“Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
PSALM 65-67
8Praise our God, all peoples,let the sound of his praise be heard;9he has preserved our livesand kept our feet from slipping.10For you, God, tested us;you refined us like silver.11You brought us into prisonand laid burdens on our backs.12You let people ride over our heads;we went through fire and water,but you brought us to a place of abundance.(66:8-12)
ROMANS 2
1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
JOURNAL
Wow...this chapter is brutal. It makes the argument that we as human beings are not designed to play upon the powers of God. In essence we are not to use the power God gave us to condemn. Only God can condemn because man is flawed and operating outside of his purpose.
It is interesting comparing these verses to the psalms and realizing that they are both coming from the same place. David affirms that all that God put the Israelites through was for their good. It had an intent and a purpose. Therefore understanding that purpose and yielding to that is critical to the faith. It is essential to obedience. Judging and rebelling are really part of the same coin.
It is why if I live my life in hope that an earthly circumstance will bring me true joy, then I am doomed to a life of disappointment and misery. We are not here to find our joy in our circumstance, we are here to find our joy in seeking God and serving him...period. No earthly circumstance will ever fill me with true joy, in fact if it ever does, it's essentially a false hope that will soon turn to ashes. Seeking my own way for my own selfish purposes is essentially a losing game with a horrible outcome.
It is interesting comparing these verses to the psalms and realizing that they are both coming from the same place. David affirms that all that God put the Israelites through was for their good. It had an intent and a purpose. Therefore understanding that purpose and yielding to that is critical to the faith. It is essential to obedience. Judging and rebelling are really part of the same coin.
It is why if I live my life in hope that an earthly circumstance will bring me true joy, then I am doomed to a life of disappointment and misery. We are not here to find our joy in our circumstance, we are here to find our joy in seeking God and serving him...period. No earthly circumstance will ever fill me with true joy, in fact if it ever does, it's essentially a false hope that will soon turn to ashes. Seeking my own way for my own selfish purposes is essentially a losing game with a horrible outcome.
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