1-4 The God-rebel tunes in to sedition� all ears, eager to sin.
He has no regard for God,
he stands insolent before him.
He has smooth-talked himself
into believing
That his evil
will never be noticed.
Words gutter from his mouth,
dishwater dirty.
Can't remember when he
did anything decent.
Every time he goes to bed,
he fathers another evil plot.
When he's loose on the streets,
nobody's safe.
He plays with fire
and doesn't care who gets burned.
5-6 God's love is meteoric,
his loyalty astronomic,
His purpose titanic,
his verdicts oceanic.
Yet in his largeness
nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse,
slips through the cracks.
7-9 How exquisite your love, O God!
How eager we are to run under your wings,
To eat our fill at the banquet you spread
as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water.
You're a fountain of cascading light,
and you open our eyes to light.
10-12 Keep on loving your friends;
do your work in welcoming hearts.
Don't let the bullies kick me around,
the moral midgets slap me down.
Send the upstarts sprawling
flat on their faces in the mud.
I love this translation of this Psalm from The Message! Especially verses 5-9. Take a second to go back and read those again. Heh. Believe it or not, verses 5-6 are the inspiration for Third Day's song, "Your Love, O Lord," which we sing frequently at our church.
"There is contained in these verses a contrast between the ungodly and the people of God. The former deceive themselves by flattery; the latter exercise over themselves a strict control, and examine themselves with a rigid scrutiny: the former, throwing loose the reins, rush headlong into evil; the latter are restrained by the fear of God: the former cloak or disguise their offences by sophistry, and turn light into darkness; the latter willingly acknowledge their guilt, and by a candid confession are brought to repentance: the former reject all sound judgment; the latter always desire to vindicate themselves by coming to the open light of day: the former upon their bed invent various ways of doing evil; the latter are sedulously on their guard that they may not devise or stir up within themselves any sinful desire: the former indulge a deep and fixed contempt of God; the latter willingly cherish a constant displeasure at their sins."
I had to look up two words. "Sophistry" means a subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning. And "sedulous" means diligent in application or attention; persevering.
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
"Caring for Our Shepherds"
Galatians 6:5-6
5 For each will have to bear his own load.
6 One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. (ESV)
Verse 5 kind of belongs with the previous passage, and the word "load" there is not the same word that previous verses are referring to when they speak of helping carry others' burdens. This is still referring to our standing with God. And if we see ourselves rightly, we will realize that we, too, are unworthy of God's grace. It is our service to God that counts, not the way our "holiness" compares to anyone else's. That's the point of verse 5. "We must in all humility carry one another's burdens, but when it comes to ourselves, we must take responsibility for our actions." Now there's a concept that is becoming more and more foreign in our culture!
In verse 6, Paul speaks of financial support of ministers. "Certainly, pastors are not to be greedy, but most of us reading this devotional are not ordained ministers, and we should consider whether we have thought and acted as if it is our duty to keep our pastors from loving money by keeping their salaries low and our financial giving down. Too many believers assume, without biblical warrant, that our Lord requires clergymen to get by on far less than others. But Luther says the practical outworking of this sentiment can discourage men and make them unable to continue in ministry and support their families simultaneously. Humanly speaking, this robs the church of vital resources to build up the saints and therefore, the kingdom of God."
Many pastors have to be bi-vocational, and there is nothing wrong with this, as Paul, himself, continued to be a tentmaker while being a traveling minsister. But, in my experience as a music minister/worship leader over the years, the expectations and demands on these "part-time" pastors has been far beyond the compensation given them.
Let me be very clear about something here. I'm referring to pastors' salaries, not my own. I have no complaints about my compensation as a worship leader. Never have. But I also work a 40 hour a week job, as well.
Anyway...moving on...
Week 1/Tuesday
"Holiness and Grace" Hebrews 12:14
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
The word "strive" here could also be translated "pursue," hence Bridges's title of his book, The Pursuit of Holiness. This pursuit requires "sustained, vigorous effort. It allows for no indolence, no lethargy, no halfhearted commitment, and no laissez-faire attitude toward even the smallest sins." In other words, IT'S HARD!!! It should be the highest priority in our lives.
In Philippians 3:12-14, the word is translated "press on." It must be anchored, though, in the grace of God, or it will fail. Yes, it is work on our part, but without God's grace, our work is worthless. It is nothing. It is striving after the wind. "An understanding of how grace and personal, vigorous effort work together is essential for a lifelong pursuit of holiness."
I also pray about my attitudes about money and giving. Let me never be part of a contributing cause to a minister not being supported as he/she should be. I pray for the wisdom to always be supportive of my pastor. I also pray for faithfulness in lifting my pastor up to you daily, for his own strength and his own pursuit of holiness.
Finally, Lord, let me be counted in that group that seeks after you and does not devise the newest means of doing evil on my bed.
For President Obama and all members of his administration to make a regular practice of prayer, consulting with God as they move forward
Pray continually.
�I Thessalonians 5:17
Gracious and loving God, today we praise You for the kind ways You reach to us, initiating and inviting our communication with You through prayer. Thank You holy God for fatherly love that relishes our prayers and longs to answer them even before they are spoken. We praise You today for Your divine love and compassion that call us to pray. What a blessing and privilege, holy God!
Even as we thank you for the privilege of prayer, Lord, we ask that You will urge and encourage a habit of prayerfulness in President Obama and all members of his administration, that they will be compelled to draw near to You in humility and reverence. Cause them to seek Your will and Your wisdom in prayer, that they may move forward in the ways that You desire. Give President Obama great satisfaction and spiritual encouragement as he looks to You in prayer, I ask, in Jesus� name, amen.
Your love, O Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness
Stretches to the sky
Your righteousness
Is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows
Like the ocean's tideAnd I will life my voice
To worship You my King
And I will find my strength
In the shadow of Your wings--Third Day
Grace and peace, friends!