Responsiblity

Thursday Talk Story #16 for June 4^th

 

Psalm 67: 1  “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon the earth, your saving power among all nations.”

 

     With great blessings comes great responsibility.  Israel is blessed to know God and God’s gifts of law and ordinances.   By accepting those gifts and practicing them in daily life, Israel reveals God to the world in their worship and behavior.

 

     We Christians are blessed to know God through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Through Him we have forgiveness of our sins, new life in the Spirit, and the promise of eternal life.  With these great spiritual gifts comes great responsibility.  God wants us, the church, to make Christ’s Word and Way known through our worship and daily living.    But to ignore the 10 commandments, for example, is to deny our faith.  To skip Sabbath worship and behave like the world around us is a denial of God’s goodness and blessings to us.  We forget our responsibility to be witnesses for Christ if we forget His blessings and benefits.

 

      If this economic recession teaches nothing else, it reminds us that sin is real.  We have learned greed is not good and has consequences for the future, our neighbors and society at large.  But gratitude to God for life’s blessings expressed in weekly worship can lead us to live grateful lives of peace, contentment, and responsible stewardship.  The Psalmist concludes by saying,

 

      “May God continue to bless us,

              let all the ends of the earth revere him.” Vs. 6

 

       God continues to bless those who remain faithful and responsible in their stewardship of God’s never ending goodness. 

 

     Lord, in these difficult economic times, we rejoice that you continue to be gracious and merciful, generous and kind in all your ways.  Help us to respond to your steadfast love with faithful worship and stewardship of all you have entrusted to us.