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1 The God of gods - it's God! - speaks out, shouts, "Earth!" welcomes the sun in the east, farewells the disappearing sun in the west. 2 From the dazzle of Zion, God blazes into view. 3 Our God makes his entrance, he's not shy in his coming. Starbursts of fireworks precede him. 4 He summons heaven and earth as a jury, he's taking his people to court: 5 "Round up my saints who swore on the Bible their loyalty to me." 6 The whole cosmos attests to the fairness of this court, that here God is judge. 7 "Are you listening, dear people? I'm getting ready to speak; Israel, I'm about ready to bring you to trial. This is God, your God, speaking to you. 8 I don't find fault with your acts of worship, the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer. (Psalm 50:1-8 The Message Bible)
Happy Thursday, dear Friend. May blessings upon blessings be yours for enjoying God's peace and presence in your life today.
A famous comedian once was asked to introduce Jesus. I am relying solely on memory but I recollect that he did an amazing job. All the accolades he could think of were included in this amazing introduction of Jesus. Now, if you were asked to introduce God, what would you say? I know we would be searching here and there, high and low, for anything and everything that we can to make people know that we know God. Well, what we have here for today is King David introducing God in this psalm. He wants us to know the importance and power of God. He calls God, "The God of gods, " adding, "It's God!" And this God of ours, is not a silent God, He is a God of might and power and a booming voice that all the world can hear. God has the power to not only summon but to recognize the Sun as it makes its arrival in the east, and dismiss it as it disappears into the west. God is more blazing that the sun; His appearance is like the "Starbursts of fireworks" coming before Him. And David reminds us that God is a God who will judge the world and God can call any and all witnesses that He wants, and David has God calling on heaven and earth to be part of the jury that will judge us! We are being taken to court by God and we'd best be ready!
God will recognize the saints, that is the faithful, who will fare better in judgment than those who are not saints. These were they who swore on the Bible, who took God's word seriously and applied it to their lives. And even in the fairness that will be this court, we should fear the Lord if we are not saintly in our lives before God. Israel should fear the coming judgement, their king says. Our call is to hear God speak to us, and to show our faithfulness in our worship of God, and the offering of sacrifices we present to Him.
The Psalm emphasizes God's desire for justice, but not for endless punishment: "I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices... For all the animals of the forest are mine, the cattle on a thousand hills." (v. 8) It's not about appeasing God through rituals; it's about offering genuine repentance and a heart open to restoration.
Now, let's shift our focus to the mountaintop experience of Jesus' Transfiguration. Jesus, surrounded by his disciples, is bathed in dazzling light, revealing his divine glory. This isn't just a spectacle; it's a tangible expression of God's transforming power, a glimpse of the restoration He offers not just to Jesus, but to all who seek Him.
PRAYER: Lord of love and hope, as we reflect on the ashes of our choices and the hope offered by Christ's Transfiguration, open our hearts to your transforming love. Help us see ourselves through your eyes, not with condemnation, but with compassion and the promise of restoration. May we walk towards the light you offer, carrying within us the embers of hope and sharing its warmth with the world around us; in Christ Jesus' strong name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Let us turn our hearts to God for God to make us saints.
I love you and I thank God for you,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
