Daily Devotional - 8/28/10 (9/28/09)

Prayer Focus - 8's



Pray for:
Eight things that you are grateful for
Eight people that are on your heart
Eight places that you care about
Eight characteristics to grow in
Eight characteristics/habits to get rid of


Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your everpresent voice and grant me the strength to follow through and obey.



Psalms 28




"He will tear them down and never build them up again." (vs. 5b)


This fragment of a verse in the middle of Psalms 28 catches my attention.  Who will God tear down? This sounds so ominous and final and so I think, "Will it be the murders? The violent? The criminals?"  When I look back to see exactly who the psalmist is talking about, I am convicted and challenged. Let's start looking in verse three.


"Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts." (vs. 3)


Wow! He is talking about people who are holding grudges against someone or have hatred, anger, or prejudice against another. I know I have sinned against others in this way. Maybe there is someone right now I need to clear things up with. I need to always search my heart to be sure it is clear. How often have we been upset with someone and then they come up to talk to us and we act like nothing is wrong. We speak nicely to them and all the while we are angry deep down. Or perhaps we just avoid them altogether.  God is expressing just how He feels about that in this verse. What we are doing when we do this is evil and is putting us in danger of being torn down.


Why would this upset God so much? After all, isn't this exactly how the world works? This is so common. We are stabbed in the back continuously. People talk nice to us and as soon as we are gone gossip about us to their friends. We expect it. Sometimes we engage in it.  In the church, we are tempted to do no differently. So why would it upset God so much?  The answer lies in the first part of the psalm I quoted at the beginning of the devotional.



"Since they show no regard for the works of the Lord and what His hands have done," (vs. 5a)



The answer goes back to Psalms 24 which reminded us that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it is His as well (Psalms 24:1). Every person belongs to God and is special to Him; whether they have a relationship with Him or not. He created them and knit them together in their mother's womb (Psalms 139:13-16). They are important to God and as such deserve good treatment, especially from me as I profess to be a Christian. This is referring to my family, to strangers, and especially to those in the church. We are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with special regard (Gal 6:10).  But how is this possible?


"Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your Most Holy Place." (vs. 2)
Thank goodness that God hears our cries for mercy (vs. 2). By myself, I cannot stand. I need the mercy of the Lord. I need His strength to do right, especially in this area; even after all this time. Conflicts will continue to happen in my life. As long as I am alive and interacting with people, I will have to deal with my heart, hurt feelings, and conflicts. I will never out grow it. Sometimes it will be my fault, sometimes it will be the other person's fault, and sometimes it will be just a misunderstanding. Even so, I need mercy and I need to give mercy.


When I do this and clear my heart so there is nothing false in me, I will be able to rejoice. My heart will leap for joy (vs. 7). It is so good to have a clear heart and a clear conscience. We can truly thank God then. He is our strength and will save and bless us when we are obedient. He will be our Shepherd and carry us forever.


Thank You Lord, because I cannot do it alone.


"Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.  The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one.  Save You people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever." (vs. 6-9)


Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

We want You to be our shepherd forever.  Purify our hearts and help us to not harbor any ill will towards anyone.  It is so easy to do wrong in this way.  We struggle to value people as You do.  It is easy to love those who love us but it is difficult to love everyone and keep our hearts pure.  Grant us strength.  We do not want to be torn down but rather built up.  Have mercy on us we pray.  We know You will do it.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. What is my reaction to the seriousness of harboring ill feelings towards another person? Do I see it as as serious offense as God does?

2. Is there someone I need to speak to and work something out with? When will I do this?

3. Do I have any stereotypes or prejudices that are hindering my relationship with God and my effectiveness for Him? How can I change my attitude about these things?

4. How do I feel when I have a clear conscience? How can I strive to maintain this?

5. Am I treating everyone as a person that is special to God?  Who is the most difficult for me to treat right?  Why?  How can I change this?