Psalm 52
Psalm 52
Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.
You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!
Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,
“Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”
But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.
Sometimes we forget who we belong to. Sometimes in a fit of desperation or loneliness we hurt those around us to give ourselves a boost. We forget our stronghold and quickly find ourselves overcome with fear: am I good enough?
This fear leads us to say and think all sorts of things. We doubt ourselves and our maker and tear down those around us, hurting them and forsaking the love of our Savior. It is so easy to hurt others with our words, to focus on ourselves and trying to make ourselves look better than everyone else. But why? Why do we do that?
We don't need to compare ourselves to others. All we need to do is look to Him, repent and be transformed by the power of His Spirit.
When we think of it that way it is easy to see where we slip up. When we are busy looking all around us and everyone else, we lose sight of the One who matters. The only One who matters.
When we look to Him, we find strength. We find hope. We find courage. When we focus on Him we find guidance, assurance and peace.
In moments of doubt, instead of asking ourselves, am I good enough? We can take heart because He is enough. His love is neverending and unfailing. He is faithful.
When our gaze is fixed on Him we lose sight of the worries and doubts that lead to nothing but the destruction of others. With our eyes on Jesus, we find love. We find grace and the ability to share His joy with the world.
I've found that most of my downfalls, most of my mistakes occur when I'm looking elsewhere. When I lose focus on the steadfast love of Christ I lose focus of everything. I lose myself and start tearing others down to try and get myself back.
But when my focus is on Him, on His love and salvation - I find hope. I find peace. I am no longer trying to find myself or redefine myself - I am simply resting in all He is and watching as He unfolds my redemptive story.
Before I was even conceived or thought of, He knew my story, He had it all planned out. He came and died for me to ensure that I would spend an eternity with Him in His love. So when I find myself struggling, when I try to define myself with the world's definitions, I will always come up short. But Jesus died for me because all He wanted for me was to be defined by Him - by His redemptive story.
Therefore, instead of seeking to destroy others, in His presence I find peace and He empowers me to get past myself and love the way He does. He equips me with His Holy Spirit to love others and lift them up instead of tearing them down. He enables me to share His peace and love with the world when I keep my eyes on Him.
That's the kind of God we serve. A hopeful God. A loving God. A forgiving God that makes my paths straight even when I mess up. When I turn my eyes upon Jesus, He will always be there, lifting me up and empowering me to lift up others in His name.
Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.
You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!
Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,
“Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”
But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.
Sometimes we forget who we belong to. Sometimes in a fit of desperation or loneliness we hurt those around us to give ourselves a boost. We forget our stronghold and quickly find ourselves overcome with fear: am I good enough?
This fear leads us to say and think all sorts of things. We doubt ourselves and our maker and tear down those around us, hurting them and forsaking the love of our Savior. It is so easy to hurt others with our words, to focus on ourselves and trying to make ourselves look better than everyone else. But why? Why do we do that?
We don't need to compare ourselves to others. All we need to do is look to Him, repent and be transformed by the power of His Spirit.
When we think of it that way it is easy to see where we slip up. When we are busy looking all around us and everyone else, we lose sight of the One who matters. The only One who matters.
When we look to Him, we find strength. We find hope. We find courage. When we focus on Him we find guidance, assurance and peace.
In moments of doubt, instead of asking ourselves, am I good enough? We can take heart because He is enough. His love is neverending and unfailing. He is faithful.
When our gaze is fixed on Him we lose sight of the worries and doubts that lead to nothing but the destruction of others. With our eyes on Jesus, we find love. We find grace and the ability to share His joy with the world.
I've found that most of my downfalls, most of my mistakes occur when I'm looking elsewhere. When I lose focus on the steadfast love of Christ I lose focus of everything. I lose myself and start tearing others down to try and get myself back.
But when my focus is on Him, on His love and salvation - I find hope. I find peace. I am no longer trying to find myself or redefine myself - I am simply resting in all He is and watching as He unfolds my redemptive story.
Before I was even conceived or thought of, He knew my story, He had it all planned out. He came and died for me to ensure that I would spend an eternity with Him in His love. So when I find myself struggling, when I try to define myself with the world's definitions, I will always come up short. But Jesus died for me because all He wanted for me was to be defined by Him - by His redemptive story.
Therefore, instead of seeking to destroy others, in His presence I find peace and He empowers me to get past myself and love the way He does. He equips me with His Holy Spirit to love others and lift them up instead of tearing them down. He enables me to share His peace and love with the world when I keep my eyes on Him.
That's the kind of God we serve. A hopeful God. A loving God. A forgiving God that makes my paths straight even when I mess up. When I turn my eyes upon Jesus, He will always be there, lifting me up and empowering me to lift up others in His name.
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