Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
To perceive God in the natural world you have to seek him and you have to want to discover him. God can’t be too obvious or else we can forget free will and, like us, God generally doesn’t show up where he’s not wanted…
Psalm 16:11
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy
Follow God where he leads you and you will be filled to the brim with joy. God is glad to be with you!
Psalm 14:1
The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
The Hebrew word for “fool,” nabal, isn’t about intelligence, as much as it is moral deficiency. Here’s the thing.
God must be hidden enough that we can hide from him. If God is too obvious, then we really don’t have a choice to be in relationship. No free will. We wouldn’t be human the way god designed us.
Psalm 13:1
There has to be some distance between us and God or else we would not have free will. If you don’t want God in your life, he respects this, and generally stays away. If you want God in your life, and you really seek him, he will eventually show up.
Look for the presence of God today.
Psalm 12:5 “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
When we think about poverty, rightfully, our hearts go out especially to children. This is understandable. Yet, there is also a sub group that is in poverty and, at times, overlooked. The elderly.
In my state, California, 20% of the elderly live in poverty. And the elderly are quite susceptible to scams and purchasing services they don’t need in confusion. Thieves prey on our elders, especially in this information age. This brings added suffering for those who are in poverty already.
Lord, protect our elders from those who would malign them, as you have spoken.
Amen
Psalm 11:4-5
The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. The Lord examines the righteous…
Why is God watching those who are living in his ways? The righteous? The end of Psalm 11 gives the answer:
For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.
When you follow God’s ways, he’s with you. You will know this.
There are three paths a young Jewish man can take to become a religious professional in the first century. As far as we can tell, neither Jesus nor the 12 disciples took any of these routes.
Jesus and the 12 are laypeople.
Why does this matter?
We all get to play…
Mark 3:13-19
8:6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet…
How much God loves humanity that he trusts us care for all he owns, his creation, giving us the opportunity to develop into creatures of the highest value.
God is the owner of everything and he trusts us to be stewards of what he owns. What does this say about our responsibility?
7:6 Arise, O Lord, in anger!
Stand up against the fury of my enemies!
Wake up, my God, and bring justice!
King David is a man “after God’s own heart.” (Acts 13:22)
They are on friendship terms. This is why it doesn’t seem irreverent to say, “Wake up!”
Who hasn’t woken up a good friend? In this case, of course, God isn’t sleeping. He’s just not working on David’s schedule.
Good friends are patient, too…
When you are frustrated with a friend, what is the best approach to let the know?
