I am proud of ourselves, staying up past midnight to bring in the New Year! We had my traditional candlelight supper and then played Mexican Train dominoes game. It was fun to have Dinah, my step brother, Lance, Daniel's buddy and Caylea's friend celebrate with us.
Opening my Bible, I felt like starting the new year by reading a Psalm. Not the first one; I often start there. How about Psalm 101? As the first verse unfolded before me, I began to see how free David was in worship. He declared "I will..." several times in the psalm, beginning with his determination to sing of the Lord's love and justice, to make music to the Lord. David worshiped in the pastures with his flocks of sheep. David worshiped in caves when hiding from his enemies. David worshiped in the tent that housed the Ark of the Covenant. He worshiped in the streets, in his palace, in his room.
I realized how inhibited I am in praying, in singing and entering into worship when others might be around. I was challenged to keep on seeking the Lord, whether it is convenient or not, whether I am busy or relaxed. I just want to learn to enjoy the Lord and be more free in expression of my love for Him!
David's passion for the Almighty is so clear as he continues to make "I will" statements. He desires to live with integrity. He pledges to walk blamelessly in his house. He promises to avoid evil, punish evildoers and fight evil within his kingdom.
Before getting all excited and inspired to follow David's journey into intimacy with the Lord, I flashed back to the many times when David sinned. He stumbled and fell morally, his family was a mess, he was a complicated mix of godliness and selfishness. How can I reconcile David's faith and heart for God with his sinfulness?
Bringing in another thread in the fabric of my recent life, I recalled Spurgeon's sermon last Sunday on "Mercy and Grace". We all the forgiveness of the Lord in order to begin a relationship with Him and to keep in constant and close fellowship with Him.
That's how David could be spoken of as a man after God's own heart: the mercy and grace of the Lord. Falling on the love and tenderness of the Father, David kept seeking after the Lord even when sin separated him. He knew to repent, to acknowledge his sin and ask for the cleansing of the blood of the sacrificial lamb.
No, I couldn't reject the words of David in Psalm 101 based on David's track record of sin. I am no different. I need to echo those words of decision to chase hard after the Lord and battle evil on every front - in my home, in my relationships, in my marriage, in my public life...
The new year of 2016 is a perfect opportunity to rededicate myself to a personal holiness and submission to the Lordship of Jesus over all that I am.
"I will walk with integrity of heart within my house..." Me, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment