Documentation. Consolidation. Analysis. Repeat.
In the cycle, there is removal. Realization. Revelation. Compound value.
They had fireworks last night for the end of our city’s flower festival. Funny considering how we also have fireworks at the beginning of the year.
I took the opportunity of signifying that last night was the end of things, and the beginning of other things… in recognition of the Beginning and the End, and in awe of the One who makes all things new.
That’s why I’m writing right now is because my routine stays, and it is underway. What am I doing that’s new? We’ll see when it comes to food intake a little later today.
Thank You, Father, for the reading of Your Word.
Looks like Psalm 37 is pretty long, so I’m just going to go through what I found ‘jumped out’ to me this morning.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Psalms 37:3-11
Five things: Trust in the Lord, delight yourself in the Lord, commit your way to the Lord, rest in the Lord, wait on the Lord.
I told our congregation yesterday, that one sure-shot way for them to ‘abide in Christ’ is to meditate on His Word. I’m not taking that back, but I think that if we meditate on His Word, we are also trusting in Him, we are delighting ourselves in Him, we’re committing our way to Him, we’re resting in Him, and we are waiting on Him.
We trust in the Lord and commit our way to Him as we go through the Word, because I imagine, in our meditation, we are thinking about our way and our plans WITH His Word at the same time – it’s a subtle way for us to acknowledge Him in our paths.
We delight ourselves and rest in the Lord as we meditate on His Word, excited for revelations that come only from Him, but, really, just knowing that spending time with Him is never a waste of time; Spending time with the Lord, and meditating on His Word is actually the best use of our precious time.
I think to myself as I type that last paragraph – do I really believe that? Yes, yes I do. It’s what I do now. And apparently I resigned from my job to take on ministry responsibilities, so it’s something I really should be doing more.
Do I want to do it? Of course. Typing soothes me and empties my mind for waters to freely flow. This ‘water’ is the Word. As exercise ministers to my body, so meditation prepares me for both things long anticipated and split-second incidents.
As such, meditating on the Word is also waiting on Him – all day long we’re praying without ceasing, we’re allowing the Spirit to intercede on our behalf in groanings beyond comprehension… BUT in our meditation, I believe we are silent, and allowing Him to speak to us…
…and that’s why I’m led to believe that this is a cycle we’re in, as members of the body of Christ – we pray and we meditate. We lift all things up to Him in thanksgiving, in rejoicing, in praying without ceasing, but His Spirit burns alive in us, and we are able to discern the good that we should hold on to, and the evil we abstain from; We pray to Him, and in meditation, He speaks to us.
How does that sound?
Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.Proverbs 9:6
Flee from saying in your heart, ‘there is no God‘; Consider that Jesus Christ is all He says He is, and He did all that He set out to do – and be at peace, beyond understanding – before understanding.
If I had the chance… I’d say, set aside all the arguments, set aside all that your senses tell you, and consider, if only for a moment – that there is peace present and powerful, which can hold us together even in the most confusing, the most gut-wrenching of incidents and circumstances.
Consider, that Christ is all He says He is – You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain simply by taking step after slow step, believing, unto appreciating that He paid everything for you to be reconciled and accepted; Believe, and appreciate that this God which the rest of the world hates, is a Father who wants to help you… because He loves you with a true, perfect, everlasting love that you couldn’t find anywhere else in all of creation.
In spite of all my pain, in spite of all my loss and reject, through all the regret and all the remorse, I keep going, knowing that though I have nothing, I still and will always have Christ – that though I die, I live forever.
Let go. Let God help. Take in the Truth, and the Truth shall set us free.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.”Proverbs 9:10-11
It’s not about an improvement of our circumstances, based on our expectations. It’s about a peace beyond understanding, in spite of all circumstances. I do not deny all the wrong I’ve done, nor do I try to cover all the mistakes I’ve made – They’re all open for all to see, if only for us to understand that Christ saved someone as wretched as me.
I don’t know everything, nor do I consider myself as blessed according to the standards of the world… but I have the One who knows everything, the One who has everything; God is our Father, Christ is our Savior, and the Holy Spirit is our Guide.
And to be honest, if I really was to try ‘evangelizing’, I’d rather stop talking and just… live. Live in the goodness of the Lord, in the presence of Christ and His Spirit, filled with the Word, that somehow, the world (or, at least those within influence) would see the goodness of God unto repentance, unto salvation – all for the unity of His body, the expansion of His kingdom, and the utmost glory of His name.
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