TODAY'S READING: 1 Sam. 27; Ps. 141; 1 Chr. 9; Mt. 10
Scripture Ps. 141:1-5
[1] I call to you, LORD, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you. [2] May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. [3] Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. [4] Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat of their delicacies. [5] Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.
Observation
What a great "call" to the LORD, you sense the urgency, desperation. Help me before I sin. I know what I want to say, and it ain't good. I know what I want to do, and it's worst. Put someone in my life to stop me. HELP!
Application
Oh how often my prayers are after the fact, after I've already sinned.
I spoke I word in angry, instead of kindness.
I belittled someone, instead of building them up.
I went one direction, when I should have gone another.
I did one thing, and should have done something else.
I've feared the correction of another, because of my pride and I've failed.
I need to change. I need to get God in front of my sin, not behind it.
Prayer
Father,
There is a old saying, "Don't put the cart in front of the horse." I seem to put my sin in front of my Savior. I sin and expect Jesus to clean up the mess; I mean that's what a Savior does, right. Here a novel idea.I go to Jesus, dwell in His presence, ask His help before I sin, humble myself enough to allow Him to put others in my life and allow them to speak into my life, show me, teach me, before I sin. What would life be like if I put GOD FIRST, put the Savior in front of the sin. Come quickly, hear me, change me, help me.
Food for Thought: The Greek word for "show" that appears in Matthew 18:15 appears in seventeen other places in the New Testament, where it is sometimes translated as "reprove", "rebuke", "tell one's fault to", "convince", or "convict". It is a very strong word, indeed. How, then, can it be possible to "show" or "reprove" or "rebuke" someone without directly confronting them?
Appropriately, Jesus himself "shows" us how.
The word for "show" that appears in Matthew 18:15 also appears in John 8:9, in the midst of the story of the woman caught in adultery. After Jesus invites the woman's accusers to stone her if they themselves are sinless, we read in the King James Version, "And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst" (John 8:9-10).
Interestingly, the word for "convicted" in John 8:9 is the same word Jesus uses for "show" in Matthew 18:15.
In other words, how are we to "show" others their fault? The same way Jesus "showed" the adulterous woman's accusers their fault in John 8. Instead of directly listing off their sins, he gently reminds them of God's standard, invites them to examine their own hearts, and trusts the work of conviction to the Holy Spirit.
PeaceMeal is a weekly e-publication of Peacemaker Ministries (www.Peacemaker.net). All Rights Reserved
Scripture Ps. 141:1-5
[1] I call to you, LORD, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you. [2] May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. [3] Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. [4] Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat of their delicacies. [5] Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.
Observation
What a great "call" to the LORD, you sense the urgency, desperation. Help me before I sin. I know what I want to say, and it ain't good. I know what I want to do, and it's worst. Put someone in my life to stop me. HELP!
Application
Oh how often my prayers are after the fact, after I've already sinned.
I spoke I word in angry, instead of kindness.
I belittled someone, instead of building them up.
I went one direction, when I should have gone another.
I did one thing, and should have done something else.
I've feared the correction of another, because of my pride and I've failed.
I need to change. I need to get God in front of my sin, not behind it.
Prayer
Father,
There is a old saying, "Don't put the cart in front of the horse." I seem to put my sin in front of my Savior. I sin and expect Jesus to clean up the mess; I mean that's what a Savior does, right. Here a novel idea.I go to Jesus, dwell in His presence, ask His help before I sin, humble myself enough to allow Him to put others in my life and allow them to speak into my life, show me, teach me, before I sin. What would life be like if I put GOD FIRST, put the Savior in front of the sin. Come quickly, hear me, change me, help me.
Food for Thought: The Greek word for "show" that appears in Matthew 18:15 appears in seventeen other places in the New Testament, where it is sometimes translated as "reprove", "rebuke", "tell one's fault to", "convince", or "convict". It is a very strong word, indeed. How, then, can it be possible to "show" or "reprove" or "rebuke" someone without directly confronting them?
Appropriately, Jesus himself "shows" us how.
The word for "show" that appears in Matthew 18:15 also appears in John 8:9, in the midst of the story of the woman caught in adultery. After Jesus invites the woman's accusers to stone her if they themselves are sinless, we read in the King James Version, "And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst" (John 8:9-10).
Interestingly, the word for "convicted" in John 8:9 is the same word Jesus uses for "show" in Matthew 18:15.
In other words, how are we to "show" others their fault? The same way Jesus "showed" the adulterous woman's accusers their fault in John 8. Instead of directly listing off their sins, he gently reminds them of God's standard, invites them to examine their own hearts, and trusts the work of conviction to the Holy Spirit.
PeaceMeal is a weekly e-publication of Peacemaker Ministries (www.Peacemaker.net). All Rights Reserved
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