As the rain and snow

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.*
    He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3a

*still waters: waters of rest

“And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.” “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” “But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.  But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” “And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.” “Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.” “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:15-16; 6:12,46; 9:28; John 6:15

In this madding world it is a challenge to find and keep quiet. The constant hum and thrum of noise, demands, schedules, responsibilities makes for anything but a quiet heart. But in Christ, we carry this quiet within, guarded by the jealous Keeper of our soul. Daily, and moment by needed moment, we can rise in the Spirit above the clamor to the heavenlies. (Psalm 121:5,7-8; 1 Peter 2:25)

What priority have we made for a time of keeping quiet? Where and when do we find a place away from the constant beat of people and prattle and pressures, a vantage point from where we can set our minds and hearts clearly on things above rather than the blur of things of earth? It is here that we hear from the Lord, gain His vision, and seize His promises. It is here we find refreshment away from the whir and grind of all that’s unpleasant, broken, even tortuous, in His love and eternal hope of resolution and restoration. (Habakkuk 2:1-3; 3:17-19; Colossians 3:1-2)

“I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.’

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught a joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.

I want to scale the utmost height,
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I’ll pray till heav’n I’ve found,
‘Lord, lead me on to higher ground.’

Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith, on heaven’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” ~John Oatman, Jr. (1856-1922)

Lord, make me diligent to be still and quiet with Thee, to learn of and love You more. Clarify my vision, renew my spirit, and equip me to be a light and joy that points the noisy world to You.

“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.  Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;  for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.  For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

“Command and teach these things.  Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.  Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.  Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.  Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.  Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:6-16

“Lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” Hebrews 12:12-13

Training: 1. The process or routine of one who trains; 2. The state of being trained; 3. Practical education in some profession, art, handicraft, or the like; instruction coupled with practice in the use of one’s powers.

Godliness does not just happen. Wishing something were so does nothing to propel it into being. Watching it speed by in someone else but failing to get on board will make no supernatural difference. Spiritual training is not only commanded as necessary and valuable in the Christian life, but it must be significant and ongoing. Little soundbites here, a rote recitation there, an act of service every now and then does not give strength for the journey or long haul. Training in godliness requires consistent vigilance, toiling, and striving. There is no one and done with the practice of faith.

If we are in Christ, we have known someone or several who went before us and stand out as examples. Within a congregation or fellowship we have been taught and trained by others who have walked longer with the Lord, and should keep pursuing this. The more we put scriptural principles to practice through experiences and years, the better trained we are to train those younger in the faith.

What defines our daily track of spiritual disciplines? When do we specifically put off and put on in prayer to refine godly conduct, speech, and mindset? In what situations at home and work are we practicing a godly example? Where and with whom are we exercising our God-given gifts and teaching the word with the hope of our living God and an eye for consistent spiritual progress? (Colossians 3:5-10,12-23)

Lord, keep training me to know You and make You known dynamically, effectively, and for Your glory.

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.  You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord…

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

“You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Leviticus 19:17-18,33-36

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.'” Mark 12:30-31

All humankind since Eden shares a common identity as image bearers, and a common slavery to sin. Only under God’s grace are we delivered. We’re common in struggles, hurts, illnesses, the strains of life under the curse. Sadly, in times when differences are highlighted and opposing opinions inflated at front and center, it can be difficult to even want to look for commonalities with those we deem ‘different’ from us. But there are many. God’s love overrides and undergirds the variations in His creatures. Each bears that mark of the Divine, and we would do well to discover, uncover, and appreciate the individual glories of those around us. That’s when love begins to bloom. (Genesis 1:27; 3:1-7,14-19; Psalm 14:2-3; Romans 3:23)

We tend to prefer and gather with like-minded people, and certainly rich fellowship derives from shared faith. But different perspectives add color and depth to our understanding and broaden our hearts to God’s wider family. When we learn through listening and caring about backgrounds, hardships, and inherited mindsets, the grace that captivated us warms toward those whom we are now seeing in heavenly light. As we open ourselves to His sway, the Holy Spirit infuses us with God’s compassion for fellow humans. He transforms callousness to tenderness, unwillingness to expectancy. What a difference it could make, one household and neighborhood and workplace at a time, if we would only reach out and respond in the same love Christ lavishes on us.

How might we begin? What are our stumbling blocks to seeing ourselves and others as common criminals before God, but for His amazing grace? Are we too puffed up, unforgiving, catty, stubborn? What if we set aside differences and probed for ways we think alike, enjoy alike, hurt alike, struggle alike? How might we sow seeds of kindness, lofty thinking, gratitude, and camaraderie in the human condition to open the conduit of gospel love? (Ephesians 4:29-32)

Lord, so captivate me with Your amazing love that I cannot help but love others in Your name. Open avenues of commonality that we might grow closer to You together and glorify You along the way.

“Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.  For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

“As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Idle: to run at low power and often disconnected usually so that power is not used for useful work; to spend time in idleness; to move idly; not working, not active, or doing nothing; unoccupied; inactive; not useful.

Idleness is an insidious contagion that may begin innocently but grow to take on monstrous proportion. It is a detriment to spiritual energy, a barricade to spiritual growth, and a drain on the church. Idleness can be infectious personally and in community. It breeds wrong thinking: I want, I deserve, it’s their fault, woe is me. And it breeds lazy doing: rude imposition, unhealthy dependence on the service and effort of others, and poor example to those we influence, often to the dereliction of more needed duty. Giving idle time to chastise, complain, and gossip breeds criticism of others, dissension between parties, and dishonor to God’s glorious intentions. (Proverbs 6:10-11; Ecclesiastes 10:18; Ephesians 4:29; 5:4)

The opposite of an idle person is one who is steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of Christ. He engages people and life for fruitfulness, contributes to the church and society, and builds God’s kingdom. She is full of the Spirit’s fruit and an active blessing to those around her. Peaceful, orderly, and quiet is not idle; rather it is a life measured in emotion, productive in industry, generous in heart, and fixed in Christ. It may listen and wait, but is eager and ready to act, doing the will of God from the heart and to benefit His kingdom. (1 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 3:17,23-24; 1 Timothy 2:2)

Where have we given in to the idolatry of self-serving to the neglect of serving our Lord and others, and how has it spread to infect motive, will, and impulse? In what areas are we indulging idleness? Time spent without intention? Entertainment that leads astray? The tongue? How will we replace those tendencies with purposeful plans, fruitful industry, and mouths that speak uplifting truth and blessing?

Lord, teach me to number my days aright and employ every moment to the encouragement of others and promotion of Your will and glory. (Psalm 90:12)

“The man declares,..
    I am weary, O God, and worn out.
Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
    I have not the understanding of a man.
I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son’s name?
    Surely you know!

Every word of God proves true;
    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Proverbs 30:1-5

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?..
Who determined its measurements…
    Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone,
when the morning stars sang together
    and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

“Or who shut in the sea with doors
    when it burst out from the womb,
when I made clouds its garment
    and thick darkness its swaddling band,
and prescribed limits for it
    and set bars and doors,
and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
    and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

“Have you commanded the morning..,
    and caused the dawn to know its place?..
Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
    or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?..

“Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain
    and a way for the thunderbolt,
to bring rain on a land where no man is,
    on the desert in which there is no man,
to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
    and to make the ground sprout with grass?..
Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
    that a flood of waters may cover you?
Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go
    and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts
    or given understanding to the mind?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
    Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens?” Job 38:4-12,16-18,25-27,33-37

The question is a remarkable proposition. In its very nature of seeking a reply it admits an inquisitiveness, a not knowing, a certain humility and willingness to listen and learn. Arrogance bristles at hard questions. In the independence of autonomy that claims expertise and struts superior ability, the challenge of an unknown can be unsettling. The Scriptures post many questions that, when read, asked, or answered honestly, put us in our place before the omniscient God.

Taking time to ponder God’s questions of us does much to make us small. Small is a good place to be to contemplate and understand His greatness and enrich praise, and to magnify His wisdom and power that train us in dependence and gratitude. Once He’s larger in our eyes, we can bring our questions to Him with confidence and expectancy.

When do we recite the musings of the Lord, and how do they change our attitude in worship and view of circumstances? What questions that we have for Him can be swallowed up in His majesty to bring hope and peace? (Isaiah 40:18-31; Job 39:1-42:6)

Lord, keep questioning me toward honest confession and belief, and embolden me by Your Spirit to live Your answers to Your glory.

“Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him.  And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

“And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke.., saying, ‘If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, “My father made me swear, saying, ‘I am about to die: in my tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.’ Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.”’  And Pharaoh answered, ‘Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.’  So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt.” Genesis 50:1-7

“Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation.  But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

“Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, ‘Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them.'” Exodus 1:6-10

Joseph had been favored in Pharoah’s household for a long time, serving as his trusted prime minister through years of famine. But pharaohs come and go, as do their heroes. The fact that Joseph was not known by the new king may be surprising, but any escape of conversation or neglect in telling or simple passage of years that brought it about was under the sovereign control of God. He raises up and brings low, gives and takes away, and always has His eye on His own and His plan for good. What seems neglected or forgotten to us is neither by the Lord in His eternal economy. His favor sets in motion His promises, every one of which will be fulfilled. (Genesis 39:1-6,21-23; 50:20; Job 1:21; Psalm 75:7; Proverbs 15:3; Daniel 2:21)

Through the passage of years we’ll likely age into insignificance or out of remembrance. But the blessed assurance for those who are in Christ is that we are always remembered and guarded in God’s favor. Social aplomb and worldly successes come and go, but when we are saved by Jesus we are safe in Jesus and beloved forever. (Psalm 139:7-16)

What is our present and passionate motive? In this world many vie to make a name for themselves and a difference for others, to leave a lasting legacy. God graciously bestows His favor so we can spread it to others. Is my desire more to be remembered, or to finish the work God has for me? Every deed done temporally as unto Him is translated into lasting glory for Him. (John 4:34; 17:4)

Father, help me never take Your gracious favor for granted. May I be so identified with You that whether I’m known or forgotten, Yours is the remembrance and honor.

“What your eyes have seen
    do not hastily bring into court,
for what will you do in the end,
    when your neighbor puts you to shame?
Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
    and do not reveal another’s secret,
lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
    and your ill repute have no end.

A word fitly spoken
    is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
    is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
    is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
    he refreshes the soul of his masters…

With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
    and a soft tongue will break a bone…
A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
    is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow…
It is not good to eat much honey,
    nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.
A man without self-control
    is like a city broken into and left without walls.”

“Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
    is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death
is the man who deceives his neighbor
    and says, ‘I am only joking!’
For lack of wood the fire goes out,
    and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
    so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into the inner parts of the body…
A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.”

“Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
    There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Proverbs 25:7c-13,15,18,27-28; 26:17-22,28; 29:20

In order for words to be fitly spoken, there is much that must not be allowed to fit. The culture gives many opportunities to mush around rotten fruit. If people do not instigate, retaliate, and foment divisiveness, our circumstances do. Emotions drive impulses which end up destroying reputations and putting us to shame. Impatience and pride dominate, stoking argument, lying, and sarcasm which corrode civility. Everything deleterious is exacerbated by unrestrained tongues and a frenzied media.

But as the Lord’s children, we are called to be different, very much in that gnarling world but not of it. Against the backdrop of rancor and boasting, prudence and humility stand out as refreshing and winsome. Will we take every chance given to calm vitriol, infuse reason, build up, and show forth Christ’s grace and love? (John 17:15-17; Ephesians 4:25-32)

Where am I poking into another’s business that I have no place being? Where do I need, by God’s Spirit, to exercise self-control? What triggers my insistence on informing, reacting, and pushing my opinion, and what might happen if I held my tongue? Where will I be willing to pray instead of speaking, and watch for how the Lord will bring conviction, decision, or resolution so He might be the One trusted and praised? In what situations can my words of truth be most fittingly and persuasively spoken? (Galatians 5:22-23)

Lord, fill my heart and soften my tongue so I can be a wise reprover and faithful messenger. May my words refresh others’ souls and exalt Your name.

“Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.  And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

“’But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.  For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.'” 1 Chronicles 29:10-16

Much of David’s life was a blessing to the Lord, and that before his people. What he spoke, he believed. What he praised about God, he owned in his soul. How he knew God determined how he lived. He, a man after God’s heart whom the Lord had chosen to be king over Israel forever and to bear the seed of Jesus, acknowledged that the Lord, not he, was owner of all greatness and power and glory and victory and majesty. (1 Chronicles 28:4-5; Acts 13:22)

When we truly worship, and recount all that belongs to God Almighty, we see clearly who we are before Him. If His is the greatness, I am nothing on my own. His is the power: I am weak, and in that weakness His strength is perfected. His is the glory that lifts me up, that I hide behind, and necessarily exalt, for I am nothing without Him, and apart from Him I can do nothing. Since His is the victory, I dare not go forth alone into the fray. He is the One who vanquishes the foes of sin and death. His is the majesty: I am not my own king, nor that over any people or circumstances. All things material and invisible belong to Him and are His to confer and employ, for His glorious and lasting purposes. (Psalm 3:3; John 15:5; 1 Corinthians 15:55-58; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 12:9-10)

In light of all that is His, I am merely a stranger, sojourner, a steward, a servant in my time and place on earth. Do I behave as though this is true? Does the way I go about work, raising children, and handling responsibilities and resources reflect a temper of humility, submission, gratitude, and surrender to God’s authority and ownership? What needs to change so He is acknowledged and His plans honored? (Psalm 39:12)

Lord, remind me daily that You are king and I am not. May I so inhabit Your kingdom and You inhabit mine that all I do, give, and say is to Your praise and glory.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance.” Ephesians 6:10-18

Firstly, Paul started with grace, extending this gift from the Lord, and reminding the Ephesians that by grace they were saved. He prayed for their wisdom and power and urged them to walk in love and wisdom in a manner worthy of their call, putting off the old and exercising their gifts in their new self. His letter was rife with love, deliberate instruction, and specific encouragement, but he knew that any list would be impossible to heed in the flesh without Christ. So he closed with his finally, that they be strong in the Lord and His might. (Ephesians 1:2,16-20; 2:5-9; 3:14-16; 4:1,11-13,17,22-24; 5:2,15-17)

It’s easy to compartmentalize our obediences. Certain things for Jesus, other duties at home and work. Certain obligations require spiritual fortitude, others personal smarts and gumption. But Paul reminds us that every call is a call of Christ, and requires the strength to stand in spiritual armor. No matter the obligation, the enemy seeks to lure or push us off course and destroy focus, witness, determination, and allegiance. He muddies our affections and deceives our sensibilities. (John 8:44; 10:10)

Do we set out on our days fresh and eager, yet unprotected for the fray? What can we do to make it a routine practice to prepare ourselves spiritually as well as physically and mentally, knowing that God knows all we will encounter? Armed in Him, we need not fear.

“We rest on thee, our Shield and our Defender!
We go not forth alone against the foe;
strong in thy strength, safe in thy keeping tender,
we rest on thee, and in thy name we go.

We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
and needing more each day thy grace to know:
yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,
‘We rest on thee, and in thy name we go.’

We rest on thee, our Shield and our Defender!
Thine is the battle, thine shall be the praise;
when passing through the gates of pearly splendor,
victors, we rest with thee, through endless days.” ~Edith G. Cherry (1895)

Lord, help me live in Your strength and for Your glory.

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering.  He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.

‘If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity.  He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven. It is a guilt offering; he has indeed incurred guilt before the Lord.’” Leviticus 5:14-19

Sin is sin, an affront against God whether it is realized, obvious, or not. Being unaware does not negate the fact that it requires an accounting and restitution before the holy God. So in mercy, from the beginning, the Lord implemented a way of atonement, a blood sacrifice whose covering would restore communion between sinner and Savior, penalty paid in full. Every unblemished lamb in the Old Testament was a preview of the sinless Christ who would give His lifeblood once for all for the sin of man at Calvary. (Genesis 3:21)

One of the glorious gifts for God’s children this side of the cross is the indwelling Spirit who convinces us of our erring attitudes and ways. Once we are aware and convicted, and acknowledge our guilt, He introduces us to grace. And once we meet grace, we are forgiven and the joyful romance begins.

Do we truly know the Lord Jesus as our sin-bearer, the One who has made atonement for all our sin? If so, what undealt-with guilt do we carry, thus hindering spiritual progress and fruitfulness? If we take time to ask the Lord to unveil our eyes so we recognize personal sin, pet practices we’ve justified or excused too long, He will answer. Our life matters to Him so much that life was required in its place to pay our debt and win our salvation, and Jesus’s perfect, efficient, and effective blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. (Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 1:9)

Wallowing in guilt when the Lord Jesus has cleansed us from it means we do not fully understand the grace of God. Grace is freely offered and applied. There is no more sacrifice needed, no punishment by God nor penance or restitution to God required. If tempted to hold on to regret because of painful consequences, bring it to the cross, and take God at His word that It is finished. (John 19:30)

“My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
my sin, not in part, but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!” ~Horatio Gates Spafford (1873)

Lord, may I praise you forever for Your grace.