Daily Devotion-August 8, 2023

Daily Devotion-August 8, 2023

Psalm 139:23-24

Investigate me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my troubled thoughts. See if there is any way in me that causes pain, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Dear Heavenly Father,

When I honestly assess my heart and consider my thoughts, often they are loveless towards You and others. Then as those desires start to surface, I tend to say and do some pretty insensitive things.  Sin is whenever I think, do, or say anything loveless. So if I were to have You investigate me and know my heart, You would see all the piles of sin which would be there.

However, for this reason, You sent Your Son to remove all my sins; Jesus came to this earth to live perfectly in our place. Then he went to the cross to suffer and die for every one of my sins; not one sin remains. The blood of Jesus purified my heart, and I know that in my baptism, You have forgiven every sin.

You also sent the Holy Spirit to create a clean heart in me, which is mine by faith in Your Son. All these troubled thoughts of shame and guilt for what I have done to others Jesus has also removed. So with a new heart in me, I know I have forgiveness; this You made possible for Your Son’s sake, which leads to my eternal life. I thank You, Lord, that none of my salvation depends on me, but You have delivered eternal life through faith.

Please allow me to share the blessing of forgiveness and the restoration of my soul with those who still suffer from their sins. Please give me the words to share so they will know, trust, and believe in the forgiveness Jesus won for them upon the cross. So that they, too, will have eternal life. Amen.

Written through Pastor Roger Emmons

Faith begins with the Holy Spirit; he shows us our sins, and we see the need for our Savior. Faith is when we stop rejecting his love and mercy; instead, we know that Jesus has removed all our sins; we trust in him through faith. He gives us a new heart, salvation, and eternal life.