live & let live
... desperate condition on death’s door that we seriously consider turning to the Lord. He is the giver of all life, the savior of every damned soul. The psalmist describes Him in verses 5-7, “Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” On our own we would be in distress, but knowing who God is gives us rest. God is the antithesis of who we are as humans, and the answer to all of our needs. We can be comforted by His character; we can find hope in how perfect He is. Coming to grips with the bad news (that we are sinners destined for death) and knowing the good news (that God is so good He gives us life instead) is the foundation for God’s work of salvation. The Spirit uses these truths and the knowledge of the work of Christ to cross us over from perishing to a relationship with God. “For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living” (vv. 8-9). Having been saved from all of the evil that enslaved us, we are now free to walk with God in a new way. When the psalmist says, “I will walk” he is making it his commitment. His passion is to give Himself away until God has consumed all of hi...