Through the Bible - Deuteronomy 10-11, Mark 13:1-31
Good morning,
A friend responded to last weeks thought's of "following hard" after God, saying "It is so easy to be led astray if we don't follow hard. What foothold do I leave open if I don't examine my heart each day? If arguments are left unsettled, harsh words said ,and no repentence?"
Too often in our lives, if we are honest, would more likely resemble meandering rather than following hard. When meandering we can easily drift and find ourselves off coarse. Most of us can remember as a child or remember one of our children "meandering" in a department store behind our parents. We see the toy department and decide to head off in that direction. All of a sudden our parents are nowhere in sight. Fear overwhelmed us and we desparately looked for our parents. When we found them, they held our hands tight, we held on tighter.
David knew what it was like to lose his way. When he came back to God, he followed hard. Today's verse comes from Psalm 32. David had been telling the story. Now in verse 8 God takes over the narrative.
Ps 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you. NKJV
I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you. NKJV
Having wandered David had been stubborn as a mule. Disregarding sound adivice and his own conscience.
Attention influences direction. David's attention had been on himself, not on others, not on God.
Now, having received forgiveness David speaks of the joy of cleared guilt (v.2), along with the promises of protection (v.6-7), and guidance (v.8).
I'm reminded of the old hymn that congregations keep going back to, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer (stone of remembrance);
Here by Thy great help I've come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Here by Thy great help I've come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Attention influences direction. Notice where the attention of the psalm writer and the song writer are. Is your heart tuned to God, fixed upon His redeeming love, bound to Him and sealed by Him?
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Attention influences direction. Notice where the attention of the psalm writer and the song writer are. Is your heart tuned to God, fixed upon His redeeming love, bound to Him and sealed by Him?
32 1 Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
Interlude
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
Interlude
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord."
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
Interlude
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord."
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
Interlude
6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
7 For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory.
Interlude
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
7 For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory.
Interlude
8 The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control."
I will advise you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control."
10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure! NLT
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure! NLT
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