7/2/13 Scripture Reflections - Twofold Trust

The Word

Psalms 55:22-23

22 Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
    into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful
    will not live out half their days.

But as for me, I trust in you.

Background

Psalms 55 is titled "Cast Your Burden on Lord".

Thoughts

After reading Psalms 55, I’m certainly called to trust God. God is great, so concerned with our personal affairs that he “will save me” (v. 16) and “redeems my soul” (v. 17), yet so pure that even speech “smooth as butter” will offend him. However, the Psalmist actually calls us to trust two things: first, that God can carry our burdens, and second, that the world can’t. Notice the future tense in verse 23: God has not yet cast “down” the Psalmist’s enemies, nor has He ended their lives. Imagine the faith the Psalmist must’ve had to believe in these things; it was trust in the fact that the ways of this world lead to destruction. As a North American Christian, I am blessed with just the opportunity to praise God for his trustworthiness. But does my praise come out of desperate dependence, knowing that I simply have no other choice?

Questions

What things other than God am I currently placing my trust in?

Regarding Sabbath, do I believe that God can use this sacrificed time for his glory? When I forgo my Sabbath, as is inevitable, do I do so lightly? Do I believe that my usage of time will yield more fruit that God’s usage of time?

When is the last time I’ve clung to God as my one and only source of strength? When is the last time he has put me through the crucible?

Food for Thought

Matthew 6:19-24

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light.23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Romans 12:2

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Psalms 51:11-12
¹¹ Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit. 

Prayer

Dear God,

I confess that the world entices me. Riches, reputation, revelry tempt me every way I turn. Satan leads me astray, and all too often, I find that my trust is in these things, rather than in you. Humble me daily, convincing me that these idols will ultimately fail. Provide me the strength just to look to you for strength. You are worthy of our trust, you have done for us far more than we could possibly imagine. You have shown us your perfect love through your creation of the world and your son’s death on the cross. I pray that we realize that all things points back to you*, and without you, life loses its meaning. I pray that you be at the center of my thoughts each day, that I would trust you to guide me through any and every situation. It is only by your strength that I can unlearn my old habits and depend on you. Challenges will arise, as they inevitably do, so continually remind my stubborn heart that I am called to cast my burdens on you.

In Jesus’ name, I pray,

Amen

An Adrenaline Boost a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

One hobby that I would’ve never expected to pick up in the city is biking. I’m not talking about pushing my citi-bike around Central Park. I’m talking about riding up 6th avenue, the central artery of the city. I warm up on my way through West Village, whose southern border is right around my dorm room on 4th. After a few minutes, the “Lady’s Mile” emerges, a strip of the avenue where many of the staple department stores (Macy’s, etc.) first opened. From 30th street onwards is tourist haven. Wide-eyed travelers emerge from Penn Station, Asians herd west for their first bite of K-town, and street performers try to demagogue the masses. About ten blocks up is Rockefeller Center, which is really just a bunch of tall gray boxes. Across the street is a big flashy neon sign, I mean, Radio City Music Hall. At this point, Central Park is in sight, and it’s a gentle down-hill cruise to 60th street.

Though it could just be me, I typically hear at least a handful of tourists comment on my existence. Yellow chauffer cabs hurtle around, city buses stop almost every block, everyone else is in a mad scramble to get home, and here I am, wearing my classic grey “Capital Classic Invitational 2010” dry-fit T-shirt, slowly negotiating my way uptown. This process is remarkably like driving. When a car in front of you is slowing down, just change lanes and pass him. When you’re in front, keep your cool, because you have the right of way. Anticipate the green light, because you’ll probably get a head start and save a few seconds too. There are also opportunities for creative problem solving. If you’re getting bored, create your lane. And rather than yielding for those pesky pedestrians, dodge them.

As such arbitrage opportunities become apparent, these innocuous city strolls turn into some of the most exciting games of the city. And so, as I listen to those tourists, I realize that they just don’t understand the rules yet. 6th avenue is a little microcosm, and understandably, life here moves a bit too fast for most. Nevertheless, these visitors provide perspective, reminding me that streets are dangerous, and human life is at stake. Sure, I try to be careful, but as I whiz by a double-decker bus at almost 30 mph, all I ask myself is, “Aren’t we all going to die anyways?”
 _______

Today, I went for a nice bike-ride up to Central Park along 6th Avenue again. Turned left, and then took Central Park West up to Harlem. I realized I was a bit out of place, and routed back to Columbia University. Enjoyed the sight of the main quad for a bit, then biked back down along Broadway and West End Ave before eventually hooking back into the Hudson River bike trail. It was a nice steady uninterrupted bike ride back to about 10th street, where I made my way back to the Hayden.

Re-Introductions

I've decided to start my blog again.

I will leave most of my old entries up (for now). It amuses me to read them, and I hope that it will amuse you to read them too. But if it amuses you too much, I may have to take them down...

But seriously, I think leaving old entries up will (hopefully!) show growth in my thinking and my writing. Both of those things are pretty important to who I am as a person. Therefore, many of my older entries reveal much about the particular sins I was struggling with during that time (and to some extent, things that I'm still struggling with now).

A major motivation behind this reboot is the 90-day reading plan that I started for this summer. God has revealed much to me through his abundant Word, and I believe that (though also among many things) has refreshed my thinking on many things: prayer, religion, homosexuality, government/law, art, music, worship, musical worship, drumming, work, rhetoric, and intentions, among many others.

One mini-project I'd like to work on is writing personal devos. The most direct thing God has done for me through the 90-day plan is given me an abundance of spiritual insights and revelations. I would like to share some of these with others. Because a primary goal is sharing, I've tried to keep them short yet precise. I added the sections: "Questions" because I think that we should continually be asking ourselves how the Word applies to our lives. The section "Prayer" is a prayer that I intend to write up as if I was praying it by myself. I hope to record these prayers to practice making them more biblical, and to also see how God will answer them. I do fear that I may writing these just because I like listening to myself, so I'll plan to pray for at least a day after "finishing" to decide if I should share them publicly.

Other mini-projects this summer, that I have mock-ups for that I would like to work on more/eventually share.

1. Commentary on worship songs - focusing on lyrics
2. Drumming with Markov Chains
3. Cataloging and eventually analyzing my reading notes with some Java code
4. Passing time on the subway/public transportation
5. Discussing so-called "trivial" things
1. How much water should I fill this glass with? How much ice, if available, should I add? If I'm in the mood for warm water, how long should I the boil water for? 
2. Comparison of 2 private bathroom arrangements: 1 Men's 1 Women's, or 2 Uni-sex's.
6. Biking in NYC

I mention these here because I know that during summer will I have time to think and write about these things. I don't know how many of these I'll actually get to...

So yes, go forth, and take things out of context to your hearts delight. I have put up two entries after this, and will probably work on a third soon that just documents all my high-school entries with some side thoughts/retrospection.

Perhaps I should use Wordpress. I guess if I'm bothered enough, I may do some research. Blogspot has some cool built-in page view stats though, and graphs are invariably exciting.

Oh yeah, I could probably use some work with typography/layout, but simply can't be bothered by that right now. MT, if you're reading this... just bear with me for a bit =p