Weekly Protein (09/03/22)

 1 O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever. (Psa. 131:1-3 NASB 1977).

They say that confessions are good for the soul. Well, I'm going to make four. I'm hoping that, at the end, you will make them too.

• Confession #1 > I can be low. I don't have to be independent and pretend that I have it all together all the time. “O Lord, my heart is not proud . . . .”

• Confession #2 > I can be second. It doesn't always have to be about me. When my eyes are haughty, I don't see people and circumstances correctly. As I was climbing higher, I was positioned to look down on others. “ . . . nor are my eyes haughty . . . .”

• Confession #3 > I can be obscure. I'll let someone else have the title and take the credit. I don't have to be noticed, mentioned or congratulated as I walk in faithfulness. “ . . . nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.”

• Confession #4 > I can be content. I will prioritize presence over presents. “ . . . like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me.”

Humility, others-mindedness, obscurity and contentment – good for your soul? Yes. Easy to maintain? No.

Here is your weekly protein.

1.  Answer these questions.

• To what degree does culture (secular and religious) promote or discourage these values?

• Of the four, which is your greatest challenge? Why?

2.  Read Matthew 5:1-12, another passage about not-so-easy-to-maintain Christian values.

3.  Talk with you pastor. Ask him or her, “Why does the development of Christian  

     character seem so difficult and slow?