Psalms 112-118
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.
WHERE?
I'm back! I got home from Mexico last night, and couldn't wait to sleep in my bed. And take a warm shower. And be able to flush a real toilet. And eat something that didn't include chicken!
But the trip was fantastic. It was a new experience that opened my eyes to JOY, even when things seemed tough. It was also really great that I didn't have to worry about silly things like Facebook, or style, or my hair, or Facebook...
And I didn't have to worry about doing my blogs everyday, either, thanks to my lovely sister, Claire. I'll admit, I was a little surprised to see she had done a blog EVERY DAY, and for that, I am thankful. It's hard work to get on here everyday. I've gotten used to it being a part of my schedule, but Claire just jumped right into it. Thanks again, Claire. She did a GREAT job, right? Possibly better than me... :)
So, here we are. Back to normal, back to me writing about stuff everyday. We've made it pretty darn far across the Bible, almost half way! How exciting!
I feel like everything is falling into place right now. I feel happy! That's great, right! That even though things not-so-great happen, we can all still have this little sense of happiness in our hearts knowing we have a God who loves us always.
This is where it gets hard to understand, because I might feel on top of the world now. I can sing praises to God all I want. But what happens when something I consider "bad" happens?
No matter HOW long we pray about things, God won't give us a perfect life. Everyone has days where things seem to fall apart. That's why these few verses in today's reading caught me off guard:
Psalm 112:1-6
Praise the Lord!
1Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures for ever.
4 They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered for ever.
I'm not going to bash the Bible, because it's God's truth to us. But you can clearly tell this was written before Jesus came to take our sins. When He came, we realized we AREN'T perfect and that He has a plan.
Whoever wrote these Psalms probably thought that nothing bad would happen to them. They were probably happy when they wrote the Psalm, which is good for them...
But kind of worthless to us when we feel sad. It's like "I'm so depressed right now! I guess I better read about someone who is having perfect happiness!"
Also, it states that the righteous will never be moved. To me, the correct term is "WITH GOD, the righteous will never be moved."
Never forget that when things seem perfect, it didn't get like that without God. Maybe it seems perfect, or wonderful, or just plain GREAT... but you need to make joy in places that seem bad, too.
No matter where you are, whether you feel happy or sad, you can ALWAYS have the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in your heart. Because God loves you no matter how much you have or don't have. Simplicity is bliss sometimes.
Peace out.
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.
WHERE?
I'm back! I got home from Mexico last night, and couldn't wait to sleep in my bed. And take a warm shower. And be able to flush a real toilet. And eat something that didn't include chicken!
But the trip was fantastic. It was a new experience that opened my eyes to JOY, even when things seemed tough. It was also really great that I didn't have to worry about silly things like Facebook, or style, or my hair, or Facebook...
And I didn't have to worry about doing my blogs everyday, either, thanks to my lovely sister, Claire. I'll admit, I was a little surprised to see she had done a blog EVERY DAY, and for that, I am thankful. It's hard work to get on here everyday. I've gotten used to it being a part of my schedule, but Claire just jumped right into it. Thanks again, Claire. She did a GREAT job, right? Possibly better than me... :)
So, here we are. Back to normal, back to me writing about stuff everyday. We've made it pretty darn far across the Bible, almost half way! How exciting!
I feel like everything is falling into place right now. I feel happy! That's great, right! That even though things not-so-great happen, we can all still have this little sense of happiness in our hearts knowing we have a God who loves us always.
This is where it gets hard to understand, because I might feel on top of the world now. I can sing praises to God all I want. But what happens when something I consider "bad" happens?
No matter HOW long we pray about things, God won't give us a perfect life. Everyone has days where things seem to fall apart. That's why these few verses in today's reading caught me off guard:
Psalm 112:1-6
Praise the Lord!
1Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures for ever.
4 They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered for ever.
I'm not going to bash the Bible, because it's God's truth to us. But you can clearly tell this was written before Jesus came to take our sins. When He came, we realized we AREN'T perfect and that He has a plan.
Whoever wrote these Psalms probably thought that nothing bad would happen to them. They were probably happy when they wrote the Psalm, which is good for them...
But kind of worthless to us when we feel sad. It's like "I'm so depressed right now! I guess I better read about someone who is having perfect happiness!"
Also, it states that the righteous will never be moved. To me, the correct term is "WITH GOD, the righteous will never be moved."
Never forget that when things seem perfect, it didn't get like that without God. Maybe it seems perfect, or wonderful, or just plain GREAT... but you need to make joy in places that seem bad, too.
No matter where you are, whether you feel happy or sad, you can ALWAYS have the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in your heart. Because God loves you no matter how much you have or don't have. Simplicity is bliss sometimes.
Peace out.
Comments
Carly