My Sunday School class recently read and reflected on Psalm 1. In some way, I think about that psalm almost every day.
Since my first email account back in the late 1900s, I’ve signed off my messages with “Stay blessed.” The blessing I have in mind comes from that psalm, and it is a life rooted in God’s wisdom.
Psalm 119 gives us another glimpse of that life. The psalmist finds hope in God’s promise and comfort in distress. God’s word gives him life.
That made me think of John 6, where the disciples tell Jesus, "Only you have the words of life.” Then that brought an old hymn to mind: “Wonderful Words of Life.” My attention honed in on one line of that song: “offer pardon and peace to all.”
As I read the hymn, God's word offers pardon and peace to all. But I also wonder, as we learn God's wisdom of life, doesn't that mean we offer pardon and peace to all as well?
Wouldn’t learning God’s ways mean learning to offer forgiveness? Wouldn’t receiving peace change my willingness to live in peace?
Well, the psalmist also says, "hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked." That can't be good for one's peace or blood pressure. So, if pardon and peace spread, wouldn't that make for a better world and life for us all?
I don’t want “Stay blessed” to become something I type without thinking. I want it to remind me how to live. Rooted in God’s word. Sustained by God’s promises. Ready to share the pardon and peace I have received.
Today, think of one person who could use some of that pardon and peace. What could you offer them? A patient response, a word of forgiveness, or a first step toward making things right? Start there. Let “Stay blessed” become something someone experiences through you.
Stay blessed...john
Comments