Daily Devotionals
Monday, February 12, 2024 (Mary Ann)
Fill ‘er Up!
The photo is not of an unfortunate incident at Carol’s (my fave), or at any other restaurant, for that matter. It’s to represent King David praising God in Psalm 23, saying, “My cup overflows with blessings.” Or, for some of us, the more familiar, “My cup runneth over.”
Certainly, David was greatly blessed by the God he served. As a shepherd boy, he demonstrated his heroics early-on when he … um … killeth that big, bad giant Goliath. Later, he became best friends with Jonathan, son of Israel’s King Saul. He even married the King’s daughter. And, he became a loved and storied military leader who was God’s choice to be Israel’s next king.
So yes, definitely blessed. But then the rest of the story: His father-in-law Saul hated him and tried every which way to kill him. Even his own son wanted David dead. Moreover, he had an extramarital affair with Bathsheba, had her husband killed and lied about it all. To say the very least, David was an inconsistent follower of God.
His (very) partial list:
• Adulterer.
• Murderer.
• Liar.
I have a list, too. We all do, don’t we?
David’s psalms crying out to God for forgiveness demonstrate that he faced and confessed his sins. Psalm 51:1-4 reads, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.” And later, in Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.”
Sisters, we are in the same position as David when he wrote in Psalm 23, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.” Think of it – GOD PURSUES US! And with his unfailing love, grace and forgiveness, our cups can overflow with blessings even though we can’t earn them. And here’s even more to think about: In spite of David’s sins, he was known – by God! – as a man after God’s own heart!
So with clean hearts and gratitude for our forgiveness, we can ask our loving heavenly Father to fill up those blessing cups of ours and let them spill all over the place with fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And we can become women after God’s own heart.
Mary Ann
The photo is not of an unfortunate incident at Carol’s (my fave), or at any other restaurant, for that matter. It’s to represent King David praising God in Psalm 23, saying, “My cup overflows with blessings.” Or, for some of us, the more familiar, “My cup runneth over.”
Certainly, David was greatly blessed by the God he served. As a shepherd boy, he demonstrated his heroics early-on when he … um … killeth that big, bad giant Goliath. Later, he became best friends with Jonathan, son of Israel’s King Saul. He even married the King’s daughter. And, he became a loved and storied military leader who was God’s choice to be Israel’s next king.
So yes, definitely blessed. But then the rest of the story: His father-in-law Saul hated him and tried every which way to kill him. Even his own son wanted David dead. Moreover, he had an extramarital affair with Bathsheba, had her husband killed and lied about it all. To say the very least, David was an inconsistent follower of God.
His (very) partial list:
• Adulterer.
• Murderer.
• Liar.
I have a list, too. We all do, don’t we?
David’s psalms crying out to God for forgiveness demonstrate that he faced and confessed his sins. Psalm 51:1-4 reads, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.” And later, in Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.”
Sisters, we are in the same position as David when he wrote in Psalm 23, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.” Think of it – GOD PURSUES US! And with his unfailing love, grace and forgiveness, our cups can overflow with blessings even though we can’t earn them. And here’s even more to think about: In spite of David’s sins, he was known – by God! – as a man after God’s own heart!
So with clean hearts and gratitude for our forgiveness, we can ask our loving heavenly Father to fill up those blessing cups of ours and let them spill all over the place with fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And we can become women after God’s own heart.
Mary Ann
