Daily Devotional - 8/26/10 (9/26/09)

Focus Letter - Z



Pray for:
Five things you are grateful for that begin with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic to grow in that begins with the focus letter


Dear Lord - Help me to hear Your voice and grant me the strength to obey it.



Psalms 26



"Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering." (vs. 1)


I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. What an incredible statement to make. I wish I could say it. I wish I could say I have led a blameless life as well. Perhaps if I followed the psalmists advice I would be closer to this ideal.


"Your love is ever before me" (vs. 2a)


I need to keep God's love before me. This will help me to stop worrying. Even yesterday, I was worrying about the swine flu and my youngest daughter's asthma. I was wondering what would I do if my husband dies, or if my daughter should die. Morbid thoughts and worry. I had to remember that God is here even in a swine flu epidemic or in some other great crisis. Thinking about God's love will help me to stop wavering because I will remember that He is in control. I can't do anything to fight disease; to make someone's body work right. Also keeping God's love before me will keep me from becoming bitter and trying to take vengeance. It will help me to stay righteous. I think of one of my favorite verses, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near (Phil 4:4-5)." I can be gentle if I remember the Lord is near. If I forget that, I try to take everything into my own hands.


"and I walk continually in Your truth." (vs. 2b)



I need to follow God's word next. If I am not being very successful, perhaps it is because either I do not know what God says in His word, or I am not obeying it. Sometimes I don't obey because I think it is too hard, or perhaps I think it is not that important, or else I think I am too busy. Lots of reasons but none will hold up. I need to continually walk in the truth, not just when I feel like it.



"I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites; I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked." (vs. 4)



I need to have deep convictions about who I hang around with and what I am doing. I will be influenced by others, including books, movies, and TV shows. It is impossible to not be. I need to guard my heart and I need to take a stand in a spiritual way. I do not need to be self-righteous, but I need to be training myself to be godly. I need to get around people who can help me make it to heaven. I need others. It can be difficult for me to accept that, as I tend to be a very independent person, but that is not God's way. He is all about one another relationships. I need to avoid bad relationships and I need to avoid no relationships. I can not be serving God and be a loner at the same time.


"I wash my hands in innocence and go about Your altar, O Lord," (vs. 6)


I need to not be ashamed to be innocent. The world tends to look down on innocent people, almost as if they are stupid, but I need to see that God calls us to be innocent as doves yet shrewd as snakes (Matt 10:16). It is beautiful in the eyes of God to be innocent and not jaded; to have the wide eyed excitement about life that a child has. I need to treasure my innocence and that of my children and guard it by monitoring what we take in. Then I need to be busy about God's altar. I need to be out there serving Him. I have to be about my purpose. This is what will help me to be blameless and unwavering. I will not have time to worry about myself anymore or to get into sinful pursuits. David got into some terrible sin when he failed to go out to battle as he should have (II Sam 11 & 12). Who am I to think I will be any different? I must remember Philemon 1:6, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."


"My feet stand on level ground;" (vs. 12a)


Finally, I need to stop going where I shouldn't. I need to stand on the level ground that God has provided. I need to seek out His will and His direction and I need to travel on it. I need to straighten myself out so I can travel on the Way of Holiness (Isaiah 35:8-10). I need to strengthen my feeble arms and weak knees and I need to walk on the level paths so that the weak may be healed, including myself (Hebrews 12:12-13). I need to get strong!


"In the great assembly I will praise the Lord." (vs. 12b)


And in the end, I need to praise the Lord. I will turn to Him and express all that I have to be grateful for and I will be closer to my goal. I will be closer to saying, "I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. I have led a blameless life."



Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,

We long to say that we have trusted in You without wavering.  We want to live a blameless life.  Help us where we fall short.  Help us to keep Your love before us and walk in Your truth.  Keep us from the negative influences that would bring us down.  Grant us wisdom and strength so that we may be successful.  We do praise You and love Your house.  Guard us and keep us.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


 QFT


1. How can I keep God's love ever before me? When is this most difficult for me? Why?

2. Am I walking continually in God's truth? What am I disregarding? Why?

3. How do I feel about being innocent? Am I striving for this or embarrassed by it? Why? Do I avoid evil and evil influences?

4. Am I working at the Lord's altar and am I walking on His level ways? Am I busy or a busybody?

5.  Do I praise God on a regular basis or am I negatively focused?  How can I get a more positive and God centered focus in my life?