Seeking the Life in Christ: September 2022

Friday, September 30, 2022

We Have Met The Enemy And He Is Us

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 30, 2022

We Have Met The Enemy And He Is Us

The godly will rejoice in the Lord

and find shelter in him.

And those who do what is right

will praise him.

Psalm 64:10

Psalm 64 is a personal lament David wrote in response to verbal abuse and deceitful people. The psalm is helpful to us as we seek the life in Christ because it models the appropriate response to conflict and persecution. David took his complaint to God. He is not seeking to vindicate himself, rather he asked God to vindicate him. The psalm also affirms that God is the only righteous judge.

There is a danger in too quickly identifying with David and seeing ourselves as victims. Perhaps, if we pause long enough to examine ourselves, we may see ourselves as the abusers. As I read Psalm 64, I thought of Jesus’ command from the Sermon on the Mount,

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” (Matthew 7:1-3).

Of all of Jesus’ commands to his followers, this may well be the one that is least obeyed. Listen to the conversations in the public square, in your churches and communities, and you will hear people pronouncing judgment on others. Listen to your own self-talk, and you probably will hear your self-judgment. As Christians we do great harm to the Body of Christ and to the Kingdom of God when we indulge ourselves in the judgment of others and in harsh judgement of ourselves.

It is so sad that Pogo keeps getting it so right, especially within the Body of Christ: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

My Takeaway: Even so, let’s not despair. Let’s remember who we are, and we remember the great promises of God:

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life. The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Your Unfailing Love

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 29, 2022

Your Unfailing Love

Your unfailing love is better than life itself;

how I praise you!

Psalm 63:3

David’s beautiful prose in Psalm 63 has been incorporated into popular praise and worship songs. It can be enjoyable singing phrases such as, “Your unfailing love is better than life,” but is that a reasonable expectation for our lives, or just the hyperbole of the poet? Did David really, “lie awake thinking of (God), meditating on (God) through the night?” (v.6a). While there is no way we can know whether David was prone to exaggeration in his prose, we do know that in the generations that have followed, countless souls have written of similar experiences with God. The writings of St. Paul, Brother Lawrence, Madame Guyon, Teresa of Avila, John Wesley, Gene Edwards, Brennan Manning, Billy Graham and Mother Teresa are just a few of the followers of Christ who will affirm with certainty that God’s “unfailing love is better than life” (v.3a). Even so, is this a relationship with God that all His children can know? Yes.

There are no shortcuts for spiritual growth. The Life in Christ we seek is experienced only after we have come to the place in our lives when nothing, absolutely nothing, but the love of God in Christ Jesus satisfies the longings of our soul. The only way we can come to that place is to first experience that our efforts in the flesh to satisfy our longings for love, acceptance and worth do not bear lasting fruit. The Apostle Paul contrasts the flesh life with the life in Christ as the difference between night and day, as between death and life: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Corrie ten Boom said, “You’ll never know Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have.” Getting to the place where we are broken, clinging to nothing but Christ, is the work of our sovereign God, and God alone. Most often, it is the circumstances of life we label as bad, such as King David being pursued through the desert by King Saul’s army, that God can use most effectively to bring us to a place of brokenness.

My Takeaway: It is in brokenness that we learn the greatest truth:

“Your unfailing love is better than life itself;” “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (Psalm 51:17).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Waiting Quietly Before God

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 28, 2022

Waiting Quietly Before God

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in him.

Psalm 62:5

How do you respond when faced with a challenge, crisis, or uncertainty? I mentioned a few days ago that adverse circumstances are accompanied by a crisis of belief, and what we do next reveals what we believe about God. What would a faithful response to a crisis look like?

Psalm 62: 5-7 encourages us to,

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will not be shaken.

My victory and honor come from God alone.

He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.”

This encouragement is not an invitation to do nothing. Rather, it is a call to fully gather ourselves before we do anything. This point is made by an addition to the opening statement in verse 1, ““I wait quietly before God.” In verse seven, the psalmist clarifies this statement: “Let all that I am wait quietly. . .” Recall Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God!”

In the quietness of waiting before God, we can consider both the adverse circumstances we are facing, and the assurances and promises of God. We can take time to remember that we are a child of God; this is our core identity. We can pray for wisdom and carefully consider whether our planned response to our circumstances evidences our life in Christ.

Our mortal life is influenced and led by fear, deceit, temptation to sin and condemnation, or guilt. However, while our mortal life, or flesh life as the Apostle Paul calls it, tries to lead us away from God, God continually speaks to our spirit, “Do not be afraid.” God has promised that he will never lie to us. God is not the tempter. In Christ, there is no condemnation. Patient waiting before God allows us to consider whether we are being led by the flesh, or by the Spirit of God.

My Takeaway: Quietly waiting before God does not preclude singing. May I suggest an opening hymn?

Open my eyes that I may see

Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;

Place in my hands the wonderful key

That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready, my God, Thy will to see;

Open my eyes, illumine me,

Spirit Divine!

Open My Eyes, That I May See

Clara H. Scott, 1895

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

The Rock That Is Higher Than I

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 27, 2022

The Rock That Is Higher Than I

From the end of the earth I call to you,

when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

that is higher than I;

Psalm 61:2

The acronym, LAW, is my shorthand reminder for the trilogy of needs that is common to all people: Love, Acceptance, and Worth. The core value in our journey to make the Life in Christ our Way of Life is our belief that God’s love for us in Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of all three of these needs.

When I Googled “Meaning of Life” this morning I got over sixty million references in response. I searched ‘The Meaning of Life” on Amazon and found over one hundred twenty thousand references. Even so, I don’t think most people are proactively spending a lot of time pondering the meaning of their lives. However, I believe subconsciously, it is our quest for self-worth, and a sense that our life matters that shapes our efforts to fulfill our needs for love and acceptance.

We all would do well to elevate our quest for meaning to front and center, so we can keep our quest on the right track. For the psalmist, the right track was, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2b). The psalmist knew that the true meaning of life would be found in something greater than himself. However, living for something greater than ourselves can take many forms, such as, living to build something that will outlast our mortal lives. While such pursuits can be noble and valuable, the psalmist set his sights higher. He was convinced that the true meaning of life was to be found living in the presence of God: “Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings” (Psalm 61:4). I invite you to set aside time to ponder the question: How do I define the meaning of my life?

I like the prose of verse 2b, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” That phrase resonates within me because it brings to mind a praise song that incorporates this verse (Lead Me to the Rock, Kent Henry, My Refuge).

My Takeaway: For me, seeking the rock that is higher than I is best expressed in this prayer:

O Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth;

I worship you. With all angels and saints I adore you.

I acknowledge you to be my Creator and my God.

I render to you the reverence of my being and my life.

I am not my own. I am yours.

By creation and redemption I am yours.

I will devote myself to your service this day and forever.

O Lord, grant grace for this I pray

in the name of my Savior, Christ Jesus.

Amen

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Monday, September 26, 2022

A Crisis Of Belief

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 26, 2022

A Crisis Of Belief

But you have raised a banner for those who fear you—

a rallying point in the face of attack. Selah

Psalm 60:4

Much of the history of Israel can be characterized as a journey through peaks and valleys. Moses was on the peak when he met God on the mountain and received the Ten Commandments. He then returned to the valley and found the people engaged in pagan rituals. Jesus had similar experiences in his life. He went from encountering God in his baptism to being led by the Holy Spirit into the Wilderness. He went from celebrating the joy of a wedding with his friends in Cana to being rejected by his home-town friends in Nazareth. Such is the ebb and flow of life.

Sometimes our journey through valleys can be life altering. Henry Blackby, in his book, Experiencing God, says our journey through the valleys of life are always accompanied by a crisis of belief because, for the Christian, what you do next reveals what you truly believe about God. In Psalm 60, Israel is in the valley and the psalmist is having a crisis of belief. In the midst of his crisis, the psalmist turns to God. Verses 11-12 reveal his belief that his future is securely in God’s hands:

“Oh, please help us against our enemies,

for all human help is useless.

With God’s help we will do mighty things,

for he will trample down our foes.”

In John 16, Jesus said the Holy Spirit will “guide you into all truth,” and “He will tell you about the future.” The Holy Spirit guides and teaches through scripture. The more scripture we read and study, the more resources the Holy Spirit has for teaching, leading and guiding us into God’s plans for us.

My Takeaway: As we prepare for life’s inevitable crises of belief, let’s remember God’s plans are “for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, September 23, 2022

Each Morning I Will Sing

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 23, 2022

Each Morning I Will Sing

But as for me, I will sing about your power.

Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.

For you have been my refuge,

a place of safety when I am in distress.

Psalm 59:16

I grew up in a very safe and secure environment. My father served in the US Air Force, and all the way through high school I lived on or near Air Force bases. The reality of a hostile world burst upon our Norman Rockwell life with the onset of the Cuban Missile Crisis and was followed one year later by the assassination of President Kennedy. The Gulf of Tonkin incident in Viet Nam occurred the summer I graduated from high school, and thus began the rapid expansion of US military forces in Southeast Asia. The violence between nations led to violence and rebellion within nations, including the assassination of several national leaders in the US. While the message and language of Psalm 59 may seem dated and part of another era, it could have well been written in our country, even last week.

Because Psalm 59 is applicable to so many people, figuratively, if not literally, it serves as a reminder that the child of God always has better options. We do not have to cower in fear. We do not have to return violence for violence, insult for insult, and hate for hate. We can sing with the psalmist, “Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress” (Psalm 59:16b).

Psalm 59 is also a reminder that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Although the purpose of evil is to steal and kill and destroy, Jesus has overcome the forces of evil (John 10:10, 16:33).

My Takeaway: Therefore, Jesus said, “Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

may your name be kept holy.

May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need,

and forgive us our sins,

as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

And don’t let us yield to temptation,

but rescue us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:9-13 (Emphasis Added)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Not a Nickel’s Worth of Difference

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 22, 2022

Not a Nickel’s Worth of Difference

These wicked people are born sinners;

even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.

Psalm 58:3

For the followers of Christ who are seeking to live in grace, Psalm 58 presents a bit of a challenge. Although it was by grace that Israel was chosen to be God’s people, and it was by grace that David was selected by God to be King, the people of ancient Israel pretty much lived by reward and punishment: “Then at last everyone will say, “There truly is a reward for those who live for God” (Psalm 58: 11a)

However, we need to remember that there is not a nickel’s worth of difference between us and the born sinners, snakes, and snails of Psalm 58, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). However, Jesus took upon himself all the sin described in Psalm 58: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners” (Romans 5:6).

As Christ followers, Psalm 58 can help us remember that we always need to hold onto the grace that saved us. When we do yield to the temptations of sin, we can rush to God, remembering, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9).

Psalm 58 is also a call to remember that there will be a final judgment; “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (1 Corinthians 5:10).

My Takeaway: How many people do we know who are not living in the saving grace of Jesus? Perhaps today is a good day to renew, or begin, our prayers for them. Let’s ask God to show us how we can be a positive influence in their life and let God use us as His prevenient grace to draw them to His unfailing love.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Unbroken

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 21, 2022

Unbroken

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!

I look to you for protection.

I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings

until the danger passes by.

Psalm 57:1

The setting for Psalm 57 is David seeking refuge in a cave while being pursued by King Saul’s army. Part of David was cowering in the corner of the cave, in fear of certain death. Part of David was seeking shelter in the arms of God. The closing lines of the psalm affirm David was vindicated in his trust of God: “I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth” (57:9-11).

As we seek to make the life in Christ our way of life, how can we apply Psalm 57 to our journey? Was David’s praise of God the result of his favored status? Yes. However, we too have the same favored status: “you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory” (Romans 8:15b-17a).

Few of us will ever be pursued by a hostile army. True, but we all are threatened by crime, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters, as well as interpersonal challenges that are at times just as terrifying. Paul does not ignore this truth; “But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering” (Romans 8:17b). Nevertheless, “overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us” (Romans 8:37b).

When I read Psalm 57, I remember the compelling story of Louis Zamperini, as told by Laura Hillenbrand in her best-selling book, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Adrift in the Pacific Ocean after his airplane crashed, Louis cried out to God much like David’s plea, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection” (Psalm 57:1). Louis’ prayer also included his promise, which was similar to David’s; “I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations” (Psalm 57:1a, 9).

After he was captured, Louis suffered extreme brutality for several years as a POW. He was rescued when the war ended, a few days before his captors had scheduled his execution as a means to hide their atrocities. God did not abandon Louis, and until he died in 2014, at the age of 97, Louis was still singing God’s praises among the nations.

My Takeaway: Choose this day to let David’s story, and Louis’ story, inspire you to always look to God for protection; to always hide beneath the shadow of God’s wings, and to always sing His praises.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Your Tears in His Bottle

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 20, 2022

Your Tears in His Bottle

You keep track of all my sorrows.

You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

You have recorded each one in your book.

Psalm 56:8

God. Say this out loud:

“God!”

What thoughts or images come to your mind?

One statement that helps me articulate the multifaceted nature of God is in the United Methodist Church’s Modern Affirmation: “We believe in God the Father, infinite in wisdom, power and love, whose mercy is over all His works, and whose will is ever directed to His children's good” (The United Methodist Hymnal, Nr. 885). I believe the personal lament in Psalm 56 affirms all the attributes of God contained in this affirmation. The psalmist is trusting in the wisdom and power of God to be sufficient to help him. He is also affirming the very personal relationship he has with his God of mercy, power and love, and he is resting in the sure knowledge that he is God’s child.

What thoughts or images came to your mind as you said out loud, “God”? If your thoughts of God were not of your Abba Father and His unfailing personal love for you, then spend some time meditating on these verses from Psalm 56:

You keep track of all my sorrows.

You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

You have recorded each one in your book.

This I know: God is on my side!

For you have rescued me from death;

you have kept my feet from slipping.

So now I can walk in your presence, O God,

in your life-giving light.

Psalm 56: 8, 9b, 13

My Takeaway: This I know: God is on my side!

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Monday, September 19, 2022

Healing For Damaged Emotions

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 19, 2022

Healing For Damaged Emotions

Give your burdens to the Lord,

and he will take care of you.

He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

Psalm 55:22

In Psalm 55, King David was distressed because of the betrayal of a trusted friend. The fallout from the deceit within the inner courts of the King had spread throughout Jerusalem. This personal lament of David challenges us because the norms of our Western culture teach us to conceal our deepest thoughts and emotions. If our national leaders chose to bear their souls with such a lament, their fall from power would be spectacular. Even so, we can learn much from David.

In counseling sessions, the therapist helps their client dig deeply into the recesses of their memories and process buried emotions. The process can be painful, especially if the memories have been long-repressed. However, there is healing for damaged emotions when the memories are opened to the light of God’s unconditional and redeeming love.

When Jesus said that “unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3), he may have been thinking of King David. David models complete honesty with himself as he takes his lament to God. David confesses his strong feelings of both fight and flight in response to the betrayal of his friend, and he also bears his deep emotional hurt to God.

My Takeaway: Perhaps one of the best lessons we can take from David’s psalms is to own our need to explore our deepest emotions. Take a leap of faith, heed David’s affirmation, and trust God with your fears, hates and anxieties; “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you” (Psalm 55:22a).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, September 16, 2022

You Are Not Alone

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 16, 2022

You Are Not Alone

Come with great power, O God, and rescue me!

Defend me with your might.

Listen to my prayer, O God.

Pay attention to my plea.

Psalm 54:1-2

The Apostle Paul describes King David as “a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22, 1 Samuel 13:14). I believe that description is a reference to David’s personal relationship with God. From his youth, in the life of solitude of a shepherd, David lived with the belief that God was greater than any crisis he faced. David’s faith led him to live with an expectation that during a crisis God would act, and he would experience the presence of God. This faith guided David in the shepherd’s fields, the time he faced Goliath, as well as when he was being pursued by King Saul.

Psalm 54 models how, when faced with a crisis, David responded by calling out to God for help. His prayer included an affirmation of his faith and a commitment of faithfulness to, and worship of his God. Whatever crisis we may be facing, we are not alone. God wants us to expect Him to come to our assistance. God wants us to experience His presence, even in the valley of the shadow of death.

My Takeaway: We can respond to a crisis in our life with a prayer of faith and with a commitment to worship. Then we can rest in the assurance of God’s love for us and sing with the psalmist,

I will praise your name, O Lord,

for it is good.

For you have rescued me from my troubles

and helped me to triumph over my enemies.

Psalm 54:6b-7

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Thursday, September 15, 2022

That Was Then; This Is Now

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 15, 2022

That Was Then; This Is Now

Only fools say in their hearts,

“There is no God.”

Psalm 53:1

NOTE: Except for verse 5, Psalms 14 and 53 are almost identical. You may want to re-read my meditation on Psalm 14: July 21, 2022, It Is Well With My Soul. It is available on this blog.

The opening line to Psalms 14 & 53 is widely known: “Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”

That was then; this is now. Today, I think it is more common to hear, “Only fools say in their hearts, “There is a God.”

We do live in a world where the followers of Jesus, the people seeking new life in Christ, are increasingly marginalized. Even so, as fully devoted followers of Jesus we are interested in the “Applause of Heaven” (Max Lucado’s book on the beatitudes), not the applause of the world’s culture.

In Psalm 53, a new verse 5 replaces verses 5-6 in Psalm 14. Psalm 53 responds to a different condition at a different time in the life of Israel. The use of military language suggests an enemy of Israel was defeated in their attack against the people of God. Psalm 53 reminds me of the story of King Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel recorded in 2 Chronicles 20 which I often reference.

My Takeaway: I believe the story in 2 Chronicles 20 also inspired Psalm 46. The opening verse of this psalm is often included in my prayers:

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1 (NRSV)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

I Am Like An Olive Tree

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 14, 2022

I Am Like An Olive Tree

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.

I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.

Psalm 52:8

Jesus said the greatest commandment of God is to love God with all that you have: your whole mind, your undivided heart, your entire body, and your complete soul. Because that commandment seems well past our capacity to fulfill, there is a tendency to not take it seriously, to write it off as some of Jesus’ hyperbole. But God does take it seriously. God loves us unconditionally and completely, and God wants us to love Him completely. Psalm 52 describes the ‘mighty man’ living apart from God and God’s judgment aimed at showing up the man’s folly.

For the psalmist, life can be easily understood. You can suffer with your own delusions that you are at the center of your life, and the purpose of life is pleasure and self-fulfillment, or you can dwell in the House of God. One of the great dramas of life is in the lives of people who try to have both. They want to be in control of their life and chart their own course, but they also want just enough religion to be seen as righteous. That is folly because you can’t sprinkle God across your life like salt and pepper. With God, you are either all the way in, or you are not in at all. God is not satisfied when you are not dwelling in His House, and the “Hound of Heaven” (Francis Thompson) is unstoppable in His efforts to redeem you completely.

My Takeaway: We can stop running anytime and start singing with the psalmist,

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.

I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.

I will praise you forever, O God,

for what you have done.

I will trust in your good name

in the presence of your faithful people.

Psalm 52: 8-9

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, September 30, 2022

We Have Met The Enemy And He Is Us

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Your Unfailing Love

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Waiting Quietly Before God

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

The Rock That Is Higher Than I

Monday, September 26, 2022

A Crisis Of Belief

Friday, September 23, 2022

Each Morning I Will Sing

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Not a Nickel’s Worth of Difference

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Unbroken

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Your Tears in His Bottle

Monday, September 19, 2022

Healing For Damaged Emotions

Friday, September 16, 2022

You Are Not Alone

Thursday, September 15, 2022

That Was Then; This Is Now

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

I Am Like An Olive Tree

Seeking the Life in Christ

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