Here's another example (and in only 6 sentences) of how it takes the whole Bible to tell the whole truth:
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us...-- Psalm 67
Stop! There you go, thank you for that encouragement to ask for blessing!...oh, wait, there's five more sentences ...oh, and he says "us" not "me"...
Oh, and there are reasons why the writer wants God to be good to him (oops, them):
so that God's ways would be known on earth so God's saving power would be known among all the nations of the earth so that God would receive what is owed him (praise) from the people he created so that nations -- not just me, not just my family, friends, church, not even just my country -- would be glad and sing for joy that there's a God who guides and who judges wrong (apparently guidance and justice are things worth rejoicing over).
There's a selfishness that ends up good for others. My mentor told me to be selfish with him -- he wanted me to not hold back calling him and asking questions, so I might get more from him that would benefit me and eventually others.
...When our dad was sick, my sister found she had to regularly get away from him -- be selfish -- so she could gain energy to care for him.
...Some say one of my main benefits to people is an ability to think and discern -- but I'm an introvert, and if I don't get selfish and get off by myself to charge my introverted batteries, I can become a useless zombie.
...Lincoln supposedly said, "If I had 6 hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend 4 hours sharpening the axe." If there's no sharp axe, there's no falling tree.
It can be good to be selfish and want God's graciousness and blessing -- so that it would rebound onto people and so God would get what he deserves.
Bravo! I love the way you worded this post. Great perspective, as always. Thanks for helping us know how to think.
Posted by: emily @ chatting at the sky | Wednesday, January 07, 2009 at 09:11 PM