Why is it so hard?

I have to admit that the more I grapple with the Scriptures, the more challenging they seem to become. Or maybe it is just a huge realization that 'living out' the Word is a lot tougher than simply memorizing it. I don't understand why some critics accuse Christianity of being a crutch to lean on - it is rather a difficult and demanding path to walk on. 

Take these words from Romans 12:19-21 as an example: 

Never seek revenge, my friends; instead, leave that to God’s anger; for in the Tanakh it is written,

“Adonai says, ‘Vengeance is my responsibility; I will repay.’”

On the contrary,

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For by doing this, you will heap
fiery coals [of shame] on his head.” (Proverbs 25)

Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.  (Complete Jewish Bible)

Wow, who thinks of feeding their enemy or giving them something to drink? We are usually trying to get as far away from them as possible. 

Thought: What do you find hard about following the way of Christ? 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Fully satisfied

 

"I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you." - Psalm 63:4-5

David's pledge to God is that he will worship him for as long as he has breath. The act of lifting holy hands is a sign of surrender and an offering to the Lord. The word 'praise' in the New International Version can also read "honour", which is a nice way of committing our allegiance to the Lord. We will live to honour God and to bring praise to his name. 

The 5th verse of Psalm 63 has nothing to do with eating food, but rather with the comparison of knowing God. David would have known the joy of eating delightful foods and being hosted at great banquets, however he is arguing that none of those feasts could satisfy him like knowing God has.

The idea of being fully satisfied or have a full stomach implies that you don't want to eat anymore. Because you are full, you will not go looking for more food. The connection is the same with God - if we are feeling satisfied through the Holy Spirit, then we will have no need for other sources of spiritual food.

Are you 'satisfied' in your relationship with God at the moment? Why or why not?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Gladness and hunger meet.

I love stumbling across inspiring words or quotes. I find that they can be the gem in my day, challenging me as well as speaking into my life. This morning I had one of those moments when I was reading a chapter from "One.Life" by Scot McKnight. In this particular chapter I came across these deeply moving words:

"The place where God calls you is where your deep gladness meets the world's deep hunger" - Frederick Buechner

Wow! How often do we struggle to try and discern God's call for our lives, waiting for the writing on the wall, when it could be as close to us as this? So the very things that bring us joy could be our offering to the world's deep hunger?!

For example, we may love music and be skilled in an instrument - perhaps this is what we need to offer the world right now. Or we may have a love of crafts, baking, knitting, writing, poetry, sport, photography - all of these we could offer to the world as our "gift" to a hungry world. Had you thought about that?

Don't try and offer the world what you don't have - offer what God has already GIVEN to you.

This is what Jesus was trying to explain to the disciples when they were faced with feeding the 5000. The disciples kept thinking of how they were going to get food (or pay for it) from the outside, when Jesus knew that they already had what they needed amongst them.

Living in grace
D3LM3