July 18, 2018 Wednesday

“8 ¶  I will hear what God the LORD will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly. 9  Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land. 10  Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed. 11  Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven. 12  Yes, the LORD will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase. 13  Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.” (Psalm 85:8-13 NKJV)

                         

                          It is so much more pleasant to talk about salvation, mercy and peace. If we are not careful we can come to see God as Santa Claus and the sacrifice of Jesus as a hollowed out get out of hell card!

                          The psalmist shows us the tension that exists in our lives as Christians which is much more than just doing good or getting good. Some would call this a duality which would mean each side was equal but the truth is both sides come from the same source. To see this clearly let us make the comparison.

Salvation and fear are in tension because we will not even know we need to be saved without an understanding of the awe and glory of God! So salvation is the work of God and fear is the result of who God is and understanding who we are not.

Mercy and truth are also in tension as seen when Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate and Jesus declared himself to be truth as he prepared to offer himself as an act of God’s mercy. Without truth we could not believe in mercy without mercy we could not stand the truth of who we are.

Righteousness and peace are within themselves in tension because if we are not made righteous by God we cannot have peace with God. Humanity is fallen and broken and completely unable to either earn righteousness or become righteous. We are dependent upon God by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to make us righteous when we confess and repent. The tension between righteousness and peace is why families, communities and nations cannot have peace unless we are made righteous through Jesus Christ.

                          The promise of God is if we turn to God and trust God to bring those tensions into line in our lives or our nations then God will make things good and enrich our lives and lands.

                          Do you believe God will grant you salvation without any understanding of who God is? How can we even trust in God’s mercy if we lie and cannot trust God is telling the truth? Is peace with others enough or do we need peace with God to be able to have peace with others?