"Good and upright is the LORD, therefore He instructs sinners in His way."
God is not a hypocrite, that's for sure!
Father, I pray, and thank You that You are not a hypocrite. So glad we can trust You and be admonished by You because You are the One who has the right and authority to do so.
You instruct sinners in Your ways. Praise You, it does not say that You "lambaste sinners"! You instruct. May we learn from You at Your feet. You are the greatest Teacher, the One who can educate in the most persuasively, loving and compelling of ways.
Often, I feel like a hypocrite because what I say, I'm then responsible for, I don't always do it.
Lord, help me. You guide the humble to teach them Your ways. All Your ways are loving and faithful. I cannot say that for myself. In contrast, You are though, what a mercy! You keep Your covenant with those who do keep the demands of Your covenant The psalmist got that.
LORD, we followers of Jesus Christ belong to You. You bought us at great cost but we don't always live up to what is right and just and fair; we are often far from humble and often fail.
However, thank-You for Your mercy and grace and for the sake of Your Name, You forgive us our iniquity, no matter how great or small and insignificant we might think our bad deeds may be. Thank-You once again for that verse in 1 John 1:9,
"If we confess our sins; You are faithful and just and will forgie us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Help us to see our faults from Your perspective and in the light of Your watching over us and seeing our hearts. You know our minds. You even know the number of strands of hair upon our heads. You know us but we don't always know You.
You know us better than we know ourselves, so we can have the courage to "'fess up". Nevertheless, we're aware that just confessing isn't enough, it must accompany a repentant heart which spills over into our actions. Help us, in our feeble humanness, to repent and stick at it; and forgive when and where needed too.
You told Your disciples, in Luke 17, to forgive 70 x 7 times; that's so many times it's difficult to keep tract. You are like that...our forgiving God; forgiving us again and again. We love You because You first loved us.
We need to repent, confess, and forgive others their trespasses, even as You do forgive us.
May our eyes ever be on You so You can govern us, even with just Your eyes. We've all had our mothers and/or fathers look at us when perhaps we were not doing as we should. Sometimes when we were doing what was right and they gave us a look of satisfaction and pleasure in their eyes; vindicating our obedient compliance and we felt happy inside.
In contrast, a look of "No, no, no!" and sadness and disappointment when we're tempted to do wrong or even in the act of 'wrong' and the wrong had had its course, cuts to the quick of our hearts and hopefully, guides and compels us in the right direction the next time around.
Lord, be gracious to us.
There are many lonely, afflicted hearts crying out; be a Friend to them even if they do have one or two earthly friends, or even a community of good friends, they may still feel as if they are marooned on an island no one else is on.
Rescue them and may we each have integrity and uprightness that will protect us and help us to become more like Your Son, Jesus Christ, in our attitudes and character. When we feel we are spiritual, may we be then able to turn and help another friend along the way who may have turned astray or gotten into the wrong group of people, to admonish, being careful we ourselves aren't lured away.
Father, again, thank-You for the verse in Psalm 25, verse 8, that says You are,
"Good and upright therefore You can instruct us and keep us in Your way."
Help us Father to go in the way we should go, and not tell others to do this and that but do nothing about it ourselves.
It is because of the cross and the work Your Son has done for us, giving His life for ours, taking our punishment for our sin, giving us forgiveness of sins and eternal life, that we too may become good and upright. Father, as we partake of the bread and drink of the cup of wine each Lord's Day, may be remember that our righteousness has come only because of what Jesus has done for us by His death and resurrection. Thank-You for providing the way...
In Jesus' most perfect, good and upright Name, Amen.
~ERC April 2020~
(originally prayed)
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