Living in the Spirit
July 7, 2023
Scripture Reading: Psalm 145:8-14
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and tell of your power,
to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The scriptures are all too human, and that is a good thing. I think, though, that we must read scripture as God’s gift to us through humans. Yesterday I was caught up in my dislike of war with which Zechariah was dealing. I follow a lectionary to guide my writing of these devotions because it forces me to read parts of the scriptures that I might never read otherwise. It stretches my faith beyond what is comfortable for me. Makes me consider ideas that are uncomfortable. I could read scriptures like the one above and rejoice in God’s greatness without ever straying into the Zechariah-type stories. Still, thousands of years later, we are still dealing with Zechariah-type stories. While we long for the kingdom of God, we must never forget that that vision is our mission in the world today and always until the Kingdom of God is a reality.
Prayer: Lord, never let us lose sight of what still needs to be completed in working toward the Kingdom of God, and thank you for the Psalmist who gives us strength to carry on our work toward the Kingdom’s fruition. 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.