Living in the Spirit
Living in the Spirit
July 14, 2021
Scripture Reading: Psalm 89:20-37
I have found my servant David;
with my holy oil I have anointed him;
my hand shall always remain with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him,
the wicked shall not humble him.
I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him
My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him;
and in my name his horn shall be exalted.
I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
He shall cry to me, “You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation!”
I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
For-ever I will keep my steadfast love for him,
and my covenant with him will stand firm.
I will establish his line for ever,
and his throne as long as the heavens endure.
If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my ordinances,
if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
then I will punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity with scourges;
but I will not remove from him my steadfast love,
or be false to my faithfulness.
I will not violate my covenant,
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.
His line shall continue forever,
and his throne endure before me like the sun.
It shall be established for ever like the moon,
an enduring witness in the skies.’
We are all called to be the best human we can be, just as David was anointed. He learned early in his life his need for God’s guidance and love. David’s communion with God was often glorious, yet sometimes raw. He did cry to God, “You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!” David was not perfect. Unlike many great people in history, the Bible spares no detail on David’s good and the bad. David who played, and sang praises to God also sent a man to be murdered so David could have the man’s wife. David grieved the loss of his children and friends and celebrated the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
We are not called to be the best shepherd, soldier, or king like David. We are, however, each called to be the best “me.” That, too, requires us to each develop a close relationship with God and a willingness to serve him with all our might, whatever that might is.
Prayer: Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.