Psalm 26
1Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
3For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.
4I do not sit with the worthless,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5I hate the company of evildoers,
and will not sit with the wicked.
6I wash my hands in innocence,
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,
and the place where your glory abides.
9Do not sweep me away with sinners,
nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10those in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12My foot stands on level ground;
in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.
For some reason, I have been thinking about attitudes lately. Let me be clear, I don't think that having a good attitude is the solution to solving all of your problems. If it was, we wouldn't need God's grace. However, the phrase, "You need an attitude adjustment" learned in my childhood has been forefront in my mind as of late.
It takes something outside of ourselves to change. For a child, it may be skinning a knee and learning to be more careful on a bike. For a student, it may be receiving a bad grade on a test where we though we knew all the answers. For people in a relationship, the change might come from a misspoken word out of anger brought upon by tension from outside of the relationship. The question then becomes, on what will you stand?
When we submit to God, we stand upon God's promises. Fortunately and unfortunately, we submit ourselves for God's judgment. When we make claims that we have lived righteous lives, we better be ready to back up those claims. Yet here is the good news. David, who was a low life adulterer was called a man after God's own heart. Why? Because he sought forgiveness. For all of his short-comings, he continually pursued the Lord after he was convicted.
We will stumble. We will fall. And we choose to get back up. When we do, where and upon what will you stand?
Pray Psalm 26.
Psalm 26
1Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
3For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.
4I do not sit with the worthless,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5I hate the company of evildoers,
and will not sit with the wicked.
6I wash my hands in innocence,
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,
and the place where your glory abides.
9Do not sweep me away with sinners,
nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10those in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12My foot stands on level ground;
in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.
For some reason, I have been thinking about attitudes lately. Let me be clear, I don't think that having a good attitude is the solution to solving all of your problems. If it was, we wouldn't need God's grace. However, the phrase, "You need an attitude adjustment" learned in my childhood has been forefront in my mind as of late.
It takes something outside of ourselves to change. For a child, it may be skinning a knee and learning to be more careful on a bike. For a student, it may be receiving a bad grade on a test where we though we knew all the answers. For people in a relationship, the change might come from a misspoken word out of anger brought upon by tension from outside of the relationship. The question then becomes, on what will you stand?
When we submit to God, we stand upon God's promises. Fortunately and unfortunately, we submit ourselves for God's judgment. When we make claims that we have lived righteous lives, we better be ready to back up those claims. Yet here is the good news. David, who was a low life adulterer was called a man after God's own heart. Why? Because he sought forgiveness. For all of his short-comings, he continually pursued the Lord after he was convicted.
We will stumble. We will fall. And we choose to get back up. When we do, where and upon what will you stand?
Pray Psalm 26.