Matthew 14:28-29aNew International Version (NIV)
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Psalm 103
Psalm 103
Of David.
1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
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Wednesday, September 03, 2014
"Soon..."
My 19 month old doesn't understand "soon" (as in... 'lunch will be ready soon...', 'we can play soon...', 'we'll be home soon...'). He only understands "now."
The other day, my wife and I were making lunch for the three of us. Usually it's a weird dance of the two of us making lunch for ourselves, him and each other at the same time. As we were making lunch, Myles did what he usually does at the beginning of lunch prep: shows impatience through whining. He wants his lunch "now." Then it dawned on me... and I don't think this is the sum total of his understand... he can't see the lunch coming together.
Track with me... Myles is 19 months old. He is about 2 1/2 feet tall. All of the lunch prep... his bottle, yogurt prep, grilled cheese cooking and veggies warming... is happening on the stove and counter which is taller than 2 1/2 feet. All he can see is the edge of the counter. He only sees what is near the edge... the bread bag... the tip of his bottle... part of a plate. He doesn't see the lunch as it is coming together. He doesn't realize that it is nearly ready and will be ready "soon."
But then... we don't really get "soon" either...
We have drive-thru windows so we don't have to get out of our cars to get our food... we have high speed internet so I can watch Netflix right now and on-demand movies... we have a microwave so my food will be warm in 30 seconds rather than 10 minutes (so I don't have to stop Netflix for long).
We want now!
Same is true in our relationship with God. God doesn't work on our time frame. The prophet Isaiah reminds us about God's timeframe in Isaiah 55 (NIV): "8“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
JC
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The other day, my wife and I were making lunch for the three of us. Usually it's a weird dance of the two of us making lunch for ourselves, him and each other at the same time. As we were making lunch, Myles did what he usually does at the beginning of lunch prep: shows impatience through whining. He wants his lunch "now." Then it dawned on me... and I don't think this is the sum total of his understand... he can't see the lunch coming together.
Track with me... Myles is 19 months old. He is about 2 1/2 feet tall. All of the lunch prep... his bottle, yogurt prep, grilled cheese cooking and veggies warming... is happening on the stove and counter which is taller than 2 1/2 feet. All he can see is the edge of the counter. He only sees what is near the edge... the bread bag... the tip of his bottle... part of a plate. He doesn't see the lunch as it is coming together. He doesn't realize that it is nearly ready and will be ready "soon."
But then... we don't really get "soon" either...
We have drive-thru windows so we don't have to get out of our cars to get our food... we have high speed internet so I can watch Netflix right now and on-demand movies... we have a microwave so my food will be warm in 30 seconds rather than 10 minutes (so I don't have to stop Netflix for long).
We want now!
Same is true in our relationship with God. God doesn't work on our time frame. The prophet Isaiah reminds us about God's timeframe in Isaiah 55 (NIV): "8“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
God is able to see time and history from a completely different perspective than us. He sees what is "almost" here and what is coming "soon." In our fast food, microwave high speed culture, we want it now. But God is working it out in his time and God's timing is perfect, even if it isn't the same as mine.
JC
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