The Great Debate

Psalm 85

8 I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
he promises peace to his people, his saints—
but let them not return to folly.

I use to struggle with whether or not I could give up my sin - if God was worth letting go of some temporary pleasure. I still struggle with this sort of short-sightedness, but now I find the debate is whether I am willing to give up my peace for my sin. It would be nice to say that I feel constant unending love toward God, but the truth is that my love towards God is not unfailing. There are times when I forget for a moment how great God is, but I am not so quick to forget how wonderful the peace of God is. Living in that peace means living apart from willful sin. It is not that God takes His peace from me when I sin. No, but rather I let the confusion of sin into my mind and that truly is a "return to folly".

Doorman

Psalm 84

10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

This verse needs no explanation. The least that God has to give us is greater than all the world has to offer.

You Come Knocking

Psalm 80

17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

18 Then we will not turn away from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.

19 Restore us, O LORD God Almighty;
make your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

Here it is, a prophecy thousands of years before Christ, longing for Him to come. That love, that desperate longing for Christ has always existed in those who sought God. It's natural that those that seek God find a desire to seek Christ. It is as natural as someone who wants to enter a house looking for the door to enter by.

What's unnatural is to find that God is looking for us, but this is what Christ showed us: That God was looking to "seek and to save that which was lost". It is a great shock to discovery that when we find the door, there is God, knocking on the other side, waiting for us to open it.

Over and over again, when I am in the presence of God, I find that He has been preparing for our time together - that He has something to share with me - while I have been distacted. That I've carelessly locked Him out. He wouldn't have to knock if I'd just leave the door open!

Bonus verse!

Revelations 3:20

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

His Glory in Our Shame

Psalm 79

9 Help us, O God of our salvation!
Help us for the glory of your name.
Save us and forgive our sins
for the honor of your name.

It crushes me to think that God forgives us our sins. God is righteous and awesome. He is so pure and so powerful, that even knowing that sinful beings like us exist should be an insult to Him. Acknowledging us, even to judge us, He should consider a disgrace to His majesty. Instead, He has forgiven us our sins and it has required Him to humilate Himself. He has done this for His glory and more glory is due Him for these miraculious deeds.