Thursday, December
7, 2017
I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for
he speaks peace to his faithful people. But
let them not return to their foolish ways.
Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be
filled with his glory. Unfailing love
and truth have met together. Righteousness
and peace have kissed! Truth springs up
from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. Yes, the Lord pours down his
blessings. Our land will yield its
bountiful harvest. Righteousness goes as
a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.
Psalm 85:8-13(NLT)
Our grandkids have always known they will leave our house with Nana tracks. My bride cannot resist an exposed baby nose, toes
or chubby arms; there will always be a transfer of lipstick from Grandma Nana
to whatever baby is within reach! One of
our little ones once told me: You KNOW when Nana’s been here!
For the Psalmist that kind of reality is also true when the character and
behavior of human beings bends towards heaven.
God speaks peace to us and (when we’re not so foolish as to ignore Him),
the land is filled with glory. That’s what
we see when the unfailing love of
God meets with truthful human character. God’s glory is the result when humankind wages
peace because we revere the righteousness
of the LORD. When we are
truthful with each other His righteousness smiles from heaven, and blessings of
his presence pour over us like the dew of Mt. Hermon. And, particularly meaningful in Advent, we
see that response to righteousness as the herald of the coming of the Lord.
Just as you know Grandma has been loving her grands because of the Nana tracks, you also know
when God is near; righteousness and peace kissing is a wonder to behold!
But we do not live in a peaceful world.
That is because we do not live in a world culture where people trust
each other…and often with good reason.
The mayhem of shouted insults, harsh language, and persistent grab for a
larger piece of the pie is a stridency that cannot invite anyone to the table
of peace.
There is an incredibly fine balance between righteousness and peace. On the one hand peace is favored by most
people I’ve ever met. (There have been a
few I’ve known for whom drama piled atop anger is a way of life; they wouldn’t
feel right without it). But peace is a
longing within the human heart, a faded leftover of the disappearing stamp of
God’s image on our souls. We want peace,
but we learn otherwise. But the fact
remains that only when the righteousness of God is honored entirely can peace
have a place at the table.
Christ came as the Prince of
Peace, and sin cried CRUCIFY! And yet His resurrection still offered peace
to all hearts and lives.
What the Psalmist said that God said:
let them not return to their
foolish ways…is only possible when we determine we will live in peace; anything
less and we crucify him again.
For You
Today
Let
righteousness and peace have their kiss in your life; walk around with some
heavenly Nana tracks;
let the world know He’s been here!
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