Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Judges 10 and Psalm 34

The One True God revealed in the Bible is not a comfortable, cuddly God.

Psalm 34:15-16 proclaims: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.” To be honest, we would prefer a “teddy bear” kind of God, who just loves and blesses us, no matter how we behave or relate to Him. But such a god is one we have invented and is, in fact, no god at all. The One True God clearly reveals Himself to be dead set against evil of every kind. Look no further than Psalm 34 and Judges 10 to see this illustrated. When we forsake the Lord and give ourselves over to wilful sin or to the worship of other gods – gods of our own making or our own desires – His hand of blessing is lifted from us and our folly comes back to haunt us in all kinds of unpleasant consequences.

The grace of Jesus shows us that the moment we truly repent, God stands ready to forgive and receive us back. He is not fooled by a false repentance that is only lipservice. But He is swift to forgive and to cleanse us when our repentance is genuine.  As Psalm 34:22 says, “No one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned.” Thanks be to God for His amazing grace.

Lord, please forgive me for the times I have turned away from You to serve my own desires and idols. I repent with all of my heart and turn to You for deliverance and salvation. Thank You for Your grace in Christ Jesus, Who has carried the weight of all my guilt to the Cross. I receive Your forgiveness and restoration with deep humility and gratitude. Amen.