Psalm 54 - Picturing God

This has been an interesting week for me and this Psalm. i have not don't an entry with it because i just wasn't solid on where it was supposed to go...so each day I read the psalm and pray about it and each day I got little pieces...a picture here, but nothing complete. Then today, as I read the psalm, all the pictures came together and I realized the blog was to be about picturing God.

Do you picture God? How do you picture God?

If you are like me, when you hear a phrase, you get an image of God that goes with that phrase...for example:

¹ Come with great power, O God, and rescue me!
      Defend me with your might.

I get a picture of a warrior dressed in armor sort of like the classic pictures of the archangel Michael) ...

⁴ But God is my helper.
      The Lord keeps me alive!

I picture a healer, holding a vial of cure-all ointments (sort of like Lucy in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe)

⁷ For you have rescued me from my troubles
      and helped me to triumph over my enemies.

And I see a sage (a little Dumbledorish) who is understanding and knows things beyond what is visible.

The truth is that God is all of these things and the fact that the pictures in my head transcend gender and age is completely appropriate. God is without gender and age and different times, different passages, different circumstances, all lead us to different visions of God.

As I write this, I can't help but remember the book The Shack (if you haven't read it, I recommend it!) where the author shares three characters that are God and each share different characteristics and aspects of God.

Take a little bit of time today and think of how you picture God. If you need to, read a few passages and let them inspire your vision.

I would love to hear about your pictures of God, so feel free to share them as a comment.

Psalm 53 - Broad or Narrow Look

Did you ever take a broad look at a situation and either see that it was amazing or that it was a disaster...only to later find that it wasn't quite what you saw?



Sometimes when we look broadly at a situation we only see a small piece of what is really happening and miss the details or discount them.

² God looks down from heaven
      on the entire human race;
   he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
      if anyone seeks God.
 ³ But no, all have turned away;
      all have become corrupt.
   No one does good,
      not a single one!

You can certainly see the discouragement and complete black and white perspective. I was actually reminded yesterday in the message at church that psalms are musical poems...designed to appeal to the emotions and are therefore over-the-top...very much like a persuasive argument.

The truth is, that ALL have not turned away and become corrupt. There were still followers of God, including the psalmist, but the psalmist is trying to influence people around him to think about God and choose righteousness.

As you read this psalm, you should see it as motivation to evaluate your life...don't see it as a discouragement on life, but a motivator.

Psalm 52 - Duality

As I read this psalm, I think I was thinking about duality within us and although the psalm doesn't describe the duality of one person, i saw it that way....

So do you ever find yourself filled with thoughts that belong to your sin nature. Thoughts that don't become acts because of the Christ in you...but you think them, feel them, and sometimes wish for them...but are stopped by your sense of right and wrong.

Maybe I am the only one who experiences such a thing...I hope so, but I doubt it.

I definitely find myself wrestling with desires that the duality in me struggles with. The desire to let myself go with abandon and pursue pleasures that could become very destructive but they run up against the wall of righteousness and my desire to live a long and healthy life.

It can be a difficult thing and a real struggle.

Look at these verses from the psalm:

 ² All day long you plot destruction.
      Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;
      you’re an expert at telling lies.
 ³ You love evil more than good
      and lies more than truth.

⁸ But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.
      I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.
 ⁹ I will praise you forever, O God,
      for what you have done.
   I will trust in your good name
      in the presence of your faithful people.

In these two portions we can see both the evil plotting and  the strength of living in unity with God. While it wasn't describing just one person, I can't help but wonder. I think of David and his anger towards the people who persecuted him and his commitment not to return evil for evil, but I can only imagine that he must have been tempted. And then I remember how he got Bathsheeba. David certainly had a duality as well.

So how do you fight the duality in you? Is it a daily struggle or just an occasional battle?

Psalm 51 - The Cleaning Only God Can Do

This is a favorite psalm of mine and there is so much that can be discussed in it, but I want to focus on this verse:

⁷ Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
      wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

We are all sinners and if we examine our lives, we can see the stain of sin all over it. Stains that we can't take back or erase. You know exactly which ones they are. But look at this verse...purify me and I will be clean...wash me and i will be whiter than snow. God is capable of removing our sin and cleansing us. In fact, Jesus traded his purity for our sin on the cross.

Do you really accept that? Do you really allow God to purify and cleanse you or are you holding on to the stains of your sin?

Since we can clean it up, we often have trouble letting God do it. We are creatures of control and independence and want to do it ourselves. we don't like to rely on others including God, but the truth is that we either let God cleanse us in a way that only God can or we remain stained.

And just the knowledge of our stain can hold us back from being who we were created to be and accepting all the blessings that are available to us.

Will you let God clean you? Will you accept God's grace and mercy? Let today be the day that you are purified and become whiter than snow.

Ephesians 6 - A Full Faith

What happens if you leave off a piece of of your cold weather clothing when you go out to have a snowball fight? What if you had no gloves...or no hat...or you didn't wear snow pants?  The cold would see in and even though you are wearing the other pieces, you are unprotected.

So let's consider this is our faith...what it you don't one of the basic potions of God's truths for you? What if you believed you were not saved. Maybe you feel unworthy or like God doesn't really know you and couldn't possibly save you. Or maybe you question God's righteousness. You aren't sure that God is good and that God is doing good things on your behalf. Perhaps you don't trust what God says as truth. You feel like you can't count on God's word. Maybe you can't find peace in what God is saying and worry overtakes you or you just struggle to believe...

What happens if one of these things is true? You could be firm in the others, but what if one isn't true? You have a whole in your armor. In spite of all the other pieces, there is a place for Satan to wound you and you are vulnerable.

In this chapter, Paul talks about wearing the full armor of God.

¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Each piece is important and each fits into the others to provide a full protection. Now, the truth is we all struggle and will have places of weakness and this is why Paul follows up these verses with:

¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Prayer stands in the gaps of our weaknesses and brings God's strengths into fill those places.

So, yes, we need to build a full faith to resist evil and be strong and protected. We need to find ourselves in times of communion with God through prayer and meditation, the Word, and Christian fellowship. And yes, we need to recognize that we have our weaknesses and invite God into those places to help and build us up.

What do you need to do today to start building a full faith?

Ephesians 5 - How to Live Life

Do you ever wonder what you should do in life? Which is the right action to take? What path will be blessed by God? This chapter gives us some great wisdom. 

¹ Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. ² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Imitate God...that is a tall order. The easiest way to look at this is to consider Christ and his actions and do likewise. Even, them, we will find ourselves failing, but the goal and the bar are set. We can always look to what Jesus did,,,how he treated others, the actions he took.

Live a life filled with love...each day we have choices and if we choose love, we will be happer and healthier ourselves and see stronger relationships around us. Anger has no place is a life of joy. Righteous anger can be life-changing for a moment, but love will pave the way to true life.

 ¹⁰ Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

Be thoughtful in your choices. Rash decisions can lead down paths you don't wish to go on. Take the time and think about your words and your actions. 

¹³ But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, ¹⁴ for the light makes everything visible.

I love this concept. It always reminds me that if I don't want to share what I am thinking or about to do or what I have done, I may want to rethink it. Things do come to the light and you will do better if those things are ones you will be fine with others knowing. I always think of it this way...if I wouldn't tell my mother about it, maybe I shouldn't even do it.

¹⁶ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.

This verse always reminds me not to live in fear. It is important to seize opportunities. Don't be bogged down in  fears, or worries. Seize each blessing and door that God places on your journey.

Oh, there are plenty of others verses in the Bible that tell us how to live and plenty more in this chapter (I recommend you read the rest), but I love how this chapter is chock full of good nuggets. Maybe today is the day to pick one and memorize it and apply it to your life. See if you are living life as God intended!

Ephesians 4 - Move Towards Unconditional Love

Yesterday I visited a new local church in my quest to find a church home now that I have moved and her a sermon on whether unconditional love is real. The conclusion was yes, it is real, but we as humans suck at it.

But reading this chapter this morning, I just had to stop at verse 2.

² Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

This line has such beautiful advice and can help us to practice and become better at unconditional love. But one of the things I noticed was that the reason for being patient and gentle with one another was not because the person deserved it....not because they had earned it...not because they would return it, but because of love. Our patience and gentleness needs to be a free gift because we love.

You may be thinking, I don't love the person who needs my patience and gentleness, but again, the verse doesn't specify that it is out of love for that person, just out of love. Our love of God should be enough. We can't return all that God gives us directly, but God has commanded us to pour that love onto God's children.

Today I challenge you to give yourself a pep talk about patience and gentleness as you start your day. i am confident that the opportunity will come up where it can be applied. Choose patience and gentleness and let love conquer any negative reactions to the person. They will be better for it and so will you and just perhaps, in the glimpse of God's love that you show to that person, they will turn to repentance.