Bless and Be Blessed

Psalm 134 

Come, bless the LORD, all you servants ofthe LORD,

who stand by night in the house of the LORD!

2 Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!

3  May the LORD bless you from Zion,

he who made heaven and earth!

Sometimes simple is best.  Such is the case in this short Psalm of Ascent, sung by God's people as they travelled together to worship.  Come to bless God - to fill His heart with Joy by doing what He wants us to do: recognize Him as Creator and Lord.  When we do so, we are the ones who will be blessed - truly happy, with our lives in order.  We will come away ready to go back into daily lives with the dose of reality we need - He is LORD and it's a privilege to be His. 

More than you asked for...

21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
    will find life, righteousness, and honor.
Proverbs 21:21

Solomon asked for wisdom, and received much more.  God was pleased with his request.  God is also pleased when His people pursue what is important to Him: right relationships and reflecting His lovingkindness.  He wants us to want to be in fellowship with Him and those He has put in our lives to have relationship with.  And He wants us to go out of our way to do something to bless these same people.  He wants us to live our lives for others, not just ourselves.  When we do, we find out that it is more blessed to give than receive.  When we do, we find a sense of purpose in life, a deepness in our relationships, and a returned respect we only dreamed were possible.  We do the first not to receive the second; rather, we receive the latter as a pleasant surprise in pursuing the former.  So, what will we ask for with our actions today?

Unlimited God

II Chronicles 2:
5 The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 6 But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? 
Solomon, in all of his wisdom, got it right.  He was entrusted with an awesome, even impossible task - building a temple for the One True God. How can you build a box big enough to contain the infinite Creator and sustainer of all things? How can you make it glorious enough to even reflect His glory, let alone be worthy of it? Solomon goes on to make plans to include the best materials, designed by the most renowned craftsman of his day, sparing no expense or investment of time, to do the impossible. It cannot be done, but it was. The same is true of our lives - we cannot live worthy lives for God apart from Him.  Our best does not cut it , yet that is what we are called on to do. We are not to "give up", but to press on, knowing that in and of ourselves we will never be enough, but that by His grace in Christ, He accepts us and transforms us. As Solomon says here, we are to be the place of His offerings: "Take my life, Lord, and do as you see fit.  It's all I have, and you can do great things with it."

Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom

 when he has no sense?

Proverbs 17:16

Like many proverbs this seems so obvious, but seeing it in the ESV makes it stand out so much.  The play on words makes it stick with you.  We can have all the money in the world - or opportunities or friends or any other resource, but if we have not the wisdom of God as to how to use them, they are wasted away.  Let's not waste away all that God has blessed us with today. Let's make it count for Him. 

How to Have a Rotten Life

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,
    but envy makes the bones rot.
Proverbs 16:30
Never Enough.  That is the problem I see most often in my counseling.  People like to compare what they have to others, or the availability of all that is out there, and they never have enough.  Peace within never comes from without.  Life - real life - comes from what is within, never from the stuff outside - be it relationships, gadgets or approval of others.  We all know that deep down, but we do not live it well.  Rot... Think of the rottenest thing you can, and then contrast that will the calmest thing you can think off, whether it be by a beach or a stream, or sitting in your living room on Christmas Eve silently looking at your Christmas tree.  The contrast of those two things is only the beginning of that between life lived in thanksgiving and faith toward God, and life pursuing everything else under the sun.  Chose life. 

Don't stop there!!!

Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh[b]    and refreshment[c] to your bones.
Proverbs 3:7,8

Probably the best-known verses from Proverbs are 3:5,6. If you do not know them, please look them up.  They are classic wisdom.  But so often we stop at a verse or two.  Let's at least complete the stanza.  There is a contrast between trusting the LORD and being wise in our own eyes, as if we do not need Him. When we do that, we end up involved in evil, decaying our bodies and souls. What we need is to turn away from self-sufficiency and stand in awe of how great, loving, and truly concerned God is about our lives, trust in His directions, and follow Him to a truly healthy life of faith and fulfillment.  Be refreshed: stop trusting in yourself and trust in Him whole-heartedly.  

The Righteous Brothers, and Sisters...

6 
PSALM 112:6-9
For the righteous will never be moved;
    he will be remembered forever.
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is steady;[b] he will not be afraid,
    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever;    his horn is exalted in honor.
Righteous.  It's one of those words that takes you back, like "good".  We know that no one is truly, totally good - especially not good enough to get into heaven on our own.  So the same apprehension of calling ourselves "good" carries over to calling ourselves "righteous". We don't want to do so, lest we be self-righteous. But the psalmist talks quite frankly about the righteous: ones who can live with confidence and calmness, be optimistic and stable, who can give and not be afraid of lacking what is needed.  We can live that way, in Christ. He is our righteousness, and He does help us face our fears, stay steady on course, and freely give, because He has freely given to and for us.  Let's not be ashamed or afraid to be righteous or called righteous. And let's not let it go to our heads; it's all from Him and for Him.