PSALM 26:1-3 – Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.”
The question identifying the theme of today’s nugget contains two answers. The first is in the negative. We are not motivated, empowered, and guided in our walks with the Lord by anything of ourselves. Nope. Not one step. Remember, we are sheep and sheep are timid, fearful, rebellious, impulsive, and need constant care and supervision. So, if anyone thinks for a second anything in them is what propels and sustains them in the Christian life, please stop and rethink your position because it lacks Biblical substance and evidence. The second answer to the question defining today’s nugget theme is found in the scripture of the day and that pointing to two things – God’s steadfast love and His faithfulness. These, and only these, are the motivators, empowerments, and compasses guiding our walks with the Lord. Let’s explore each with a little more depth.
First, God’s steadfast love motivates, empowers, and guides our walks with Him because it points us to the very reason for our existence. God so loved us that He gave us His Son, the Lord Jesus, to reconcile the ruptured relationship we had with Him due to sin. Remember, friends, salvation is not primarily about heaven and escaping wrath. Salvation is about being enabled to fulfill the reason for our creation and re-creation in Christ – to respond to God’s love by loving Him back. So, when we look at our walks with the Lord, always see it as it is–a walk of love motivated, empowered, and guided by His love. This is what defines the Christian life in all its Biblical simplicity.
The other truth in today’s scripture identifying what motivates, empowers and guides our walks with the Lord is God’s faithfulness. Aren’t we so glad that our Christian life is not measured by or lived out by our faithfulness to the Lord? Just look back over the past week, maybe even day, and see how many times we have “spiritually fallen on our faces” in our walks with Jesus. Yet, what happens each time we stumble? God’s faithfulness comes to our rescue! The faithfulness that says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).And know what actually happens to us as we experience more and more of His faithfulness? Ours to Him grows.
What a great God we have who in His steadfast love and faithfulness motivates, empowers, and guides our walks with Him. In doing so, He gets all the glory and we get to know, love, and adore Him! So, keep our eyes on His steadfast love and walk in His unfailing faithfulness and do so with joy and thanksgiving!
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for Your steadfast love and faithfulness that motivates and empowers my walk with You.”
QUOTE: “It is God’s love for us, not ours for Him and His faithfulness, that keeps on the Christian walk.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim