Abandon
There are two ways to abandon oneself to God. First, David tells his son, Solomon, to follow the commandments of God. Not only the commandments, but the mandates and doctrines that had been developed since Moses. Now, sanctimoniously or with self-righteousness, we can force ourselves to follow all of the commandments, mandates and doctrines. We can punish ourselves when we fail. We can force or shame others to do the same. This does not feel like something I would want to do. Nor does it sound very encouraging to others. Why would someone want to join our church to just join in the bemoaning and complaining?
The second way to abandon ourselves to God is with joy! We are joyful to live our lives according to the commandments God gave us. With joy we attempt to do what is right, live virtuous lives, and share the gospel of message of Christ with everyone. We are a happy people even when life throws us some difficult times. Even when we are depressed, we know we can still have joy in God. This type of abandonment is filled with love. Love for God, love of neighbor, and love of self.
What type of abandonment have you developed? You can tell by your comments today. Are they full of complaining and griping? Or joyful and life-giving?
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen