{"id":19561,"date":"2022-07-24T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-24T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotionsunday-24-july-2022"},"modified":"2022-07-24T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-24T05:00:00","slug":"urc-daily-devotion-sunday-24-july-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotion-sunday-24-july-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotion\u00a0Sunday 24 July 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Psalm 101<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I will sing of loyalty and of justice;<\/span>
To you, O Lord,<\/span>
To you I’ll sing.<\/span>
I will study the way that is blameless.<\/span>
When shall I learn<\/span>
So I attain it?<\/span><\/p>\n

I will walk with integrity of heart<\/span>
Within my house,<\/span>
Within my house;<\/span>
I will not set before my eyes a thing<\/span>
That is base,<\/span>
That is base.<\/span><\/p>\n

I hate the work of those who fall away;<\/span>
It shall not cling to me.<\/span>
Perverseness of heart shall be far from me;<\/span><\/p>\n

I will know nothing of evil.<\/span>
The slanderer:<\/span>
I will destroy.<\/span>
I will not tolerate a haughty look,<\/span>
Nor arrogant–<\/span>
arrogant hearts.<\/span><\/p>\n

I will look with favour on the faithful<\/span>
In the land,<\/span>
So they may live;<\/span>
Those who walk in the way that is blameless<\/span>
Shall minister,<\/span>
Shall attend me.<\/span><\/p>\n

None who practice deceit<\/span>
Shall remain in my house;<\/span>
None who utters lies<\/span>
Shall continue in my presence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Morning by morning I will destroy<\/span>
All the wicked in the land,<\/span>
Cutting off all evildoers<\/span>
From the city of the Lord.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 Jason Silver<\/span>
You can hear this here <\/span>
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=D_0DpwqaaL8<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Reflection<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By tradition, this is a Psalm in which we hear David setting out his intentions for his kingship, his aspirations for his term of office. They are, without doubt, very high. And of course when you know the whole story of David, it\u2019s easy to scoff at someone who could stoop so low, apparently reaching so high. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Things can only better\u2019 was the psalm song of May 1997. Other leaders have quoted from Saint Francis or Martin Luther King and we have all watched as words have faded into crumbled memories. There is a repeated pattern of soaring hope and then crushing disappointment. \u2018I will walk with integrity of heart\u2019. \u2018I will know nothing of evil.\u2019 \u2018None who practises deceit shall remain in my house\u2019. We all know, we have all learned, that such absolute commitments are hard to maintain in the murky shark pool of realpolitik. So, should we school our monarchs, ministers and magistrates in these words \u2013 as Martin Luther suggested? <\/span><\/p>\n

Most of us make promises a bit like these somewhere in our lives. Even a Brownie promise made in early childhood says, \u2018I promise that I will do my best\u2019. A church member promises to \u2018accept the gift and cost of following Christ\u2019, a minister promises \u2018to live a holy life, and to maintain the truth of the gospel, whatever trouble or persecution may arise.\u2019 Whoever you are, you will have made promises somewhere, to someone. And as we each look honestly at our own lives, comparing their daily reality with the grand and hopeful promises we have made, perhaps we might each be at least a little chastened and a little more merciful towards those whose broken promises are all too visible. <\/span><\/p>\n

But, might we also be inspired by the promises we had made and the hopes we cherish for our lives? Can we pick ourselves up from our inevitable lapses and mistakes and sign up to them again? There are those who think hypocrisy is the greatest sin, but perhaps worse is the cynicism that despairs of aspiration and commitment, that prevents us from hoping to do better. Faith is somehow rooted in promising and committing and taking a stand, even about your own life. So, let even fallen sinners aim high. <\/span><\/p>\n

Prayer<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

God of mercy and grace, <\/span>
teach me how to live,<\/span>
that I may be, <\/span>
if not blameless,<\/span>
then better. <\/span><\/p>\n

Remind me today,<\/span>
of the promises I have made,<\/span>
and give me courage <\/span>
to renew them in hope. <\/span><\/p>\n

Defeat in me, <\/span>
from your great love,<\/span>
the cynicism and despair<\/span>
that sometimes overwhelm me,<\/span>
and grow in me <\/span>
the hope you <\/span>always have
of my redemption.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amen. <\/span> <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Psalm 101 I will sing of loyalty and of justice;To you, O Lord,To you I’ll sing.I will study the way that is blameless.When shall I learnSo I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heartWithin my house,Within my house;I will not set before my eyes a thingThat is base,That is base. I hate the … <\/p>\n

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