July 16 | Psalm 50:7-15

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DAILY READING

Psalm 50:7-15

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REFLECTION

Giving Gifts

By Kathleen Serio

Do me a favor and go back and reread yesterday’s verse, Ephesians 2:8-10, or sing though the VBS song that might have popped into your head that puts this verse to a catchy tune. Now read though todays passage, Psalm 50:7-15.

Like most daily devotions, the verses for each day are chosen carefully, they connect to each other and to a theme. The goal is to use different parts of the Bible to help us, the readers, better understand a concept. In this case, we are looking at the idea of work. Work isn’t the most fun to think about; most of us hear the word work and sigh or groan. Why? Because traditionally work isn’t enjoyable.

Now think of a time you spent doing some task, some annoying work task, and on completing it, someone comes along and tells you, “Oh you didn’t need to do that; we didn’t need that done.” When I think of times this has happened to me, my reaction is anger. I get mad at the task, I get mad at myself, and I get mad at the poor messenger who told me my work wasn’t needed. Now sometimes the poor messenger is a random person who has nothing to do with what you did. Other times, they mistakenly gave you the task only to go back and say that it isn’t necessary any longer. That’s the place the Israelites were at in Psalm 50.

The Israelites spent many years thinking that they had to make sacrifices to God, with the idea being that the sacrifice allowed the person to feel forgiven of their sins. The animal stood in their place as a sacrifice. The animal was their gift to God in exchange for forgiveness. But we can’t give someone a gift that is already theirs. I can’t go into my mom’s closet, find a shirt she bought, take it, and wrap it up as a present for her – the shirt is already hers. That is what God is explaining to His people in Psalm 50. He is reminding the Israelites that the “gifts” they have been giving Him are not really gifts at all. All of the “gifts” they are brining are ALREADY His! He is telling them that the work they are doing in finding and sacrificing these “gifts” isn’t work that He needs from us to offer forgiveness of our sins.

Remember Ephesians 2:8-10? Grace, our salvation, is a true gift from God. NO amount of work or any deed that we do will earn us the gift of grace, God’s grace is FREE!

But just because the Israelites were not giving a true gift doesn’t mean that God doesn’t want something from us. From the beginning of the Bible to the end and all throughout the middle God tells us what He wants. He tells us over and over that He craves a relationship with us. He wants our love, our time, and to be a part of our lives. And that is what God reminds His people of wanting in this Psalm. He reminds His people that He does not want things that are already His, He wants offerings of thanks, of praise, of appreciation, and of love.

PRAYER

God help us to remember to thank you in our daily lives, to praise you, and show you our love. Remind us to work each day to strengthen our relationship with you; to focus on the right work you want us to do. God thank you for the free gift of grace. Thank you that you do not want anything back from us in return. As we try to do the works you ask of us, help us remember and keep at the forefront of our heads and our hearts that the work we are doing is not to try and earn grace, but rather to thank and praise you for the love that you give us each day.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KATHLEEN SERIO

I grew up at UALC and have been blessed to have many role models in this church. They encouraged me to pursue my passions including volunteering with Young Kids’ VBS, HSM, teaching Sunday School, small groups, Operation Christmas Child, mission trips, ushering, and more. It has been a joy to go from participating in ministries as a kid to becoming a leader as an adult.