November 23

Ezekiel 45:13-46:24, 1 Peter 1:13-2:10, Psalm 119:33-48, Proverbs 28:11

Pray: Father, help me today to lean into Your understanding. I ask for Your wisdom today to see beyond the darkness that the world offers. Help me to love the light and be drawn into the life it brings. Help me to take Your light and shine it wherever I go today to be a light for You in a dark world. 

Read: (Psalm 119:33-40) "Teach me your decrees, O Lord; I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you. Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness." 

Edify: When I read these verses, I cannot help but think about repentance. Sure, you could read these verses and see "rules and commands." There is always a negative association with rules and commands in the Bible. Why is that? Is it because our hearts are always leaning towards doing the wrong thing? Or is it because we worship things over the creator? Every one of us has a sin problem. We don't solve that problem by saying - "well everyone sins." We solve the problem by repenting. Repentance is turning away from your evil ways and going towards God. There is no one too far from God and taking one step of repentance will start a party in heaven (see Luke 15:10). When we repent we see those same rules and commands a lot differently. We see them as healthy boundaries and maybe more importantly we see them as acts of pleasing our glorious God. "Renew my life with your goodness." When God has rescued you from the evil of this world, we should be more than happy to follow His rules and commands. Or as the Psalmist says, "Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found."

Practice: What is it that you need to repent of? The act of repentance is an everyday thing for every Christ follower. Find a quiet place to pray. Thank God for His goodness and repent today. Take a step away from anything that is keeping you from God.