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Psalm 50

Every Israelite needed, just as we do, to begin his day conscious of God and conscious of the race God wanted him to run that day.  Singing the fiftieth psalm early in the morning at the temple would help in that awareness.  It would boil it all down to one simple formula.  It goes like this: "Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.  Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."

But before focussing on that formula, the song mentions another fact, a fact we all need to keep in view.  It's the fact of final judgement.  The people sing, "God will shine forth.  Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him." Simply put, Final judgement is not a figment of imagination - it's really coming!

Everyone must face that judgement, believer and unbeliever alike. And there is one and only one criteria for judgement.  In the words of this psalm, each one must have "made a covenant with Me by sacrifice."  What does it mean?  What kind of "sacrifice" is needed?  The first thing the singer needed to understand was that it wasn't the sacrifice of animals! In our own day that just means that it isn't religious ritual that God desires from His people!

There's always been just one acceptable sacrifice.  The formula at the beginning stated it, but it needs to be mentioned again because it's so vital.  The sacrifice God desires is an offering to Him of thanksgiving, obedience, and dependence.  The people sing, "Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.  Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."  That says it all.  The "sacrifice" God requires of His people is thanksgiving - living through each day in awareness of God's wonderful gifts, of His gracious providence -  and responding with thanksgiving.  In other words, what God wants from all of us is an all-day relationship to Himself.

And He also wants the worshipper to "pay . . . vows to the Most High."  Simply put, He wants them to keep their promises to Him.  When they promise to live in the way He requires, they need to actually live that way.  God requires obedience.

Finally, He wants them to come to Him throughout the day, to pray to Him, to call upon Him for help, and to experience answers to those prayers in His merciful deliverances.  Simply put, God wants their hearts in grateful dependence!

The rest of the song just describes people who are "religious," but who don't have that necessary heart relationship to God, people who talk a good religion but, in their hearts, don't really relate to Him.

Which will it be for you today?  Do you carry your Christianity with you in the form of a cross around your neck, or does it radiate out to people around you in goodness and love because it comes from a heart that is walking hand in hand with GOD?

QuoteWhich will it be for you today?  Do you carry your Christianity with you in the form of a cross around your neck, or does it radiate out to people around you in goodness and love because it comes from a heart that is walking hand in hand with GOD?

Each day I pray that I may be a blessing to someone else and glorify the name of God. Sometimes it is so difficult when you never see any results of trying so hard to be a blessing to another person. But  God knows my heart and my every thought, even when those thoughts are not so loving. Then I have to pray and ask God to forgive my sinful thoughts and cleanse my mind of such things.

In the last few days I found myself going back to re-read this Psalm. There is a message there for me Tha God wants me to see. I think it is for me to "call upon the Lord" more often during each day.[/b]

Dear sister!  What you said called to mind a thing that I do.  I "try so hard to be a blessing!"  Of course, quite often, it doesn't work, and I'm NOT a blessing to the other person.  Then, by grace, I wake up and realize that all my trying isn't what does it anyway.  Then I (sometimes) leave it in God's hands, and, guess what - the other person IS blessed!  I need an all-day trust in the Presence and Grace of God.  With that, and with a relaxed and loving approach - God blesses!