Cultivate Faithfulness (Psalm 37) Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Sunday, July 19 th, 2015

Psalm 37:1-6 1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Psalm 37:1-6 4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday.

Last week From John 10: bad religion, status quo, and the beautiful and different thing that Jesus is speaking about (eternal life—participation with God here and now) Walt’s blog

Walt’s picture...

Through this lens... 1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.

Positive Focus 3 Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. What does cultivate faithfulness mean? For me, it is “movement toward and with the world” (and “dwell” does not mean leave)

4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Unique gifts and passions as a gift from God Method of discernment

Vocation Ultimately, the discovery of a life's work begins with the realization of what it means to be a human being--embracing what binds us all together and appreciating what makes each of us unique. As long as we deny that we are social beings and ignore the needs of the world, we miss the sense that our work is meaningful. We feel cut off, lonely and alienated. As long as we deny our individuality and fail to develop and express our unique

Vocation talents and gifts, we miss the joy of creative self-expression. We feel frustrated, repressed and trapped. Simply put: To the extent that your work takes into account the needs of the world, it will be meaningful; to the extent that through it you express your unique talents, it will be joyful. Laurence Boldt, How to Find the Work You Love

5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. You have to begin... And it may be “a long obedience in the same direction” (Eugene Peterson, on Jeremiah)

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday. Weird to think of this as good... God will bring about your judgment (maybe we’ve looked at this the wrong way?) Judgment of others, of self, and of God