Tuesday, 25 September 2007

Recent biblical musings

One of the things I thought I might do from time to time here is share whatever random - or not so random - thoughts may be running through my head about Bible verses that have stuck out.

2 Things have been running through my head recently. Psalm 73, along with many of the Psalms, is a bit moany in places, but comes to a beuiful conclusion in verse 25

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you."

I get decidedly fed up with one person on a regular basis that constantly lets me down... Unfortunately it's me. This isn't a sympathy gathering exercise or alse modesty thing - I have an incredible capacity for idiocy usually resulting from laziness or congenital disorganisation.

This reminds me that despite all of my failures and all the nonsense that all too often distracts me I have some things in life that will not or can not change. Even if I lost everything I own & everyone I love I cannot lose God or Him me. He's all I really have in life. I may be distracted by other stuff & nonsense but there isn't anything I desire besides Him.

I've also been considering the Good Samaritan as in Lukes Gospel (chapter 10). But not so much the parable itself, more the interaction between Jesus & the lawyer who provokes the telling of the parable. I have this grand idea that one day I'll write a book studying the interactions Jesus had with people - both followers and those who rejected him.

This guy tries to catch Jesus out with a testing question. When Jesus gives what appears to be a text-book answer "Love the Lord your God... and your neighbour as yourself" (v27) he asks "Who is my neighbour?"

Jesus then tells the now infamous story. At the end he still doesn't answer his original question. He turns the question on its head from who my neighbour is - to how you should be the neighbour that loves.

I wonder how often we don't get our questions answered satisfactorily because we ask the wrong thing?

Starting soon...

Well, I finally decided to try my hand at blogging.

Don't know if this will ever be read or found interesting / useful etc, so let me know you're out there!

Dave