Feb. 9, 2015: Psalm 50: 1-6

We encourage you to read this devotion three times a day.  Start in the morning and reflect upon the morning reflection question. Then in the afternoon, read it again and reflect using the noon question for reflection.  For the evening, take time to ponder how this has resonated with you in the day and reflecting using the evening question.  We offer a prayer with each devotion for you to pray or we invite you to pray what is in your heart.

Psalm 50:1-6

¹The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.²Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.³Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.⁴He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:⁵“Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”⁶The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge.

           

Reflection:

 Do we fear God as our judge? I think often times we are afraid of God being our judge because our only real connection to judgment is from others who have judged us. God as judge should not alarm us as many fire and brimstone preachers would convince us to believe. God as judge means that God knows us completely. God knows all that we have done, the intentions behind those actions, even the thoughts we don’t share because they might be too rude or ugly to share aloud. That is the first thought that comes to our minds, all we have done wrong. We start calculating all the sins we have ever done, all the temptations we have failed to avoid, all of the ugly ways we have acted. We cannot forget this God who is judge is also God of grace and love. All of us who have made a covenant to be in relationship with God, strive to live out living as people who spread grace and love to others. So quit worrying about judgment. Stop counting up your failures and instead focus upon what God calls you to do: love God and love neighbor.

Reflection Questions:

Morning: Do you fear God when you think of God as judge?

Noon: How have you focused upon loving others?

Evening: How will embracing God out of love be different than embracing God out of fear?

Prayer: Merciful God, help us to not be obsessed with how we have failed you. When we know we have screwed up let us with a sincere heart seek forgiveness and be given love by you o spread love and grace we find in you to others. Amen.