Now Imagine This

Psalm 82

 

Imagine this: All the leaders and people with power of this world gathered together in a great hall - the Hall of Justice. They wait nervously for the Great Judge to enter the room where they realize He will judge them according to His values, His priorities, and His character.

 

God presides in the heavenly council;
    in the assembly of the gods he gives his decision:
² “You must stop judging unjustly;
    you must no longer be partial to the wicked!
³ Defend the rights of the poor and the orphans;
    be fair to the needy and the helpless.
⁴ Rescue them from the power of evil people.    GNT

 

The Great Judge, the King of Kings, the Living God, shows a pattern throughout His Book that protects the powerless against those who would exploit or oppress them. Likewise, God calls each one of us to live accordingly. Listen to the words of Jesus as he told the parable of the Sheep and Goats in Matthew 25.

 

³⁵ I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, ³⁶ naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.’  ³⁷ ‘When, Lord, did we ever see you… ⁴⁰ The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!’     GNT

 

Now, imagine this: You and I, along with all the people of the world gathered together in a great hall - the Hall of Justice. We wait nervously for the Great Judge to enter the room where we realize He will judge us according to His values, His priorities, and His character.

 Have we been faithful?

 

 

 

 

 

Elite Athletes

Psalm 8

 

Two weeks ago a record number of Ohio State University football players were drafted by the National Football League. Each one is an elite athlete in his own right. Each one exceled at the top of the college level and those that know talent best, believe they will excel at the next level.

 

However, not everybody that plays football has that kind of talent. In fact, most people don’t. According to the NCAA website, of the total number of NCAA student athletes playing football, only 1.9% will play professionally. Basketball is even a smaller percentage.

 

These are not very good odds. In fact, for the majority of high school athletes, they could easily feel intimidated and overwhelmed. They could feel like a miniscule nobody in an eternal universe of stars.

 

^3 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”             NIV

 

One of the life lessons of being on a sports team is that every player contributes; from the starters to the last player on the bench. The same is true for us as believers in Christ. Every person has an important role to play. Every person has God given talents that they are to use to share and build the Kingdom of God.

 

^5 “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. ⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: ⁷ all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, ⁸ the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”    NIV

 

Because God has created us in His image, we hold a position of great honor. He has

called us to serve Him with authority and responsibility.

 

In the Parable of the talents, Jesus tells the story about the master who gave talents to his three servants while he was away. To the two who invested their talents, the master responded by saying, ²³ “Well done, good and faithful servant!” But to the third servant who hid his talent he said, ²⁶ “You wicked, lazy servant.”        

 

In the world of following God, we are all elite athletes as long as we use the talents He has given us. Will you be a responsible steward of your time, talent and treasures? Will the Lord say to you on that day, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

 

 

 

Your Safe Place

Psalm 46

 

"God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. ² So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the center of the sea, ³ and even if its waters go wild with storm and the mountains shake with its action.”   NLV

 

Many years ago, I was sailing with some friends on the Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan when the winds suddenly picked up. We were in a 26 foot sailboat, not big enough to withstand the tumult of the wind and the waves. The sails quickly filled, and pulled the boat to about a 45 degree angel with the water. My life flashed before me.

 

It’s not very often that our world gets turned upside down, or using the metaphor of Psalm 46; “the earth is shaking, the mountains are falling and the waters go wild from the storm”. But it happens, and not just literally like in the sailboat.

 

Maybe you’re version of this metaphor is that you’re having trouble starting your career; or you’re struggling after having a still born baby; or your workplace is not just stressful, but oppressive; or your best friends seem to have drifted away; or you make a move out of state away from family and friends. Take your pick.

 

How do you respond when your world seems to be turning upside down? What do you do? Who do you turn to?

 

In our culture of rugged individualism, the first response is often to “dig in and deal with it yourself”. Sometimes people will bury themselves in their work or a relationship or even self-destructive behavior. The human spirit is capable of discovering all kinds of ways to attempt to control their world.

 

So many things in life can cause us to feel lost, alone, insecure, afraid, out of control. The psalmist suggests turning to God; that He is our safe place. When I was a little boy I used to crawl behind the couch and lay snuggled between the couch and the heat vent. On a cold winter morning, it felt like a very safe place.

 

How do you get to your safe place; to the throne of grace; to hear His still small voice; to know that He is God?

 

Take time to reflect and mediate on the word of God. This will bring you into His presence; into your safe place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 *****HERE ARE SOME VERSES TO GO ALONG WITH THE BLOG*****

 

^10 “Be quiet and know that I am God.”    Psalm 46:10 NLV

 

“…but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: ¹² And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”       1 Kings 19:11b-12 KJV

 

^16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”                 Hebrews 4:16 NKJV

 

“God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble.”            Psalm 46:1 NLV