Psalm 147 begins by saying it is good to sing praise to our God. It goes on to say that God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Then informs us that God determines the number of the stars which are beyond human counting and not only numbers them but also calls them each by name. Fascinating and amazing. Great is our God and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit. Then in verse eleven we are told this, "the LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love." The Spiritual Formation Bible's side note says, "The Psalmist reflects on the amazing paradox: the God of the universe, who names the stars and has understanding that is beyond measure is also concerned with each unique person, poor and grief stricken as each may be. Even though there are billion of stars in the divine purview God has a name for each one even so God calls each one of us by name and tenderly cares for each of us."
I pray that you know how special you are to God; "God delights in you"
Instead of giving up something for lent I'm doing what one spiritual director suggested "adding something to it." I'm reading the book Pauses For Lent by Preacher Trevor Hudson published by Upper Room Books.
He states that at the heart of the message of Jesus is the availability of the kingdom of God, a new kind of life. "Life in the kingdom is an intimate life in which we come to know God personally as Abba [father/daddy]." Life in this kingdom of God can be described as follows:
shared life - we come to discover ourselves as part of God's family
transformational life - we are gradually changed into the people God wants us to be
powerful life - God acts together with us for the good of others and the healing of our world
loving life - where we become more responsive with love to those around us
eternal life - a life that cannot be snuffed out by death
"To enter the joy of this life we need to open ourselves to repentance and trust. We must walk a daily journey of turning toward the risen Christ and learning from him how to live our lives."
As the book we love says, "Be like God and live a life of love!"
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