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.
We want evil punished now, right now!
Father, sometimes we want You to raise Your hand against the enemy of Your people, now, right now! We know You will, but we see evil conquering good, too often. Give us patience as You allow or cause events to happen on Your timetable.
What does it mean to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel?
Jesus, these verses remind us of the phrase “you strain at a gnat and swallow a camel” wherein we focus on obedience in some small matter, in almost a compulsive way, believing that such obedience earns us points with You.
The mind of Christ in me? No way…right?
Father, we can say boldly that we have access to the mind of Christ and that You teach us all things we must know, things that exceed the wisdom of man. We look to our teachers for wisdom and you tell us that Your testimony to us exceeds that of our teachers and the “ancients”, those who lived before You. How can we not look to Your Holy Word for guidance, every day? For conveying such love toward us, we are eternally grateful.
Does it take courage to cry out to God?
Father, we see that the Psalmist cries out to You, with his whole heart. When God, have we felt such anguish, such concern? Jesus Himself talks about the times he “rose up early” to talk to You, to cry out for the needs of Your people. Here the Psalmist does the same and is sometimes awake through the entire night, meditating on Your word.
The 10 commandments are out of date…right?
You, Jesus are our anchor, You plead our cause. What a magnificent truth. Our advocate is the Son of God!
The Law, in stone, now carved upon our hearts.
You have told us that the truth is written on the hearts of Gentile believers. We, unlike Israel, who were given the truth by the law, have been given it in an indelible way; it is written upon our hearts.
Patience! Love! You have to be kidding. He/she is screaming at me!
You give us a constant choice as to whether to declare You to men or to stand in silence. We know that adversity is coming. We choose this day to leave judgment to You and to stand as witnesses in the midst of a world filled with iniquity. May our acquaintances this day know we are Christians by our love? Your response to our question is a resounding yes!