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The Formula of Faith

Psalm 128

Do you feel like climbing the steps of Jerusalem again today?  Well, this is another great Psalm of Ascent that will allow us to join ancient voices as we make our way to the temple!  Our theme for the week is the transforming grace of God.  So we start the week with one of the foundational components of grace.  “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”

We are not talking about fear that leaves us shaking in our boots or afraid to turn out the lights.  Here the reference to fear is more about awe and wonder.  It is more like ‘blessed are those who have deep reverence’ for the Lord.  We don’t live in anxiety and fear of God.  As disciples of the Lord we stand in reverent appreciation and in deep respect of the God of creation.
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Here we see and hear a bit of the male dominated world of the Old Testament days with an emphasis on the wife as a fruitful vine and the children as blessings for the man.  Our language today would be a bit more inclusive so we saw the marriage as a total gift and children as reward for both partners.  The thing that does not change is the reality that both gifts arrive from the hand of God as an outcome of our obedient lifestyle.  An obedient spirit creates the transformed life where blessings of peace can flow into the land.

Here is the formula:  Deep reverence for the Lord + An obedient spirit = the blessing of God

Have you found this to be true in your life?  Is there a part of the formula that could to be stronger?
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