Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.
- Lous Lange
Psalms of Delight...
Most of the Bible's Psalms give thanks to God on one or more levels. Commanded to do so, Christians aught to make the time to praise God for His glorious nature, creative genius and many gifts to mankind.
Psalms of Delight are written in concert with Psalms in the Night. Both series contain Modern Psalms meant to comfort and inspire those seeking the Omni-God revealed in Scripture.
Prayers Of All Past Generations Summary
Let's face it, those of us fortunate enough to live in modern First World Nations are beyond spoiled. God's provided us with unprecedented social, technological and spiritual blessings and in return we've repaid His kindness with ubiquitous levels of entitlement, apathy and sin.
So much sot that sadly, even modern Christianity seems to have more in common with the Rich Man in the story of Lazarus than Biblical Christians. Isn't it high time we took a hard look in the mirror, stop taking God and His gifts for granted and become the kind of Christians desperately needed in this late hour?
Prayers Of All Past Generations
Modern Psalm of Delight 3
Good morning God. It's me again. No doubt You've noticed a few things about me during our sessions over the years. By now You've probably caught on I'm kinda a one trick pony. Still, I hope You give me credit for creativity. You have to admit I've found hundreds of ways to say the same thing overt and over. We need more of You and we needed it yesterday!
While I'm pressing hard for Your presence in our lives to show up in power, provision and protection, today I wanted to go on record saying I appreciate the greatest paradox of my generation. At lest those of us blessed enough to live in First World Nations.
While most of our prayers may go unanswered, we're experiencing answers to prayer of all past generations!
Caught up in the daily grind we may not notice how blessed we are. Politics aside, the old Great Depression song "Every Man A King" is a reality. With technological advances all but conquering basic challenges, we savor the ease of victory. We not only enjoy, but daily take for granted, an incredible array of blessings. Something as common as a grocery store would have seemed a godsend to previous generations. Even a simple meal meant raising and catching the chicken, killing and plucking the chicken, gutting and then cooking the chicken on a wood burning stove. Out of the perhaps 100 billion who've every lived, only a few percent could even imagine picking one up at the market or driving through window on the way home.
Afforded amazing advances in science technology, in many ways we posses power the greatest kings could hardly of imagined. For all his wealth, could King Solomon catch a plane and arrive half way around the globe in a matter of hours? Did he ever once jump in a car and race seventy miles an hour on smoothly paved roads enjoying air conditioning? Did his smart phone allow real time conversations with anyone anywhere on Earth or offer music from thousands of artists?
And what of his wisdom? Did the wisest men even know the Earth is round? Did they have access to half the facts fifth graders take for granted? Time would fail to list all the marvels we enjoy. From science and technology to food and housing. From law and order to police and military protection. From health care and social programs to entertainment and travel…
On the flip side, Jesus warned, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." An even more crucial concern with spiritual conflict at an all time high. Subtle as it is certain, challenges to Christianity abound. While woefully one-sided, the Church is at war. From ubiquitous levels of temptation and deception, to apathy and the inversion of morality. An increasing number of serious threats are creating a culture of spiritual refugees.
Seems like Satan's spread his net and we're caught in the original sin of entitlement. You and I've been discussing this for decades and yet most of the time I still don't feel blessed. I know I am. I've studied up on persecution and genocide, global needs and abortion. In fact, I'd say I understand far more than most how blessed we are yet when it comes to be really being thankful there's a disconnect. The lights are on but no one's home.
Truth be told, I'm convinced we have more in common with mythical gods than kings. What they did we do on a daily basis. They could travel, see and communicate from on high. So can we. Zeus hurled lightning bolts. We can nuke the entire Earth in an hour. They influenced the course of history? We are history.
And we may be history if we don't stop acting like them. With all we have it's greed and entitlement, not generosity and thankfulness that best describe us. We spend trillions a year on vices while a billion go hungry and a child dies from poverty every five seconds.
Christian or not we got problems. From the First to the Twenty First Century Your warn rings true:
- "Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way." James 4:1-3 The Message
- "But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say 'God opposes the proud but favors the humble.' So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor." James 4:6-10
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