Psalm 67:1-7
Our God, be kind and bless us!
Be pleased and smile.
Then everyone on earth
will learn to follow you,
and all nations will see
your power to save us.
Make everyone praise you
and shout your praises.
Let the nations celebrate
with joyful songs,
because you judge fairly
and guide all nations.
Make everyone praise you
and shout your praises.
Our God has blessed the earth
with a wonderful harvest!
Pray for his blessings
to continue
and for everyone on earth
to worship our God.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
It has been four weeks this morning since my mother left for heaven. My mother and I did not physically see
each other all that often – even though we lived in the same town.
Mother traveled a lot…and when she was home, she was busy with writing
projects and I was busy with little ones. So we used the telephone and
e-mail messages to keep in touch.
One of the frequent topics of
conversation between us was politics and the state of the world. And
one of the things that drove my mother nuts was when people would speak
with an “exclusive” attitude. In other words, when people railed
against those who practiced other religions…those of other races…and
those who discriminated against people who were different from them – in
any way…she bristled and was deeply grieved by these words and actions.
As I read this passage, I thought of our conversations…and how
Mother and I both shared the desire that EVERYONE would come to know
Jesus. But a lot of us are doing everything in our power to ensure that
this doesn’t happen. How? By acting superior…ramming our Christian
faith down the throats of others…declaring in words and actions that it
is “God’s way or the highway” (translation…OUR way). We really aren’t
seeking HIS will…we just want everyone to agree with US!
Go back
and CAREFULLY read this passage again. Learn from the psalmist…be kind
and smile…bless others and give them a reason to want to follow our
Jesus. Operate in with an attitude of gratitude…with joy and a continual
declaration of the blessings of God in your own life. Demonstrate how
God meets your every need – in everything from the joy of your happiest
days to the depths of your most profound grief and loss. Judge fairly –
or better yet, don’t judge at all. Be a walking example of life in
Christ that makes others say, “I want what he/she has!”
The world
is filled with so much hatred…but if you read scripture, this is
nothing new, either! We seem to be poor, slow learners, when it comes
to Christian discipleship and “how to win friends and influence
people!” But we can change this! We can start today to operate in the
words of this Psalm…to praise God and show our gratitude for His
blessings…to demonstrate to the world at large how powerful His presence
is in our lives…how He makes EVERYTHING better. We can give them
something to seek - JESUS, living in and through us.
My mother
was not perfect. None of us are. But over and again during her last
days, people spoke of Mother’s kindness and encouragement…and her
steadfast Christian faith. She demonstrated the blessings of Jesus to
others…and they noticed. Can the same be said of you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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