Living in the Spirit
June 7, 2017

Scripture Reading: Psalm 8

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them? 

Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
   and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
   and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas. –Psalm 8:3-8

This listing of creatures for which humans are assigned responsibility are all sources of food for humans. We need to take care of the things that take care of us. Our earth is a delicately balanced eco-system designed to be self-sustaining with proper care.

Is the Psalmist placing emphasis on the word, “What”? In other words, asking a rather cynical question, “Why are you bothering to mess with humans”? I wonder that myself at times. God trusts us greatly as God knows our capabilities and gave us the freedom to use them at all or to use them for good or to use them for evil.  God’s desire is that we fully utilize our gifts for good.

I do think we need to avoid evil, but most of us are probably guiltier of not fully developing and using our gifts. It is the season of graduations where bright young people are finishing one aspect of life and moving on to the next. Speakers at graduation ceremonies are trying to prepare them for the next steps.

I remember in college struggling to write a five-page paper thinking it was the hardest thing to complete because it covered the breadth of a whole semester’s work. Writing concisely, while covering material fully, is difficult. Less than a year later, I remembered that paper as I completed a court summary of a family’s situation that involved summarizing three manila folders of information covering 20 years of child abuse and neglect history. It was just another routine day at the office.

Continuous learning is important; continuous application of what we learn is even more important. Learning to let go of things taught us as truth which on further evidence is not is important also. God created us with brains for a reason. Figuring out how to use them fully in conjunction with our lives in Christ is a lifelong journey of love.

Prayer: Lord, help us not shy away from being fully the people you created us to be. Guide our proper use of your gifts. 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.