Jesus, here we have Your half brother, James, clarifying that sin is sin and that there is no hierarchy of sin. Whether we have committed relatively small sins or grievous sins, we are all in the same place. We need Your forgiveness and cleansing and we need to show mercy to others as You have shown mercy to us.
The whole law…love God and your neighbor as yourself
Jesus, this straightforward instruction teaches us of Your expectations. It is by our love that we are known as Your disciples. When we love You and then disobey it is a contradiction that needs correcting. Help us “to trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in You but to trust and obey.” That old hymn restates John 14:15 in a perfect way.
The eve of new beginnings? It is possible…
Father, this oft quoted verse quotes a truth for all generations and all nations. We have had Your hand of grace and mercy extended to us and now we hear a pivotal word that enables or disables our relationship with you; “if”.
Fidelity…an option?
Jesus, again, Your teachings are not unclear; demanding but not unclear. Why Jesus do You place such emphasis on fidelity? Is it because marriage between a man and woman, where two become as one, is a parallel of our fidelity to You, where Your Spirit lives in us and if we were to show infidelity towards You, it would be a great offense? We know that infidelity towards You, after Your Spirit has been united with our spirit, is the only unforgivable sin.
Life is a constant test…how can we cope?
Father, if we lack understanding, we see here that Your word is our solution. The Psalmist cries out for understanding. Can we do less? Help us draw near to You, moment by moment, knowing that Your presence in the circumstances of our lives, changes things. We beg for Your illumination, Your peace and Your power in coping with difficulties of every kind, difficulties that seem to seek us out and test us constantly.
Must I seek God daily, even moment by moment?
Father, this first verse says “revive me in Your righteousness.” How Father, can we be revived, except to have been alive at one time. Father, we know the answer; we are all made alive in Jesus and Your word is written on the heart of every person. We sometimes withdraw from You, even for prolonged periods, but here we learn that revival awaits.
What do you treasure most in life?
We rejoice in Your precepts, laws and instruction and thank You for making our path to redemption very clear. We depend upon You for the strength to follow You. You lead us in paths of righteousness. Your will for our lives is not only made clear but you are the great Enabler, the Counselor, the Comforter.
Carved in stone? I thought it was all relative…
Jesus, we sometimes think of the Law as being something that Moses received, as a Jew, for the Jews, carved in stone a long time ago. We see that our entire culture more or less rejects large portions of that Law.
How might I seek You? As one gasping for air…
If in a moment of gasping for Your air, Your mercy lies ahead of us, would it not be when the end seems near, when fear has taken hold of us? Do we need to wait Father for dire circumstances before we seek the refreshment of Your Holy Spirit? No, Father, it is frequently in times of despair that we turn our eyes to You. If we only look to You when we are in trouble, what pitiful Christians we would be.
I guess my soul is not dead if it can be revived…right?
Help us this day to cast aside the sins of the past and to look to You for the strength to be the kind of person You have asked us to be. Let us perceive and focus on what can be instead of what was.