Lent 2023 Day 17 “Leave the Past in the Past”

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Daily Scriptures: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2095;%20Exodus%2016:9-21;%20Ephesians%202:11-22

Exodus 16:9-21

⁹ Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” ¹⁰ While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of  the Lord appearing in the cloud. ¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹² “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” ¹³ That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴ When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer^[a] for each person you have in your tent.’” ¹⁷ The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. ¹⁸ And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed. ¹⁹ Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” ²⁰ However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. ²¹ Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.

Leave the Past in the Past

I’m exhausted. How does a good GOD let all this happen? Why does this have to be so hard? Why do I have to go through this desert of despair? Am I asking too much? All I want to do is take it easy. Haven’t we been through enough? If YOU have ever uttered these words YOU may be responding to echoes of the past and carrying around extra junk in YOUR trunk. One of the greatest challenges to our overall mental health and spiritual growth is the inability to build bridges and get over a scarcity mentality. Grumbling is born from judging what we are experiencing as bad or undesirable. We grumble when we cannot appreciate our present moment. Unfortunately complaining and grumbling leads us to play the blame game. Rarely do we see our role in our condition. In an effort to move forward I encourage us to let yesterday go. When I say “let yesterday go”, I am saying we cannot do anything about our past but we can make determinations about moving forward.

In the text from Exodus 16, The Israelites are mumbling and grumbling. Freed from their external captors they are still in bondage to their brokenness and addicted to complaining. All the while they were enslaved they complained. Now they are free and they complain. Sometimes you get what you want but don’t know how to handle it. Other times you get what you want but the responsibilities are more than you imagined. Due to their complaining, GOD responds by sending manna from heaven. Manna is hard to describe but it can be understood as a daily provision of just enough. GOD instructs the Israelites to get all they wanted but don’t store any for the next day. But like many of us who don’t trust easily due to past pain, we try to get while the getting is good. Past programming says the future is unpredictable so I better hold on to what I have. They stored some manna and it made them sick. The message here is to trust that the LORD will provide. By attempting to store manna it was trusting more in the provisions of yesterday than the provider of every day. When GOD gives an instruction we must trust that there is a plan. We may not see or understand the plan but that doesn’t mean its not there.

This Lent as we come face to face with ourselves, let us enter each day with a renewed awareness that GOD will provide. Let us trust the provider more than the provision. Manna was known as what is it. We may not have a name for how the provision is made but there is no doubt who the provider is. OUR GOD never runs out of creative ways to bless us.

Points to Ponder: What are YOU clinging to that is impeding YOUR progress? What is your image of GOD? How can YOU cling to an abundance mentality after a history of scarcity?

Lent 2020 Day 30 “Present in the Presence”

Daily Scriptures: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20130;%20Ezekiel%201:1-3,%202:8-3:3;%20Revelation%2010:1-11

                                                          Psalm 130

¹ Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord; ² Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive
    to my cry for mercy. ³ If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?

⁴ But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word, I put my hope.
⁶ I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷ Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. ⁸ He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Present In The Presence

Tick tock, tick tock, Waiting….Waiting….Waiting. Is there anybody who enjoys waiting? Most people I have met will describe waiting as one of their least favorite life situations. I recently observed myself and my phone have a closer relationship when I am waiting. The moment things slow down my phone comes up. Its almost a habit. Checking messages, looking at the gram, anything to pass the time. When we are waiting, our minds tend to fixate on the not yet and the things we would love to be doing. The growth opportunity exists in bringing our full attention to the present moment and identifying GOD in our midst. It is easy to grow agitated and disturbed when we are having an “out of being” experience. When I say “an “out of being experience”,  I am thinking on the lines of Being a Human being and not just a human doing. An “out of being” experience occurs when our bodies exist in one place but our minds are running all around town. Every moment of anxiety while waiting in a line, at a stoplight, at the doctor’s office can indicate an out of being experience.

In the writing of this Psalm, we connect with the writer in an intimate moment. The writer expresses the cry of the soul for help. He writes, “Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD…Be attentive to my cry for mercy. I can feel this. During the most challenging times of my life, I have found myself laying prostrate at the altar of the church I pastor with my face down and a full agonizing cry to GOD. (I do this when alone, so I don’t alarm anybody). In the moment of this cry, I am fully present. My mind is not wandering, I am totally focused on experiencing GOD and GOD experiencing me. At this moment like the Psalmist, I confront my role in my situation. Either through neglect or arrogance sin has crept into my life and I need forgiveness. My situation cannot totally change until I change. Carrying guilt locks me into living in the past. Knowing I am forgiven liberates me to live in the present PRESENCE. When we are forgiven the residue of sin can be washed away and we become new creations in Christ. Forgiveness allows us to breathe again and to begin the practice of being fully present in the moment. This is the challenge of waiting.

When we are able to say my whole being waits for the LORD, we are able to lose the illusion of time and see ourselves in the context of eternity. It is always now in the context of eternity. To wait with our while being takes practice. Imagine pausing the next time you find yourself waiting, and focus on your breathing. Drop your shoulders, exhale, de-stress and know you are blessed. Place your hope in the word of the LORD who plans to prosper you. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and put your hope in the unfailing love of GOD. Sometimes the wait is a Divine delay while GOD is preparing a great blessing for us. Instead of stressing through the stretching of waiting, Be Still and chill. GOD is with you and that’s all we need.

PRAYER: LORD we confess we want you to hurry up. We want to escape the waiting time and just get to the bottom line now. We want the joy of Easter without the pain of Calvary. Help us to wait with our whole being. AMEN

Point To Ponder: Where are you now? Are you fully present? Today when you find yourself waiting, don’t fiddle with your phone, or get distracted, but whisper a prayer for someone near you. Pray for your pastor or president. Breath and Be…

Lent 2020 Day 5 ” Keeping it 100″

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=24

PSALM 32 

¹ Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven,  whose sins are covered.
² Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.^[b]

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

⁶ Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.
⁷ You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

¹¹ Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Authenticity

Authenticity

“Son, Never let them see you sweat”. These words echo within me whenever I am in a challenging situation. My mom’s intent of sharing this witticism with me left the impression that sweating is showing weakness and weakness would mean being vulnerable. Instead, keep your head up and shoulders square at all times. This philosophy may work on the job but when it comes to our spiritual walk with YHWH we cannot pretend to be cool, calm, and collected. When we enter the presence of the DIVINE we must enter as we are and not as we hope to be. In order to fully experience the full impact of LOVE we must be authentic.

The Psalm attributed to David pronounces a blessing on the one who has been forgiven of sin and in whose spirit there is no deceit. As hard as it is to admit sometimes, we have sinned. These sins have not all be an overt offense or blatant disregard for GOD yet they all have impacted our relationship with GOD. The writer speaks of trying to live life holding it in, never being caught sweating even with GOD and it has had a negative effect on him. The writer says I was wasting away on the inside. I looked strong but I was really weak. How true is this for YOU? Have you been tossing and turning, missing sleep, living on edge? Could it be that this Lent season is right on time for you and I to come clean with GOD? When I say come clean I mean be authentic. Be real. Be transparent. It is in this authenticity we gain the confidence that GOD welcomes us as we are thus enabling us to be who we can be.

This Lent, let us choose to be who we are. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Love of GOD surrounds all who trust GOD. How will you trust today?

Point to Ponder: Are YOU living with any regrets? If the worst thing YOU have ever done has been forgiven by YHWH, why are YOU still holding on to it? Create a safe space for others to be authentic by actively listening without judgement.

Palm Sunday 2019 “Needed By Jesus”

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29        John 12:12-16      Luke 19:28-40          Matthew 21:1-17
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A1-17&version=NIV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+118%3A1-2%2C+19-29%2C+John+12%3A12-16%2C+Luke+19%3A28-40&version=NIV

Its Palm Sunday. We have arrived at the end of our 40 Days of Lenten Devotions. I am grateful for all who have followed or read these devotions over the last 40 days. I will continue to post up to Resurrection Sunday and then as the spirit leads.

Have you ever recognized the gap between where you are and where you want to be? Have you examined yourself honestly and recognized your blemishes and flaws. IN short have you ever in the presence of GOD felt, awkward, unworthy, even ugly? After forty days of reflecting and drawing closer to GOD, repenting of my past wrongs, I now see how much further I have to go. Whenever we draw closer to the light, we are able to see more details. We have a tendency to only see the gaps but miss the glimpses of grace and glory. What I am driving at is even though we may not yet be all we can be, after forty days of discipline we are better than we would have been. The triumphal entry of Jesus on a donkey is an example of how GOD can use the ordinary to fulfill an extraordinary purpose.

In our text we have the Master preparing to enter Jerusalem for what would be the last time. He prepares by asking two disciples to run ahead and get a donkey and a colt to ride on. There is no indication that Jesus was anticipating the crowds gathering yet they did. As Jesus rides in on the donkey, a beast of burden, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan in THE LAST WEEK, indicate there was another procession on the other side of town. The sense is Pilate was also arriving around the same time. The contrast between these two arrivals is stark. Pilate would have arrived with military guards on Stallions with pomp and circumstance and the show of power and authority was intentional, for all to see. On the other side of town, arriving through an olive grove on what would have been a side street, Jesus arrives, with a crowd that seems to gather and they start a commotion, shouting Hosanna. Now Hosanna literally means save us. As we say Hosanna today we will be saying save us. The question is, save us from what? From the oppression of external pressures? From sexism, racism, ageism, or any other ism? Or save us from what we have learned about ourselves over the last 40 days. How we can be cranky or prone to acting out on our worst desires? What are we asking to be saved from and saved to?

As Jesus arrives a few things come to my mind. First he chooses a donkey. Donkeys are low to the ground, they are generally, beasts of burden, and rarely have you ever heard that’s a fine looking donkey you have there. They may resemble horses but they aren’t admired of adored like horses. I believe Jesus chooses to enter like this and even say the LORD has need of the donkey to remind us, no matter how scarred we may be, no matter how ignored we may be, no matter what our past may be, The LORD still has need of us. GOD can use us no matter what we look like. GOD can use us despite the gaps in our life or the gaps in our teeth. The LORD has need of you.

Today and as we continue into this Holy Week, be encouraged. GOD can use you to do a mighty work for the kingdom. The challenge is for us not to simply get caught up in crowd celebrations because as we follow the story throughout the week, crowds can be fickle. One moment they cheer and the next they jeer. One moment they can say Hosanna and the next they say hang him up and kill him. Beyond the crowd check the core of your heart. Save us from us and from others. Live In Victory Everyday, Believing In GOD. LIVEBIG.

PRAYER: LORD you have revealed yourself in so many ways. Unfortunately our vision has been obscured and we have not noticed you. Open our eyes that we may see your royalty on a donkey. Guide our footsteps on the pathways that our praises are sincere and we resist the pull of the crowd.  Grant us courage and compassion. AMEN

Point To Ponder: How many times have we missed the presence of GOD in our midst because he didn’t meet our expectations? How will you look in the unfamiliar places for the faces of Yeshua in our midst?

Lent 2019 Day 28 “Naughty By Nature”

Tue Apr 2

Psalm 94, 95, 97, 99, 100

Jeremiah 17:19-27

Romans 7:13-25

John 6:16-27

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+94%2C+Psalm+95%2C+Psalm+97%2C+Psalm+99%2C+Psalm+100%2C+Jeremiah+17%3A19-27%2C+Romans+7%3A13-25%2CJohn+6%3A16-27&version=NIV

^{Romans 7:15} I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Naughty By Nature

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. This line written by John Steinbeck effectively captures how many feel when they start the day with good intentions and end the day in a self made hell. What comes over us? We have such good plans. We are going to love evrybody, lift as we climb, and ultimately make a positive impact on those around us. Then all of a sudden the good that we intend to do goes out of the window. Something rises up within us and we take a detour to devilment. We know better but the temptation overrides our best efforts. We sit at the end of the day with our head in our hands and futily have to acknowledge, we are “Naughty by nature”.

Paul, the writer of Romans is having a crisis. His crisis is familiar to most of us. We develop a case of the “can’t help its”. It is confusing on so many levels. Reading and relating to this text, my mind paused at the word want to do. Want is passive while work is active. All the things we want will remain wants unless or until we put in the work. The more time we spend wanting, the more time we lose working. My children will often say “I want this”, or “I want that”. My response is I want a million dollars but if I don’t work for it, it wont fall from a tree.

The Lenten season challenges us to do more than want to do good. We consecrate ourselves daily and put in the work to actually do good. Because we are wired for comfort we realize wanting without working leads to the paralysis of analysis. More than make resolutions and wishes we prepare to confront the “inner me” enemy. Yes may have a sin nature and we may fall daily, but that does not define us. Its not our falls that  make us who we are but our getting ups. We are not just naughty by nature we are also saved by grace.

Point to Ponder: How do you deal with transforming wants into works? In what ways are you naughty by nature? Can you forgive yourself and others for their best laid plans that go astray?

Lent 2019 Day 26 “Wickedness”

Sun 4 Mar 31

am: Psalms 66, 67 pm: 19, 46

Jeremiah 14:1-9, 17-22

Galatians 4:21-5:1

Mark 8:11-21

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+66%2C+Psalm+67%2C+Psalm+19%2C+Psalm+46%2C+Jeremiah+14%3A1-9%2C+17-22%2C+Galatians+4%3A21-5%3A1%2C+Mark+8%3A11-21&version=NIV

^{Jeremiah 14:20} We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;
we have indeed sinned against you.
²¹ For the sake of your name do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.
Remember your covenant with us
and do not break it.
²² Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.

                                                              Wicked

Evil. Nefarious. Vicious. Wicked. These are not words we generally want to be associated with. If we run into a person with these attributes we instinctively turn in the other direction. To call or be called any of these words is never a compliment and is an indication something needs to be done. A change is in order. The world we live in has a flirtatious love affair with wickedness and evil. As I write right now my heart is heavy with the news of a young rapper named Nipsey Hussel who was gunned down today. Watching the nightly news highlights the condition of many in our world. When we see acts of violence and innocent children being locked up and taken from their parents we come face to face with evil. With as a backdrop very rarely will we be willing to confess our actions or behaviors as wicked. We like softer more gentle words to define our bad behavior, and this may be the problem. By not confronting our sin as wicked acts against a loving GOD, we minimize the motivation to address our actions.

The writer here in Jeremiah takes a different approach. The writer appears to have adopted the idea that one cannot erase what one will not face. Jeremiah calls it what it is, wickedness. Jeremiah says we acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our ancestors. The truth may be unpleasant at the time but a lie will only perpetuate itself. The season of Lent is a time to get real with who we have been. We must face how our action and inaction has caused harm to ourselves and others. If we are to grow closer to GOD we must make sure our hope remains in the GOD who is able to forgive us and give us life more glorious and abundant than we have ever imagined. Our hope remains that wickedness can be turned into worthiness as we face our faults and fears. This is either a launch pad to greatness or a landing strip to grovel. The choice is up to us.

Point to Ponder: What have you been unwilling to face about yourself? How has wickedness and sin affected your faith journey? Today how will you make a difference and combat wickedness in our society?

Lent 2019 Day 15 “Come Home”

Wed Mar 20

Psalm: 72 pm: 119:73-96

Jeremiah 3:6-18

Romans 1:28-2:11

John 5:1-18

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+72%2C+Psalm+119%3A73-96%2C+Jeremiah+3%3A6-18%2C+Romans+1%3A28-2%3A11%2C+John+5%3A1-18&version=NIV

^{Jeremiah 3:12} Go, proclaim this message toward the north: “‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord,    ‘I will not be angry forever. ¹³ Only acknowledge your guilt— you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,’” declares the Lord.

Come In From The Rain

Its time to come back home. These words are both challenging and welcoming according to your relationship with the caller. If you have felt abandoned and placed outside the family trust circle, come home is a relief. It says, even though you have messed up, even though you brought this upon yourself with bad choices and decisions, You can come home to the place of love and comfort and second chances. Come home is welcomed in this sense. On the other hand, Come home can also be challenging. It means all the running and excuse-making has to end. It means you must be accountable for your decisions and face the music. Facing the truth of our brokenness will often cause a person to stiffen and act hard. Instead of coming home they will stay away and act like nothing happened to drive them out in the first place.

In our text from Jeremiah, GOD inspires Jeremiah to tell the Israelites to come home. When the prophet writes, “Return to me oh faithless Israel”, He is, in essence, saying, you’ve messed up and you may mess up again, but for right now, GOD is faithful to forgive the faithless. As Jeremiah spoke to the Israelite community he is also speaking to us during Lent. He is saying we can come back home. We can fix what we have done and get a second chance. If we face our faults we can erase our fallout. We can feel the warm embrace of a loving parent again. We can taste the flavors of home-cooked love. Today choose grace over guilt and return home.

Point to Ponder: In what ways has pride kept you from forgiving someone? Is there anyone you have pushed away and allowed to become an outsider? Call someone this week and build a bridge where once you built a wall.

Lent 2019 Day 14 “Consequences”

Consequences and Repercussions

Psalm 61, 62, 68

Jeremiah 2:1-13

Romans 1:16-25

John 4:43-54

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+61%2C+Psalm+62%2C+Psalm+68%2C+Jeremiah+2%3A1-13%2C+Romans+1%3A16-25%2C+John+4%3A43-54&version=NIV

^{Psalm 62:11} One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God, ¹² and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.”

^{Romans 1:24} Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Consequences and Repercussions

If you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas… If you do right right will follow you, if you do wrong, wrong will overtake you…In this house there are rules and regulations, failure to abide by them will lead to consequences and repercussions. Each of these statements give us a perspective of cause and effect. This sense of cause and effect is true for both the natural realm and the spiritual realm. As we live from day to day we observe many instances of this being true.

The Psalmist shares an instance of DIVINE activity in which YHWH reveals all power belongs to the unfailing love of GOD and GOD will reward everyone according to what they have done. This is both encouraging and chilling. On one hand when we realize in all our righteousness we are still like filthy rags, we know the trash heap should be our destiny. We throw out old dusty rags. On the other hand however, because the love of GOD is unfailing we may be granted a second chance to do better. we live in the balance of grace and justice. By not recognizing this we run the risk of the fate mentioned in Romans 1. Because the people chose the created over the CREATOR, they were allowed to face the consequences of their action. If we choose to be reckless we can expect to get in a wreck.

Point to Ponder: In what ways are  you facing the consequences of your decisions? How do you balance between believing and behaving? How will you praise through the pitfalls?

 

Lent 2019 Day 11 “Search Me”

Sat Mar 16

am Psalm 55 pm:138, 139

Deut 11:18-28

Heb 5:1-10

John 4:1-26

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+55%2C+Psalm+138%2C+Psalm+139%2C+Deuteronomy+11%3A18-28%09Hebrews+5%3A1-10%2C+John+4%3A1-26&version=NIV

                              ^{Psalm 139:23} Search me, God, and know my heart;                                                 test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

Search Me

Have you ever spoken and wished you could get the words back the moment they left your mouth? Have you ever wondered how the things you were saying could be so misinterpreted by someone who “knows” you? Scripture teaches us that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What’s on your heart? The writer of  Psalm 139 is opening himself up to a vulnerable challenge when he writes, “Search me, GOD and know my heart.” Most people want to hear about themselves only when they know the outcome in advance. We often surround ourselves with people who are most like us and generally tell us what we like to hear.

One of the invitations to growth during Lent is to be open to exploring our weaknesses. When GOD searches us we must be ready to respond. To truly grow is to realize we have missed the mark and often become callous or blind to our actions. To be searched by GOD is to be open to the challenge of change. To be lead in the way everlasting will require constant spiritual tune up and DIVINE diagnostic searches.

Point to POnder: What will GOD find upon searching your heart and mind? How prepared are you to truly make life changes? How do you interpret being led in the way everlasting?

 

 

 

 

Lent 2019 Day 9 “Blind Spots”

Thur Mar 14

Psalm:  50, 59, 60 pm:  19, 46

Deut 9:23-10:5

Heb 4:1-10

John 3:16-21

Click below for scripture

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+50%2C+Psalm+59%2C+Psalm+60%2C+Psalm+19%2C+Psalm+46%09Deuteronomy+9%3A23-10%3A5%2C%09Hebrews+4%3A1-10%2C+John+3%3A16-21&version=NIV

 

^{Psalm 19:12} But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. ¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

^{John 3:19} This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Blind Spots

  It is easy to look out at the world and see all of its faults. We see all the flaws and blemishes in others and can figure out everything they need to do to be better. The odd thing is we generally would define “being better” as being more like how we want them to be. We say things like, “If you would just do this, then…” or “Why can’t they just…”. But when it comes to us, we have trouble seeing any thing wrong or we see everything as being wrong.

The writer of Psalm 19 recognizes that it is hard to grade your own paper objectively. It is difficult to truly see ourselves as we are, without there being blind spots. Blind spots are the areas of our lives that we skip over to get to the good part. We would rather focus on our triumphs and gloss over our trips and traps. Somehow we can’t see how our words and attitudes are judging others or negatively impacting others our ourselves. Some of us can’t see the good in others because we miss the good within ourselves, or because we minimize the power of the grace of GOD. The writer asks YHWH to forgive our hidden faults. Forgive us for our “blind spots” so to speak. If we fail to check ourselves we will wreck ourselves. For this reason the writer of John 3, says, “The light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light. YESHUAH came intot the world but the many in the world rejected him because light exposes everything in its path.

Looking inside ourselves and turning over the rocks in the garden of our lives may reveal snakes, and worms, and all kinds of creepy crawly things. Still we must be willing to be exposed in order to be exalted. LORD, ¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Points to Ponder: Where are my blind spots? How willing am I to face my faults? How can I encourage someone least like myself today?