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Psalm 31

I have been reading the Psalms using the Message version and in this Psalm, there's a line that I keep lingering on. "I hate all this silly religion, but you, God, I trust." This resonates deeply with me because the older i get, the more this is true to me. I hear horror stories about how people get hurt by the church and it sucks when I'm talking to non-believers who question my faith because of their experiences with the Church. Quite frankly, I seldom have a viable defense because, I too, am disappointed in the way the Church handles many issues. The only "light at the end of the tunnel" for me is that I know that our God is not who we often make Him out to be. I think a lot of times, we miss the big picture about who our faith is really all about, and I guess that's one of the reasons I appreciate Ekko so much. I'm not saying we're perfect, but I do think we do a pretty darn good job of placing Christ in the middle of everything that we do and that our goal is to look more like Him. I am confident that, despite the brokenness of people, our God is one who can and has redeemed that for the glory of His kingdom. I just pray that I can be a man where that is demonstrated. I am reminded of the quote from Francis of Assisi when he said "preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words."

--

Lord, I repent for having misrepresented you. I repent for being the sinner that I am, but I thank you for being the God who redeems us. I pray that my life be a testament to who you are and may I not fall to legalism or technicalities, but may I grow deeper in your wisdom and love. Amen.

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