Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 19:12-14
Ps 19:12-14
12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. 13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
1 John 1:7-10
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
One great thought in these verses is true devotion to serving the Lord. One of the measures of the many kings of Israel and Judah in the Old Testament is if their heart was wholly devoted to serving God. This was said of David and then many times he was used as the measure of devotion for the kings that came later.
On the other hand, there was Jeroboam of Israel who built idols and whose heart was not devoted to serving God. Many times it is said of later kings that their heart was not devoted to the Lord and they followed after the sins of Jeroboam. It is said of Solomon that he followed the Lord, but his heart was not fully devoted to serving the Lord his God as his father David had done. This is why Jesus said that the first and great commandment is to love the Lord God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind. Saving faith puts God first in our hearts and lives.
A second great thought in these verses is forgiveness. But forgiveness is necessary only when we have sinned against God. This is why the prophet Samuel told king Saul that to obey is better than sacrifice. God rejoices when we confess our sin and when we turn from it, but he is much more pleased when we just don’t sin in the first place. When our hearts are set on serving God and our meditation is on the Lord, our Rock and Redeemer, our lives will conform to his will.
Great God, creator and giver of life, I realize just how weak I am and how much I fail to be all you want me to be. I know I need your help to keep my heart set on you and your strength to carry out your will. Help me open my heart to your will so I will carry out your pleasure in my life. I ask a special prayer today for the nation in which I live and for all of our leaders. I ask your wisdom for each of them and your guidance in their hearts and minds. Help us as a nation to honor you and respect your word in the laws that are enacted and the social norms that prevail. Use me to do your will. I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
