Ashamed No More

Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You;
Let the wicked be ashamed;
Psalm 31:17

Thought for today: Eric was not happy about what he had done and was not certain about how exactly he was going to tell his father.  He and his friends were playing a game of baseball in the field behind his family's barn.  Had he been thinking, Eric would not have made the area near the barn the outfield. He was at bat when the ball was pitched, contacted his bat and flew through the air.  It likely was a homerun although no one noticed once the glass broke.  Having gone through a rather large window in the barn, the ball abruptly ended the game.

What is it that you are most ashamed of?  Perhaps it is a secret sin, one that no one knows about and, hopefully, never will.  Of course, God knows.  Maybe you have acted in ways that you should not have, not shown mercy or forgiveness.  Or is it that you can't forgive yourself?

When Eric's father came home, he ran to him and confessed what he had done.  Of course, there were consequences.  Eric had to replace the windows himself with his dad's guidance.  But, his father still showed mercy and understood that an accident can happen, even one that could have been avoided by thinking through things before starting the game.

Whatever it is today that is on your heart, whatever may be keeping you from fully loving the Lord, bring it to Him.  Call out to Him with a heart of repentance, He will indeed show His mercy and take your shame away.  Will you trust and call upon the One who saves us?

Precious Heavenly Father, we so often carry our shame for far too long.  We know in our heads that your son Jesus nailed that shame to the cross, yet our hearts don't believe it. Help us to see that all we need to do is call out to you and you will indeed take away our shame and sorrow.  In the most beautiful name of Jesus, we pray.  Amen

Mercy

"Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake."
Psalm 31:16 (NKJV)

Thought for today: Many of you know the story of Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan and the grandson of King Saul.  He was crippled when rescued from certain death by his nurse after Jonathan and Saul were killed.  He went on to live in a desolate place named Lo Debar, literally the land of nothing.  In 2Samuel 9 we see King David honoring an oath to Jonathan and inviting Mephibosheth to sit at his table and live in his house.  Amazed, Mephibosheth asks "why would you notice a dead dog like me."  This, dear reader, is a great example of mercy being shown to someone and of shining one's light onto another.

Perhaps today you feel outside of God's mercy, that His face could not possibly shine upon you.  Maybe you have strayed away from Him, done some things of which you are not proud.  He may feel far away but there is no hole too deep for the love of God.  All you have to do is claim the unmerited favor that is ours through Christ Jesus.  Will you do that this day?

Heavenly Father, so often we feel far away from you yet you are always as close to us as our breath.  May we not dwell on the distance that we feel but instead feel your closeness.  May you save us from where we are and bring us back into a close relationship with you, the only true God.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray.