Listen

Honoring the Lord is correct, lasting forever. The Lord’s judgments are true. All of these are righteous! They are more desirable than gold— than tons of pure gold! They are sweeter than honey— even dripping off the honeycomb! No doubt about it: your servant is enlightened by them; there is great reward in keeping them.

Psalm 19:9-11

Think

Honoring the Lord is correct! The Lord’s judgments are true! Better than gold! Sweeter than honey!

Today’s verses at first glance kind of feel more like unhelpful truisms than transformative truth.

Yet actually in choosing the metaphors of gold and honey, the psalmist helps reveal the complexity of life in faith. Gold is shiny! Yet gold is malleable and risky. Honey is sweet! Yet honey is ridiculously messy.

Honoring God through a life in faith is complex.

We know that, obviously, forgiveness is correct, but seeking it doesn’t always leave us feeling shiny. Offering it doesn’t always feel sweet.

Likewise, seeking justice and loving mercy is complex and may involve questioning our world and even ourselves with candid dialogue through prayer. God welcomes that honesty.

We honor the Lord by working towards a goal of resisting shiny sweet truisms to seek out deeper transformative truths of justice, mercy, and love. There is great reward in living amidst that grace and welcoming others into it as well. Loved as we are, called to love others, no doubt.

Molly Logan

Question to Ponder:

What does it actually mean to honor the Lord in my daily life? What one action step could I take to try and live out that goal today?

Pray

Gracious and Loving God, the depth of your love is the true reward.

Help me to remember that amidst all the shiny and sweet distractions of life today.

Amen.

Go

This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight.

Philippians 1:9

There’s so much to learn and enjoy of the depth of God’s love.

Embrace a goal of seeking and serving afresh today.