Life in HIm

S: You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John 5:39-40

O: Jesus credits the Pharisees with being diligent students of the Word, but he says they've missed the One the Scriptures teach about—Him. They go to God's Word thinking it will give them life, but they fail to see that it teaches about Jesus—the One who can give them what they're looking for.

A: How often do I study the Scriptures with suspect motives. So I can feel good about checking off my spiritual duty. Or, so I can impress others with my biblical knowledge. God's Word frustrates those approaches, and the only time it rewards me is when I go there seeking Him. I believe the Bible is God's Word. I just don;t always treat it that way. If He's truly speaking in it, then I go there to hear Him, to hear Him speak the "words of life".

P: Dear Lord, make me hungry for you in your Word. Let me read it to learn the sound of your voice and hear your heart. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear, so that I don't miss the One who gives eternal life.

Props for God

S:
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,...Psalm 92:1-2

O:
What strikes me most about this passage is that the writer sees my motivation for thankfulness and praise in God's character—His steadfast love and faithfulness. And that when I do that, it's a declaration, presumably that encourages others, and it is "good."

A:
I so often give myself wholly in praise when I feel blessed; when things are going pretty good. What's weird about that is my praise becomes a reflection of me, how I'm doing. But this passage tells me that the praise I enthusiastically offer to God should be rooted in His faithful love. That's something I can count on regardless of how bad things might look.

P:
Dear Jesus, please remind me every day of your goodness towards me. Let me see with spiritual eyes the good You're working in all things so that I can declare it in joyful praise!

It All Ends the Same for Everyone

S: Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? Psalm 49:5-6

O: The psalmist is asking questions. He’s wondering about arrogant rich people who “boast...of their riches”, and have cheated him. He is in trouble, and feels surrounded by them. He later answers the question by contemplating the fate of the rich, who, despite their wealth, cannot buy their way out of death.

A: Could there be a more applicable set of questions for these times? We can all see that much of the trouble we have today is the result of powerful people who are arrogant in their riches. It’s not the fault of those who are humbled by God’s blessings and bounty, seeking the good of others, but it can be charged to their selfish counterparts who revel in their riches, caring little for anyone but themselves. There's clearly more important issues in life than how much I have, and how "comfortable" I am.

P: Is that me, Lord? I tend to look at others who have more than me and think I need to be where they are, but I am wealthy compared to most in this world. Please keep me from the arrogance of riches, and make me a cheerful giver!

The Dust of Hope

S

(Psalm 102:14) For Your servants hold her [Zion's] stones dear and have pity on her dust.

O

Scholars usually see this psalm as having been written by one who was observing or remembering the destruction of the Temple. The stones that once easily evidenced God's beauty and goodness and glory were now broken and discarded in hideous piles, covered with the dust of disuse. But love resists abandonment. Love ("holding dear" and "pitying") creates value and purpose. And God's love makes possible the rebuilding of glory.

A

I, too, can look with despair on the damage that sin delivers, even upon the people who once magnificently displayed God's glory. I choose, instead of joining the haters and mockers, to hold dear these once-living souls. I choose to become a "living stone" that Jesus uses to build His spiritual home (1 Peter 2:5) even though I, too, was once discarded, useless dust (Matthew 27:7; Jeremiah 18:1-10; Matthew 16:13-27).

P

Dear Creator and Lord, You see order and design where I see chaos. I fear that often You find vanity in what I value, and purpose in what I find disgusting. Help me to set my heart aright so I align with the good You are doing. Help me to hold dear what You value, to pity what You pity--give me a "whosoever" heart that aches for the wholeness of others.