PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Psalm 64
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
But God will shoot them with his arrows.” (Psalm 64:7)
At first glance, this picture of God shooting arrows is unsettling.
But the idea here is not that God is violent, but that God is just.
God brings back on people the evil they impose on others.
God always starts with gracious love for all people.
God warns against unloving, cruel behaviour, but lets people choose.
If people persist in being cruel, hurtful, hateful, God will stop them.
The way God does this is by bringing back our own ways upon us.
Jesus also begins with gracious love for everyone.
But he also reminds us of the wages of hurtful unloving behaviour.
“For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged.” (Matthew 7:2)
We are commanded to treat others as he treats us – with grace.
He also warns that in the end God will treat us as we treat others.
Every verbal or physical bullet I shoot may come back to haunt me.
Treat others how you want the Lord to treat you – with mercy!
PRAYER
Lord, you are merciful to me, and call me to be merciful to others. May your mercy through me come back to help me in the end!
“Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.” It is! Not only externally but also internally within me. How often I find myself – kicking myself – because of some sinful thought/idea! The mind sometimes distracts me to justify why I should do something I know I shouldn’t. It’s like the conflict the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 7:19 “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” Lord help me to see that way and fight the sin that is so cunning within me – rather keep me close to you so that I might confront that desire and seek rather to follow your better way!
Words.
Gossip.
The saying of ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.’
This is not true.
Hateful speech reflects hate and incites it.
My speech needs to be positive, uplifting and that can only be accomplished by His love. My words and deeds must show evidence of Christ’s love for me. My daily talk must show evidence that I am all for Jesus, an instrument of His peace, being a peacemaker, a stepping stone and not a stumbling block.
May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart
Bless Your name, bless Your name, Jesus
And the deeds of the day and the truth in my ways
Speak of You, speak of You, Jesus