Like a tree by the water

This morning, I'm waiting to hear about my car, which is loud as hell again, and hopefully can be fixed for as cheap or cheaper than last time, especially since it seems to be the same problem that was just fixed. Nonetheless, I'm looking for a good way to use my time while I wait. Intermittent napping while watching Unsolved Mysteries was not cutting it for me.

So I turned to the psalms...

Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.


I feel like a tree, stubborn of the abundant life-giving source near it, trying to grow on its own. The stream flows not too far, but I send my roots in other directions. I try to grow tall and strong on my own. I find, though, that I'm not as strong as I want to be. My fruit seems mediocre at best, maybe with a few good ones popping out now and again.

I certainly don't think I've pulled all my roots away from the stream, but I send more away than I care to admit. I know God satisfies best, but I want so badly to find that in other things as well. These other things always fail, but like a fool I run back to them time and time again. I say, "maybe this time it will satisfy me. This time it will have more to offer." Or, "I'll just go to this for a little bit and then go back to God." As a result I feel, tired, strained, and unsatisfied. In order to get back to where I want to be I'm going to need to be broken of a few things.

In other words, to have my branches pruned. Have the dead things removed from me so that new things can spring forth and I can grow by the strength of the stream. It won't be simple, or easy, and I will most definitely fail again, but its progress.

Its progress...

Prayerful Consideration Pt. 5, Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Finally, the last installment of the series. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

This one seems a bit strange. Sure, no one really wants to be tempted. Being tempted sucks. Temptation leads to sin, and sin to separation from God. It makes sense to ask to not be tempted.

But is that what Christ meant here?

Well, Christ may not lead us into temptation, but that does not mean that we are not tempted. There is a difference from being lead into temptation and being allowed to be tempted. Its not like Christ is taking me to a strip club or a porn shop. However, temptation persists.

The question then is what we do about this temptation?

Temptation can be a good thing. As odd as that may seem, temptation gives us the opportunity to choose God. It gives us the chance to lean not on our own strength, but to rely on God and build our relation with Him. I suppose that is what the last line of the prayer is about, "but deliver us from evil." God is all about relationships, even in situations where Satan is trying to take control. God is pretty freaking kick ass.

Prayerful Consideration: Pt. 4, Forgive us as we forgive others

It seems appropriate to consider the idea of forgiveness on Easter. After all, it is because of Christ's death and resurrection that my sins are forgiven.

It makes sense to ask for forgiveness of sins. Sin separates us from God. However, "sin" may not be the best word here. While it seems clear that sin is what is being talked about, more often we find the word "debt." In days of old a sacrifice was required for the forgiveness of sins. You owed that to God. That was the price for restoring a right relationship. However now, Christ has paid off our debt. He is our perfect and complete sacrifice that restores our relationship to God. Great deal.

The next part is a little harder though; "As we forgive our debtors."

Sometimes forgiving others is easy. Someone accidentally bumps you, or spills your drink, that is easy enough to forgive. However, what if some jerk punches you in the face, or your boss fires you from your job. Those are a little harder to forgive. I know there are some people who I still have a hard time forgiving. Nonetheless Christ is adamant about us forgiving others. After instructing the disciples how to pray he continues by saying, "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." That's a big deal.

Forgiving is a necessary step for love. We can't love others if we hold onto the things they have done to wrong us. It isn't easy all the time. Some people seem nearly impossible to love, especially forgive. I know I still have some work to do in this area, but it is nice to be able to ask God for his help.