Living in the Spirit

June 7, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 33:1-12

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
   Praise befits the upright.
Praise the Lord with the lyre;
   make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
Sing to him a new song;
   play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts

For the word of the Lord is upright,
   and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
   the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. –Psalms 33:1-5

What is just, what is right? What does it mean to walk humbly with God? I am a strong believer in the separation of church and state. I think Jesus meant it when he said render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God that which is God’s. (Matthew 22:21) I worked as a government employee for 35 years and recognize the necessity of having some entity to bring order out of chaos and support people in successfully moving through the daily activities of life. In a democracy, the government is to protect individual rights while assuring that we live in a just society established by the rule of law. My experience is that the government is working at its best when it is the most boring; when potholes are fixed quickly, water is safe to drink, businesses operate within the rule of law, children are educated to become successful adults, criminals are restored to wholeness, all people have enough of the necessities of life. God’s justice and righteousness may influence governments’ justice and righteousness, but God’s justice and righteousness involve the individual’s relationship with God ruled by love. It calls us to higher ground. Being under the wings of God surpasses order and brings having love rule our lives as we are honored to walk humbly in the love of God.

Prayer: Lord, Guide us to follow you onto your higher ground. 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.