God Washes Away Our Sin

Then David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." (2 Samuel 12:13)(NLT)

By law and by his own verdict, David should have died for committing adultery with Bathsheba and arranging Uriah's death. But David was truly sorry for what he had done and wrote Psalm 51 to express his feelings. That psalm reflects both David's penitent spirit and his hope that the Lord would forgive him. God did forgive David and did not hold this sin against him, although there were consequences to his actions that did take place. God offers forgiveness to people today as well. Let us praise God that he does not hold our sins against us if we repent.

MERCIFUL FATHER, we praise you for your compassion. We thank you for seeing our misery and providing a way our of our sinfulness. Convict us by your Spirit when we sin against you, and cause us to look to you for mercy. We ask this knowing that we will find forgiveness in the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus Chirst. Amen.

(from the Praise and Worship Study Bible from Tyndale House Publishers)

God's Word Inspires Awe

"The Lord spoke these words with a loud voice to all of you from the heart of the fire, surrounded by clouds and deep darkness. This was all he said at that time, and he wrote his words on two stone tablets and gave them to me. But when you heard the voice from the darkness, while the mountain was blazing with fire, all your tribal leaders came to me. They said, 'The Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Today we have seen God speaking to humans, and yet we live! But now, why should we die? If the Lord our God speaks to us again, we will certainly die and be consumed by this awesome fire. Can any living thing hear the voice of the living God from the heart of the fire and yet survive? You go and listen to what the Lord our God says. Then come and tell us everything he tells you, and we will listen and obey.'" (Deuteronomy 5:22-27)(NLT)

When the Lord gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments, he "spoke these words with a loud voice to all of [them] from the heart of the fire, surrounded by clouds and deep darkness" (Deut. 5:22). In response to this overwhelming display of God's glory, the people declared, "Our God has shown us his glory and greatness...Today we have seen God speaking to humans, and yet we live!" (Deut. 5:24). Like the Israelites, let us stand in awe of God when he speaks to us.

O GOD, we are grateful that you speak to us through your Word and through your Spirit. Grant us a glimpse of your glory and majesty as we listen to you, and help us to be attentive to your message. Enable us to carry out what you ask of us, and fill our mouth with praise to you. Amen.

(from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House)

The Lord's Name is Sacred

"You must faithfully keep all my commands by obeying them, for I am the Lord. Do not treat my holy name as common and ordinary. I must be treated as holy by the people of Israel. It is I, the Lord, who makes you holy. It was I who rescued you from Egypt, that I might be your very own God. I am the Lord." (Leviticus 22:31-33)(NLT)

Apathy is one of the greatest enemies of worship. When we treat God's works as common and ordinary, we profane his holy name. When we recognize the greatness of God and his deeds, we give him true worship. Such worship enables God to accomplish his work in us, for it is the Lord who frees us from bondage and makes us holy. Let us never take God's love and deeds for granted but instead remember his kindness and praise him for our salvation.

MOST HIGH GOD, you are King over the heavens and the earth. You have saved us from our sin and the the powers of evil. Help us to recall your mighty works on our behalf, and transform us into holy vessels fit for your service. Amen.

(from the Praise and Worship Study Bible by Tyndale House Publishers)

Mary

"For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed, for he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me." (Luke 1:48-49)(NLT)

The following worship profile of Mary is from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House.

Imagine having an angel appear before you with the message that you have been chosen to perform a special task for the Lord! You would probably react much as Mary did: "Who, me? Surely I am not qualified!" Mary exhibits a humble spirit when the angel tells her that she has been selected to give birth to the Son of God. Yet ultimately she does not allow her sense of humility to keep her from accepting the Lord's will for her, even though saying yes will mean being misunderstood by many people, including her fiance, Joseph. In this way, Mary demonstrates for us the right response to God's call upon our life.

Mary the Worshiper

Mary believed that God's intention was to do good to her. She knew that he is a God that exalts the humble and shows mercy to those who trust in him. In spite of the problems she would undoubtedly face, she recognized that her faithfulness would ultimately bless others: the covenant people and, indeed, the whole world.

Learning from Mary

God determines whom he will choose for a special task, and we must learn to depend on him to accomplish his will. It was the Lord who chose Mary to bear the Messiah, and she had to be willing to simply obey.

Mary held nothing back from the Lord when he called upon her to serve him. By obeying God, Mary risked her reputation and her future, yet she still chose to follow him. May we, like Mary, be willing to surrender all our plans and hopes to the Lord, trusting in his provision for us.

Following the Example

When we are in the middle of trying circumstances, it is difficult to see them as potential blessings. Yet Mary, who faced public embarrassment and even punishment for accepting God's will, was able to praise God for his blessing on her life. Think about problems you have gone through that you thought were too difficult to handle. How has God used you to bless others through these troubles? When you find yourself struggling to accept God's will, stop and remember that the Lord makes no mistakes. Thank him for what he is going to do for you through the circumstances that you face. Like Mary, go forward to meet your task with confidence and joy.

Partnership with Christ (True)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.." (1 John 1:7)

We have already noted that the word fellowship means partnership. This partnership of man with God is not a "fifty-fifty" arrangement. We can never, under any circumstances, be equal with the Lord. We enjoy partnership with him only on His conditions and never upon any personal arrangement that we would like to make with the Godhead. Thus John declares that our partnership or fellowship is contingent upon our maintaining the Divine conditions. He is not here speaking in terms of eternal salvation but in terms of our communion. The blessedness of the Christian life is dependent upon our exposure to the Light of the world for only by this perpetual exposure can we be reflective of His holiness.

Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear

It is not night if Thou be near

O may no earth-born cloud arise

To hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes

It is not that we can lose our salvation but we can spoil our communion. The figure of marriage is used of the believer's relationship to Christ; for the church is His bride. Many a difference has risen between husband and wife but this never ends the marriage relationship, but it does spoil the fellowship. Confession becomes the means of dispelling the clouds.

As long as we are in the light the atoning work of Christ is perpetually effective so that we are presented "faultless before the presence of the Father."

(this devotional by Dr. Robert M. McMillan)

Partnership with Christ (False)

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth" 
(1 John 1:6)

John was extremely disturbed over the problem of people who verbally claimed a relationship with Christ yet who, nevertheless, showed no physical evidence of the fruits of the Spirit. Confession of faith has too often been placed in the category of verbal expression as if this were the only means accredited in the Word. It is true that Romans 10:9 speaks of confession with the mouth but the expression relates to the original act of faith by which we are saved. After this confession of the Lordship of Jesus and His resurrection has been made, the emphasis changes considerably to that of daily living. The only certification of our original confession with the mouth being genuine is our consistent manifestation of fruits of the Spirit in our daily living. Words come easily in religious confessions but only actions are effective in true Christian witness.

It is an insult to God that we should identify ourselves with Him and His holiness while our lives are openly contradicting all that Jesus is and teaches. The apostle John feels strongly concerning this matter, to the extent that he calls this type of person a liar. It is high time that this kind of language be utilized in our evangelical churches where too often verbal boasting of the truth is not backed by action. John will have a great deal more to say on this subject in his second chapter.

Is your life consistent with your testimony? In fact, is your testimony only words not deeds?

"What you are speaks so loud that the world can't hear what you say."

(this devotional by Dr. Robert M. McMillan)