Living in the Spirit
September 9, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 19

The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
   making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
   rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
   enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
   enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
   and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
   even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
   and drippings of the honeycomb. –Psalm 19:7-10

We humans seem to like to make things complex and complicated. Mercy is easy. When in place, justice fits like a glove and is as comfortable as an old tee shirt.  God’s primary law is love and it defines and gives color to all the other ways of living that are listed as laws in our translations of the Bible. While telling the truth may be hard at the time, truth is always kinder for the ongoing nature of life. Killing another may seem to be the expedite action, but killing another always also kills a part of the murderer for the other is made from the same image as he or she.

So much of life and relationship depends on how comfortable we are in our own skin. When we do not have to depend on being better, having more, or otherwise depending on things outside of ourselves in defining ourselves, life becomes less complex. When we can present ourselves holy and acceptable to God* we do not need to worry about anything else.

Prayer: Make each of us blessings to our families, our neighbors near and far, and our fellow members of the Body of Christ by making us whole and holy to you. Amen.

*See Romans 12:1

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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.