THANKFUL

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Lord, how could the psalmist’s friends not notice his changed life? Since he humbly fell before You, pleading, “For the honor of Your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins,” (Psalm 25:11), You miraculously changed him on the inside.  He incessantly told anyone with ears of Your amazing, transforming grace. Friends and his closest buddies rejoiced at his 100 percent commitment to serve You.  Another group especially rooted for him. That group still exists today.

The prideful and conceited were rooting for the psalmist’s downfall. Skeptical of his new way of living, they mocked him, saying religion is for the weak—be your own self. What they couldn’t understand is the psalmist did try being ‘his own self,’ which led to disappointments and an unfulfilled life.

Most God-fearing leaders rejoiced and gave You thanks for Your mercy. Sadly, some arrogant religious elites thought their ecclesiastic background made them judges of Your mercy. “It’s not genuine,” they must have fumed. “How dare this man go to God without going through us first!” Did they compare notes?  “He didn’t do ‘A,’ ‘B,’ or ‘C,’ therefore, he can’t be a believer!”

The psalmist reacted to their taunts the way You intended. He ignored them, counting these naysayers as irrelevant. He refused to put up with their nonsense. “I will not endure conceit or pride,” he wrote, (Psalm 101:5). He found that his personal relationship with You, Lord, now the center of his existence, gave him a fulfilled life.

Lord, hear my earnest prayer: may the spirit of pride and conceit never gain a foothold in my spirit as our relationship grows deeper. May it be the same for all Christ-followers today. Amen.