THANKFUL

Chatting with Jesus

Thursday, November 3, 2022

Lord, You’ve seen no matter how hard I try, I cannot hide anything from You. You see it all. Attempting to sneak an un-Christlike action, word salad, or carnal thought past You is truly the proverbial exercise in futility.

The psalmist acknowledged Your omniscience in all matters. With his soul fully exposed, he stood defenseless when You revealed that “You have tested my thoughts . . .” (Psalm 17:3). You alone, Lord, possess all knowledge about everything, even the deepest secrets buried within each person’s heart.

Lord, that’s a wake-up call for me too. Knowing You test my every thought against Your holiness, I’ve surely failed the tests more times than passed. I echo the psalmist’s plea in this vital area of my life:

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord—Psalm 19:14.

The world measures our words by the world’s standards, The “woke” standards, which change daily, if not hourly, leave many walking on eggshells, fearful of offending anyone and being cancelled. The world’s standard has no room for grace, forgiveness, or redemption.

Not so with You, Lord. The holy standard by which my words are measured leave me at Your mercy. Any excuses I make to justify my wayward thoughts fall flat, since my lame excuses are from my flawed, yet by Your grace, forgiven heart. You offer grace. You offer forgiveness. You offer redemption.

On a good note, as Christ followers, we please You when our thoughts match Your thoughts, and our ways match Your ways, (Isaiah 55:8, 9). By meditating on Your promises and precepts, You reveal new truths of Your holy character. If we are to keep our minds dwelling on You, we need Your divine help, so when other observe us they will want to know how we remain hopeful, despite living in this chaotic world.

And Lord, in this hostile political season, help me keep my thoughts and statements Christlike. I don’t want to sin by what I say.

By Your love and in Your authority, Jesus, Amen.