Devotion 9.21.26

Psalm 25

"6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,

  for they have been from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

  according to your steadfast love remember me,

  for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

8 Good and upright is the Lord;

  therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

9 He leads the humble in what is right,

  and teaches the humble his way.

10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,

  for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies."

God, who is faithful and just, forgives our sins and all unrighteousness, not through actions of our own, but through his mercy and grace.

The days of my youth I remember very well. I remember playing until I heard my father's voice call my name home for supper. I remember playing hard. I remember working, but not at a level like my mom or dad. Chores, lawns, trash to be picked up. In the fun, and not so fun, I remember the misbehavior too. The dares we took. Those places marked as "don't ever let me catch you in there," or "Don't take your bikes beyond..." We were or did.

What are the equivalent today? Boundaries set up by adults for adults. Policies, procedures, and other "rules" or "codes" set up because adulting is far-more sophisticated than childhood. The unspoken or unwritten rules too. The self-imposed codes of culture. We hear a great deal about these in terms of lacking and a desire for yesteryear, although my memory seems to have a place in time that reminds me that we've been "lacking" all of my days.

We needed God's grace as much then as we do today.

David asks for God's grace to cover the sins of his youth. Youth? I think. I know I've been forgiven for those because I've confessed them, the ones I knew about, long ago. What about today in my years far from my youth?

Am I humble enough to merit God's grace?

No, if I'm being truthful. Pride and arrogance are still there. The good news is that God is a faithful God. He knows and searches the corners of my heart, and when I confess to him, I ask him as David did to search my heart and show me his ways (Psalm 139). 

I may not like what he finds. I have to admit it isn't always goodness. 

In all he does, we ask him to teach us from our errant ways and to sin no more. Lead us, guide us, teach us, O Lord, Merciful Father, as you have from the days of my youth until now. Our help is in the name of the Lord!

Amen

Hope Men's Ministry is a ministry in service to Hope Lutheran Church and School. Our purpose is to grow, unite, and share God's Word to all men through meaningful activities. These activities center on fellowship, service, conversation, prayer, study and devotion as we seek to become men of God as He created us to be.