Psalm 16:5 - You have made my lot secure

LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.

The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

Commentary

David, the author of this Psalm, was distressed as he was writing this. Yet in the midst of great hardship, David acknowledged that God guards those things that are valuable to David: his portion, his cup and his lot. His portion was the provision that was needed for him to survive. His cup was the purpose in life that he had (remember Jesus, who spoke to the Father of "taking this cup from him"). His lot was the inheritance of land that was a major part of preserving Jewish lineage. When David felt separated from all of these things, he reminded himself that his current situation was not the final word: it was God's faithfulness that he trusted in during times of trial. That same faithfulness is available to you and me. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Today's Commentary by:
David Whitehead, Pastor, Grace NYC

Hebrews 13:5 - Keep your lives free from the love of money

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Commentary

"...be content with what you have" - doesn't that sound strange in our consumer driven culture? We have created a co-dependence upon the latest model, the newest technology, or the most desired. Part of the economic crisis that we have created is based on people not buying unnecessary stuff anymore. Yet to tighten the belt economically and being free from the love of money are two different things. We can stop spending but still be consumed with our net worth. In other words, the love of money (whether we have it or not) can easily become a cheap imitation of the satisfaction that only God can give. The current economy becomes a brilliant litmus test of where our sense of well being comes from.

Today's Commentary by:
David Whitehead, Pastor, Grace NYC