The Climb (A Journey Through Psalms for Men)

Psalm 16

A miktam of David.

Keep me safe, my God,for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;apart from you I have no good thing.”I say of the holy people who are in the land,“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.I will not pour out libations of blood to such godsor take up their names on my lips.

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;you make my lot secure.The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;surely I have a delightful inheritance.I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;even at night my heart instructs me.I keep my eyes always on the Lord.With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;my body also will rest secure,because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,nor will you let your faithful one see decay.You make known to me the path of life;you will fill me with joy in your presence,with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

They’re becoming a thing of the past, but I love a good potluck meal.

I grew up in the Midwest, where you’d be hard-pressed to find a large gathering of people that didn’t consist of a potluck meal, with most dishes made from grandmothers’ recipes being served out of Crock-Pots or passed-down Pyrex pans. While potlucks can make for good, if not adventurous, meals, it took me a long time to realize that my life and relationship with God is nothing like a potluck dinner. Growing up, I thought that living righteously was a combination of a lot of different dishes - a dash of purity, a spoonful of self-control, a dollop of reading my Scripture. I thought that the goal was to end up with some version of good works mixed with a little bit of God’s blessing. But like David says in Psalm 16, I eventually learned that I am unable to bring any good to the table. Apart from God, I would be a vessel of darkness.

This idea of being utterly empty of good apart from God is hard for us to grapple with because we have a high risk of accepting a disoriented definition of goodness.

The world associates goodness with things like morality and kindness. However, we know from Scripture that which is good is that which glorifies God. And in our sinful, broken flesh, we can’t do that. Not even one inch of our hearts or ounce of our love could glorify God before He redeemed us. In His grace, through His salvation, He has given us the opportunity to both experience and reflect His goodness. Your relationship with God is not a potluck where you bring your best, and He brings His. No, the good news is God brings the whole meal! He brings every dish, every utensil. He brings the table, the decorations, even the music. He brings it all and invites you to sit down and delight because He is the Source of all good.