Psalms 66 & Romans 7

Psalm 66

Another song of rejoicing, praise, and worship, but it’s verse 18 that really stands out to me, personally:

18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;

A lot of times, when my prayers go unanswered in the immediate future, I get impatient and assume it’s because I’m too sinful and undeserving. While I am undeserving, I also know that I do not cherish sin in my heart. The Lord hears my prayers, and answers them on His own schedule, not mine.

Romans 7

The first part of this chapter is still trying to explain to the Gentiles that Jew and Gentile alike were freed from the old laws (circumcision, etc.) when Christ died for our sins by comparing it to marriage. It’s yet another reminder to me that I have been reborn, and am no longer a slave to my sins.

The next part of this chapter sounds like it’s the famous saying of Paul’s: “Why do I continue to do the things that I hate, and cannot do the things I should?” I haven’t read the next chapter, but it sounds like Paul is basically trying to relate to his audience by saying that he’s not perfect either. None of us are, and it’s important to remember that. It’s not our job to judge, sin is in our very nature. But it’s because of our love of God, He is able to help us rise above it.

Psalms 63, 64, 65, & Romans 6

Got off track what with a department shift at work and a big test at school. Hopefully a few double posts in the coming days will catch me up.

Psalm 63

More praise for God, a definite reminder of God’s majesty. I really like the imagery in this one, this is a beautiful psalm, in my opinion. It reminds me of just how much I really need God. Having gotten away from my daily reading in the last few days, the timing of reading this psalm this very moment is almost like a direct reminder to me not to get too caught up in my worldly affairs.

Psalm 64

This psalm makes me think of all the life plans I’ve made over the years before I reorganized my priorities to place God first in my life. I thought I had it figured out and that I knew what I wanted to do. But those plans always fell apart. It my current path, I’ve encountered more roadblocks, fatigue, and frustrations than any previous plan, but even still, knowing I’m walking God’s path for my life just makes it that much easier.

Psalm 65

I found a Bible commentary website somewhere on-line, can’t remember where right now, that had some a full page’s worth of writing on each and every verse. Sometimes I feel like I’m doing good just to get a paragraph out of a chapter. Clearly I have a long way to go, which makes sense. I don’t think anyone’s ever truly done learning everything God has in store for us in these pages.

This psalm is more praise of God’s majesty. It’s a reminder to me that God’s glory can be found in everything and everywhere. I’m hoping I can store this away mentally for future use on those days that life is beating me down and I let myself drift away from Him. Remembering that I’m right smack dab in the middle of His majesty must surely be a huge boost to one’s spirit.

Romans 6

I’ve mentioned in this blog before that sometimes, the voice that leads me to sin is fond of the argument “I’m going to end up sinning anyways, might as well get it over with and move on.” The opening verses in this chapter tell me that this voice is wrong!

1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

It is not inevitable that I will give in to my temptations. We focus so much on the fact that we are imperfect and that Christ died for our sins so we could have eternal life, that I, personally, forget sometimes that His death also freed me from the grasp that sin has on me. I don’t have to give in to get it over with. I should never stop fighting.

The second part of this chapter speaks about being a “slave to righteousness” in the manner that we used to submit ourselves to slavery to sin. Reminds me of a sermon I heard awhile back. The pastor made the point about how some people find such a passion for their hobbies, be it sports, or reading history, etc., that they can quote stats and dates and anecdotes without blinking an eye. He said that this is the sort of enthusiasm we should have for growing and learning about our understanding of God’s will. It’s a level of enthusiasm I strive for.

Psalms 60, 61, 62, & Romans 5

Psalm 60

The crux of this psalm, for me, are verses 11 & 12:

11 Give us aid against the enemy,
for the help of man is worthless.
12 With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.

It reminds me that when I face struggles, though my friends may give me good advice, it’s God to whom I must turn and rely on the most. That’s not to say that God won’t tell me that so-and-so could help me out, or put a friend (or complete stranger, for that matter) in a position to help me. I just need to remember that He is the one I should lean on.

Psalm 61

I rather like this psalm, it’s a very soothing prayer of praise.

Psalm 62

Yet another psalm about being assaulted by men. The abundance of these really make me think that I haven’t seen the worst of things. I pray that I never do, but am thankful that I can turn to God if and when the road gets tougher.

Romans 5

This chapter opens with a few verses that remind me to stay joyful even while suffering because it’s all part of the process that’s going to make me a better Christian. It’s definitely not easy to do though. I’ve been through some definite highs and lows in the last year, and I haven’t always maintained that level of joy. It’s easy to despair and convince myself of all manner of negative things. I need to remember that if I don’t find joy in the Lord even in my darkest hours, my witness is meaningless. I’m essentially showing people that yes, while God makes me happy in the good times, he does nothing for me in the bad. And that’s simply not true.

Psalms 57, 58, 59 & Romans 4

Psalm 57

Yet another Psalm asking God to ease troubles brought about by the world, but with a key verse that tells me a little something more than the previous psalms with a similar motif. Or at least, I didn’t catch it in the others, which just demonstrates why some themes need to be reinforced time and time again.

Psalm 57: 9

9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

It’s easy to go to Church on Sunday and tell everyone how great God is for easing my troubles. But that is, almost literally, preaching to the choir. It’s much harder to say, post on Facebook, for example, the same statement, where a very real fear of ridicule and isolation reside. I have close friends who consider themselves agnostic or atheist, would my statement provoke derision or push them away as a friend?

In the end, those are exactly the people, regardless of how they treat me for it, that God expects me to praise and sing of him in front of.

Psalm 58

I’m struggling with what to take from this psalm. Honestly, verse 10 seems at odds with what the New Testament tells me, that I should forgive my enemies.

Maybe it’s saying those who would interfere with my attempts to live and follow God’s will will be swept away, so that others will see that and know that God is real. Maybe that’s where the gladness from verse 10 is originating, from knowing that others are witnessing God’s power.

Psalm 59

I’m starting to think that there’s a psalm for every type of manner in which I could possibly be assaulted by my fellow man. This is one more of that and more praising as well. It’s also making me think that maybe my own praises are lacking. Not that they need to be more artful like the psalms, but rather maybe I’m just not saying it enough.

Now matter how much you love someone in a relationship, it doesn’t matter how heart-felt you say it, if you don’t say it enough, the object of your affections starts to doubt. Now, I know God knows my heart, but my half of this relationship with God is human, and humans rules still apply to me. Perhaps, if I don’t say it enough, I’ll start to doubt my love for Him.

Romans 4

This chapter seems to me to point how righteousness comes from faith, not works. It’s a matter of internal motivation, that we all have to make sure we’re being honest with ourselves about. Am I doing this good deed because the rules say “do good deeds” or am I doing the good deed because I love God, and am letting the Holy Spirit that resides within me take over and do the good deed?

I don’t think that I do good deeds simply because I’m supposed to. I believe I am being honest with myself, but just in case I’m not, I pray that God helps me to know where my heart truly lies, and to mold it in to the shape that He wants it.

Psalms 54, 55, 56, & Romans 3

This one's a little late, I had to spend some time thinking about the chapter from Romans. Still don't think I got everything out of it that I could.

Psalm 54

This is a short one, only seven verses long, and I’m not getting a whole lot out of it, which probably means I’m not looking hard enough. I don’t really feel attacked or slandered at the moment. To be honest, my troubles have always felt self inflicted, I’ve never really felt “attacked” by evil men in my life. Well, except for Jr. High.

Perhaps this in itself is a testament to God’s glory. Perhaps he knows better than I do how I would’ve handled it, and he’s deemed it best just to keep them away from me. Or perhaps this Psalm is gearing me up, laying the groundwork for some future struggle. In either case, it’s comforting to know that God will deliver me from those troubles.

On second thought now, earlier in life I struggled with social anxiety from time to time. I think this Psalm can be just as useful when one fears the slander of men just as it is when one is actually being attacked. I can calm those fears, knowing that God will deliver me, should they arrive.

Psalm 55

The Psalm starts as one in fear of danger, and goes deeper to speak of betrayal. Again, I can’t really say that I relate here, betrayal is something I’ve never truly experienced, and I thank God for that. While the Psalm doesn’t speak to me specifically, I do find it a solid reminder that whatever sorrows I may be contending with right now, it’s not that bad.

Psalm 56

Once more, a prayer of one in serious trouble. It’s a staunch reminder of a conclusion I came to a while back that every now and then I need reminding of: being a Christian doesn’t mean bad things will never happen to me, it means I have someone to turn to when they do. I pray that when, not if, trouble arrives, I will remember these Psalms that they might remind me of God’s protection.

Romans 3

The first part of this chapter seems to be an admonition against using circular logic to justify sin and claiming exemption for punishment for it. I don’t think I’ve ever tried to justify sin, per se, but I know my thought process has contained the phrase “I’m going to give in and sin eventually anyways, might as well get it over with” far too often for my liking.

The next part basically tells me that no one is without sin, which obviously includes myself. It seems to say that the old laws were not necessarily a set of rules to be obeyed rigidly and punished when infractions occur, but rather so that we might know sin, and identify it in ourselves.

The last part ties in to what my Sunday School class discussed today in Ephesians, that God is God of all who believe in Him. Though the passage is referring to Jewish converts and Gentiles, I think it also applies today. Methodists, Baptists, Catholics, etc., we’re all Christians. We all worship the same God.

Psalms 51, 52, 53, & Romans 2

Psalm 51

Is there anyone in the Bible who messes up more than King David? Sometimes I feel like this. Like I’m always messing up in the eyes of God. I know by society’s standards I’m a good, moral person. But that’s not enough, I know that I fall short of God’s standards.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

This verse reminds me that no matter how short I fall, and fall I will, if I am truly repentant, God will always take me back.

Psalm 52

This Psalm talks of one who “loves” evil. I remember reading recently in "Mere Christianity," by C.S. Lewis, that very few, if any, people commit evil solely for the sake of committing evil. That they usually commit acts of evil because they don’t see them as evil, or they do, but they gain some selfish benefit from the act. And I would agree with that statement. In RPG circles, we call this kind of evil for it’s own sake “stupid evil.”

But at first glance, this Psalm seems to be describing someone exactly that way.

1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 Your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor,
you who practice deceit.
3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.

And it makes me wonder if those people realyl do exist. But I remember a sermon one Sunday where the pastor made mention of the fact that the Jewish people had many words for what in English gets translated as “love.” Keeping that in mind, once I get to verse 7:

7 "Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!"

I can see that the passage is really talking about someone who betters himself at the expense of others. One who loves his deeds and accomplishments as his own instead of giving glory and honor to God. One who “loves evil” not necessarily for evil’s sake, but because of the power it gives him over his fellow man. He loves being evil because of the self-gratification it can provide.

The last verse:

9 I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Reminds me that I need to give credit for all of my accomplishments to who it truly belongs. Him.

Psalm 53

A short one, and not quite sure what else to take from it that I don’t already know. Although, again from “Mere Christianity,” C.S. Lewis talks about how good teachers know they need to repeat certain points over and over again in order to drive them home. Perhaps that’s what this is.

To me, it sounds like the Psalm is lamenting that everyone has turned their backs on God and reminding us just how powerful an ally God can be when we let Him. And I do think there are times in my life where I struggle needlessly, where if I just had the presence of mind to call on Him, I would be much better off. And I think that presence of mind comes from a strong faith.

Romans 2

The first four verses talk about a staple that we as Christians need to make particularly sure we’re consistent on: not judging others. This is one of those points that really gets hammered home, and it’s obvious why. There are a lot of Christians who like to point out the flaws in non-Christians, or even other Christians, and practically consign them to hell.

I’ve not always been perfect, but I do believe that one of my strengths is not being judgemental. I may not always approve of certain actions, but I’ve never told anyone, or even said it to myself, that someone is going to hell for what they’re doing.

But yet, the first verse still got to me, because I must admit to a certain amount of judging of people who judge others! I certainly don’t condemn them to hell, but I still think to myself that they’re being bad Christians, and that thought in and of itself feels very judgemental to me. As Christians, we certainly have a duty to our brothers and sisters in Christ to help them discover their own stumbling blocks if they can’t see them for themselves, but there is a very fine line between that and judging, and I think that quietly disapproving their actions to myself is no better than judging them. It certainly isn’t helping them, or me. And even if it’s not too hurtful, if I’m not careful, it can snowball in to full-fledged judging, so I feel it’s best to eliminate the thought altogether.

The rest of the chapter feels to me like it’s really trying to drive home the fact that it’s not enough to just know the word and the will of God. One has to love it, breathe it, desire it, want it, live it. We can have all the answers, but if we never use them, they’re useless.

As a whole, it seems to me like this chapter is basically telling me that knowing the answers and telling others how they’re getting it wrong is not the right path. Being a living, breathing, daily example of what is right is the correct path.

Psalm 49 & 50; Romans 1

Psalm 49

So this Psalm seems to be driving home a point that’s already been driven home plenty of times, at least in the sermons and Sunday School lessons I’ve been in. Simply put: he who dies with the most toys, still dies. Trying to get more out of it, it looks like the Psalm is also saying that I shouldn’t be jealous of people who are wealthy. Check.

Well, on second thought . . . so, I’ve never been jealous of what we think of as “wealthy” people. I’m fortunate in that the love of money has never really been a huge driving force for me. I recognize it’s usefulness, but I’ve never organized my life around trying to accumulate it.

That being said, I know that from time to time, I am definitely envious of my friends who make more money than me. Not in a “man, I wish I had that much money” sort of way, but rather I feel disappointed when I can’t afford to take a trip to see my friend in the military, when I can’t go on similar diving trips that a couple of my friends take from time to time. I feel like I don’t measure up as a person sometimes because I don’t have the same cash-flow to enjoy doing the same things they do. Little things like going to the movies every weekend, keeping up on the newest dvds and cds. But it goes deeper than that.

It’s no stretch to say that an individual’s paycheck can be interpreted as a measure of one’s contributions to society. While this may not hold true once you start looking at extremely high salaries, it’s easy to see that at my level of income. I make more than fast food cashier or a grocery store sacker, and teachers, police officers, computer programers, and doctors all make more than I do. So when I look at their level of income, it’s easy to think that my worth to society is lacking.

I’m not saying that my friends are boastful of their income. I’m not saying that they’re good or bad people, Christian or non-Christian. All I’m saying is that I think I need to take away from this chapter, at least this time through, is that God does not measure my worth to society by my paycheck. He knows what’s in store for me, He knows what I’m capable of doing for His children, and if I live my life by His will, my contribution to society will be great indeed.

Psalm 50

I like the way this one opens.

1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.

Beautiful imagery. I’m not really sure what to take from this one, besides the obvious stuff about God not really needing our burnt offerings, because they’re all his to begin with, and the bit about the wicked is pretty “standard” fare.

I feel like the Psalm hinges around to key verses:

14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,

and:

23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,
and he prepares the way
so that I may show him the salvation of God.

But the wording confuses me. I’m not entirely sure what it’s meant by a “thank offering” or how one would sacrifice a “thank offering.”

Verse 15 seems pretty clear, call on the Lord when I’m in trouble, and He’ll help me, which will glorify His power. I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to do with 14 and 23.

Romans 1

Wow, this is a hard one to start off with. Verses 18 - 32 are a pretty clear condemnation of certain sinful acts. I’m well aware that it’s not my place to judge, to assign anybody to God’s wrath. That’s not my job. And I’m familiar with the phrase, and believe that the Bible does support that one should “love the sinner, hate the sin.”

But it’s verse 32 that gets to me.

32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Particularly the phrase “but also approve of those who practice them.” At first, I thought this was telling me that by not speaking out against all sin in the world, that I’m in fact condoning it, and thus sinning myself.

But I think, in context, what it’s speaking about are the people who claim to know God’s will, know what’s wrong, and sin anyways with excuses as to why their behavior isn’t really sinful. I tend to interpret the Bible these days as a message to me, how I should be living, not how I should be critiquing others. And I think this is telling me that, since I am open in my declarations of faith, I need to be careful not to try and justify anything I know in my heart to be sinful.

I can think of at time or two recently that I may have justified something sinful when I could have instead leaned on the Holy Spirit to keep me strong.

And It Begins

So, here it is. Blog number one. I’ve decided to keep a blog. I must be special.

Seriously though, last night, reading the Bible before bed for the first time in too long, it occurred to me that my busy life was making it difficult to grow in the word the way I wanted to. I had viewed a profile on eHarmony earlier in the evening, written by a lady who’s knowledge and passion for living a God-filled life was evident with every single word in her profile. And as I read a chapter in Psalms to help calm my mind and get me to sleep, I realized just how frustrated I was that I didn’t have that level of conviction in my life.

I’m up at 6 in the morning, and I don’t get home until 10:15. I could tell myself that once the summer semester ends, I’ll have more time, and I’ll get back in to the Bible then. But I think that’s the very definition of procrastination (a definition I’m not terribly unfamiliar with). The back of my current Bible, a lovely and timely Christmas gift from my sister that has literally kept me on the right path, has a daily reader plan to help one read the entire Bible in one year. But there’s a lot to read everyday, more than I could possibly read between the time I get home and go to bed.

And then it occurred to me: the interwebs! Surely this same plan, or something like it could be found on-line, and sure enough, Bible Gateway to the rescue. I can (and have) subscribe(d) to receive a portion of the Bible every day on my handy Google Reader and read it during “down time” at work. Done and done!

But work is not exactly the most conducive environment for contemplating God’s word. They kind of frown on extended blocks of time spent on non-work related material, and even if one can get away with it, being a Christian calls for, in my opinion, a strong work ethic (room for improvement note: my current job is a big struggle in my life, but that’s a long story, I’m sure I’ll address it here sooner or later), and with all the “alt tabbing” to hide one’s off-taskedness, it’s hard to maintain a solid train of thought.

At any rate, this first (and soon to be legendary, I’m sure) post is starting to get rather long, so I’ll bring it to a close. I basically realized that writing down snippets of my thoughts as I read snippets at a time of my daily reading was a good way to get my Bible reading in, and still actually think about it while at least trying to maintain a good work ethic. Combine that with my passion for writing and a desire to grow through fellowship and accountability, and a blog was born.

And then I figured I didn’t have to limit it to just my daily readings, but could include my thoughts and musings on Christ as I attempt to grow and pray, every day, without ceasing.