Trusting in the unseen is challenging.  Trusting in the outcome of a situation in which we are a part of is nerve-racking.  Trusting in the sovereignty of God is hard.  Trusting that his good is coming to pass in such a process is good.  Actually, it’s best.

Cowering to a new depth

It has always interested me how Scripture so often personifies the inanimate objects of this world…

“The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.  What ails you, O sea, that you flee?  O Jordan, that you turn back?  O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs?”

I read this and think, interesting, the landscape is doing something that I myself would not normally be found to do on regular occasion…  and then, the answer comes: “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water”.  Too often, I find that I am moved more by the things of the world, such as a gorgeous landscape or something intricate crafted by man, when in fact, it is these things that are given as examples of how we should be worshipping our great God.

I wonder, how often do we take lessons from the creation about how to worship the creator?

[excerpts from Psalm 114]

Addendum to “Purity”…

Micah asked me to write about some specific things that I’ve found where it’s been easy to want to sacrifice purity for the sake of praticality… hopefully this is helpful.

You might question that purity is at stake for the sake of practicality when:

• you think about how much money something is going to cost rather than the profit it may have in keeping you from temptation and idleness
• you start to hear yourself think, “it’s just easier this way”…
• you begin to find yourself growing comfortable with something that quite possibly shouldn’t be comfortable with simply because it might be “awkward” leaving the situation

These are some of the biggest ones that I’ve thought through… more thoughts to come, I’m sure, more thoughts are welcome as well.

Purity

How willing are we to sacrifice purity for practicality?

A thought on contentment

To be content, truly content, one must find that they are at the end of themselves and eating the fruit of desires which are not from their own creation, but the instillation of such things from their Creator. The gratification of desires which are inherently from one’s own thinking are not enough to completely, truly satisfy one’s longing heart, and will leave a state of discontentment; true contentment comes from the bearing forth of desires which are implanted as a result of bearing (having, possessing or modeling attributes) the image of Yaweh, and carry a value which far outweighs the comprehension of the bearer.