AUGUST 9, 2016

“Our relationship must be right with God before it can be right with man.” 
― Billy Graham

PSALM 85-87

The Psalm prays for an undivided heart...

11Teach me your way, Lord,

that I may rely on your faithfulness;

give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear your name.

12I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;

I will glorify your name forever.

13For great is your love toward me;

you have delivered me from the depths,

from the realm of the dead. (86:11-13)

ROMANS 9

Paul states that righteousness comes not by birthright nor by works...

30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble

and a rock that makes them fall,

and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^m

JOURNAL 

This world can be so confusing. I so connect with the psalm of asking God for an undivided heart. There are so many things that tempt me to go my own way...to get what I deeply need and crave from the world rather than from God. God is the only safe place to take my need for validation, affirmation and love. Taking it anywhere else threatens to turn me into a consumer. Using people and things in ways that will never give me true peace or joy. 

This is my dilemma and it's every man and every woman's dilemma as well. To live life as a giver rather than as a consumer. To try and do that without God is absolutely impossible. We were created to live as images of God which means we are to be agents of God, never God's ourselves. If we unplug from the source and power and love of our creator we become the opposite of God. Insatiable monsters that destroy people and things. Our ultimate desires were never made to be fed by anything other than God. 

Yes we can experience the love of God through people. But it is only healthy if we are primarily getting our deep desires met from God. If not it becomes toxic and destructive. 

1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.. - 1 PETER 2:1-3