Meditation: Psalm 50:8 I am not rebuking you for your sacrifices;
your burnt offerings are always before me.
9 I have no need for a bull from your farm
or for male goats from your pens;
16 But to the wicked God says:
“What right do you have to proclaim my laws
or take my covenant on your lips,
17 when you so hate to receive instruction
and fling my words behind you?
21 When you do such things, should I stay silent?
You may have thought I was just like you;
but I will rebuke and indict you to your face.
23 “Whoever offers thanksgiving
as his sacrifice honors me;
and to him who goes the right way
I will show the salvation of God.”
Saint Katharine Drexel, VirginYou hate discipline and cast my words behind you. (Psalm 50:17)
What do you do when you need to remember something very important? Perhaps you tape a reminder to your bathroom mirror. Perhaps you program an alarm into your computer or smart phone. Maybe you ask your spouse or a co-worker to remind you about it. What you probably don’t do is cast it behind you, out of sight and out of mind.
Today God has a particular word for you. Of course there are big truths that apply to every one of his children every day, and it’s good to keep those in mind: God loves us.Jesus died for our sins. Jesus will return to establish his kingdom. But if you take the time to quiet your heart and listen, you’ll find that the Holy Spirit has a special “now” word just for you.
It may come in the form of a picture, like a garden or a desert. It may be a phrase that leaps out at you from Scripture or a line from a song that keeps singing itself in your head. It may be a directive: “Pray for him. Telephone her. Take a different route to the store. Go to confession.” Or it may be a word of encouragement: “I am proud of the way you held your tongue in that conversation during lunch.” Or it may be a word of challenge, as God draws you up short just as you are about to give in to a temptation or as he pricks your conscience just after you have fallen prey to it. The word may come during your prayer time, but it may also come at an unexpected moment.
How will you know if it’s God speaking to you? If the sense you get fills you with hope, peace, or conviction, there’s a good chance he is behind it. And even if he isn’t, at the very least you will have done something good if you respond to it.
Whatever God says to you, don’t cast his words behind you. Instead, linger with it for a time when you first hear it. Then recall it at times during the day. By all means, if it’s some kind of direction, act on it. Don’t be afraid of making a mistake. This is part of what Isaiah meant when he told the Israelites to “learn to do good” (Isaiah 1:17).
“Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Amen!
Isaiah 1:10 Hear what Adonai says,
you rulers of S’dom!
Listen to God’s Torah,
you people of ‘Amora!
16 “Wash yourselves clean!
Get your evil deeds out of my sight!
Stop doing evil, 17 learn to do good!
Seek justice, relieve the oppressed,
defend orphans, plead for the widow.
18 “Come now,” says Adonai,
“let’s talk this over together.
Even if your sins are like scarlet,
they will be white as snow;
even if they are red as crimson,
they will be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
you will be eaten by the sword”;
for the mouth of Adonai has spoken.
Matthew 23:1 Then Yeshua addressed the crowds and his talmidim: 2 “The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim,” he said, “sit in the seat of Moshe. 3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don’t do what they do, because they talk but don’t act! 4 They tie heavy loads onto people’s shoulders but won’t lift a finger to help carry them. 5 Everything they do is done to be seen by others; for they make their t’fillin broad and their tzitziyot long, 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and they love being greeted deferentially in the marketplaces and being called ‘Rabbi.’
8 “But you are not to let yourselves be called ‘Rabbi’; because you have one Rabbi, and you are all each other’s brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘Father.’ because you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to let yourselves be called ‘leaders,’ because you have one Leader, and he is the Messiah! 11 The greatest among you must be your servant, 12 for whoever promotes himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be promoted.
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