Skip to main content

The Blessing

                 Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart— they do no wrong but follow his ways. (Psalm 119:2-3) 

Have you ever tried to go somewhere north of you by refusing to travel north? Or to bake something by putting it in the refrigerator? How about opening a window you haven’t unlocked?  I’ve seen people insist on going up a down escalator. Here are two you probably have tried: pulling a door that says “push” or pushing a door that says “pull to open” and turning on an electrical device that isn’t plugged in. And then there’s the one I saw happened – messing with wires without turning off the circuit at the box. That’s a mistake I doubt he repeated (yes, he survived.)

We’re back to the idea of keeping The Law, and the silliness of insisting that something work the way we want it when that’s not the way it’s designed to work. And we all do it, whether it’s whining about the fact that there are too many calories or carbs in that piece of cake, declaring that we have a right to take the life of another person because we don’t want to have a baby.

But while we fuss and cuss because someone set a rule that doesn’t let us do what we want, we ignore the other part of the proverb. The one who obeys is blessed. This blessing doesn’t have to take a specific form or follow a specific formula, but let’s return to the doors that we push when we should pull or pull when we should push. Pushing the push door or pulling the pull door doesn’t mean you’ll be handed ten million dollars as you step over the threshold. It doesn’t mean a standing ovation. But it does mean that we get to enter or leave the place in question and go about our business. If you turn off the circuit before handling wires, you get the blessing of not being shocked.

This is one of those things we miss so often. If we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him, and that is the blessing we are promised to receive. If God adds nothing else, we are blessed, still. That doesn’t mean He won’t, but if we are obeying to get the blessing, we aren’t seeking Him.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal 6:10)   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)           Joshua grinned when he saw Rex standing by the door, studying something on the ground. "Hey, man! Are we ready to do this thing?"          Rex looked up. "Josh, I can't do it. We're still best buds, but I can't stand your fiancée."           I've met "Rex" many times. I've been Rex. Joshua (Jesus) loves the Church. He's not a fool. He knows the Church is far from perfect, but she is His chosen bride. The Rexes of this world, who think themselves His friend, turn away from her. "You don't need the Church to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ssssssubmmissssssionnn

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ . (Ephesians 5:21)             "Ssssssubmmisssssssionnn." Can't you just hear the serpent hissing this most horrible of words? If you listen to the serpent or the world, submission means groveling, allowing yourself to be abused, denying yourself your own humanity. Nothing could be worse than submission, could it?             Submission has never been a problem for me, as long as things are going the way I want them to. The rest of the time? Well, let's just say that while I don't know how to fight physically, I don't know how to not fight mentally. One of the fights I've been having with myself for years is about submission.             My first breakthrough took place on a trip to a bookstore. As I walked into the store, my thoughts were very clear. 1) I was goi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shark Fins, Triple Dog Dares, Heroes, Villains and Sidekicks

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)            There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As   all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause. ...
Post a Comment
Read more