Ps. 61-62
I continue to read David’s words as if they were the words of our Christ. What stands out to me in Psalm 61 is verse 5b, “You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.” I see two ways to read that verse, and the second thought struck me. Those who fear God – that would be us – are the inheritance that God has given to Christ. An interesting perspective, I think!
Ps. 65
“There will be silence before You…” (Ps. 65:1). Awestruck…that’s what we will be when we stand before God, and what we are when we stop to contemplate all that He is.
“How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple” (Ps 65:4). I do believe that we have free choice, but I also know that God chooses us. How blessed and how grateful I am for that! And for the assurance of knowing that I will be completely satisfied in His presence.
“By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation…” (Ps 65:5). That’s right, God doesn’t just give us a casual answer. No, He answers us “by awesome deeds.” Again, how blessed and grateful…and how awestruck…I am!
John 13;21-38
I have watched the three seasons of “The Chosen” – it is a good show. It is a dramatization of the gospels, much like the A.D. Chronicles books by Brock and Bodie Thoene that I am reading, but it focuses more on Jesus and His apostles, where the books focus more on other characters. It is interesting to see how they portray the characters and personalities of the apostles and others who closely followed Jesus – many from very different backgrounds. Apart from Jesus, this group of people would not be hanging out together. They would likely not even like each other (not all of them, of course, as some of them were already friends and brothers).
It really adds perspective to visualize these characters when reading John 13:34-35. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” It is obvious in the show that Jesus is the glue that holds this little band together. He was getting ready to leave them, at least in His physical presence. So He was admonishing them to stay together and continue to work together as He had taught them. By doing this, they were a testimony to the transformational power of Jesus and that He was their primary focus.
This is no easy commandment, and certainly not one that we, as Christ’s Church, have followed well. How do we love personalities that simply rub us the wrong way? How do we love someone whose interests and perspectives are diametrically opposed to our own? It is not easy, but when Jesus is the hub that holds all of us spokes together, it is possible. Let us continually and fervently pray that God will help us to love one another, and wait in expectation that He will answer us by awesome deeds.