Whose Report

Today I read:

Word Challenge

• Genesis 46:1-47:31
• Matthew 15:1-28
• Psalm 19:1-14
• Proverbs 4:14-19

Jesus really emphasizes how important it is to have a clean heart: 

Matthew 15:8, 18   'These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me......... the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these are the things that make you ritually unclean.

Personally I have a hard time guarding my heart, I mean I've been so used to having the wrong thoughts and routines that it's hard to change. Also in the sense that I give my heart away a little bit too freely, and part of the reason why I pledged to be single for the next few months is because I've given away my heart so freely in the past, I'm afraid I won't have anything left to give when it counts. So I'm taking time to build my heart back up. 

Two things I love here, we need to constantly look at our hearts and make sure that what we're doing isn't just an outward act of worship, but that your heart is drawing closer to God. Second, we really need to watch what we say because our words reflect the conditions of our hearts Third, we need to guard our hearts against all these evil things He goes on to list. For more emphasis against guarding yourself, God throws in:

Proverbs 4:15  Don't do it! Keep away from evil! Refuse it and go on your way. 

Today was a worship-full day and Psalms 19 is an extension of that.

Mizizi

A lot of time I find myself doubting the change that God has worked out in my life. I read from another blogger Sarah Mae that we all have some core lies that we believe about ourselves, and this point was emphasized for me,  in today's Mizizi reading. Some of mine are;

1. You're a nobody - John 1:12 - I am God's child
2. God can't like someone like me - John 15:15 - I am Christ's friend
3. But what about all those evil things you've done - Romans 8:1 - I am free from condemnation
4. You'll backslide in a few weeks - Romans 8:35 - I cannot be separated from the love of God
5. Bad things will still happen to you - Romans 8:28 - I am assured all things work together for good
6. You'll never make it - Philippians 1:6 - I am confident the good work Christ began in me will be perfected
7. Evil will destroy you - 1 John 5:18 - I am born of God and the evil one can't touch me
8. Why are you getting so 'fanatical' about serving God - 1 John 15:16 - I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit

Prayer For Today

Dear God, thank you for the great worship experience you gave me today. Thank you for my new identity in you. Help me to begin to live out that new identity as a new person in everything I do. Please help me rebuild and guard my heart so that the good work you began in me will be perfected. Please also let me always make sure you alone are the object of my worship, and that it's not just an outward show.