Psalm 16:1–11 (ESV) —
1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
NOTE: This is a beautiful psalm of David. Over the years, many of the verses have provided comfort and encouragement. In particular, verses 5-6: I have a portion and lot where the lines are already pre-determined. I have free will, but if I choose to follow God's will, and not my own, the result will be pleasant. I suppose the real difficulty is separating what I want in life from what God has determined is best. I don't want to fight God. I want to walk with him. What is the best way forward? First, I think it starts with daily time in the word of God. There must be communication with our Father. This once or twice a week listening to God is not a relationship and only tells us that we are more interested in following our will and not God's will. Second, there must be a giving away of the things that the world counts as ours. A healthy giving program is a must. And not ten percent -- for the poor that is a good goal, but for the rich, that is stealing from God to salve our conscious:
2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (ESV) — 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
The only time Jesus ever used the word "tithe" was when he was referring to the practice of Pharisees. Third, sacrificing my time to serve others. If life is not lived for others, then we don't understand life and the joys of life and community. We are selfish in our sin-stained body. Everything it wants to do is pretty much a recipe of what not to do. Now, that is certainly an overstatement but not as far from truth as we would like it to be.
PONDER:
- What is most important to me according to my schedule and my faithfulness? The answer to that question reveals my true heart.
- Why do I do the things that I do? What is my real motivation?
PRAYER: Father, I am far from where I want to be, but I know what I need to be doing. I thank you for the consistent time for you. I thank you for giving and how it has changed my life. I thank you that I understand the importance of serving. Thanks for the opportunity today to serve a friend. I need to do more of the latter and I ask for help to follow through on that commitment.
No comments:
Post a Comment