Inspiring: Psalm 52 was the Bible Song today. In it, the writer says, "your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor" (v. 2). Ironically, or perhaps providentially, this idea of a tongue that cuts, draws blood, and causes pain has been bumping around in my head as the topic for a new poem. I love that this idea originates in the Bible; I know it's not a new idea (there's nothing new under the sun right?) but it's compelling and I believe it can be presented in a new way. I'm inspired to work on this poem with more discipline now and I'm convinced the idea has merit and will make a decent little poem (or maybe even better than decent).
Thought-provoking: The Inspiration today is from Psalm 145, in which I'm reminded, "his greatness no one can fathom" (v. 3). How often do we try to fathom His greatness? Often, I think the modern-day Christian (myself included) is guilty of not fully acknowledging the greatness, the power, the awesomeness, and the take-off-your-shoes-for-this-is-holy-ground and fall-on-your-face-before-Him holiness of God. We have no problem calling him "father" and "friend" - which is good, don't get me wrong - but we sometimes forget that He is GOD and we really cannot fathom how great He truly is, even if we spent the rest of our lives meditating on it. The other idea that stood out to me comes from Psalm 52 (v. 9) where the writer tells God, "For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people". This got me thinking: isn't that the easy part? To praise God when with people who believe in Him and follow Him? The hard part is praising God when you're interacting with people who don't believe in Him and/or aren't concerned with living their lives for Him. The even harder part is finding a way to acknowledge your love for God and your desire to praise Him and please Him without being preachy or judgmental or condescending to the people in your life who don't believe as you do. This is a constant struggle in my life. How do I communicate the importance of what I know to be true to those who don't understand without offending them or turning them off? I'm convinced the answer begins with loving them for who they are and where they're at no matter what.
Interesting Tidbit: The Bible Reading today is from Matthew 16. I didn't realize that the old adage "Red sky in the morning, sailor's take warning; Red sky at night, sailor's delight" had its roots in the Bible. See what Jesus says in verses 2-3.
Finally, I love today's Prayer from the Belgic Confession: "Revealing God, open my eyes to see you in the stunning book of the universe, finding in atoms and animals, plants and physics, the letters that journal your power and divinity. Open my ears to hear your voice calling in the story and song, commands and prophecy of the book of Scripture. Open my heart to embrace you and honour you as Lord" (BC 2). Why don't we ask God more often to reveal Himself to us in His creation and through His word? Why don't we go looking for Him more often? He wants so badly to be that "Revealing God" and show Himself to us. All we have to do is ask and seek.
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