Reflections
Psalm 25: 4-5, 8-9, 10, 14 (Read)
“Good and upright is the Lord, who shows sinners the way.”
We are blessed to have a God who does not
disregard us. On the contrary, He is a caring,
compassionate God, willing to humble Himself
to share in our humanity, so that we might share
in His divinity. Who else would have such regard
for sinners, for believers who disobey Him?
The Lord is talking to all of us here; we are all
sinners. Jesus was criticized for consorting
with sinners, but He replied that the sick (people
like us) are the ones who need a physician.
We are all able to benefit from the healing power
of Jesus.
Our psalmist says, “Make known to me your
ways, Lord; teach me your paths.” The prophet
Ezekiel, in our 1st reading, tells us that if we follow
the Lord's way, we will be able to turn away from
sin and avoid death (Ezekiel 18:31). The psalmist
prays to God, “Remember no more the sins of my
youth; remember me only in light of your love.”
And in the Gospel, Jesus tells us how a young man
became right with God after having disobeyed
Him (Matthew 21:31).
And where does the power come from to turn away
from sin? It comes from the Lord, “He shows sinners
the way.” It is He who encourages us when our tongues
confess, “The Lord guides the humble rightly,
and teaches the humble the way.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. As the Psalm says, our Lord shows us sinners the way; we pray that
He will teach us His paths. What leads you to follow the Lord's truth?
2. Our psalmist petitions God to remember not the psalmist's frailties or
the sins of his youth. How is the Lord's compassion shown in your life?
“We have a caring, and compassionate God.” We must! Who else could give up His Son, and watch Him be scourged and crucified for a whole bunch of sinners. Try as I might, I know, I couldn’t.
ReplyDelete“The power to turn away from sin comes from the Lord.” This is indeed a powerful thought. To think that we can turn away from temptation and sin by praying to the Lord gives us a lot of power, and the decision is up to us. The power of prayer, is powerful indeed. It’s a game changer! And, we decide!
Our God is good and upright, who shows sinners like us the way. By reading His Word and asking His direction in my life, He shows me the way. His words have power to turn me away from sinning even though I am weak, sinful, frail and rebellious against His will.
ReplyDeleteIf I cry out to Him asking for forgiveness, in His Mercy my sins are forgiven, and He takes me back into His arms over and over again. How compassionate and forgiving a God we have! He has shown me His Mercy and compassion in my life.
On my part I will try hard to be good and upright by listening, studying and obeying His Word. I know the Lord guides the humble and teaches the humble the way.
I am so grateful that one of the attributes of our Father God is His compassion. Every day, I am guilty of sin: covetousness, selfishness, greed, lust, gluttony, just to name a few. Each night before bed, I try to have an "examination of conscience" and ask for forgiveness -- even if most days my sins are the same, over and over. Abba Father's compassion showers upon me in my sleep and I wake to a new day. Refreshed. Renewed. I have another 24 hours to try not to sin and align my heart with His will for my life.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of Lamentations 3:22-23, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (NIV) In His perfect design, we can press the "reset" button every day and have confidence that God has forgotten the "sins of yesterday." We have another chance to call on the power of prayer and turn away from sin. Amen!