an alien to my own mother's sons;
9for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
~Psalm 69: 8 - 9
What must happen for my life to reflect a zealous attitude... not for my house, my things, my toys, but for His house? In a passage wrought with passion, David, a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:13-14) speaks thoughts freely and openly. His hatred for those who defile the Lord's possessions is clear. I suppose these thoughts are recorded simply for us to know that David was human-the same feelings of love for our God, could very easily be flipped to hatred of man owing to humanity's fickleness.
In a life colored with extreme swings of fortune, the one steady feeling David exuded was a passionate love of his Lord; could someone say the same of me? Were I to die right now, would I be remembered as a "nice guy," or a man who passionately loved his Lord? The answer in my heart troubles me. I have been extreme in many things through my life, but the one thing I haven't done well is to love my Lord in an extreme way.
My wonderful wife and I pondered this question last night. Most of us have a sense that we were created for relationship (Genesis 2:18). What makes us fall in love? The list we spoke of seems a good starting point: initial physical attraction, common interests, a tantalizing question of acceptance, perceived character... and the list goes on and on. It seems our societal comforts have hidden many of the needs that so clearly illuminate the need for God's love that was so apparent to David.
Should we have less comfort that we may know our Lord? This ideas colors many bizarre traditions through the church's history. I'm not sure what to do with the thoughts. Offering thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30-31)seems the most logical starting point, but there is more to this...
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