Choosing God's law
I will sing of loyalty and of justice;
to you, O Lord, I will sing.
I will study the way that is blameless.
When shall I attain it?
I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
anything that is base.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
it shall not cling to me.
Perverseness of heart shall be far from me;
I will know nothing of evil.
One who secretly slanders a neighbor
I will destroy.
A haughty look and an arrogant heart
I will not tolerate.
I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
so that they may live with me;
whoever walks in the way that is blameless
shall minister to me.
No one who practices deceit
shall remain in my house;
no one who utters lies
shall continue in my presence.
Morning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all evildoers
from the city of the Lord.
DEVOTION
To be honest, what strikes me today is the judgmentalism of the psalmist. Although I appreciate his earnest desire to passionately pursue perfection, I am dismayed by how willing he is to point the finger at others!
On this side of the cross we recognize that ALL are sinners, saved by the Amazing Grace of God! There is none righteous, no not one!
I love to remind myself that any righteousness that I may enjoy has been placed upon me like a shawl from my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! It is HIS righteousness that I enjoy as I live from day to day.
Because of the love and sacrifice of God, Jesus went to the cross, died for me, and then rose again on the third day victorious over sin, death, and the grave!
Jesus did this for me, he did it for you, and he did it for all human beings who have ever--or will ever--enjoy this planet!
It is God's unconditional love that makes God the ONLY righteous judge! How could I dare to judge another when I am so desperately in need of God's grace myself?
Today, I confess that I have sinned by judging others harshly, just as this psalmist has done. And I pray with all my heart, that I would learn to extend love and grace to others, as Christ has done for me!
Let us pray: Oh God! Teach me to exhibit your heart toward others! Please make me loving and gracious! Please help me to attend to my own walk with you as I pray for others. Please make me kind and gentle toward those who stumble and help me always to magnify you, for as long as I live! I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen.
INVITATION
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