actively keeping commandments

Good morning friends,
The thing that struck me in today's reading was right in the middle: "I hurry and do not delay to keep your commandments." Two things struck me about this line in particular. The first is that keeping the commandments is an active process. We often think of commandments in the sense of "Thou shalt not..." In other words we think of keeping the commandments as avoiding certain kinds of behavior: not stealing, not killing, etc. This passage encourages us to see righteousness and commandment keeping as things that we actively do: work for justice, love our neighbor in action, seek God's will for our decisions, and so on.

The other thing that struck me is that I have a long way to go here. I don't hurry and I often delay in keeping God's commandments. The session has been reading a great book in our meetings called I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church. The chapters each outline and important choice the church needs to make to grow strong and healthy. This last chapter is called "Choosing now over later." It gives all the excuses churches make about why the should wait to make needed changes, when in fact, often the passing of time makes those changes harder to make later than they are now. The same thing happens in our personal faith, at least in mine: I make excuses why later would be a better time to follow Christ more nearly. Maybe next year will be easier financially and I can live in a more sacrificial way then. I have a lot on my plate right now, later when things calm down I can start reading the Bible regularly. Our book shared a quote from "Martin Luther King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail" that effectively rephrases this line of the psalm and calls us to action today: "The time is always ripe to do what is right."

Amen, and may God bless our active discipleship today,
Sam

Psalm 119:57-64

57The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words.
58I implore your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.
59When I think of your ways, I turn my feet to your decrees;
60I hurry and do not delay to keep your commandments.
61Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law.
62At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous ordinances.
63I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.
64The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes.