Foundational Scriptures

I just added a feature to this blog - a listing of the scriptures that are close to my heart and that have consistently spoken to me over the years, always with emerging newness as I revisit them. There are some other passages that I rely on, like 1 Chronicles 17, but the ones listed on the homepage are my essentials.

On a mission trip many years ago, the team members discussed the three albums (CDs, what-ev-er) they would want to have with them if they were stuck on a desert island. I think mine were Carole King's "Tapestry," Joni Mitchell's "Miles of Aisles" and Steely Dan's "Countdown to Ecstacy." I probably argued for increasing the allotment, too!

Similarly, if there were only a few scriptures I could have with me, the ones on the homepage would be the winners.

Isaiah 61 speaks to me of my call; Jeremiah 29 reminds me that God will always hear me; 1 Peter clearly states my responsibility to God; and Psalm 37 is a promise repeatedly demonstrated in my life.

What are your favorite scriptures?

Blessings,
David

It Isn't What It Is, After All

A friend is fond of saying, "It is what it is," and while I understand the importance of acceptance, I also have begun to understand that, in reality, "it is what I am."

If I am grateful, I can see whatever comes my way as a cause for gratitude. For example: suppose, the car broke down and wouldn't start? I would be grateful that didn't happen in heavy traffic.

Likewise, if I am ungrateful, I can concentrate on the thorns instead of the roses.

None of this is ground breaking research, I know, but I benefit by being reminded about the simple things. To ignore the basics is like building a sea wall that is never maintained. Eventually, there will be one wave too many.

But even then, it will be what I am!

Let's close this one out with Philippians 4:8. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

Blessings,
David

You Can Do This.

The earth is an interesting place, with its deserts, mountains, valleys, and so on. Likewise our lives, with their deserts, mountains, valleys and so on!

Sometimes uphill seems like a long journey; sometimes downhill is scary as speed picks up. No matter what your personal topography looks like at this moment, God is with you.

God does not do things to us; God goes through things with us. God is not afraid of our challenges. Isaiah 53:3 describes the prophesied Messiah in this way: "He was despised and rejected; a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care."

If I have to deal with rejections, mistreatment, isolation and grief from time to time, I'm grateful that these qualities were not absent from the Messiah but actually integral to the Messiah.

I am convinced God understands us and never abandons us, no matter how the conditions may appear. Romans 8:39a reminds us that "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God."

Whatever the path looks like, God is with you. Keep walking in love with love toward love, because you can do this, and you never have to do it alone.

Blessings,
David

My Heart is Ready, Lord! (Psalm 108)

The opening line of Psalm 108 is often translated as "My heart is steadfast, Lord." I have read this psalm before, but because "steadfast" is not a word I commonly use, I tend to skip past it without encountering its significance. I interpret it as something akin to loyal or faithful. And I am wrong.

"Steadfast" is a translation of the Hebrew word "kuwn" and in the original, the psalmist implies that the heart has been prepared like a building, that the foundation has been laid with care. The heart has been prepared and is therefore ready and waiting.

In the Divine Office for today, the line is translated, "My heart is ready, Lord." That seems closer to the psalmist's intention, but it is still important to ask, "Why is my heart ready? Is it due to preparation, or panic?"

Is my heart ready because I have tried everything else and hit bottom, so in desperation I'm willing to even try this "God Thing" that I've heard people talk about? Certainly that is the moment when some of us feel ready: when all else has failed. "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."

Or, is my heart ready because I have prepared it like a fertile field, opened it toward God, desired to experience God in the fullest way possible? That is the readiness that today's psalm implies.

Either way, God will not turn away a ready heart!

Blessings,
David