Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 76 & 118; Proverbs 6:1-19; Luke 19:28-40; Romans 8:1-8
I was talking with a friend about Paul’s letter to Romans last week. My friend was reading a scholarly translation of the letter and was frustrated with Paul’s wordiness. I smiled when I heard her observations because I too had felt that way in the past. I’ve enjoyed reading the passages from Romans in Eugene Peterson’s The Message this month because Peterson’s translation makes the passages much more accessible than most other versions. Take today’s passage, for example. In speaking of the difference between those who put their trust in their own ability to follow the law versus those who put their faith in God, Peterson translates Paul’s words in Romans 8:5 as follows: “Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them – living and breathing God!” Paul’s words regarding those who put their trust in the law reminded me of those individuals at the gym who spend all their time lifting weights and sneaking peeks of themselves in the mirror. While their efforts at the gym might cause them to look good, it’s often the same individuals who hire landscaping companies to mow the lawn for them or grab their car keys to go to the store that’s just ½ mile away. In other words, the notion of translating their commitment to physical fitness into their daily routine - outside the gym - often gets overlooked. Those who put their trust in faith, however, do the equivalent of looking for everyday opportunities to get exercise. In other words, they don’t just seek out chances for fitness in the spiritual equivalent of the gym; they are looking for opportunities to engage their faith in their everyday lives. Today, I invite you to start observing yourself and seeing where you spend your time and energy. Are you content in your spiritual life to stand preening before the mirrors; or does your faith compel you to move away from the mirrors and out into the real world? Til next time…
I was talking with a friend about Paul’s letter to Romans last week. My friend was reading a scholarly translation of the letter and was frustrated with Paul’s wordiness. I smiled when I heard her observations because I too had felt that way in the past. I’ve enjoyed reading the passages from Romans in Eugene Peterson’s The Message this month because Peterson’s translation makes the passages much more accessible than most other versions. Take today’s passage, for example. In speaking of the difference between those who put their trust in their own ability to follow the law versus those who put their faith in God, Peterson translates Paul’s words in Romans 8:5 as follows: “Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them – living and breathing God!” Paul’s words regarding those who put their trust in the law reminded me of those individuals at the gym who spend all their time lifting weights and sneaking peeks of themselves in the mirror. While their efforts at the gym might cause them to look good, it’s often the same individuals who hire landscaping companies to mow the lawn for them or grab their car keys to go to the store that’s just ½ mile away. In other words, the notion of translating their commitment to physical fitness into their daily routine - outside the gym - often gets overlooked. Those who put their trust in faith, however, do the equivalent of looking for everyday opportunities to get exercise. In other words, they don’t just seek out chances for fitness in the spiritual equivalent of the gym; they are looking for opportunities to engage their faith in their everyday lives. Today, I invite you to start observing yourself and seeing where you spend your time and energy. Are you content in your spiritual life to stand preening before the mirrors; or does your faith compel you to move away from the mirrors and out into the real world? Til next time…
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