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 45-51.

    I know what I want to write about today, but I am struggling with how to introduce the topics (see, what I did there. I couldn’t figure out an introduction, so I used that as the introduction). The psalmist tells us that if we place our trust in God we do not need to fear trouble. In Psalm 46, he sets aside the fear of natural disasters. In Psalm 49, he sets aside the fear of human beings. When all is going crazy around us, we just need to be calm and recognize that God has power over all of it. Panic and fright will not aid us in any way, but calmly waiting for God to tell us what to do will. Others may trust in their wealth and/or political power, but no matter how rich they are, no matter how powerful they are, they cannot buy their way out of dying. Only God can redeem us from death.

    God has no need of our wealth or possessions. All of the earth is His. What He desires from us is thankfulness. The psalmist warns us to not think that talking about God and His commands will do us any good if we spend our time commending those who violate them. Slandering our brother (and I want to point out that I think Jesus’ example about who our neighbor is applies to who our brother is as well) is an indication that we are not living with the thankfulness which God desires. Ultimately, we have all sinned. Let us throw ourselves on God’s mercy and pray for Him to wipe us clean from those sins. Then strive to sin no more. As I read these psalms and write this blog, I am reminded once more how much less skilled I am at word crafting than the psalmist. Please read these psalms, my ability to express the thoughts they evoke is inadequate to the task.