Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 17:1-5
Ps 17:1-5
Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer--it does not rise from deceitful lips. May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin. As for the deeds of men--by the word of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent. My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
James 1:26-27
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Religion that pleases God… These verses are not meant to be the totality of our religion that pleases God, but they are the essence of what it takes. It is a religion that not only relies on the word of God to instruct us, but it is also one that works from the inside out. We are changed in our hearts by the conviction of the Spirit, and that changes our speech and our actions. It is not just our outward actions.
Jesus condemned the motives of the good things that the Pharisees practiced in the name of serving God. They gave to help others, they prayed profusely, and they even fasted regularly to appear devout, but Jesus said it was all wasted effort because the only reward they would receive is the praise of other people. God saw their hearts and they was not sincere, even though they sang praises to him.
David was a man whose heart was set on God. He sinned and he made some very foolish decisions in his life, but he wanted to please God and he put serving him above his own personal gain. When he discovered he had done wrong, his pure heart moved him to admit his sin, turn from it and to turn back to God. He realized that God sees our hearts, he knows our motives and he measures our actions by what is inside us. It was for this reason that David prayed for a pure heart and asked God to remove every false way from his lips.
O Lord God, it is with joy that I come to you today and ask you to give me a pure heart and true motives in serving you. Keep me from sin and deliver me from all evil. Forgive me when I fail. When I realize I have done wrong, help me be willing to admit it and accept responsibility for my actions and turn from them. Fill me with your love so it will show to others and your name will be glorified. Give me wisdom, strength, and self-control to accomplish what you want me to get done today. Use me to lead someone who has lost their way in life to Jesus, or to help someone who is struggling. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
