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The heart of mankind is a fickle thing. Jeremiah calls it deceitful and wicked. Some of the biggest lies it tells are lies about ourselves and our relationship with God.
“It’s okay. Everyone does it God will understand and forgive.”
“Will God really deliver you? Remember what happened to uncle Billy”
“You don’t really think God can use you now, do you? You’re nothing but a failure. Always have been. Always will be.”
These are just a few of the lies. Which ones do you believe?
David knew failure. I doubt David trusted himself anymore than God did later in life. “Search my heart God. I don’t trust my own view of myself. I don’t trust how I feel. I certainly don’t trust my actions.
His prayer ends with the confident realization that once the examination was done, once the pain of revelation is past, then show me the next steps. Show me the path I need to become the person you can empower me to be.
Be brave enough to open yourself to a God whose only desire is to make you better; to show you the path to everlasting life.
Jesus Christ was confronted by several of the religious leaders of his day. Their intent was to trap him in some statement. Bear in mind, these were the lawyers, the professors, the elite of his day. He was a mere carpenter from a small town — at least in their eyes.
So, Jesus. What’s the most important commandment of God. There are ten you know. What say you? What’s the most important thing?
Jesus’ words summed up the most important thing in life nicely. It was love. The power of love conquers everything. Paul says prophecies will end, gifts will end, but love? That lasts forever.
Jesus words to his accusers were simple. The more you love God, the more you will find it within yourself to love others. The opposite is also true, the more you love others; the more you accept their faults as God has accepted yours; the more you recognize the differences in others and either a God given gift or a personal struggle, the more you will experience the power of God’s love working through you.
Jesus describes this life of love as a fountain springing up within us and overflowing, Nothing can stop the power of God’s love. Love is contagious. Spread it.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” Psalms 23:1
We tend to focus on the love and caring of the Good Shepherd, and why not? Jesus refers to himself as a good shepherd and contrasts that with the way an evil shepherd is. David was one of a long line of shepherds in the Old Testament. God seems to have a soft spot in his heart for shepherds.
Many of us have ingrained in our minds the Sunday School pictures of the good shepherd carrying a lamb on his shoulders or rescuing a lamb from a life-threatening situation, and we feel good knowing we are loved, cared for and protected by our shepherd.
But the elephant in the corner, you know it, the huge issue no one really wants to think about is that one does not need a shepherd unless one is a sheep! Sheep are dependent on a shepherd because, as one farmer told me, “they are just so dumb”! They can’t care for themselves. Completely dependent. Completely ignorant. Dumb.
We don’t want to be sheep, but unless we become sheep-like we won’t be able to take full advantage of a loving, caring, powerful, wise shepherd.
Be a sheep.
In nearly every sermon or article on giving and/or money i’ve heard, this verse or it’s OT counterpart has been mentioned. Maybe it’s time we broaden our giving horizons! We live in a society in which negativity, lack of hope and loneliness are rampant. The principle of this verse goes far beyond the almighty dollar! To have a friend, be a friend; to be heard, listen to others; to be accepted when your beliefs may be different than others, accept others right to be ‘wrong’; to be loved unconditionally, love unconditionally; to receive patience, be patient. Don’t wait for others. Be the start of something great in your life! Receiving starts with giving.
Desire. It’s really the driving force in all we do. It’s desire that drives our relationships. It’s desire that keeps us going through the tough times. When we lose desire we lose the will to go on. But desire is a cruel taskmaster. It often drives us down the road most easily traveled rather than the way best for us. It entices us to grab for the things that hurt rather than nurture; that poison us rather than help us. Jesus came to show us desire in its purest, most excellent way.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 