Aug 02 2024

Today's Bible Verse

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

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Psalm 119 is the longest chapter of the Bible. It is an acrostic poem (by the Hebrew alphabet) and a prayer by someone who lives according to the law of the Lord. We see the theme of the entire Psalm in the first verse: "Blessed are [those] who walk in the law of the Lord." Walking as the Lord has directed, in holiness, according to His law, leads to blessing in our lives.

Why is walking in holiness so important? The first reason is quite simple: it's what the Lord commanded us to do. His law is not a negotiable or suggested way of living; it is a commandment and a matter of obedience to all who know Him. Second, when we don't walk in the law of the Lord, we put a wedge between ourselves and Him. Our neglect of the law is sin, separating us from God and making it impossible for us to enjoy communion with Him. Finally, walking as the Lord has instructed us leads to blessings. It gives us intimacy with the Lord on a new level, reminding us that we are never alone, that He loves us more than we could ever understand, and He is always faithful and good to us.

Walking in the law of the Lord is not always easy, though. Indeed, holiness means "set apart"—the word itself indicates that we will be different from those around us. The law of the Lord means that we may have to forego things that might seem pleasurable to us. It might make our friends think that we're old-fashioned, not fun, boring, or overly religious. It means we may have to willingly be outsiders sometimes, standing up for issues when it would be easier to remain silent.

But the Lord will help us. In fact, it is impossible to walk in the law of the Lord without His help! He will meet us along the way, sustaining us through difficult decisions and bringing scripture to our minds to help us resist temptation. We are not helpless in our decisions; instead, we can rely on the Lord to accomplish what He has chosen us to do. We can trust Him completely, knowing that He will help us always.

As we walk in communion with the Lord, we will experience the blessings of a holy walk. We will get to know Him better and understand what it means to be close to Him. We will experience Him helping us in the everyday little things as well as in the major questions that come to us. We can trust Him to keep us in His law and bless us as we continue to seek Him.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for your law. You are so good, and I want to be in your law and favor forever. Please help me as I try to live up to your standards. I know that I am hopeless without your help—and am so grateful that you will meet me right where I am. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Aug 01 2024

Yesterday's Bible Verse

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. :

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Yesterday's Bible study

In this morning's verse, Paul is telling Christians in Thessalonica (modern-day Greece) about the importance of forgiving each other. He says they should follow what "is good." Rather than repaying evil with evil, they should extend grace and forgiveness to all those who hurt them. This is an important reminder for us today that God doesn't want us to be vengeful or try to hurt those who have wounded us; instead, we must leave justice in His hands.

When we refuse to repay evil with evil, and treat others well no matter how they have treated us, we are extending grace to them. Instead of holding their wrongs over their heads, we are saying that we forgive them—exactly as Jesus has done for us. We were once sinners forever separated from the Lord, but when Jesus died for us, it became possible for us to be redeemed once and for all. The Lord set us free from sin and shame. When we forgive other people, we show them the heart of Jesus.

Yet giving unconditional grace to another person can be challenging. Sometimes, showing grace or forgiveness seems like we're saying their bad treatment of us was okay—but that isn't the case. The act of forgiving is actually acknowledgement that a wrong was committed against us, but we're not going to harbor anger and resentment over it. So we forgive.

Indeed, when the Lord forgives us, He is not saying we never did anything against Him. Much to the contrary, He is saying that it was wrong, but the debt has already been paid by Jesus. If we need to know what the Lord thinks about sin, we need only look at the cross. He takes other people's actions against us seriously—so seriously that Jesus had to die for them to be forgiven.

This means showing grace to another person—"following that which is good," in Paul's words—is not erasing the wrong that has been done. It is recognizing that Jesus has paid the price once and for all. We live because of His grace, and it is our privilege to extend that grace to other people.

Yesterday's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for forgiving me for all of my sins. Thank you for Jesus, who makes it possible for me to give grace to other people—and for me to receive grace when I hurt others. Help me to forgive other people and follow what is good. In Jesus' name, amen.
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