Seek a Wise and Discerning Heart for the Times
Lord, help us. Because You are not partial, we desire not to be either—yet we know we fall short. More often than we’d like, we don’t inquire of You. We twist Your Word, read into it what we want, take some wisdom while leaving other parts behind, treat some commands as optional, and reject others altogether. Purify us, Lord, so that at every turn we would seek You first. Help us to test everything using Your measure—Your scale. Teach us to be holy as You are holy, compassionate as You are compassionate, righteous as You are righteous, gracious as You are gracious, and loving as You define love. May we not be a people who pick and choose which parts of You we want while leaving behind the parts we don’t. You are all of these things, and more, perfectly. And while we will not be perfect on this side of eternity, we do desire renewed minds and transformed thinking that shape how we love You—and therefore how we love our neighbor. All of them. Not just the ones we deem worthy at this time. Help us to call what is wicked, wicked, and in the same breath, to call righteous what is righteous. Help us to seek justice—Your justice—while remembering that vengeance belongs to You alone, never taking it into our own hands. Help us not to give answers until we have examined and truly heard what is true—not just one side of it or parts of it. Help us, those who desire to teach one another, to be wise in Your eyes, with the wisdom that comes from above. May this wisdom impact not only what we say, but how we live. And lastly, help us to entrust ourselves to You, the Overseer of our souls, and to follow the example of Christ through the power of the Spirit.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Go Deeper: Meditate on the Word
This year, I have a goal—a resolution of sorts—not merely to read or study God’s Word, but to meditate on it. I don’t want to read Scripture in the morning only to forget it as the day goes on. I want to call it to mind, to ponder it, and to let it shape my thoughts throughout the day.
If man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4), why would we think one meal a day is enough to sustain us?
So, friend—will you join me?
Lay Down Your Idols
At the heart of idolatry is a worship issue. Our view of God becomes distorted.
Any “god” we can shape in our image is not the God who made us in His.
Any “god” that lets us decide what is right and wrong is not the God who is righteous.
Any “god” that allows us to indulge in desires that lead to destruction is not the God who truly satisfies the longing of our souls.
So, friend, repent and turn your whole heart to the one true, living God. Lay down whatever He reveals is trying to take His place. And remember: there is no one—and nothing—that even comes close to Him.