Fully Known

When our kids were very small, our daughter would often speak on behalf of her brother, who was two years younger than she. She would tell people what he was thinking or what he wanted. She was correct most of the time. Sometimes we have people in our lives that can speak for us, knowing fairly accurately what we are thinking. These people are a treasure for us, as they know us intimately and love us.

Psalm 139:4-6 says, “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” God knows us better than we can know ourselves. He even knows the words that we will speak before we say them. He surrounds us with steadfast love and kindness. His presence with us is more wonderful than anything else we can know.

Invitation

From time to time, we receive invitations. Our response varies based upon our interests, availabilty, and closeness to the invitation giver. The invitation may be to an auspicious occassion or to a child’s birthday party. Some invitations we cannot refuse based upon the consequences of rejection.

Psalm 50:1 says, “The Mighty One, God the Lord speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.” Today, all day, God is calling your name and asking you to come to Him. Will you respond with joyful acceptance of His gracious invitation or will you reject Him today, in this moment?

The Best Benefit Plan

Psalm 103:2-5 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” We should recount all the Lord’s blessings to us during each day. This act of thanksgiving and worship will encourage us and strengthen us for each new day.

And we have plenty of God’s blessings for which to be grateful. He forgives our sins by the sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus Christ. Healing of sicknesses/brokenness comes from Him. He oversees our lives with steadfast love and mercy. He redeems us from our personal slavery to the wrongs that control us. God satisfies our souls with the good gifts of grace that He bestows on us. Though we are weak and easily tired, He renews us with His strength. Let us thank Him for His benefits and praise His name!

Discarding the Worthless

Psalm 101:2-3 says, “I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house. I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.” Nothing reveals who we really are more than what we think and do in private moments. We must hold tightly to honesty and strong moral uprightness, discarding anything that may lead us astray.

The psalmist describes some of the ways to walk in integrity and to protect it. First, we should meditate on the the ways of righteousness. We start by reading God’s Word and then considering how to follow Him more closely. Secondly, we can ask God to protect our thoughts and keep us from evil in our private moments. He will change our hearts so that we walk close to Him in righteousness. Thirdly, we should ask God to help us remove the things in our lives that are worthless and distract us from following Him. And lastly, we should ask God to give us a heart that despises the evil that we see around us. God can and will protect our integrity, if we ask Him and truly seek Him.

Somethings You Just Can’t Work Up

We are aware that we have to work hard to achieve certain things. If we want to be healthy we must have a healthy diet, exercise, sleep well, and do other common sense things to achieve our goals. If we want to obtain financial security, we need to exercise certain disciplines and work hard. Yet, there are some things that we cannot generate from within or with any degree of effort. Peace comes from within when we place our trust in the sovereign God. He gives us the eternal love that we seek, but again this comes from placing our faith in Him.

James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” We cannot generate joy when we are troubled. It must come from God’s power within us. This kind of joy is spiritual, enduring, complete, trusting the Lord who is sovereign over all things.