Tag: God’s Law

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Truth

Daily Reading

Psalm 119:89-176

Daily Thought

When have you mastered a foreign language? I’m told that you truly know a language when you use it until you no longer translate it, you simply read and speak and hear and do and even dream in the foreign language, which then is no longer foreign.

Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day. ~Psalm 119:97

There is a reason to pay attention to the law of God and follow his commandments, and it is not because it works. Well, it is not only because it works, because it does, and that is good, but it goes deeper than that. It works because the law is established by the Creator, It is part of creation itself, part and parcel with nature. God’s law serves his will and reflect his ways. When I follow it, I reflect him. I become godly. It makes me “wiser than my enemies” and gives me “more understanding than all my teachers” (Psalm 119:98-99). Bottom line, it is the bottom line; it is true and it is Truth.

The Law begins with “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5), ends with “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), and everything in between reflects one or the other or both. No gods, but God; no idols; don’t use God’s name in vain; keep the Sabbath; honor your father and mother; do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not covet what your neighbor has.

I do not follow God because it benefits me, but it does benefit me to follow God. I follow God because he is God. “But,” you ask, “isn’t that circular reasoning?” You bet it is, and God gets to do that. Truth is truth because it is. It does not have to defend itself; disobey it often enough and you will crash right into it. Obey it and you will know God.

Daily Prayer

My God in heaven, You established the earth and all that is in it and all of its ways, You are my Beginning and my End. I have life because of You and live life for You. Your word expresses Your desires and delights; may they be mine, as well. I empty my heart of You when I sin; fill it again. Teach me to love anew because I spend too much time loving only myself. Teach me to love others like I love myself.

May I truly love You with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my strength, all of my mind.

Amen

Daily Question

Is following God’s Law easy or difficult?

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Goldilocks

Daily Reading

Psalm 17-20

Daily Thought

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. ~Psalm 19:1, 4

When the Pharisees asked Jesus to silence his followers, Jesus replied, “If these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40). Nature cannot help itself.

Scientists who study the world and the stars speak of the anthropic principle. It’s dubbed the Goldilocks Effect–everything is just right. We can look to the heavens and discover the perfect porridge for human life to exist on earth. For example, the earth is exactly the right distance from the sun and our atmosphere has the exact blend of gases we need to live. The sun is the proper temperature and ice floats. That’s important. Most solids sink, but if ice sunk, it would keep gathering at the bottom of the oceans and never melt, and pretty soon the whole ocean would be frozen solid and there would be no life. 

Everything is just right for us to be here now. It makes sense because if the universe wasn’t exactly right for us, there would be no “us” to look backward, and here we are. It’s almost as if someone intended it to happen. At least, that’s what the stars declare.

That’s why the first six verses of Psalm 19 speak of the majesty of God in the heavens and the earth and then verse 7 sums it up, “The law of the Lord is perfect.” God’s Law worked and continues to. The opening words of the Bible, “In the beginning God” (Genesis 1:1), introduce a providential purpose to our life and our world. Someone intended us to happen and here we are. 

The rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward. ~Psalm 19:9-11

It makes sense, then, that we should keep following God’s laws. They got us here successfully; they will keep us here, as well.

Daily Prayer

My God, Creator of everything, this world and all that is in it. I have no world without You, nor does anyone else, whether or not they yet acknowledge it. It truly is good to know You, because there is no good without You.

You created me special, me and every other man and woman. A special place on earth, bearing Your image, governing Your creation, caring for this planet and its inhabitants. May I know Your laws and live Your laws so that my life will be blessed and be a blessing to all around me. May I reflect You and Your ways in what I do, so that our eyes will look to You, and our knees will bow and our tongues proclaim that You are God.

Amen

Daily Question

What have you learned about yourself from the Bible?

Posted on

Goldilocks

Daily Reading

Psalm 17-20

Daily Thought

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). When the Pharisees asked Jesus to silence his followers, Jesus replied, “If these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40). Nature cannot help itself. “Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:4).

Scientists who study the world and the stars speak of the anthropic principle. It says that we can trace backward in time to discover the narrow set of circumstances that brought human life to earth. For example, the earth is exactly the right distance from the sun and our atmosphere has the perfect blend of gases, the sun is the proper temperature and ice floats. Most solids sink, but if ice sunk, it would gather on the bottom of the oceans and never melt, and pretty soon the whole ocean would be frozen solid and there would be no life. It’s dubbed the Goldilocks Effect, everything is just right. Everything is perfect for us to be here now. It makes sense because if the universe wasn’t exactly right for us, there would be no “us” to look backward, and here we are. It’s almost as if someone intended it to happen.

That’s why the first six verses of Psalm 19 speak of the majesty of God in the heavens and the earth and verse 7 sums it up, “The law of the Lord is perfect.” God’s Law worked and continues to. The opening words of the Bible, “In the beginning God” (Genesis 1:1), introduce a providential purpose to our life and our world. Someone intended us to happen and here we are. It makes sense, then, to keep following God’s laws. They got us here successfully; they will keep us here, as well.

The rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward. ~Psalm 19:9-11

Daily Prayer

My God, Creator of everything, this world and all that is in it. I have no world without You, nor does anyone else, whether or not they yet acknowledge it. It truly is good to know You, because there is no good without You.

You created me special, me and every other man and woman. A special place on earth, bearing Your image, governing Your creation, caring for this planet and its inhabitants. May I know Your laws and live Your laws so that my life will be blessed, and a blessing to all life around me. May I reflect You and Your ways in what I do, so that our eyes will look to You, and our knees will bow, and our tongues proclaim that You are God.

Amen