“He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psalm 24: 4-5 (NKJV)
I look at my hands. I wash them very frequently. I’d say they are clean, but is that what this verse is talking about? Well, the next part of the verse kind-of knocks that out of the water when I read Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
Well, I don’t worship any idols! Tim Keller states in his book Counterfeit Gods, an idol is “anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.” Oops! That hits home for so many things.
So, is there no hope for me to receive blessings from the Lord? I can choose to stop knowingly do anything that would separate me from Christ. I will still need Christ’s righteousness to cover me, but I don’t want to do anything to bring Him sadness.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 This is the source of my hope – because God loves me and He loves you too!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6 (NKJV)
Listen now to Keith and Kristyn Getty sing “In Christ Alone“
Merry Christmas and may God’s Peace surround you today and always.
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 12/25/24, 6:00 am