by Kimberly | Oct 4, 2015 | 31days
The longer you know a person – the more you know their character. You can normally predict how they are going to act in or respond to a situation before it even happens.
I’ve only known my husband less than five years. I suspect that when twenty years pass I will know him even better than I do now. Same with my children – how their little personalities are taking shape – how they will be even when they wake in the mornings.
David had walked with God for quite a while at this point in his life. David had known the Lord while David was a boy, a shepherd, a warrior, an animal-wrestler, a king, a husband, and all the while a sinner. In my thought, the greatest attribute or character trait of God that covers everything is his steadfast love. This is especially true for how He relates to sinners.
David calls on this early in this heart-penetrating psalm. He pleads for the Lord to act according to his steadfast, constant, unchanging, never fading love. The reason I think he does this is because he has truly experienced the steadfast love of the God. He has known that never-changing love of His Shepherd King.
Amazing how this works. And so telling to think of how much I’ve experienced this love and then how I often I fail to love others in the same way. Whether it is to friends who have hurt me or my sons who have disobeyed – how I’ve not shown an unconditional love in response.
The gospel has given me this love. This gospel will allow me to persevere when I fail in demonstrating this love. This gospel will keep me at the feet of Jesus – having my wear head covered in this unfailing love.
Psalm 51:1
More reading: Genesis 15; Songs 2.4
by Kimberly | Oct 3, 2015 | 31days, Bible
Parenting has taught me a lot about this idea of mercy. I think children need both discipline and mercy. Of course they need to learn obedience, but they also need to be shown mercy sometimes when they fail. They need to be shown mercy if for no other reason that to get a fuller picture of the God that created them. Mine need mercy so they won’t spend 4 hours in time out each day.
I am a daughter. I have a merciful heavenly Father. I am so thankful that he shows me great mercy every day. How often do I speed without getting a ticket? How often do I say something out of anger or spite to a family member only to be shown radical mercy and not what I deserve? How often do I sin and am not struck down dead like some in the Bible?
I think if we realized the holiness of God and the sinfulness of our hearts than we would always start every prayer with mercy pleas.
David knew a trusted communion with God and he know he had sinned greatly. That communion was broken. The only was David was going to be in a right relationship with God again was if that just God showered mercy down on him. So, he opens his heart wrenching psalm with this plea.
This mercy that God showed to David didn’t stop there. All of God’s mercy toward us was brought to completion on the cross. Christ took all of the wrath of God for us – in other words – he got no mercy from his just Father. He got penalty, he got death, he got the absence of His Father’s presence.
In Christ, let us also rejoice and plead for great mercy.
Psalm 51:1 ” Have mercy on me, O God.”
Other readings: Psalm 86:5; Psalm 145.9; Ephesians 2:4-5, Hebrews 4:16
by Kimberly | Oct 2, 2015 | 31days
If I’m honest, sometimes I tune out the constant chatter of my boys. Either I’m trying to concentrate on driving through the city of Atlanta with getting us injured, or trying to follow a recipe, or I can’t understand what they are saying anyway.
I’m so glad to know that God never tunes out our humble repentant, constant, loud (or whispered), silent prayers to Him. His ears are always open.
The other night while putting our three year old to bed I was reminded again of how God – the Almighty Creator – listens and attends our prayers. The little was still wired and it was already past his bedtime. He wasn’t wanting to read and get settled in for the night. I finally just put him in bed and said let’s pray. I took his little hand and started to pray aloud even in my rushed and impatient state. About three sentences into the prayer of help and patience and need, my soul was quieted and my son was more still.
I can imagine the psalmist David praying this psalm aloud – maybe on his knees, maybe saying it all out the window as Nathan stood with him, or maybe it was after Nathan had left that he laid on his bed and cried these words to the God he knew so well. I can also imagine him experiencing the quick answer and favor of the Lord – the restoration and joy that he so deeply desires later in the psalm.
God listens to a repentant heart. He is not one to continue to play spiteful games when his children have requests the pure joy of his presence again. He doesn’t hold us at arms length when we seek restoration.
And for me, as a daughter of the King, that is so reassuring that he bids me come and also it helps me see my sin when I don’t readily respond to my husband and children when they seek restoration.
I often still hold contempt or make them work for my community again. I need to remember the sweet mercy of God – how he attends my prayers. I need to love to see that in my own life and relationships.
Other reads: 1 John 5:14, Psalm 66.19-20, Hebrews 4.15-16
by Kimberly | Oct 1, 2015 | 31days
Its always a struggle for me to think of one topic that I want to write about for 31 days – that I also think will be a benefit to others. I mean, I could talk about how I love my mister and our two sons, I could tell you 31 things to do in ATL with children (you get the drift) – but those are very specific topics. I usually like to choose something that will be both edifying to me as I write each day and edifying to the reader.
The past two times I’ve read through Psalm 51 I’ve written down all the characteristics that the psalmist David says about God – the God who forgives him of his great and infamous sin with Bathsheba. Most people today think of that chapter in the Bible as a how-to for repentance or asking forgiveness. It is that. But, I don’t think it has that one idea as its main theme. I think its main theme is the God who does the forgiving.
So, I’ve read through and written down 31 characteristics that the Bible (God, the author) tells us about Himself in those 19 verses. I hope you will join along on my journey.
by Kimberly | Oct 24, 2014 | 31days, hymns
Since I’ve been doing old school hymns, thought I would switch it up today. One of the ways I care for my soul is by listening to Sojourn’s Songs from the Book of Luke CD (and really any of their music). This particular hymn is written by a friend of the Mister’s who is at a church in Nashville – always gospel stuff from him.
This first song on the aforementioned album is stellar. I love it and sing it at the top of my lungs (in the car) when I hear it.
Oh that we might live with the same understanding and practice of the authority of Christ in our lives:
And because of this song – I love the person of Simeon – wow – what privilege (just a side note)
by Kimberly | Oct 22, 2014 | 31days, hymns
This is bar far one of my husband’s favorite hymns. It tells a story of his conversion and his growing in Christ while in high school. I love hearing him tell how Christ saved him.
And one of the stanzas coincides nicely with a Pauline theme that was found in Philippians 3 this morning in our small group study of it at church. Always love how God gets your attention over and over again. He is ever gracious and patient with us (as I also was reminded of again in my reading in 2 Peter via She Reads Truth.)
He is good to remind us of our need and gift of the Gospel.
