Thursday 26 Jul 2018

July 26: Psalm 7:8-10

Key Verse: Psalm 7:8
Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.

Devotion:
This psalm shows just how much king David relied on the justness of God’s judgement! At this stage in his life he was able to stand up and know he was accounted innocent because he knew God had forgiven him of his sins which he had done beforehand. Now let us not forget that this was before Christ had come to deliver us from our sins so any atonement for sins was done through faith after sacrifice. That may sound a bit odd, but think about it… They had to bring the correct sacrifice before God and then have faith God would accept their sacrifice for their sins. To me, that sort of faith has got to even scarier than having faith in a God we cannot see!

Can you imagine having to do something every time you did things wrong so you would be forgiven? Can you imagine the worry that would accompany any such act? Is my gift going to be good enough to cover my sins? That answer would have to come from the heart… If you had given enough through your heart to God, then He would be just and righteous to forgive you for your sins. The poor would never be able to afford a whole clean goat to offer as a sacrifice, but they could always mean just as much with a dove as a person who could afford the goat. The rich would easily be able to afford the goat, but would they take that goat forward with the same passion as a poor person would take their dove?

Yes, Christ has paid the price for our sins. But if we are not willing to bring them before Him with the passion and honesty of a poor person who could not afford a perfect sacrifice, then we are no better off than someone who just goes through the motions to be counted. Too many people today just go through the motions so they can be counted as a “church-goer” or a “peaceful person”. We need to come before Christ with open hearts and open minds so we can humble ourselves before our God and know we have nothing we can hide from Him. We need to recognise just how much He has done for us and act accordingly!

Points to Ponder:
When you ask someone to forgive you, do you mean it?

Do you come before God and confess all?