Reading With the People of God - #5 We Believe.Sample

Memorization Challenge of the Month:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Reading with the People of God Primer:

Reordering our Loves:

“For when we ask whether someone is a good man, we are not asking what he believes, or hopes, but what he loves.” - Augustine of Hippo (from Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love)

Today, we will begin the longest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 119. We will start with the first 40 verses, and if you follow the reading plan, it will take five days to read through.

The great theologian, Augustine of Hippo, famously regarded the root of sin as disordered love. Sin, in his view, comes from us having loves or desires that are either ungodly or at least not rightly subordinated to the love of God. Psalm 119 gives us an example of someone who has their desires rightly ordered and therefore seeks God wholeheartedly. Not many of us are born seeking God with our whole heart, but as we follow Jesus, we can begin to change our desires to align with the will and the love of God. Paul, likewise, in Romans 12:2 says:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

I hope that as you read more of this Psalm each day, you will find your mind renewed and your affections aligning more and more with the will and goodness of our savior.

- Wesley Viau, Healthcare Data Analyst, and Cornerstone Community Church, Chowchilla member.