Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Psalm 73 – Order Now

Guest Post: Mike Kilbane

It’s interesting to look at life and see how often we reflect on what we lack. We obsess on what is absent from our lives and imagine that all of our problems and anxieties would be resolved if that one element was changed. For the cancer patient it is the desire to be healthy again, for the unemployed it is a job, for the poor it is wealth, for the single it is marriage, for the childless it is to have a child, for the overweight it is to be thin, for the jailed it is freedom.

Some of these are huge barriers and issues. They are factors that if resolved would truly change the trajectory of a person’s life. But, others are just things we like to blame any unhappiness in our life on. It’s easier to point at an external factor as the cause for our poor attitude, than to take responsibility for our actions and behavior. When these feelings take root, envy is not far behind:
For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles’ their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. (Psalm 73:3-5)
Through infomercials, magazine articles, and other media we are led to believe that this sentiment is true. Celebrities, executives, and trust fund kids don’t have any of the burdens that plague man. We are told if we just had more money, looked better in a bathing suit, or had a nicer car, our troubles would melt away. But, it is all just a fantasy. True peace comes from the King. His offer isn’t good for the “first 100 callers”, it is good for an eternity, and the benefits start today. Order now, callers are standing by.

2 comments:

  1. I really liked what you wrote today Mike. So I just had to post it on my blog. Thanks for your straight shooting.

    I enjoyed today's reading as well. I typically read the scripture each day online. One of my favorite things that happens is when i enter into the search box the chapter, for example today Psalm 73, and a reference from within that chapter automatically pops up from a previous search. I love going and reading that scripture... trying to remember what I was doing and why I was searching that specific passage in the past. Today, here is what pulled up. It just stands alone as an amazing word of encouragement. I have nothing more to add (it says it all):

    Psalm 73:23-26, 28

    23 Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.

    24 You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.

    25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

    26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.

    28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
    I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
    I will tell of all your deeds.

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  2. I find that the amount of money one does or doesn't have makes no difference in the problems. You are right, the media does twist and play on the thought the more you have the better you are. I have found that like the old saying goes, "The best things in life are free." I can not think of a lot of things that bring a smile to my face like a walk to the library with my famil does.

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