The Lord took me to Psalm 24 this morning. This Psalm is full of richness for those who live a life for God. David tells us in verses three and four people who are "clean-handed, pure-hearted" (MSG) will spend eternity with the Lord. Matthew Henry describes this as, "We make nothing of religion, if we do not make heart-work of it. We can only be cleansed from our sins, and renewed unto holiness, by the blood of Christ and the washing of the Holy Ghost." I love the sound of 'heart-work' which is what I strive to do every day. This is doing what God desires of me. It is saying things I might never think of saying myself. It is doing things that don't make sense. God created all to be His followers. It takes a little longer for some to come into relationship with Him but we must never give up on people. We also must remember it is not up to us to save them. God uses us to plant seeds. He uses others to cultivate those seeds. He is the Only One to bring the seeds to harvest. Just as we get impatient when we plants flower or plant seeds we can impatient with people. But we must remember they will only grow in His time. They will only be pliable in His time. They will only accept Him into their heart in His time. We must ask God to open doors that need opened and close those that need closed in not only our lives but the lives of our loved ones. Matthew Henry states it this way. "Lord, open the everlasting door of our souls by thy grace, that we may now receive thee, and be wholly thine; and that, at length, we may be numbered with thy saints in glory."
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the way You open and close doors for me. Thank You for the blessing of living a life of doing heart-work. Father, may You cleanse me today so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You flow from my words, actions, and attitude today in a new way. I pray for many who need to walk in a relationship with You. I also pray for those who walk with You but on their own terms. May they realize the need for dying to self. Thank You Jesus for being My King of Glory! Amen.
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