i need to blog

In the last few weeks as I have considered discontinuing my blogging or at least slowing down on how often I post, I have discovered that I cannot give up my blog. I love to write. And while much of what I write will probably never be read by another, I need the space to sometimes share my thoughts. So, on that note, my blog will continue. And it will continue to be as sporadic and inconsistent as it always has been. I may go a couple of weeks without a post, or I may post multiple times in a day. All I know is that this blog will continue to exist for you faithful few who read it.

Psalm 15

Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?

     Who may live on your holy hill?

He whose walk is blameless

     and who does what it righteous,

who speaks the truth from his heart

     and had no slander on his tongue,

who does his neighbour no wrong

     and casts no slur on his fellowman,

who despises a vile man

     but honours those who fear the LORD,

who keeps his oath

     even when it hurts,

who lends his money without usury

     and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things

     will never be shaken.

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Upon first read through, living up to all that is listed in the psalm as what it takes to enter God's presence seems impossible. We may do well at most of these things most of the time, but not all of them all of the time. We know we are far from perfect. Thankfully, as disciples of Christ, we do not to try to live up to these standards in our own strength. Jesus has already made a way for us to enter God's presence - our living up to certain standards is not required for that. We also have the Holy Spirit living in us to help us to live these things out in our day to say lives.

Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?

The writer of the psalm is clear that not just anyone can enter into God's presence. In the Old Testament, the sacrifices and laws were what made people able to enter God's presence. As new Testament disciples of Christ, Jesus has made a way. But, having access to God's sanctuary through Jesus' sacrifice for us, does not mean that there should be no change in the way we live our lives.

He whose walk is blameless

What does it mean for our walk to be blameless? How can we, as fallen creation, ever have a blameless walk?Elsewhere in Scripture, the words perfect, upright, without blemish are used for the same word in the original language as is used here. The literal definition of the word blameless as used in these verses speaks of being unimpaired, whole, innocent, having integrity. That is a rather high standard on our own. But, it is something that is achievable with the Holy Spirit in us. I do not know too many people who do not desire to live a life of integrity no matter how hard it may be. Part of that is choosing to avoid willful or planned sin. We choose to avoid that, rather than planning to sin and just ask for forgiveness after we have indulged.

And who does what is righteous

To be righteous is to act in a morally correct manner. The righteous person does what is right simply because it is right.

Who speaks the truth from his heart

Speaking the truth in all situations is important. But the most important part of speaking the truth is that it comes from the heart. Sometimes speaking the truth can be difficult or painful, but when it comes from the heart, it is coming from love and care for others. When contemplating speaking the truth in a tough situation, the question to ask is whether the desire to speak the truth is coming from a heart of love or from a desire to be right or better than the other person.

And who has no slander on his tongue

Slander is speaking poorly or destructively of another person. There is nothing good or positive about slander. That is why it should be avoided. Our speech about others should not slanderous.

Who does his neighbour no wrong

We should be seeking to do what is good and right to those around us, not what is wrong or harmful. On the surface, this seems rather obvious, but in practice, it can be much more difficult that we really care to acknowledge.

And casts no slur on his fellowman

No matter what makes a person different from us, there is no reason for us to speak poorly or derogatorily of them. All humankind has been made in the image of God and deserve our respect.

Who despises a vile man

A vile man is one who is one whose behaviour is morally wrong. To despise them means that we are disgusted with the behaviour of that person.

But honours those who fear the Lord

What does it mean to fear the Lord? To fear the Lord means to have a respect and awe for who God is. It is not a fear in that we are hiding from Him because we are afraid we will be punished for something. It is a fear that causes us to realize how great He is and how worthy of all our respect and honour and worship He is because of who He is.

Who keeps his oaths even when it hurts

Throughout Scripture we are told to keep our word - to keep our promises. When we say something, we are to follow through on it. Sometimes doing so may cause us pain - financially, emotionally, relationally, physically - but we are to follow through with that promise anyways.

Who lends money without usury

Usury was the word for interest in the Old Testament Law. Israelites were not to lend money to fellow Israelites who were poor and charge them interest to make money off their backs. God's command was to be generous in helping out those in need without expecting something in return.

And does not accept a bribe against the innocent

No matter what they payout might be - financially, relationally, materially - we should not accept it if it means harm will be done to an innocent person.

He who does these things will never be shaken

This psalm is describing the life of someone who is following God`s commands and ways. This person is building a firm foundation for their life and deepening a relationship with their heavenly Father. They will be able to stand even in the midst of life`s storms.

why do i blog?

In the last while I have been reviewing some of the posts I have written over the years that I have had this blog. As I did I noticed that there have been some topics that seem to come up over and over again. And it has caused me to wonder. Do I write about the same things all the time? Now I have not read all of my posts since I started this blog, just a few from various times, so I may just be picking all the ones that are about the same things. But I do still wonder if I there really is enough interesting stuff that I think about to write posts that are different than ones I have already written.

As I enter another new year and look at how I spend my time I guess I find myself evaluating what I do with the time I have. And that has brought on this review of my blog. Wondering about whether I am repeating the same topics over and over. And wondering about what the purpose of my having a blog is. And wondering about whether I can use the time I spend writing here on other things.

At this point, I do not feel like I want to give up my blog, but I do feel like maybe I am in a season where there are other things that need some of the time I spend on here. The result of that may mean less posts here. Or they may come in chunks of a few of at a time with larger time breaks in the midst.

I am not sure what my blog will look like this coming year. All I know is that it will quite possibly look different than it has in the past - at least for the next little while. I am not even sure that this is a long term change, it may be just a temporary one. That remains to be seen.