“I don’t do like others. I obey your teachings and am not cruel. I have followed you, without ever stumbling.” (Psalm 17:4-5 Contemporary English Version)
David’s words in our opening verses should be your words. If this was a Monday morning, that is all I would say. But it’s Thursday, so let me continue. Smile!
The bag where I kept my tools was stored in the garage for many years. Inside that bag were three retractable tape measures. If I wanted to measure something, when I wanted to get it right, I would go down seven stairs of our split level home and dig through my bag of tools and find the best tape measure for what I had to measure. When I used the tape measure to determine what size rug would best fit an area or to determine if a piece of furniture would actually fit in the space where I thought it would look incredibly nice or when I hung three pictures on the wall and I wanted them all at the same height, I got it right. On the other hand when I eyeballed the distances or even walked it off, approximating length and width of a space by the number of steps I took, I did not get it right. That happened because I did not adhere to the teaching of my elementary shop teacher who said, “When you want to get it right, use a measuring tool.”
That same advice addresses the development of our beliefs, as well as our desire to make sure our deeds match up perfectly with God’s expectation for us to live a sanctified life. For us, our measuring tool, is God’s word. When we use it to measure our development or to determine if our deeds are pure in God’s sight, we can get it right. When we get lazy or even when we get over confident in our ability to do anything without our Divine measuring tool, we often error as seen in our ways, our wise choices, and wavering as effective witnesses for the Lord.
Oh it may take some work, similar to when I had to exert some time and energy to go to my garage and get my measuring tool. Yes, it may take some work, time and energy, to get in God’s word, deferring to our measuring tool, a tool which is always accurate. But guess what happens. You got it! Yes, exactly right! You will get it right! My friend, don’t speculate, rather investigate what God’s word has to say. Don’t presume something is right, rather prefer to get it right according to God’s transforming word. When you want to get it right my friend, let the Lord lead you in an exact way, through His word. FYI: Our Savior, in His prayer for His disciples, prayed, interceding for us, praying that we would get it right and become sanctified. Yes, Jesus prayed for you! See His words in the closing verse! See how He pointed you to the right measuring tool! Remember that today! No guessing! No speculating! No walking it through in your mind, but walk through the word of God. Have a wonderful Thursday! Be blessed!
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17 MEV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King