Psalm 49: are you obsessed with wealth?
May 14, 2006 § Leave a Comment
This psalm introduces two themes, one of which is already well known to most people. It is this: “… when he dies, he will take nothing with him, his wealth will not go down with him.” (verse 17) The second, stated in both verses 12 and 20, is this: “In prosperity people lose their good sense, they become no better than animals.” I’d like to focus on this second theme.
While it is meant to hurt, there is truth to it. When we’re doing great, and money’s coming in regularly, we stop asking the who, what, where and how. We start making plans on how to live “in ever greater splendour”, and we start apportioning our future funds for such purchases. The issue of whether or not that money will be there becomes foreign to us. ‘Why shouldn’t it? It’s always been there’, we think. We get so used to our way of life, in time some of us get to the point where we’ll do anything to keep it. We’ll cross others, fight them, push and shove, just to keep or improve the lifestyle we love so much. Have you ever seen a pack of wolves divide the prey? If you did, you know there’s a certain hierarchy there. We too, find our own place in the human hierarchy, kiss the butts of the higher-ups, flatter, charm, and do what it takes to get our share of the booty. Woe to those below us – we’re first – right?
Is that the way God intends it? Is it His purpose for us to make wealth acquisition an end-all, be-all target? Is it His goal for us that we treat each other like animals in our quest for the gold? I think we all know the answer to these questions is a resounding ‘No’. Yet we forget so easily about God when things are going well. It takes a dry spell, a time of trouble, to get us questioning ourselves and evaluating our state and/or status. It is then, with the impending threat of doom or financial collapse, that we turn to God. I have to wonder, is that motivation truthful? Would we have turned to God if things hadn’t gone bad?
So what can we do? I think it’s important to remember the two themes presented in this psalm. We can’t take it with us, and our mind gets clouded when we’re doing well. We need to pinch ourselves every day (figuratively speaking) and realize wealth is not the goal; it’s simply an enabler. With more wealth comes the added responsibility (and it is a heavy yoke) of using it wisely and helping others. Instead of letting ourselves get lulled into a false state of security about things, we should be on our best behavior, and remember God’s purpose for our lives. Narrow is the path to salvation, and it gets harder to tread when one is weighed down with many possessions.
Psalm 41: keeping one's faith in the face of adversity
May 2, 2006 § Leave a Comment
This psalm is troublesome to me, because it poses a difficult question for Christians. Here, a person who is down, possibly David himself, asks God to restore him. The belief at the root of the psalm is: “Yahweh protects him, gives him life and happiness on earth.”
There is no question in my mind that all true believers will be set in the presence of God for ever, as verse 12 says – in other words, make it to heaven and partake of God’s promises related to that. What I doubt is whether we are to experience life and happiness here on earth. I know this was a prominent Jewish belief, but given how many people suffered and continue to suffer daily, including many Jews, I do not know what to think. Also, let’s not forget how often Jews were persecuted throughout history. Furthermore, if we think back on all of the Bible prophets, kings and apostles who were faithful to God, we cannot say they all had good lives and happiness in their lives, all the time. As a matter of fact, many suffered, and some were martyred. And, how about all of the righteous people today, who suffer and die, for health reasons or otherwise, some even in their youth? How do we reach understanding and peace when we compare history and reality to the message of this psalm?
I don’t know that I can, with my limited understanding of God’s ways, reconcile the two sides completely. You see, I’ve never bought into the “Prosperity now!” messages that are going around these days. I don’t think there’s much Biblical foundation for them. With regards to the quandary of this psalm, what I can do is to offer some proof for the other side, then rely on faith for the rest of the equation.
What I can say is that every time a good man was down, God usually brought him back up. Job is the archetype for this situation. I truly believe the story of Job was placed in the Bible to help us realize that we may not see the light at the end of the tunnel, and may not even understand why we’re in the tunnel, but we should trust in God just the same, and know that He will work it out to our advantage. What’s more, when we suffer sometimes, we are on display, and others are learning lessons from our suffering. Job’s own suffering served as encouragement in time of trouble for many, many people throughout history – I am sure of this. What’s more, it is also written in the Bible that we and our faith are to be tried and purified through fire, and it is only when we withstand that intense time of trial that we know our faith is strong. Once we do make it through, our faith becomes even stronger, and that time in our lives when we saw God’s hand work miracles serves as a strong foundation upon which we can rest and recoup in troublesome times. I wrote about this in my entry for Psalm 40.
Let us also not forget that sometimes – probably most of the time – we get in trouble because we do something wrong. Even the author of this psalm admits it: “For my part I said, ‘Yahweh, take pity on me! Cure me for I have sinned against you.’” When we do something wrong, we shouldn’t be surprised if we find ourselves in trouble. God never says He’ll take away the consequences – instead, He says he’ll take away the sin, He’ll forgive us, then help us through.
It is thus I can explain this quandary to myself. I think we have to rely on God and our faith in Him in times of trouble, pray that He will show us where we went wrong, and get us through the difficult times. We also have to realize that sometimes we simply may not get an answer, and as difficult as it is, we have to keep going forward and obeying God’s commandments. It’s going to be very hard, but it’s the right thing to do.
I also wanted to mention that happiness doesn’t mean a big house and lots of money. Happiness shouldn’t be measured like that. Instead, a good family life, where the husband and wife love and respect each other, a home where arguments are resolved through discussion, not anger, a home where the peace of God can be felt as soon as one steps inside – that is true happiness!
Un gand
March 18, 2006 § Leave a Comment
Ati realizat vreodata cat de vital este pentru noi, persoane muritoare si pacatoase sa fim aproape de Dumnezeu in orice clipa? Daca nu ne apropiem sa citim cuvantul Lui, daca nu lasam ca gandurile noastre sa fie dominate de prezenta Lui, atunci totul e ca si pierdut.
De curand pastorul bisericii nostre a spus un gand interesant: “Atata timp cat noi pastram distanta fata de Domnul chiar si pentru o perioada scurta din zi, suntem in pericolul de a avea indoieli in privinta lucrurilor care pana atunci ni se pareau nocive, murdare pentru moralitatea si curatia caracterului nostru.” Mai bine zis, ni se “deschid ochii” si vedem lucrurile dintr-o alta perspectiva, incercand parca sa ne convingem singuri ca nu e chiar asa de pacatos un lucru si nu e nimic rau daca-l infaptuim. Spre exemplu, nu cred ca ar fi chiar asa de rau daca iau banii care tocmai i-au cazut colegului meu din buzunar si-i infund in buzunarul meu fara sa scot o vorba. Da, si nu consider gresit daca imi mai permit din cand in cand sa-mi mint prietenul cel mai bun sau sa spun o vorba rea despre alta persoana.
Vedeti, asa se joaca Satana cu noi. Lucreaza intr-un mod atat de subtil incat ne face sa credem ca ideea este a noastra personala, fara sa recunoasca ca de fapt el e cel care isi vara codita si ne convinge. Cauta exact momentul cand noi suntem cei mai vulnerabili, atunci cand suntem departe de Domnul si ataca fara sa-i pese. In timp ce el actioneaza si isi pune planul la cale, in mintea noastra aluneca atatea intrebari la care tot noi ne dam raspunsul. “Oare mai trebuie sa mai tinem la principiile invatate in copilarie, sunt asa de invechite si oamenii le-au abandonat. N-ar trebui sa fim si noi mai moderni? Ce atatea principii morale, porunci – sa nu furi, sa nu minti, sa nu poftesti, sa nu vorbesti porcos, sa nu, sa nu… Ia sa mai fac si cum simt eu, ca doar pe asta se pune baza astazi – pe simtaminte venite din inima. Va pun acum o intrebare: de unde stim ce sursa au simtamintele care ne inunda mintea? Vin ele de la Dumnezeu sau de la alta forta care incearca sa ne distruga prin propriile noastre actiuni?
Timpul trece, noi uitam complet sau partial de Cel ce ne-a creat si uite asa ne vine randul sa suportam consecintele actiunilor noastre, principiilor noastre slabite, modernizate. Cine e vinovat oare? Asa e viata dupa cum stim toti, toate lucrurile rele care le-am facut odata demult se intorc spre noi. Satana se intoarce impotriva noastra si “arata cu degetul, striga” ca sa se convinga ca vede si aude toata lumea, razandu-ne in fata. Ce tactica marsava! Oare care dintre cele doua forte ne vor binele? Cine este pentru noi, si cine e impotriva noastra?
Deciziile ne apartin, iar pentru noi sunt predestinate doua cai in viata. Una pe care o putem urma calauziti de Dumnezeu, avandu-l pe El prietenul si sustinerea noastra, iar cealalta este calea pe care o alegem noi fara Dumnezeu, influentati de forta care vrea sa ne tarasca cat de jos posibil. Ai doua optiuni in viata, prima pentru care trebuie sa te lupti, sa lucrezi cinstit si mai ales sa ai un Prieten ales langa tine, iar a doua prin care poti de asemenea sa primesti succes, bani, tot ce-ti doresti dar doar pentru o scurta perioada de timp, cu garantia sa fii nefericit si acoperit de vinovatie pana la moarte.
Proverbe 27,1
March 10, 2006 § Leave a Comment
“Nu te fali cu ziua de maine, caci nu stii ce poate aduce o zi.” Textul acesta cred ca se refera mai ales la planurile care ni le facem noi in general pentru zilele, lunile, anii care urmeaza. Este un lucru bun si sanatos sa te organizezi si mai ales sa-ti faci planuri pe termen lung. Ceea ce textul sublineaza este ca ziua de maine nu ne apartine, nu o putem controla.
Ziua de maine, ce putem sa stim despre ea? Nici nu putem banui ce ne poate aduce clipa urmatoare, si numai spun, anii care vor veni. Daca tot veni vorba de viitor,consider ca e un lucru bun sa nu-ti stii viitorul. Dumnezeu a stiut prea bine de ce nu ne-a ingaduit capacitatea sa vedem asa departe. Eu una, daca as vedea mai ales ce lucruri rele, ispite, incercari, tragedii in familie mi s-ar intampla in urmatorul an, as fi foarte nefericita si stresata. Insa, intorcandu-ma la textul de mai sus, accentul cred ca se pune aici pe faptul ca noi suntem oameni, fiinte trecatoare ca iarba, care acum este iar maine e luata de vant.
Este interesant ca multi oameni, aici ma includ mai ales pe mine, au tendinta sa se laude cu planurile care le au pentru viata lor. E grav, am ajuns sa afirmam cu tarie intamplari care nici macar nu se stie daca vom ajunge sa le infaptuim. Daca se intampla un accident cu noi, daca ne loveste o boala, daca si iar daca…? Nu ne putem decide viitorul, nu putem fi siguri 100% ca vom putea indeplini anumite planuri. Ce putem face noi, decat sa deducem cam ce ni s-ar putea intampla, tinand cont de circumstantele actuale.
Firul vietii noastre nu-l avem in control si nu-l putem aduce cu forta acolo unde vrem noi. Trebuie sa ne lasam condusi de Creatorul nostru care stie mai bine pe ce drum sa ne indemne. Avem nevoie de control din partea Lui, insa Dumnezeu nu ne obliga. E totul benevol si fara constrangere. Suntem lasati sa decidem daca vrem sa fim condusi sau daca vrem noi sa ne conducem viata spre alte carari infundate. Dumnezeu vrea sa ne ghideze, sa ne indrume pasii spre calea pe care am putea creste atat moral, spiritual cat si social. Totul e in alegerile noastre. Si ca o concluzie, cititi va rog: Iacov 4,14.15
14. Si nu stiti ce va aduce ziua de maine! Caci ce este viata voastra? Nu sunteti decat un abur, care se arata putintel si apoi piere.
15. Voi, dimpotriva, ar trebui sa ziceti: “Daca va vrea Domnul, vom trai si vom face cutare sau cutare lucru.”
Be Holy
April 25, 2004 § Leave a Comment
Author: The Apostle Peter
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
24 For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.
Source: Bible, 1 Peter 1:13-25
Grateful Love
April 25, 2004 § Leave a Comment
Author: Ellen G. White
As the mother watches for the smile of recognition from her little child, which tells of the dawning intelligence, so does Christ watch for the expression of grateful love, which shows that spiritual life is begun in the soul.
Source: Desire of Ages, pg. 191
The Art of Giving
April 21, 2004 § Leave a Comment
Author: Kent Nerburn
“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance, and none can say why some fields will blossom and others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices in life no more easily made. And give. Give in any way you can, of whatever you possess. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than how it is shared, and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.”
Source: Letters to My Son
Learning to Pause
April 21, 2004 § Leave a Comment
Author: Sarah Ban Breathnach
“Harmony is the inner cadence of contentment we feel when the melody of life is in tune. When somehow we’re able to strike the right chord – to balance the expectations of our families and our responsibilities in the world on one hand with our inner needs for spiritual growth and personal expression on the other… Usually, when the distractions of dialy life deplete our energy, the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need the most: quiet, reflective time. Time to dream, time to think, time to contemplate what’s working and what’s not, so that we can make changes for the better… Learn how to pause.”
Source: Simple Abundances: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy
If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again
April 21, 2004 § Leave a Comment
Author: Diane Loomans
“If I had my child to raise all over again, I’d finger paint more, and point the finger less.
I’d do less correcting, and more connecting.
I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.
I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I’d do more hugging, and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I’d teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love.”
Source: Full Esteem Ahead
The Cold Outside
April 21, 2004 § Leave a Comment
Author: Emily Dickinson
“There are winter mornings when the cold without only adds to the warmth within, and the more it snows and the harder it blows, brighter the fires blaze.”
Source: Celestial Seasonings Tea Box
