Seek Peace and Pursue It

On the route I run, there is a sign posted in the front yard of one of my neighbors that quotes the second half of Psalm 34:14, Seek peace and pursue it. Every time I pass this sign, given liberal nature of the area in which I live, and given the fluffy substanceless nature of liberalism, I wonder if the person who posted the sign has ever read the first half of the verse--Depart from evil and do good. And if they have, I wonder if they understand that the first half informs our understanding of the second, and that it is necessary to understand evil and good as defined by Scripture as opposed to by man. This enables one to know what it is that he must depart from and what he should pursue.

The verses straddling verse 14 further inform our understanding of the verse. Verse 13 commands us to keep our tongues from evil and to not speak deceitfully, and verses 15 and 16 tell us, the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and the face of the Lord is against evildoers. Again, we must look to God's Word to know, as Job asks in 9:2, "How can a man be righteous before God?"

Taking in the entire chapter, we see that everything about Psalm 34 is focused on God and is in the context of how we should relate to Him. It is Him we are to magnify and in whom we are to boast; it is Him we are to seek; it is Him to whom we are to cry out; it is in Him we are to find our refuge, and it is by Him that we are saved. We then see the nature of this peace in the context of the whole chapter, and that informed by the entirety of Scripture, so that we understand the peace we are to seek and pursue, and to what and to Whom it relates.

Seek peace and pursue it.

I can't wait ... For what?

Here is a video promotion of Obamacare by the Catholic Health Association. Some of the "I can't waits" are very interesting. The President states that health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year." Well, what has taken the government so long to come to this conclusion? Many of those applauding this statement have been in office for decades. Could it be the fact that they have set themselves up with some of the best health care available so that they cannot even relate to the average American? Why the sudden concern? Or is it something other than concern? Maybe agenda would be a better term? In the long run, will the weakest and most vulnerable of our society get the care they need or will they be denied care in the inevitable rationing that will occur? It has been within the government's power and ability to provide care for our veterans who have served and sacrificed for our country; how are they handling that responsibility? What is the level of care and the availability of that care for them? The record is not one that recommends government health care for the rest of the country. A little boy in the video holds a sign that states, "I can't wait till my mom's M.S. care is covered." I wonder if he realizes that his mother will be in one of the first tiers denied care when rationing starts? A couple of the signs make references to everyone and anyone, but what about the thousands of babies aborted every year, particularly those who are killed following a failed abortion attempt? Or are they not a part of everyone and anyone because our government views them as no one? What then is the criteria for having no value in our society? Who else could, in time, be placed into that category? Is this criteria a set standard or can it be altered or expanded based on the availability of resources or based on society's view of one's usefulness? And who determines who is useful? Finally, and it is not that I could not say more, the most absurd "I can't wait" is the one held by a group of priests that states, "We can't wait for health care that protects all life!" All life? Who are they kidding? With mandatory funding of abortion by the taxpayer regardless of their religious convictions and mandatory participation of doctors, under threat of penalty, a major plank in this proposed health care is the denial of life to the most vulnerable in our society. This whole campaign for health care for anyone and everyone is a lie, just like the claim that abortion is about women is a lie. Just follow the money and you will see what it is about. Also, history is a good help to understanding the present. Take a look at those in power that are pushing for socialized health care; look at their voting record and past statements. What do they reveal about their attitudes toward the weak, the powerless, toward those who disagree with them politically, socially, and morally, and finally what does their past reveal about their attitude toward freedom and our Constitution? The picture is pretty bleak, and this is without even considering their attitude toward God and His Word, something that should be of utmost importance for Christians. One last note: qualifying for the most delusional "I can't wait" is the group of nurses that can't wait for "less regulatory paperwork." What have they been smoking? This is the government we are talking about.