Monday Devo
Scripture:
Psalm 36
For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord.
1 Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.[a]
They have no fear of God at all.
2 In their blind conceit,
they cannot see how wicked they really are.
3 Everything they say is crooked and deceitful.
They refuse to act wisely or do good.
4 They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots.
Their actions are never good.
They make no attempt to turn from evil.
5 Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
letting them drink from your river of delights.
9 For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see.
10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
give justice to those with honest hearts.
11 Don’t let the proud trample me
or the wicked push me around.
12 Look! Those who do evil have fallen!
They are thrown down, never to rise again.
For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord.
1 Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.[a]
They have no fear of God at all.
2 In their blind conceit,
they cannot see how wicked they really are.
3 Everything they say is crooked and deceitful.
They refuse to act wisely or do good.
4 They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots.
Their actions are never good.
They make no attempt to turn from evil.
5 Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
letting them drink from your river of delights.
9 For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see.
10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
give justice to those with honest hearts.
11 Don’t let the proud trample me
or the wicked push me around.
12 Look! Those who do evil have fallen!
They are thrown down, never to rise again.
Commentary:
36:1–4 The Wicked Act without Fear of God. This stanza describes the wicked person, who has no fear of God before his eyes and who pursues evil courses, as one who particularly schemes to bring trouble to others (esp. to the godly). “Wicked” here, as generally in the Psalms, does not describe faithful people who have moral flaws; it describes those given over to doing evil (even if they are nominally within the covenant people), as these verses make clear. Paul uses v. 1b in Rom. 3:18 as part of his charge that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 981.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 981.
Questions:
Most of us expect temptation to be loud and obvious. But David shows us that sin usually works in a much quieter way. It whispers. It convinces us that what we're doing isn't really that bad. It tells us we're doing better than most people, or that God surely understands our situation. That's exactly what Psalm 36 describes.
Sin flatters us. Instead of leading us to hate our sin, it convinces us to excuse it. Before long, we stop seeing our need for God's grace because we've become comfortable with ourselves. Instead of listening to God's truth, we start believing the stories we tell ourselves. "I'm a good person." "At least I'm not like them." "This isn't a big deal." Those lies slowly pull us farther from God.
The problem isn't just that we occasionally make bad choices. The Bible teaches that sin runs much deeper than our actions, it affects every part of who we are. That's why we don't just need better habits. We need a Savior. The good news is that Jesus came for people who know they need Him. The first step toward freedom is refusing to listen to sin's flattering voice and listening instead to the truth of God's Word.
Sin flatters us. Instead of leading us to hate our sin, it convinces us to excuse it. Before long, we stop seeing our need for God's grace because we've become comfortable with ourselves. Instead of listening to God's truth, we start believing the stories we tell ourselves. "I'm a good person." "At least I'm not like them." "This isn't a big deal." Those lies slowly pull us farther from God.
The problem isn't just that we occasionally make bad choices. The Bible teaches that sin runs much deeper than our actions, it affects every part of who we are. That's why we don't just need better habits. We need a Savior. The good news is that Jesus came for people who know they need Him. The first step toward freedom is refusing to listen to sin's flattering voice and listening instead to the truth of God's Word.
- What lie are you most tempted to believe about yourself or your sin? How has believing your better than you actually are affected your relationship with God?
- Why is admitting the depth of our sin essential to truly understanding and appreciating the gospel? How did Jesus perfectly model both God's holiness toward sin and His mercy toward sinners?
- Is there an area of sin you've been excusing instead of confessing? Who could you reach out to this week and share where you've been falling short?
Prayer Topics:
- Ask God to forgive you for believing the lies of sin instead of His truth.
- Thank Jesus for doing what you could never do; living a perfect life and paying for your sin on the cross.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize sin quickly and give you the courage to turn from it.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time, and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
No Comments