Our Best Interest at Heart

 Psalm 32              Leviticus 23-24                               Ephesians 5

Like many of the Psalms todays reminds us that we are all sinners but can be covered by God’s grace and forgiveness. David points out how blessed we are that God doesn’t give us what we deserve for our sins but offers a chance to try again. He also points out the importance of confession, pointing out he truth of what we have done, is a part of the healing process. As long as we hold it in sin eats away at us, including physical reactions in our body.

When we confess our guilt, it allows us to release the pent-up tension of our hidden life. God becomes our hiding place, and he covers our sin and the chance to live a new life. When we do that, we are delivered to a life that makes us want to sing his praise. The sins of the wicked, those that choose to do things against God’s way, will have their world filled with sorrows, but those that trust in the Lord shall be surrounded with lovingkindness. When we live an upright life, we can shout for joy!

As with many things the Lord teaches us in the Bible Leviticus often shows us the ebbs and flows of life. In today’s reading there is the draining process of work and the renewal that comes with the rest of sabbath. This is not only a weekly ritual but one that includes other times of extended rest. Each case it is a time of celebrating the work we do as well as rest for the body.

The next section is a reflection of the work and rest in that we are challenged to find time to both offer sacrifice and to celebrate with feasts. God has an expectation of balance in our lives, for our benefit, and to show that we believe that he has our best interests in mind.

Ephesians 5 is one of the most challenging chapters in the Bible for me. It starts out calling us to be imitators of God, just like our children imitate us, repeating our actions rather than the words we teach them. Paul challenges us to love just as Jesus loved us, giving up ourselves for others, as an offering to God who experiences it like the joy we have when we experience a fragrant aroma.

He then turns to the results of our often selfish acts or immorality, impurity and greed. We demand that our pleasure be made priority and then others are deceived by these empty words to promote what God commands we not do.

Pointing out that the light will one day shine on the truth and then we will not able to deny it, we should not participate in the things that are done in darkness, hidden from others, as they will be exposed. It is foolish to fail to be willing to understand what the will of God is, to have us experience what is best for us. We are called not to practice the things, like being drunk, that hurt our relationships with others, but to practice those things that build up our relationships.

Too often we only like to read the last section of chapter 5 in small parts that give us what we think we want from another. First, Paul calls the church to be subject to, putting others needs first, one another in fear of failing to be like Jesus. Turning to the relationship between a husband and wife both are challenged to refocus their need in the relationship. This is meant to be a parallel to our relationship with Jesus. Both relationships become difficult when we want our desires to be met before the other’s needs and wants. Jesus set all aside, even his life, that we could know what it was to be loved. Paul’s challenge is for us to make marriage a reflection of the love of Jesus for us. That should be the easiest person on earth to love in that way. After all we choose them and volunteered to make the commitment to love and cherish them for the rest of our life. That is the relationship God wants with us, not because we have to please him, but because we want to because we see God has our best interests in mind.

Each of the reading today remind me that God has my best interest in mind when he shows me how to live through the words of the prophets and Jesus. Then loved us enough to send Jesus as a perfect reflection of his father. It was easier to destroy the messenger than to submit to the will of the King.