I don't think I've ever written a "series", but I'm going to start one today's. It's going to be a bundle of consecutive entries on psalms.
These 3 verses were so understandable and compelling as I sought for something to "teach" me in the psalms.
Truly God is good ...to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
(Psalm 73:1-3 ESV)
Have I been envious of people before? Definitely. Those beautiful people. Those accomplished people. Those funny people. Those gifted people. Those rich people. Those fashionable people. Those witty people. Those intellectual people. Those national geographic photographer people. Those able to speak well people. Those naturally skinny people. Those with the cutest kids people. Those married to hot husbands people. Those with best selling books people. Those with cool Instagrams people. Those with beautiful friends people. Those with extraordinaire meaningful careers people. And I could think of a few hundred more. They may not all be wicked or be what I would at first glance call wicked, but in terms of God's definition: all who are not perfectly righteous are wicked. By even human definition righteousness does not mean partly good and partly bad. That by definition is neutrality or mediocrity. It contains a false sense of righteousness within their definitions, along with a very real sense of wickedness or sinfulness. If you're not righteous you're wicked. There's no "middle" ground. In fact the person who might be half righteous and half wicked is by definition only wicked, for to be righteous means there is no trace of any wickedness. By definition you cannot be righteous and wicked. A wicked person does not have some righteousness, and a righteous person does not have some wickedness. It's not "balanced". How can it be? How can we be wicked but sometimes righteous? Or perfect but sometimes imperfect? We cannot, they go against one another. They lose their definition when you try to mix them. At which point you're beginning to make up your own rules and definitions to fit your preferences and lifestyle rather than follow the ones laid out by God. Doing this is common, but it also never leads to a satiating result. It is temporary at best, because we are temporary at best. We cannot escape our mortality. All humans have an end; all human beings eventually die. But God is not temporary, He is eternal. Therefore His rules and definitions are not temporary, and what He says will remain true forever.
"but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you."
-1 Peter 1:25
Our words are products of mortality, the are thought of and spoken by us who are made of what will eventually die. What will not die is our soul and our spirit. And even if we argue that what we say or think might be eternal because we have a eternal substance within us (our soul/spirit) then two things should be considered. First, that if we are forever being on the inside then that means there is certainly life after death. Secondly, does it suffice you to take a chance and dismiss what could be eternity spent with God or eternity in hell? I don't say this to scare anyone, but I say this because I think about this. I would rather bank on eternity with God and avoiding eternity in hell (which would suck!) then take a chance at some other completely unknowable eternity. I just think that's pretty sane.
(And there's much to be considered in approaching such clear truths, but for the sake of having a solid foundation I just want to get the fundamentals down first as best as I can...every stone and mortar (bonding material) exquisitely smoothed and set as I begin to build this pyramid representing my relationship with God. I need to first start with what's foundational before I can get to what is next. But it does help to keep in mind that I am building a relationship that has the purpose of finishing at the end of my life, but that as I build it does grow stronger and more exquisite. It's not just an ambiguous mess of cement and broken pieces that I glue or patch up here and there.)
So...
Understanding this helps one understand why it was our sin that separated us from God who is righteous. He, by definition, cannot be with or have any association with wickedness or imperfection...again because of the definition of righteousness.
Which is why if we see our sin, and how it is all over us like microscopically imbedded cancer cells that spread and grow, even in the hidden parts us, we realize our unrighteousness and impossible state of escaping this. This sin in us was with us since birth because we as humans inherited it from Adam. It was imputed on us because of Adam. Likewise when we realize our situation, we see the state we are in: headed toward the place separated from God--which is by definition: hell. We are all born sinners, headed for hell because of what was imputed on us by one man who broke the world. The glorious good news of the bible is that in the same manner we are "born again" into Christ Jesus who took all of our sin and imputed His perfection on us.
We get righteousness because of one man: Jesus. We had wickedness imputed on us because of one man: Adam, but by God's love for the world He sent His Son to be the perfect righteousness able to give that to us. The only One who was able because He was God and did not have that wickedness imputed on him as all other people born as creations had. He chose to make himself like one of us! Because that was the only way we could have imputed righteousness. And for what reason? His reason to impute righteousness on us through one "man" was for us! He just wanted us! He could've wiped us out and started again or just never started another, but He wanted us! He wants you. He wants me. And we now have a choice. We can remain in wickedness or we can believe in Jesus and take on righteousness. This righteousness has nothing to do with us or what we do. It is imputed. Just like our wickedness had nothing to do with what we had done, but it was imputed on us AT BIRTH. just as righteousness is imputed on us through a second birth. The first was by man, the second is by the Holy Spirit. what we have is choice. A free will. We choose to remain in our state, our first birthright as sinners full of wickedness (by definition) or we can choose to go through a second birth by the Holy Spirit to receive a new state of perfection! I mean...wow. This is like so cool. I have a loss for words at the understanding of this. The simplicity, but for so long this truth was blurred and made ambiguous to me. I had never really thought it could make sense, until I was convicted that the answers I had were not good enough for me. I wanted the truth, and I wanted it understandable. I wanted to know badly enough to face whatever it took, and it took facing my sin, seeing it there in me like a necklace of poop I had been wearing. It was gross, embarrassing, and made me feel disgusting. But before I just ignored it or didn't care to look at what was causing such a stench in my life, blaming others, blaming circumstances, blaming anything but my seemingly innocent self, when all that blaming did nothing I was at the end of my rope. So now, using the same metaphor that I don't feel so esteemed about, haha, but oh well, now I've looked and seen the necklace of poop. I see it: my sins. So now what. Seeing it doesn't accomplish making it go away. Seeing it is only the first step you have to take to be able to understand what the stench was. Then you have to ask how it got there, what it means, why it remains there, how to get it off for good, and who can help you get it off. Can you be helped? What is "being helped" mean in terms of the actions you take and the actions the "helper" takes.
I'm so drawn into finding out more!
I know it's confusing, and it's daunting to tread on unknown terrain, but it's also really fun!
Already there are thoughts and questions and ideas crowding at me all at once- "why after this new birth do we still sin then?!", "what about when we feel alone?", "other people have already discovered everything you've discovered and probably ever will discover.", "you're just going to fail.", "is this God talking to me while the devil or myself is also talking to me?", "will I be able to differentiate the two, and if so do the two represent one being of the physical body and the other of the spirit?", " this is so interesting!", "surely I won't remain constantly this interested, which will suck.", "I wonder about physical discomforts and spiritual discomforts...", "physical comforts and spiritual comforts...", "this is soooo interesting!!", "I should go to the gym soon, I need to raise my physical heart rate to match my spiritual raised heart rate! Haha", "ok I'm feeling the feeling slipping away, and I knew this was a reality."
Among other thoughts, those are the ones at present that made it from mind to thumbs on my iPhone. Yes I write most of my entries via iPhone. :)
Anyway, I will write without much inhibition for now since this is for me, and hopefully when I write as part of an offering to God as well as an acceptance of His grace, I will edit and rewrite my entries with better coherency and specificity for others who read it.
Going back to psalms...
He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. (Psalm 72:13 ESV)
What brings myself to realizing just how weak and needy I have always been, and have continued to become? The task of taking time to face what I hated looking at, the sin in me, the real desires I had, and what I believed those desires held in store for me (and my soul).
It took a deep understanding on my part, which meant making the effort to ask questions until I found equitable answers. "That's just the way it is" never lasted very long as a satisfying notion. Not for someone like me who expected more from living.
But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. (Psalm 73:16-17 ESV)
A wearisome task.
It does seem wearisome at first, even for a while. Maybe for 20 years. Maybe for 20 hours. But God is the one who gives us sufficient grace to understand. He is, after all, the only eternal Being who has the capability of giving us eternal answers, so run to God.
Run to God.
Addendum:
I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. (Psalm 73:22-24, 28 ESV)
David took the words right out of my mouth! Or I should say, I took the words unintentionally and unknowingly right out of his mouth. ;)
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