Keeping God at the Center of Our Lives

Debbie:

Psalm 57
Psalm 57 is a psalm/song of trust. The psalmist is confident of God’s care and salvation. As we read the psalm we can almost hear the music getting louder and louder echoing the Psalmist’s words until there is a loud crescendo of voices and instruments, praising God at the end. Our lives should be full of such joy and praise as well.

Jim:

Deuteronomy 11:13-19
Verses 18 and 19 echo words from Deuteronomy 6:6-9. In each case the point is that the importance of God’s word can not be overstated! “You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.” In other words, the word of God is to be a constant presence in our lives, no matter where we are or what we are doing. Our problems stem from all the things that compete for our attention, all of the potential idols in our lives. Every day we are tempted to listen to what our culture says is “good” or “essential” or “what we deserve” when what we are called to focus on is the word of God and the will of God. Our children need instruction, too, and not just our own family members, but all the children of our faith communities. Every time we witness a baptism we vow as congregations to help raise that child in the Christians faith. That vow requires active participation in the ministry of the church and especially in the lives of our youngest members.

2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2
Wow! This section of 2 Corinthians is full of powerful images. I’ve underlined most of it as significant to me at one time or other. But today I focused on verses 14 and 15: “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” Paul says something similar to this in Romans 14:7-9, the point in each case being to remind his readers that we should no longer live only in or through ourselves. We live in and through Jesus Christ. Our lives, in fact, belong to Jesus Christ because he has died for us. In other worlds, to truly live we must find our lives in Christ, trust in him, be guided by him in all we do. Paul says that Christ should be a constant factor in our lives, the way Deuteronomy challenges us to keep God’s word before ourselves at all times.