Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Psalm 5:5

Psalm 5:5 
You are not a god who delights in evil;
no wicked person finds refuge with you;

This verse gave me a little bit of a hard time.  God provides us with shelter and protection, with refuge.  We know that even if we don't love God, God still loves us.   I God loves us he wouldn't turn us away.  So why couldn't even a wicked person find refuge with God?  Why couldn't even a persons who was wicked turn to God to find protection and refuge?  Would God refuse his refuge to someone who was looking for it just because they where wicked?
I think the point that I was missing is that if a person is looking for refuge with the Lord then they are not truly wicked.  It is not that a wicked person could not get God's refuge but more that a person who finds refuge with the Lord is not wicked.  Just by finding refuge with the Lord a person gains a little bit of truth and goodness.
Just be asking for God's direction and support we grow a little closer to him.  Just by seeking safety in the Lord we become a better person.  
I don't think this is quite the direction that the writer of the psalm was going with this verse but I find it as a very comforting thought especially when I see so many people in this world who are lost and are looking for something in their life to give them refuge.
 
Dear Lord, When I am in trouble help me to turn to you.  Help others who are in trouble to turn to you and find safety with you.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

John 14: 5-7

John 14: 5-7 Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you know me, then you will also know my Father.  From now I you do know him and have seen him."

Just a quick though from today's gospel reading.
How often do we want to do something or go somewhere but to not know the way.  When Thomas asks this questions Jesus replies very simply that he is the way.  If Thomas knows him then he also knows the way.  This is something that I know I should realize a lot more.  It doesn't matter what they problem is or what I am trying to do, Jesus is they way to the answer or the solution.

Dear Lord, Help me to always follow your way in all parts of my life.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Exodus 20:5

Exodus 20:5 For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God.

When the Lord is giving Moses the 10 commandments he states that he is a jealous God.  This takes me back for a second.  Jealousy is supposed to be a negative thing.  Not something that God would be.  This seems like quite a contradiction but when you look into it more you see that it makes perfect sense.  When you look at the footnotes for this verse it says "Jealous: demanding exclusive allegiance, such as a wife must have for her husband."  This makes more sense.  We only have one God and we should not pretend that we have other God's that we are worshiping.  God is not being selfish or envious he is simply expecting what is rightfully his.  He is the one true God so he doesn't want his people worshiping other Gods.  This is not sinful jealously but a jealously out of love.

We can see this same relationship between a husband and wife.  The love between a husband and wife is exclusive.  When a husband expect his wife to not love another man his jealousy is not sinful but out of love.  Just as a husband expects his wife to not love another man, the Lord expect his people to not love and worship other gods. 

Here are some Christian sites that discuss this topic and helped me to better understand it.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Exodus 16:23

Exodus 16:23
Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, the sabbath, sacred to the Lord.

In this passage Moses is instructing the Israelites about collecting manna in the desert.  They were given manna six days a week.  On the sixth day they were to collect enough manna for the next two days so they could devote the seventh day to the Lord.  If they did not prepare and collect enough food on Saturday they would not be given more on the sabbath.  In verse 29 the Lord tells Moses that " on the seventh day everyone is to stay home and no one is to go out."
As Catholics today we are to observe the sabbath and spend it as a day of rest.  I would like to look more into how I could better be using the sabbath but that will have to wait for another time.  What I want to look at now is something that often happens to me.  Sunday comes along and although I would like to rest I have to many things to do that just have to get done before Monday.  I want to spend Sunday as a time to rest and spend time with the Lord and my family but I couldn't possibly because there are somethings that just need to be done.  This is true.  There are things that need to be done by a certain time.  I may have work that I need to get done before Monday and I may have laundry that I need to get done before the week starts just as the Israelites needed to have food collected for each day.  But God didn't say "Its ok you don't have to devote the seventh day to the Lord, you have work to do."  No, he told them to do their work on the sixth day so they could observe the sabbath on the seventh day.  This is what I have to do.  I know on Monday that Sunday is for the Lord, resting and family and friends, not for work.  If I keep this in mind all week I should be able to get my work done by Saturday so I am able to rest on Sunday.  If I don't think of the Lord all week Sunday is going to come around and I am not going to have any time to rest.  I need to take the advise that Moses gave the Isrealites and do my work that I would normally do on Sunday on Saturday or earlier in the week.  I can't use the excuse that I can't rest because I have things that need to be done anymore.  I know that Sunday is coming and I need to have my work done before then.

Dear Lord, Help me to prepare for the Lord's day throughout the week so Sunday can be a day of rest.  Help me to use Sunday as a day to grow closer to you and to grow in our love.