I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 108-116.

Put your confidence in God and sing His praises with all of your heart.  The psalmist writes about how he joyfully rises with the dawn to praise God to everyone.  He does this in the face of those who curse him despite his attempts to do good to them.  I was going in a different direction here, but it just struck me that the psalmist is writing about people who have started to believe the lies they tell about him, that is why they curse him.  We face the same thing today.  People convince themselves that their behavior is perfectly OK, then call you a hater when you point out how destructive their behavior actually is.  They convince themselves that those who attempt to point out how they hurt themselves with their behavior hate them for things beyond their control.  So, they curse such people with curses like those listed by the psalmist.  What they do not realize is that they are calling such curses down upon themselves.  Nevertheless, let us continue to show such people God’s love, not the false love they demand from us.  

Once again I am not sure how I am going sure how I am going to get the idea in my mind written down here, but I am going to try.   I always hesitate when I write something like the previous sentence because I am afraid that I am suggesting that, if I do a good job you should praise me.  However, the fact of the matter is that I write such things to make clear that if you find what comes after insightful or useful, the praise goes to God, not to me.  Which brings me into the point I want to make.  Those who fear the Lord will do good.  This contains a real paradox.  If we fear the Lord we will do His will out of fear of what He will do to us if we do not.  But as we do His will, we experience His love and love drives out fear by making us realize that He wants what is best for us.  Which leads us to do God’s will in order to return to Him His love.  But as we continue on this path we realize that there is nothing we can do for Him which He needs from us.  Which cycles us back to His love.  He gives us commands because He loves us and His commands instruct us to do what is in our own best interest.