Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Today – as I’ve picked up a couple of hundred new readers this month – I’m going to include a short explanation about this “The Life-Charged Life“ blog. I have just four things to say:
- Writing this blog is mostly a devotional exercise for me. This means that the rest of you are – essentially – reading over my shoulder as I sort my thoughts out for the day. That’s why so much of my writing involves responding to a passage of scripture.
- I may be a professional writer, but that’s not how I blog. Rather than being paid, I actually pay WordPress to keep advertisements off this site. So I’d encourage you to check out my books at Amazon.com, or my publisher’s website at Bookstore.UpperRoom.org. Also, I’d appreciate it if you’d share this blog, and my work, via your own social networking connections.
- I try hard not to stake out political positions. Yes, I believe that faith can and must influence every element of our lives, but that’s just as much true for Democrats as Republicans, and pretty-much every ideological variation on the face of this earth. Jesus teaches unconditional love, compassion, personal responsibility, community, generosity, grace, servanthood, accountability, social responsibility, justice, righteousness… and so much more. These qualities are not, and never should be, party-platform “we own this idea” talking points, and there’s no reason to discuss any of them with any degree of political slant.
- Everything I have to say is poured through (or should be) the filter, and viewed through the lens, of what I call, “The Life-Charged Life.” I believe that, because we were created by God, it is only via a renewed relationship with the divine that any one of us can live the quality of life intended in our creation. It is Jesus, consistently and faithfully, who continues to show me the way, and so I am – enthusiastically and unapologetically – a commited and passionate “Follower of the Way of Jesus.”
TODAY’s THOUGHT: Today’s scripture is a logical follow-up to yesterday’s quote from Psalm 96. This morning, as I walked into the park with Scout, I stopped to take the photo above, and to rejoice along with all creation (including the deer standing in the field, the rabbits hopping nearby, and the birds singing their hearts out) that God loves me enough to live in and through my life as a follower of the way of Jesus.
An extravaganza before God as he comes,
As he comes to set everything right on earth,
Set everything right, treat everyone fair. (Psalm 96:13 – The Message)
In love, and because of love – DEREK