Septmeber 8, 2019 -- Psalm 119:13 -- What should I say about God?!
/With my lips I declare
all the rules of your mouth.
Psalm 119:13 English Standard Version
How do I explain Who God Is? How can I share what He means to me? How do I tell others He has rescued me from myself. From my sins. From the evil that lingers and seeks to swallow me up? What about the times I am talking with someone at the YMCA, or the coffee shop, or at work—I imagine the barrage of questions and wonder if I’ll be adequate to answer. My life is given in service to Him, though I often falter in my vows and fail in keeping His rules. There is no other way for me to live. No other path of salvation!
I find the following words, spoken by Jesus to His followers, to be so reassuring! Look especially at the last verse, and ponder that.
“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Luke 12:8-12 English Standard Version
Blessed Sunday to you, one and all! Join with the people of God in worship and as you acknowledge Him in Church trust that you will be empowered by the Spirit to declare Jesus to everyone you meet. Your words and your actions are never neutral. Either Jesus is acknowledged by them, or you are showing signs of your defiant denial. Trust that as you worship Him, sins’ glamour is exposed as the noose of death, and that the light of day will drive away the temptations of darkness.
Knowing Whom we serve enriches our service and draws our hearts closer to Him! Jesus is not a set of rules. He is Living. He is personal—He knows you by name. He hears your prayers. He is both willing and able to answer. Jesus—sent by the Father into the world to seek and save lost sinners—this Jesus prays on our behalf to the Father Who is ready to hear His Son and bless those who have been rescued by Jesus. When we don’t know how to pray, or what to say—the Spirit of God brings the sighs and groans of our hearts to the very throne room, where Jesus is sitting next to our Father in heaven.
Blessed are You, Lord God Almighty. Great is Your Name. Mighty are Your acts of salvation. Let the words of our lips and the actions of our life declare Your Renown. As we gather for church this day, let those among us who are regular in our attendance be directed by Your Spirit to warmly welcome those who may be new, or shy or nervous. Make us new in Christ and revive in us the joy of Your great salvation. Amen.
