those who follow after justice and uprightness during the whole course of their life.If we really wish to be reckoned among the number of the children of God, the Holy Ghost teaches us, that we must show ourselves to be such by a holy and an upright life; for it is not enough to serve God by outward ceremonies, unless we also live uprightly, and without doing wrong to our neighbors.
The meaning of his discourse, to express it in a few words, is this, that those only have access to God who are his genuine servants, and who live a holy life.
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
2 Timothy 3:1-5,15-17
Paul starts this passage with a warning. Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead.
Now...get a load of this description, written just a few years after the death of Christ.
As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people...
How incredible is it that a passage written in 60-something AD could be so descriptive of today's Western society??
And don't be sitting there thinking, "Whew! I'm glad I'm not any of those things!" I can see myself in several places in that description. It's not pretty is it? And it's kind of timely that I'm reading this line that says, "Making a show of religion," right after reading a chapter in a book called Jim and Casper Go to Church, where a Christian and an atheist rate Saddleback Church, the Supreme Mecca of Christianity (yes, that was cynical...one of the traits listed in Paul's writing).
But wait.
Skipping ahead about 10 verses, we get some hope.
There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another--showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
"God-breathed" words. Not just a bunch of rules. Helping us to be different from society in general, as described in the first part. Can you picture God, speaking to you? Showing you truth, exposing your rebellion, correcting your mistakes, training you to live God's way?
As a "worship leader," I specifically pray that I never be guilty of making a "show of religion."
Carpe eternus vita, friends!