vibrant

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 (7:18 a.m.)

Most Incredibly Blessed Lord God,

Thank You. Thank You for the absolute beauty of this morning’s sky. Beauty beyond belief! Color. Clarity. Vibrancy.

Now there’s a word I didn’t expect! Vibrant – spirited, full of life, exciting... Lord, You are GOOD! I thought we were going in the direction of mercy this morning. You know, forgiveness. Compassion. But no. You never want me to think ahead of You, do You?

Thank You for that! Thank You for keeping me corralled. Not letting me get too far ahead of myself. Well, YOU actually!

Yes Lord. Thank You for the intense, vibrant beauty outside that would inadvertently lead me to Psalm 89 in The Message. And even in doing that, I giggled as I came to it in The Life Recovery Bible. Wedged right between the end of 88 and beginning of 89, I had penciled in ♫I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever♫ Mm, mercy. Your love and kindness. Truth. Miracles. Your faithfulness. All discussed right here.

Lord God, I love You. You provide such beauty. Such joy. So many surprises. Thank You Lord for all You want to give to us. And here’s something else I didn’t expect. The name of this month describing how You ‘loom immense and august over everyone around You’ (v. 7). I’m used to August being a noun, the name of a summer month. This is new to me. Until now I didn’t know it to also be an adjective, ‘distinguished, respected, celebrated, honored, awe-inspiring…’

Wednesday, August 3, 2011 (8:24 a.m.)

Thank You Lord. Thank You that because of one word [vibrant] I get to explore so many other ones. Because of YOUR Word, I get to examine reality. In looking more closely at Psalm 89, again I am in complete awe of You. The Message and The Living Bible each tell Your truth of verses 14-18 with different words.

The Message is what brought me here yesterday. “The Right and Justice are the roots of Your rule; Love and Truth are its fruits. Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who You are, what You do – they can’t keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us – You’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!”

It’s true Lord! You ARE all this! How is it that when given the opportunity to speak of Your love and mercy I remain silent? I had the perfect opportunity the other evening and I hedged. I skirted. I didn’t just come right out and call You good. I hinted. I alluded. I did NOT stand firm and function in Your love. Change this in me Lord. Provide for me exactly what it is I need to be able to point directly to You!

“Your throne is founded on two strong pillars – the one is Justice and the other Righteousness. Mercy and Truth walk before You as attendants. Blessed are those who hear the joyful blast of the trumpet, for they shall walk in the light of Your presence. They rejoice all day long in Your wonderful reputation and in Your perfect righteousness. You are their strength. What glory! Our power is based on Your favor! Yes, our protection is from the Lord Himself and He, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.” (TLB)

Lord, I KNOW people like this! Not many, I confess. But I HAVE seen them! I’ve watched and observed them. I’ve wondered what it would be like to TRULY live my life as though I honestly believe every single truth Your Word speaks. Help me do that Lord. Help me know and trust You more that I would come automatically (first, NOT second naturedly) to thanking and praising You in ALL circumstances.

And just like that I am taken to Paul’s Final Instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5:14-24. “Dear brothers, warn those who are lazy, comfort those who are frightened, take tender care of those who are weak, and be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else. Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not smother the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at those who prophesy, but test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it. Keep away from every kind of evil. May the God of peace Himself make you entirely pure and devoted to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again. God, who called you to become His child will do this for you, just as He promised.”

These ten verses remind me that it is NOT on me to follow these instructions on my own. I can only do it with Your help! So again I ask Your assistance Lord. YOUR power. YOUR strength. In and through me. I love You so much. I truly long to live my life vibrantly! Full of energy and enthusiasm. What do You say? Yes? Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(921 words ~ 9:12 a.m.)