As we look at the 2nd part of the 9th Psalm on pg. 31 of "Reading the Psalms with Luther" we notice that while the first 10 verses gave encouragement to the faithful, the second 10 verses speak of retribution to the world who ignores God.
Life in American society is very worldly and I-centric, that is, centered on the self; what I want. Rev. Jerry Todd, A pastor friend of mine, once told me that when he speaks with children and confirmation students about sin he defines it this way: "Sin is this--I want what I want when I want it! NOW!"
Now, as with any good analogy or maxim which tries to capture a theological point or doctrine the analogy will always break down and never be a perfect substitute for God's word itself. And so if we look at the above quotation we might be tempted to go to the extreme and say we must slosh our way through life never making decisions and never setting goals and living a minimalist life because to have goals and preferences is sinful--WRONG! Quite the contrary. Revelation 3:15-16 says this: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth."
No, I think one of the warnings for us today from this passage of scripture is to not get caught up in what the world thinks is good, right, and profitable but, rather, in all the plans we make, temper them against God's word and his will so that when we do make up our mind to do something we may have the hardened tools necessary to do what is right in a manner which will make a difference in the world and proclaim Christ as its king.
So, the homework part of our discussion: Think of one thing that our society has embraced, which you know is contrary to God's will, and give us an idea of how we might positively be counter-cultural to that one thing in a way which is winsome and effective in reflecting our faith in Christ.
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Have a great day in the Lord,
I think society has embraced the fact that everyone gets a say. Which I partially agree with, because I like to be able to express my opinions about topics like abortion, sex before marriage, etc., but when people oppress me because of their free speech, I find it unfair. Like I can't say "Merry Christmas" to my students because it may offend someone, but what about what I believe? I should be able to say "Merry Christmas" and they can reply back to me "Happy Hanukah" and neither of us should be offended. We should all have free speech, but not be oppressed because of it. If I don't agree with what someone is saying, I'm not going to stifle them, but I'll try to offer them a piece of what I believe according to Christ Jesus.
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