As I walk before my enemies

As I walk before my enemies

Psalm 5

 

 

We’ve often been told “ do onto others as others would do onto you.” Nowhere is this found in scripture. Luke 6:31 and as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. So it would seem that this is just the oposite of what the world would have us think. Romans 12:16-19 “live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all, if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, vengence is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

 

We find David in this psalm on his knees looking up, he’s living vertically and walking horizontally. I’m reading Eugene Petersons book “Christ plays in ten thousand places” and he’s talking about Christ and the pattern he sets for His disciples – he says p 234 “ The pattern holds: whatever we do in Jesus’ name, we begin on our knees before our friends and neighbors and conclude looking up to heaven praying to the Father. Washing dirty feet and praying to the Holy Father bookend our lives. We can’t live Jesus’ life, we can’t do Jesus’ work, without doing it within the boundaries that Jesus set.”

 

–         There’s an Irish prayer that goes

        May those that love us, love us

        and those that don’t love us,

       may God turn their hearts;

      and if He doesn’t turn their hearts,

     may He turn their ankles

     so we’ll know them by their limping.

 

We can’t ignore our enemies but be mindful of them, pray for them, continue to live righteously. And allow God to be God.

 

 

D John

 

A Nation in Distress

Psalm 1,2,4

Eph 4:17-32

 

 

A ship sails the seas completing its journey looking for home. Night comes, storms arise and the fog thickens. The captain no longer can see the beacon of the lighthouse. Like this captain we can’t seem to find our way bitterness, anger, lust covetousness and greed have clouded our mind we have hardened our hearts, no longer able to see God. We no longer seek Him. He doesn’t exist anymore.

 

Stuck even trapped in the rut of life completing the mundane, we find our rest in the sanctuary of our own homes. Speaking to our neighbor is a thing of the past. Like God we don’t even know them. Something is lost and forsaken. How can I, how can we find ourselves? How do we find God?

 

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night, yet our nations rage. Our anger and bitterness has turned to wrath for we have sinned.

 

Chosen by God as Christians we have a duty an obligation to our fellow man no longer are we to walk as gentiles, we must put away falsehood, speak truth with our neighbor for we are members one of another. Put on the new self being renewed in the spirit of our minds we have been created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Lets live vertically and walk horizontally.

 

D John