October 22nd - Reflection

Psalm 1 (NRSV)
Their delight is in the law
Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Reflection
Even though I stand in the midst of the sinful, and am one of the greatest of the sinful; I delight in the law of God. The Word points out my sin and turns me back to God. This is when the real teaching takes place. I am a living, breathing, example of God's grace at work in my body and spirit as God continues, day after day, to turn me, mold me and shape me into what God wants me to be.

What a joy and pleasure this is. It's not to say that all that molding and shaping is all painless and fun. It hurts, it's painful, but it's needed. The change is the joy. The following and learning the direction God chooses to take me is the joy. The graceful act of Jesus brings a joy in the knowledge and hope that there is something God chooses to like about me.

I know I am unique and loved in the eyes of God. What more joy could one ask? Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, I delight in your law and your teaching and your grace... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen