“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.” Exodus 20:3-5a
One of the ways people practice idolatry is to make God in their own image and likeness. We do this when we imagine that God thinks as we do, that our thoughts and ways are God’s thoughts and ways. But God clearly says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways” (Isa. 55:8). Rather than assuming God thinks as we do, God would have us conform our thoughts and ways to His, as revealed to us in the Scriptures, and repent of our sins and iniquities and place our faith in Christ Jesus and His cross.
Your ways and Your thoughts are true and right, O God. My thoughts and ways are not. Forgive my sins in the shed blood of Christ Jesus and cleanse my ways. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
“Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:8
This refrain, found repeatedly in Psalm 107, urges us to thank and praise the LORD God for His undeserved goodness toward us when we look to Him for mercy. Even though we often turn aside from following Him and we fail to trust Him, when we confess our sins and turn to Him for pardon and forgiveness in Christ Jesus, He forgives our sins and promises us everlasting life.
Forgive us, O LORD, for our disobedience and sin and restore us as Your people for the sake of the atoning sacrifice of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night, on an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound.” Psalm 92:1-3
It is indeed good to continually thank and praise the LORD our God — with our voices and with musical instruments — for His mercy and for His faithfulness toward us in Christ Jesus, our Savior.
“We praise Thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator, in grateful devotion our tribute we bring; we lay it before Thee, we kneel and adore Thee; we bless Thy holy name, glad praises we sing.” ( Tr. Julia B. Cory, 1902)
“Jesus said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” Matthew 22:37-40
When Jesus was asked what the great commandment in God’s law was, He said it was to love God with all one’s heart, soul, and mind and then to love one’s neighbor as himself. Indeed, “love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10). If we love God with all our being, we will gladly and willingly obey His commandments from the heart — putting nothing before Him, honoring His name, and hearing His Word. If we love our neighbor as ourselves, we will not disobey parents and authorities, hurt or kill, commit adultery or fornication, steal, dishonor or slander, or even covet what belongs to our neighbor. Our failure to obey God’s holy commandments reveals our lack of love for God and our neighbor.
Forgive me, O God, for failing to love you and my neighbor and keep Your holy commandments. Pardon my sins for the sake of Jesus Christ’s holy life and His innocent sufferings and death in my stead. Amen.
”He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8
Rather than simply offering prescribed sacrifices for sin (Micah 6:6-7), the LORD God desires genuine repentance and the fruits of repentance – doing what is just and good, showing love and mercy to others, and walking humbly with God by continually acknowledging and confessing our sins and looking to Him for mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD, and pardon my sin. Grant to me also the willingness and desire to amend my life and walk in Your ways, doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with You in accord with Your Word. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
