Day 302, 29th June: Lamentations, Philemon and Psalms

“Charge it to me”
By Sarah Macfaden, Soul Survivor:Called to Lead

Todays Readings Are:
Lamentations 2:7-3:39
Philemon 1:1-25
Psalm 119:121-128

“How are you?” It’s a question I ask lots of people everyday and it’s a question I’m often asked. But so often I simply brush it off with a simplistic answer, “Yeh, i’m okay, thanks!” Is this an honest answer? When I ask the question do I even wait around for the answer?

The Old Testament reading in Lamentations wasn’t an easy read was it? But there is such honesty in these words. They paint a picture of the sorrow the people of Jerusalem had gone through. The writer isn’t brushing these things aside and saying they’re okay, they are being presented honestly. How often do we speak with this truthfulness? How often do we really let God in on how we are feeling? He cares! It’s not a “How are you?” as a formality. We are called to “Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord” (v19).

So often I find it much easier to just muddle through myself. Lamentations 3:22-24 though offers amazing hope: “Because of the the Lord’s great love we are not consumed”. Despite everything we’ve read about children and infants fainting in the street and wounds described as being as deep as the sea the writer can also say we are not consumed, “the Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him”. What a contrast to where I usually find myself, where I find it hard to be honest about what is going on and am quick to find a solution for myself rather than waiting and trusting in God.

In Philemon we read about a slave, Onesimus, who had stolen from his master and run away. For this he could be severely punished under the Roman law of the time and yet Paul, the author of the letter, says “Charge it to me” (v18). What a wonderful reminder of the grace we have in Jesus Christ who took our sins and charged them to his account.

This is also a wonderful reminder of the impact that one person can have. Paul didn’t simply accept the label Onesimus had has a slave in his society and treat him as such. He accepted him and was prepared to charge Onesimus’ punishment to his own account! Onesimus went from a thieving runaway slave to an accepted brother. How accepting are we of people as friends in Christ?

So today why not try to honestly present your heart before the Lord and think about how we can accept others as our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Today’s picture was taken by…
The Basementat the Big Church Day Out. Thanks Everyone!

If you’d like to take your own picture to potentially be featured on the blog, then get your Soul Survivor Bible in One Year, and take a picture of yourself – and your Bible – at some interesting or colourful location. Then email it to us at editor@soulsurvivor.com.

The pictures will need to be a pretty good resolution (we use 640px by 360 px so at least as big as that), landscape photos work best and if you include the day of the reading in the picture then make sure you send it to us a good few days before that reading, so we have time to include it in that day’s post! We’ll credit all photographers!