Thursday, December 20, 2007

Psalm 138

138:1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.

4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Giving of yourself, generosity is one of the new themes that I am finding capturing my heart, and thought. It is exactly what the Psalmist speaks of here. In his book "Never Eat Alone", Keith Ferazzi tells a story of his dad stopping at a house and asking for big wheel out of the person's trash. Keith's comments are about what humilty and boldness it took for his hard working father to go up to a total stranger and say I am so poor can I have your trash, and he also said how good it made the person feel when they gave not only the trashed big wheel away but also a bike that they were saving. In that story it is easy to imagine being each person and how it would feel. It also makes me think about how Jesus has rescued us from the garbage heap, he became poor to save us from the dump. What generosity has been shown to us, and the natural response is for me to offer my life. When you stand you don't stand alone, the kings will join in, and the Lord will uphold you.

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