Posts Tagged: Psalm 40:8
“LIVE LONG AND PROSPER”
My father-in-law was very fond of the Star Trek T.V. shows—with the exception of those shows that featured the character “Q”. (I suspect that Dad thought that Q was both too much and too little like God, although I don’t think I ever asked him why he felt the way he did. I wish that I had now.)
One of the most famous repeated lines in Star Trek is “Live long and prosper.” I’m not a trekkie, but even I know this line.
But from where does this greeting come?
Those words likely came from Deuteronomy 5:33. The whole of vs. 33, along with the preceding verse, is as follows:
“32 So Moses told the people, ‘You must be careful to obey all the commands of the LORD your God, following his instructions in every detail.
33 Stay on the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.’ ” (New Living Translation)
“Live long and prosper!” is a good wish, but perhaps the obedience part matters as well. I have a tendency to want to live long and prosper, but not necessarily to obey. (You probably don’t struggle with that, but I most certainly do!)
Why is it so difficult to obey? I’m afraid that I know, and sometimes, wish I didn’t know.
I don’t obey because I want to have my own way. No, I know that, in the long run, God’s way is best. But I don’t want the long run; I want what I want right now!
I knew a lady who described herself as “Little-Miss-Gotta-Have-It-Right-Now.” Change the Miss to Mister in my case, and you can’t miss!
However, it isn’t just the immediate gratification thing. It also this: My way is my way, and that’s what I want. I struggle with a spirit of rebellion, which I try to baptize and rename “a spirit of independence.” However, you can baptize a rat, but it’s still a rat.
But I do have my better moments, moments when I realize that obedience is in my own best interest. There are moments—and I am having more of them, thanks to the 12-step recovery program and thanks to 12-step friends—when I obey God with a good and glad heart.
There are times when I can say, with the psalmist, “I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart” (Psalm 40:8).
May those times increase for you and me and all of us! Then we can, with complete confidence, pronounce the blessing on one another, “Live long and PROSPER!“
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
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- “The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process” March 11, 2024“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids […]
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- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
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