Psalm 122:9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good. Spock, on Star Trek, always believed that the good of the many outweighed the good of the one. Today that’s a somewhat shocking thought; however, he’s probably right. And he’s probably closer to the truth, too. That’s not the point I wanted to make today though. I thought this was a good verse for me to remember this year (and hereafter). I seek the good of others, not for my own sake, but for the sake of the house (family) of God. When I seek the good of others (even my enemies) it blesses everyone around me. I heard Skip Moen say that the part in the Bible where it says to pray for your enemies and thereby heap burning coals on their head actually means that you will heap blessings on their head. The Hebrew pictograph for blessing literally shows “flames on the head.” I think this is a similar concept. It’s a good thing to remember as I sort out issues with my past job and endeavor to excel at my present job.
Zechariah 7:9-10 This is what the LORD Almighty says: Judge fairly and honestly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor people. And do not make evil plans to harm each other. You’d think that these guidelines would be common sense, that people would do this naturally. However, maybe it’s because of the sin in our world that we no longer naturally judge fairly and honestly, are merciful and kind, and take care of others. I suppose if you look at the news it’s even more obvious that these laws are broken all the time… But then you hear stories that bring a smile to your face. This morning on the news (while I was waiting for my computer to wake up – it’s worse than I am!) I heard a story about a law firm here in Orlando that is giving away 1000 turkeys for Thanksgiving! I thought that was awesome! There were some men lined up at 4am to get a turkey for their family because they didn’t have the money to buy one otherwise. In a time when the message seems to be all about plenty and getting more and more and more I am challenged to remember just how blessed I am. Have times been easy? No! But God has so faithfully provided us with everything we need, and a little extra to do some things for Christmas. No matter how many packs of diapers we’ve needed or how much food the little ones were packing away, He’s always put the money there to cover it. We are healthy (mostly) and have good doctors to get us well if we need it. We have a place to live that is comfortable. We have family that loves us. We have a church we love. We are truly blessed. There is still honestly and goodness and kindness in the world. No, it’s not everywhere, but little things like the generosity of this law firm remind me of how much we’ve been given and that there are people who want to do good for others. So, as we start out this holiday season (or continue in it, depending on your perspective), I want to remember to give a little more away – even if it’s just a kind word or deed. I think that makes God smile. And that’s a great thing!