Theological Tuesday

In keeping with the theme of "green", I thought I would post on my devotional today. It was very refreshing to me. The color green is a sign of new life in the spring time and a sign that refreshing water has come and brought what was seemingly dead to life.

Recently I've been really disturbed in my heart about the Emergent church. I know there are many different interpretations of that, but mostly I'm upset about the ones that question the deity of God and all that is within scripture. So, some of my highlights stem from that.

I was reading through Psalm 17 and here are the things that stuck out to me.

17:3 (second half)-5
"I have resolved that my mouth will not sin. by the word of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent. My steps have held to your paths' my feet have not slipped."

My whole point with posting this portion is just that I want to be one who follows the Word of the Lord. I want to hold true to His gospel and his ways. I want to follow the narrow way and understand Him to the fullest of the capacity he has given me. I know when this is my goal my mind will be guarded for I will know the truth and be set free. I will have the peace of Christ knowing He is my firm foundation. His truth- scripture- will apply to every detail of my life. That is what tells me His Word is living and active. God inspired his Word to be written through people who lived in a completely different time. By that I mean, culture and language and education were all different. And yet, the Word was applicable then and its applicable now. Guiding and directing us with joy and love. That's a mystery all itself and completely profound. It speaks to an everlasting God. One who was, is, and is yet to come. One who says, "I am the same yesterday, today, and forever." Praise, God for his faithfulness to his creation!

17:8
"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings

I heard a sermon a while back on the father heart of God. In that sermon the speaker talked about the apple of God's eye. How the apple of ones eye is what it is fixed upon. When something or someone is the center of our focus, it is usually something or someone we love. When David says "Keep me as the apple of your eye." it is as if he is saying to God, "I know you have been watching me. I know your eye is trained on me, in your love. Keep me there. Let me stay in your affection, let me stay in your gaze. Protect me and hide me from anything that would remove me from the center of your affection." David knows the heart of the Father. He knows the love of the Lord towards his children. And he pleads with God to keep him in that place. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:24-25). Its as if David says, "Lord, you know whats in me and if its sinful, you can't be near it, so clean me out so that I can have relationship with you and again be in your gaze." That is what I desire too. And, that desire is alone very convicting.

17:14-15
"You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children. And I- in righteousness will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness."

The riches, the plenty, the wealth we store up for our children (that we pass on) is the gospel. The wealth of knowing the Lord, of seeing his face and being satisfied with Him. What richness that we are given to pass on! I also see this passage as the Lord caring physically for us. He will provide for us and our children, and our children's children. We are His delight and the ones his heart loves, the ones he cherishes. Will he not provide for his people? * At this point I could almost see some of you bringing up the argument that says, "what about the people in China facing tribulation, or more so, the people in Haiti and Japan?" I don't know how to reconcile this. But, I do know that under tribulation, when we have nothing to eat, and nothing to call our own; our earthly riches have vanished, we have the hope of glory. The hope of eternity with Christ. The richness of his love in us. The fullness of our satisfaction in him, and the truth that he will care for us even in tribulation.