Comfort in the Psalms

Psalms 141:5
(5) Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

Psalms 141:8
(8) But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!

My week of Facebook has been interesting, to say the least. For a long time I've had this sense that I really need to be sharing the gospel more openly with people. I just didn't know how I was going to do it. Facebook has definitely helped with that. I have no idea what kind of fruit these seeds will bear, but all I can do is scatter the seed. I can't control the soil.

So far, I've found an old friend who is an atheist, my brother-in-law's mom who went to a winter solstice party yesterday complete with drum and crystals, and a discussion on another friend's wall about Prop 8. On one hand I feel a certain sadness when I rub up against people whose beliefs are so wildly different than mine. It certainly has helped me to put less importance on some of the in-house debates we have as Christians.

On the other, I am excited to be able to share the hope of the gospel. I knew a fight was coming when I responded to the post on Prop 8. I got to the point where I could share the gospel, which was really what I wanted to do. Otherwise I'm just another "Christian" jerk who is trying to tell the world how great I am while the world is going to hell.

I don't claim to be facing anywhere near the persecution or reproach that David wrote about in Psalm 141. However, I am comforted by this truth (as well as by my reading in 1 John today) that there is a reward to being faithful in sharing the gospel.

If you're reading this and you don't know Jesus, I urge you to get off the throne of your life, repent of your sin, and put Jesus on that throne. Yes, your life will change and there will be a cost, but ultimately it will be worth it.