Tuesday, October 13

Can we have faith that God will deliver this world from evil -- that he will uphold justice and break the wicked? In today's lectionary reading (Psalms 5, 10 and 11) King David is dealing with some unrighteous, faithless beasts in Israel, and he uses the crisis to show his faith. Psalm 10, especially, gives a clear description of the qualities of a wicked man. First, we are told the wicked man denies God's existence, although his words change in later verses to acknowledge God exists, though he believes Him to be ignorant and blind. The wicked also "boasts of the desires of his soul," and thus is a slave to the world (v. 3). Lastly, we learn of the incredible arrogance of an evil man: "He says in his heart, 'I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity" (v. 6). What is the result of this man's boasting and arrogance? "His ways prosper at all times" (v. 5). Isn't this unusual? The Lord, who is righteous and just, according to David, allows wicked people to prosper, even at the expense of God's fearful followers. This is the No. 1 reason non-believers give when asked why they have no faith: "How can a righteous and merciful God allow suffering and evil in this world?" In these Psalms, David gives us a definitive answer: "For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and evil man" (Psalm 5:4-6). Evil and wickedness are the results of a fallen earth, but David says there is still justice to be had. The Lord tolerates the wicked only for so long, then he delivers his verdict on the spiteful and arrogant evildoers. We need to look at David as a pillar of faith, who believed strongly in the Lord's righteous judgment. Even in the face of continuous evil, David got on his knees and acknowledged the Lord's ability to bring justice. We are called to develop the same level of faith.

Monday, October 12

Who is the most trustworthy man in America? A New York Times blogger put this question to his readers back in 2006, and he got some really unusual answers. Alan Greenspan got 4 votes (if he had gotten one vote, I'd believe it was a joke, but 4?!), Oprah Winfrey had 6, Bill Clinton had 4, and Warren Buffett led the way with 8. The actual winner, according to a Wikipedia survey, was Walter Cronkite, but I think one responder had the real answer when he said, "God? I mean, we did print up a whole lot of paper that says 'In God We Trust.'" But it seems we Americans put a lot of trust in politicians, or at least in the newsmen who report on the politicians. In today's reading of Psalm 146, we find that we can put our trust only in the Lord. Verses 3-4 say, "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish." The Lord, however, lives forever, and his will is sovereign. He "made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them" (v. 6). Now that sounds like someone I can trust. Mere months ago, many people were putting their hope in Barack Obama, claiming he had the answer to America's economic and diplomatic issues. Where are those people now? Many would agree Obama has not done anything catastrophic while in office - in fact, he won the Nobel Peace Prize the other day. But, according to Rasmussen Reports, Obama's approval rating has plummeted from 65% to 49% in the last nine months alone. It sure doesn't take people long to change their minds! Is there someone you idolize, or in whom you place all your hope? Maybe it's even a friend or a loved one, who claims they'll always be there for you. But it's the Lord who has a plan for your life - who created you and who knows your thoughts. In these days of idolatry and misplaced trust, make sure your salvation lies in the will of God. "The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!" (v. 10).

Monday, October 5

Whatever you do, do for the glory of God...

I love Paul's statement at the end of the Corinthian reading today. We should not be focused on what looks Christian externally. Rather, we should be focused on what we embody internally. Are we manifesting holiness in our day to day. Paul redirects our attempt at holiness. It is not so much about what we abstain from, but what we embody. Are we living holy lives based on this definition?

Lord, help me to be holy...

Thursday, October 1

Today we're focusing on II Kings 18:28-37 from the daily lectionary reading. In this passage, we continue the story of Assyria's attempt to conquer Jerusalem. Earlier in the chapter, we were told the Assyrians had captured Samaria and taken the Israelites into exile, and now they are on a march to overtake the region of Judah. In yesterday's reading, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent his troops and a delegation of spokespersons to give the people of Jerusalem a choice: surrender to us and live in peace in our land, or be conquered by us and "eat (your) own dung and drink (your) own urine" (25). The Assyrian continues his discourse to the people of Jerusalem, saying, "Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern" (31). Doesn't this sound a little too good to be true? It reminds me of the promise made by Satan to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, when they were tempted to eat the fruit: "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). And you know how that turned out. We'll learn in the next couple readings what the Israelites decide, but as objective observers we read this passage and scream to ourselves, "Don't believe him!" But let's be real; don't we deal with the same struggles in our lives? You may decide to copy a friend's homework answers because you were lazy and forgot to do the assignment yourself. "I really want to do good in this class," you say. When you sell out to get a selfish result, you sell out on your faith. That's what the Assyrian king was trying to get the Israelites to do: sell out their faith in God. Pray today that the Lord will help you recognize when you're guided more by your selfish desires than by the Holy Spirit.