“I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” Psalm 101:1-2 The Cambridge Dictionary describes integrity as the quality of…
“Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who…
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12, ESV) Quiz: Who were Shiphrah and Puah? If you don’t know the answer, don’t feel bad.…
“Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character” (Psalm 105:19, NLT) When I recently did an online search for the meaning of character, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to define when one entry came up as the ”best 74 definitions of character.” The list included…
“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus…
“There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him. So even though wisdom is better…
“Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.” (Daniel 6:3, New King James Version) Certain Bible stories have become so familiar that even young children can recite the basic details.…
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;” II Peter 1:5 When you buy a piece of furniture that needs assembling, it is necessary to follow the step-by-step instructions to have it turn out the way the manufacturer intended. When we follow the…
-
“I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” (Psalm 51:3 in the New International Version of the Holy Bible). I think all of us remember being asked by our parents to apologize for hurting someone or doing something wrong. Sometimes it was said under our breath and without conviction but we managed to mumble the words, “I’m sorry.” Have you ever apologized to God without really meaning it? God requires an attitude of penitence like, David, the writer of this Psalm describes. It’s the kind of apology or repentance that comes from deep down in your heart where only God can see it. This plea for God’s mercy was a big first step for David who had committed the terrible sins of adultery, lying and murder (see 2 Samuel 11-12). What makes this prayer acceptable to God was David’s complete honesty about his sin. He saw his mistakes clearly and admitted the seriousness of his offense against God. Inner honesty like that gets God’s attention and His pardon.
-
Prayer: Lord, I come before you today in complete humility. I must confess that I find it hard to be honest about my sins. My heart resists acknowledging my wrong doing. Help me to be willing to throw myself upon Your mercy confessing all of my faults and failures. Cleanse me, O Lord! In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
-
Devotion by: Julie Long