Episode 792 God is With You
[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 792 of the inspired stewardship podcast. I'm Jared Williams with biblical wealth solutions. I challenge you to invest in yourself and invest in others. Develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talents and your treasures to live out your calling, having the ability to invest without compromising your Christian values is key.
[00:00:23] And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this. The inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott Mader.
[00:00:39] and we're all doing the best we can to walk in that relationship and express. That image in a godly way, even if we don't believe in God, I still believe that God believes in us and knows us and wants for us to walk in relationship with God and with others. [00:01:00] Welcome, and thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast.
[00:01:05] If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling and the inspired stewardship podcast who will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.
[00:01:33] And today's spiritual foundation episode about impacting the world. I talk with you about Psalm one 39. Also share why this song can be reassuring or frightening. And I talk with you about how this realization can also help you really relate with others, where they are and make an impact. Psalm one 39 begins for the director of music of David, a [00:02:00] Psalm.
[00:02:00] You have searched me Lord and you know me, you know, when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue. You Lord. No it completely you, him, me in, behind and before. And you lay your hand upon me.
[00:02:22] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the Dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there, your hand will guide me.
[00:02:44] Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, surely darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you. The night will shine. Like the day for darkness is as light to you for you [00:03:00] created my inner most being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made your works are wonderful.
[00:03:10] I know that full well, my frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw me unformed in body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts.
[00:03:29] God, how vast is the sum of them where I'd account them? They would outnumber the grains of sand. When I am awake. I am still with you. If only you, God would slay the wicked away from me. You who are blood thirsty, they speak of you with evil intent, your adversaries misuse, your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord and abor.
[00:03:51] Those who are in rebellion against you. I have nothing but hatred for them. I count them, my enemies search me God and know my heart. [00:04:00] Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there's any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Now this song, it has that phrase and it fearfully and wonderfully made at reference to.
[00:04:15]Us as humans and how we were made in the image of God. And it also has that phrase that we were knit in our mother's womb by God. And I do believe that we are created with a calling a spirit of God put within us that we are meant to live out. And so when I read this kind of Psalm, I can. Admit and reflect on it that it could be at one time, a song of triumph and joy, and also somewhat frightening there's reassurance in it.
[00:04:51] But there's also a little bit of intimidation factor of recognizing that, Oh my goodness. Every moment, [00:05:00] everything. I think everything I do, every expression, I have every thought that crosses my mind. All of those are seen and heard and understood by God. And I don't know about you, but that is a little bit of an intimidating thought for me, because I guarantee you, there are thoughts that I have during the day.
[00:05:19] There are feelings that I have. There are moments where I don't want anyone to know what goes on inside my heart or inside my head. Not just God, but no one, because I am not proud of some of those thoughts or some of those moments or some of those things that I have done or think about doing. Our ever feel to do.
[00:05:42] And that idea that something knows us that well is reassuring because if something knows you that well, and yet also still says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made that you are a beautiful being, [00:06:00] then that's reassuring, but it's also. Frightening that God might know all that goes on in your heart and mind, at least it is for me.
[00:06:10] But the truth is that when you think about that, when you think about that expression, fearfully and wonderfully made recognize that means that we are in relationship with the divine, that we have a relationship with God and the creator, and that helps you recognize that everyone is fearfully and wonderfully made and that.
[00:06:37] Sometimes when we perceive that someone is doing something or thinking something or acting in a way that perhaps we don't agree with, we don't like, or that we even perceive as perhaps being against God against the church against us. That maybe that's not really totally the true or the complete [00:07:00] story that God can probably see.
[00:07:02] More than that because God walks with that person is God understands. What's really in their heart and their mind, just like God understands. What's really in your heart and mind. And what that means is that God is the one that gets to judge. If they're on God's side or not, not us. Especially right now with all of the fear and the anger and the hatred going around.
[00:07:31] I have to continue to remind myself that whether I agree with you or don't agree with you, you are still made in God's image. And whether you agree with me or you don't agree with me, I am still made in God's image. We all are, and we're all doing the best we can to walk. In that relationship and express that image in a godly way, even if we don't believe in God, I still believe [00:08:00] that God believes in us and knows us and wants for us to walk in relationship with God and with others.
[00:08:08] And if you believe that too, Then the truth is even if we don't agree about something else, even if we don't agree about politics or who should be president or who shouldn't be president or whatever else it is, we should be able to have a conversation because we truly both believe that we are made in the image of God and are living that out to the best of our ability.
[00:08:34] Thanks for listening.
[00:08:41] thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoy this episode, do me a [00:09:00] favor. Go over to facebook.com/inspired.
[00:09:05] Stewardship and like our Facebook page and market that you'd like to get notifications from us so that we can connect with you on Facebook and make sure that we're serving you to the best of our abilities with time and tips there until next time, invest your time. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world. .