Encouraging Devotion: Needing Grace - Psalm 25:8

Psalm 25:8    Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He instructs sinners in His ways.

            Sometimes when I sin, I get both angry and disappointed with myself. I get angry because I've let temptation or pride overcome me again; I feel disappointed because I've let down God once more. There are also times when I think that if I wasn't a Christian, my conscience would'’t bother me and I could freely set aside my sins as insignificant mistaken choices. However, as I try to be a follower of Christ, so my sins afflict and convict me constantly.

            The Book of Psalms was written for sinners just like me. I constantly find that King David of old has put into words what I’m feeling or experiencing. He didn't pull any punches or dismiss any of his sins. Like me, he knew that he was sinful and therefore needed God’s forgiveness. Like me, he understood that his sins messed up his relationship with God, as well as those with other people.

            To me, Psalm 25 deals with sin through God’s grace. King David saw God as being constantly patient and consistently willing to forgive sinners, in order to help them start again. God could have condemned David completely and judged him terribly; instead, God allowed David to repent, and then begin again to relearn God’s ways and reapply His truths in the king’s life.

            We all sin. We all feel bad about disappointing God or hurting other people. We all want to make things right and start again. As Christians, we are given this wonderful opportunity to be forgiven through Jesus. His death on the Cross has paid all of our debts; His amazing resurrection has brought about our restoration to God’s favor and love.

            So wherever we are today, let’s take the gracious opportunity to let go of our sinful past, to be released of our constant struggles, and to experience the forgiveness of God and reassurance of Christ. Let’s begin again. Let’s embrace this new day as a new start in the rest of our lives.

Questions for reflection

What sinful things do I constantly do? When I ask Christ for forgiveness, do I also ask for my faith in Him to be renewed?

Prayer:           Lord Jesus, You know us completely and are totally aware of all of our sinful ways. You perfectly know how many times we sin and why we choose to defy, disregard, or disappoint God. Forgive us for our foolish and sinful ways. Restore us to God’s love and favor. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest stained glass designs. It’s called “Spirit of Communion.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Communion.

Church Devotion - Struggling - Romans 3:20

Romans 3:20  Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

We all struggle with sin. There is not one of us who lives life perfectly, so in God’s eyes, we are unholy, imperfect, and just not good. We can justify our sins and make excuses for our mistakes, but that just compounds the difficulties in our lives and our relationship with God.

Most of us just want to be happy and hope that God understands when we fail Him. We want to be loved and tolerated, accepted and embraced by God, without being challenged or changed. We want our choices to be approved and our lives to be given an A+, but that’s a sinful delusion and selfish way of dealing with life. We are not at the center of God’s great universe; we are not God’s sole focus in the world. We are sinners who do unholy, unworthy, and ungodly things. We are careless creatures who cast God aside when He gets in the way of getting what we desire, and living the way that we want.

Thankfully, God knows us better than we actually understand ourselves, which is why He sent us His Son to die for our sins, in order that all things could be redeemed, reconciled, and restored perfectly to Him. Great sinners like ourselves need a Great Savior. Who else but the Holy Son of God can forgive our sins and bring us back to God? In all of the universe, there is Only One; in All of Creation, there is just One Savior: Jesus Christ.

Questions for personal reflection

What is my most repeated sin? How can Jesus forgive me, and empower me to overcome that persistent sin?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, forgive our foolish and imperfect ways. Pardon our sinful and unholy words. Challenge our lives and change us for the better. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask a questions about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Nativity drawings called “Royal Baby.” If you would like to view a larger version of the image, please click on the following link: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5535/9349348586_0ba6664023_b.jpg

Daily Devotions: Overturning Tables

Podcast version here

There’s an old hymn called “Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild” which a lot of people have bought into theologically. It depicts Christ as being a peaceful, loving guy who wouldn’t dream of disturbing any one’s life or meddling with their lifestyle choices. It’s a child’s dream of Jesus, but the trouble is this: a lot of adults still carry around that depiction of Christ in their hearts and heads.

Bible Verse of the Day

Mark 11:15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

Jesus was a radical preacher. He didn’t mangle the truth or mess about with God’s Word. When He said something He meant it; and when He sprung into action to confront the religious authorities, He was seriously challenging their comfortable ways. In fact, when He overturned the money tables in the temple, He was making a direct challenge against both the Jewish and Roman authorities. This incident, more than any other, is what would lead to His execution within four days.

A lot of us think that Jesus is a joyful guy, who is just waiting to embrace us on the other side of life. This cozy theology causes us to take Christ for granted and leaves us free to do our own thing. The question that we all need to ask ourselves this morning is this: what things in my life have I exchanged for faith in Jesus? What lifestyle choices have I made that Jesus would radically overturn in order to save me from the coziness of sin?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, this is a tough week because we will be constantly reminded of our sinful ways and selfish choices. We will be made to feel guilty about the bad decisions we have made and the unholy things that we still cling to, which separate us from God. Overcome our stubborn souls and overturn our lives, so that we may truly love, serve, and worship You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee