Psalm 101 sounds like a prayer of commitment to me! I noticed at least 9 "I wills" in this Psalm! David was determined to be the kind of leader and king that God wanted him to be! Verse 2:
2 I will behave myself wisely and give heed to the blameless way -- O when will You come to me? I will walk within my house in integrity and with a blameless heart.
We need to realize that "blameless" does NOT mean "sinless"! Aren't YOU glad that your sins aren't written down for everyone to read? David's are right there for us to see! But, yet, he was "blameless" in the eyes of God! How can that be? The word "blameless" here, and "perfect" in the KJV, is the Hebrew word "tamiym", which means: complete, whole, innocent, having integrity. When David confessed his sin and repented before God, he was restored again to fellowship with the Lord. 1 John 1:9:
9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, he is faithful and just (true to his own nature and promises) and will forgive us our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continually] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought and action].
This is OUR answer under the new and better Covenant that we have through the Blood of Jesus of Nazareth! Remember, though, that confessing sin isn't just recognizing that it IS sin, but owning up to YOUR part in it! Also know that repentance isn't feeling sorry for your sin, but changing your thinking to agree with God! That means turning AWAY from those things that are contrary to His Word and His ways. If we continue to do the same wrong things, then we haven't truly repented! Repentance involves a change of direction. I can confess my sin and receive God's forgiveness for it, but if I don't repent, then I will just keep doing the same wrong things and never grow up or grow closer to the Lord! He wants to use US in a mighty way to reach the unreached with the powerful Gospel of Jesus Christ! Sin will steal, kill and destroy precious things in our lives! Will we ever be sinless? Not in THIS life! But we CAN do the same wrong things less and less as we continue in daily fellowship with HIM and continue to hide His Word in our hearts! Psalm 119:11:
11 Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
In Luke 22 we have Jesus sharing the Passover supper with His disciples. I found our another interesting thing in studying this! Jesus and the disciples had already celebrated the Passover BEFORE they went to the Garden of Gethsemane, but the chief priests, the captains of the temple and the elders had not yet celebrated the Passover. (John 18-19) I found that there was a Jewish way to consider a day (from sunset to sunset) and a Roman way (sunrise to sunrise). Jesus and His disciples celebrated according to the Jewish day and the others according to the Roman day! After Jesus and His disciples shared their supper and He instructed them, they went together (minus Judas, of course!) to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed and His disciples slept! Below is a picture of a more then 2000 year old olive tree that stands in the Garden of Gethsemane! This tree would have been there when Jesus prayed to the Father in His agony! This tree saw all and heard all that went on there! WE have it recorded in the Word of God for us! Thank You, Jesus, for Your Word! AMEN!
In Jeremiah 7 God has Jeremiah stand in the gate of the LORD'S house and proclaim this in verses 3-11:
3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Trust not in the lying words [of the false prophets who maintain that God will protect Jerusalem because His temple is there], saying, This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD. 5 For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly and truly execute justice between every man and his neighbor, 6 If you do not oppress the transient and the alien, the fatherless, and the widow or shed innocent blood in [Jerusalem] or go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 Then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers to dwell in forever. 8 Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot benefit [so that you do not profit]. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 And [then dare to] come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My Name, and say, [By the discharge of this religious formality] we are set free! -- only to go on with this wickedness and these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by My Name, become a den of robbers in your eyes [a place of retreat for you between acts of violence]? Behold, I Myself have seen it, says the LORD.
God continually warned the people what would happen if they continued to do things their own way instead of His way. They didn't believe that what the prophets said was true. They chose to believe the false prophets who told them what they wanted to hear! It is the same way in our day! God has already spoken His Word, His Will and His Way into the earth and we are all responsible for it! If we do things God's way, we'll be blessed! If we choose some other way, then we will have to be satisfied with the results of that, and it's not pretty! In John 3:3, Jesus said, "You must be born again." You do NOT become a Christian by being born in the USA! You do not become a Christian because your family is. You do not become a Christian by going to church, or by doing good things, or by praying, or by singing songs, or by any OTHER way than the way Jesus said! Being born again simple means accepting and receiving Jesus of Nazareth as your Lord and personal Saviour! If you HAVE done that, then rejoice! If you have NOT, then I invite you to click on the Spoken Word Church link at the left of this blog and learn more about how to become a member of the family of God! THAT'S GOD'S WAY! AMEN!
