rhythms of grace

matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?
Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life.
I'll show you how to take a real rest.
Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

this is her:

jasmine

Ever Tried
Ever Failed
No Matter
Try Again
Fail Again
Fail Better
- Samuel Beckett

this is her:

carrie

this is her:

rachelle

My words are simple
on the surface they may seem meaningless
sometimes they are...

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beat#37 - jasmine [proverbs, day 10] (Sunday, May 12, 2013 / 3:15 PM)

Proverbs 10

At this point, the proverbs turn into a series of literal proverbs, each verse seeming to hold its own independent thought.

There is definite linkage between the proverbs but not in such an overt way as the last nine chapters have presented their thoughts.

The line that jumped out to me in particular, is v. 28,

"The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing."

What should I hope to get by being righteous?

Some proverbs promise wealth, long life, safety, comfort, blessing…but life is definitely not that simple in its cause-effect relationships.

Good things happen and bad things happen, to good and bad people, to wise and foolish people, to deserving and undeserving people.

But the prospect that I do believe in, the reward for righteousness, is deep joy found in walking the way of the Lord.

The hopes of the wicked come to nothing, even their biggest dreams, their most lofty ambitions, their goals are all dust. Not because they are unattainable - for all we know they could be extremely successful in being evil - but because these things will pass away in the ever-widening radius of light that is the kingdom of God.

It is hard to remember sometimes that joy is gift itself. Joy is the temperament of all who are part of the Kingdom of God.

That should be our common identifier, and yet it is not.

This is the hard question isn't it? Is my identifier joy?

No. It isn't.

Why not?