Skip to main content

Thursday... Who? Who?


Thursday... Who? Who?

The Psalmist in Psalm 15:1 (NLT) starts with a couple of who questions that might interest us. He asks, "Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?" Good questions.

He says in verse 2, "Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right." The Message says, "Walk straight, act right, tell the truth." For some this tell the truth may be a problem but that is what He wants.

Then verse 3, "Don't hurt your friend, don't blame your neighbor." The NLT says, "Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends." That too can be difficult. It can be so easy to gossip when we are with other people. Gossip can hurt the reputation of other people and it can really hurt them when they find out what you said. And then blaming is not a good thing. It's their fault. They are the reason we aren't friends. They started the argument. Don't speak evil of your friends.

He goes on in verse 4, (MSG), "despise the despicable." (NLT), "Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord." For some it is easy to lift up the sinner and put down the faithful. Be careful here.

And then verse 5 (MSG), "Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe." And then (NLT), "Such people will stand firm forever." or as The Message puts it, "You'll never get blacklisted if you live like this." 

Who? Who? Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit?

Nehemiah 6:16b (NLT), "They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit? Over in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah it tells of a major task that through the leadership of Nehemiah was accomplished. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and God had laid it on Nehemiah to build those walls back up. It was definitely an almost impossible task but Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Now, we so many times want to take credit for doing the impossible. It would make such a difference for us. But I wonder what would happen through us if God got the credit? Psalm 96 tells us what we are to do. Verses 2-3 says, "Sing to the LORD; praise his name. ...

Tuesday... We just have trouble listening.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Tuesday... We just have trouble listening. Over in Jeremiah 25:4 (NLT) it says, "Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention." And Jeremiah went on to tell what was going to happen. There will be consequences if we do not listen to what God says through his Word. Now the Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians was having a problem with some professed Christ followers who were having trouble at listening. And we too can have problems at listening. We can think that being a Christ follower means we do a lot of finger pointing and we give up on people who don't do what we say. We can even do that in our families. But Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In verse ...

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...