Living in the Spirit

July 8, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:105-112
Your Word is a lamp to my feet
   and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
   to observe your righteous ordinances.
I am severely afflicted;
   give me life, O Lord, according to your Word.
Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord,
   and teach me your ordinances.
I hold my life in my hand continually,
   but I do not forget your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
   but I do not stray from your precepts.
Your decrees are my heritage forever;
   they are the joy of my heart.
I incline my heart to perform your statutes
   forever, to the end.

I cannot read the first sentence of this scripture without singing it. I learned it as a preschooler. God’s Word has been a mainstay ever since. The challenge is understanding the relevance of God’s righteous ordinances for us today filtered through the experiences of followers who recorded the acts of God in markedly different times, cultures, and places. I still do not know why at the time of the writing of Leviticus 19:19, the rule existed that the Israelites were not to put on a garment made of two different materials. One source suggested it was a custom of pagans and might make others see the Israelite as a pagan. That is not the case today.  I do remember advising the social workers, I supervised, that they did not want to dress in such a way that the client was more concerned about their appearance then the worker being there to help address a client’s needs. 

There is wisdom in scripture that draws us to search it deeply and glean all that we can from it. I find it helpful to read the stories of real people dealing with tough situations. Gideon is one of my favorites. He asked God, in his own way, are you sure you want me to do that? And God was patient with Gideon even as God assured him that the job was for him.  In the story of Jesus’s temptations, Jesus responds to the devil ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ (Luke 4:12). The devil was playing games with Jesus, and Jesus assured the devil that his games were evident to God. Living in the Word requires us to understand ourselves, as a servant of God made in God’s image, and others also made in God’s image. Reaching that understanding requires us to first maintain a deep and abiding relationship with God.

Prayer:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
   be acceptable to you,
   O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. (Psalm 19:14)

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.