Living in the Spirit

July 27, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 49:1-12
Hear this, all you peoples;
   give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
both low and high,
   rich and poor together.
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
   the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
   I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.

Why should I fear in times of trouble,
   when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
those who trust in their wealth
   and boast of the abundance of their riches?
Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,
   there is no price one can give to God for it.
For the ransom of life is costly,
   and can never suffice,
that one should live on forever
   and never see the grave.

When we look at the wise, they die;
   fool and dolt perish together
   and leave their wealth to others.
Their graves are their homes forever,
   their dwelling-places to all generations,
   though they named lands their own.
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish.

Benjamin Franklin said, Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes. I understand that to mean that our democracy’s success lies in our hands and our ability to carry it forward into a constantly changing world. I hear daily news reporters asking the question what is the President going to do about this crisis? How will Congress solve a specific issue on which they are deadlocked?  We must let our elected officials know where we stand on the problems we face today. More than that we need to delve into the issue and understand the ramifications of our positions and not just follow the crowd responding to hot-button issues that are distractions to dealing with serious problems.

Prayer: Lord, help us understand our role as citizens working for the justice you have called us to foster. 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.