Not such a good song

Reading in Psalm 125 this morning the words were interrupted by a thought in vs. 4. In this part of the song the writer calls out to God to do good to those who are good, to those who's hearts are upright. He then continues on to curse those who go in a crooked way, by God leading them away with all the other doers of iniquity.

I mean, I guess I would like this song if I was good. I could probably clap my hands to the beat if I was the one in which God was going to do good to, but I don't see myself as good. Yeah, I do nice things for people, but deep down there is nothing good within me. I can be nice, but really only down to the point where it cost me enough to be uncomfortable and then the focus shift back to me and my family.

I sit at my desk for a few minutes reading over this song. There seems to be a line drawn in the sand and there are the good and the bad. One or the other and I have to figure out which side I am on. I guess some moments I am on the good and others I am on the bad. Maybe I should only hum this tune when I am good. Rejoice when I perform well, and when I am down, performing in my habitual crookedness ignore the song completely. Oh in the midst of times like this my image of God becomes so murky. It's like trying to see the bottom in a muddy lake. God do you only do good to those who do good? Is it possible to do good apart from you? If Wrong things happen in my life does that mean I am bad? In the middle of all the these confusing thoughts clouding my mind, your Word brings clarity. You do Good, because that is who you are. You poured out love and mercy and grace through Jesus into my life, even though I did no good to deserve it. (Rom. 5:8, I Pt 3:18, Titus 3:5, Eph 2:8-9) You saved a wretched man named Paul (Rom 7:24) and a wretched man name Jason . God did not do to us as we had done to Him. God's grace was displayed through Christ and is still displayed today. We have done nothing to deserve it, quite the contrary! Our actions, our lives, our selfishness, our lusts, our desires, our pride scream out to God to leave us alone, let us live in our crookedness!! Yet in the midst of our sin, in the middle of our piercing cry for independence and separation from God, he reached down into our messed up cribs, and lifted us up and comforted us like the babies, the little kids He sees us as. He solved our problems, He changes our futures, He did good to us. He displayed love for us, not because we did anything good to Him, but because that is just who He is.