O LORD, I give my life to you.Â
I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
Remember, O LORD, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O LORD.
The LORD is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way.
The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Psalm 25:1-10 (NLT)
Lectionary texts: Genesis 9:8-17, Psalm 25:1-10, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:9-15
The lectionary texts this next week are all about God’s covenant and His faithfulness to that covenant. It is a principle that we all need to soak in and live in.
In God’s eyes, a covenant is more than a promise. It may be closer to a vow. When Abraham and God entered into their covenant, it involved animal sacrifice (Genesis 15). It was a serious, binding contract. A person did not back out of the agreement because it became too hard or inconvenient. Once a covenant was struck, the parties knew they could count on the pledge because breaking the covenant usually involved serious consequences, even death.
In our 21st century society, marriage and business agreements are made and broken daily. When I think of entering a covenant do the words “bindingâ€, “promiseâ€, and “eternal†enter my mind? The Scripture passages today are worth reading and taking time to meditate on how the words effect how I think about my relationship to others and how I view God’s relationship with me.
As I read through this psalm (read the other 12 verses!) my thoughts recalled times in my life when God showed me the road to follow. When God taught me a new truth. When I had nothing but to hope in Him. When I read stories in the Bible and from other sources of how God showed His extravagant, compassionate love to others. How God didn’t just forgive my sins, He totally erased them from existence. How God doesn’t just tell me what to do but He actually is my example.
I hope you will join me this week in reading these passages of Scriptures not just once but several times this week. We hear junk all day every day from the world that are just out-and-out lies. Let’s take some time to absorb truth that will change our “stinkin’ thinkin’†to “right thinking†– righteousness.
LORD, I give my life to you.
Lord, I Give You My Heart written by Reuben Morgan, performed by Michael W. Smith
