Mind Meld of A Different Kind

PSALM 25
A psalm of David.
O Lord, I give my life to you.

I trust in you, my God!

Do not let me be disgraced,

or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.

No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,

but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

Show me the right path, O Lord;

point out the road for me to follow.

Lead me by your truth and teach me, f

or you are the God who saves me.

All day long I put my hope in you.

Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,

which you have shown from long ages past.

Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.

Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, f

or you are merciful, O Lord.

The Lord is good and does what is right;

he shows the proper path to those who go astray.

He leads the humble in doing right,

teaching them his way.

The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness

all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

For the honor of your name, O Lord,

forgive my many, many sins.

Who are those who fear the Lord?

He will show them the path they should choose.

They will live in prosperity,

and their children will inherit the land.

The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.

He teaches them his covenant.

My eyes are always on the Lord,

for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

The eyes have it
Fixing my focus on God presents a constant challenge. It’s much easier to focus on my own ability to assess a situation, wrestle with the options, and create solutions. These are not bad. In fact, I think God expects me to use the critical thinking capacity he gave me. Still, these aught not be my focus as I move through daily decisions.

Immersing myself in understanding the ways of God – character, mind, and heart; this must be the context surrounding and underlying my decision making processes. Knowing him means being led by him to those who humbly submit themselves to him. Knowing him means that his truth defines the path I take daily.

This is why I must spend more time focusing, not on the issues that demand decisions, but on God himself. I need him to teach me all his ways. I need this more than I need some practical direction in any given decision I face. In fact, as my life grows more reflective of him character, mind, and heart, I will need to ask less of specific and practical direction!

It’s all in my eyes! I must focus them less of the decisions staring at me and more on the one who would lead me. I must know him inside and out. Then I will know the paths I should take in the broad sweep of my life and the narrow choices I face each day.

Oh Lord, I give my life to you! I will focus on you through my summer of transition and change. I will seek to know your character, mind, and heart so well, that your leadership comes naturally, indeed instinctively, to me. - Mike Leamon

Colored lenses
I was golfing the other day with some friends and as is par for my game, my ball was in the rough. If you golf much, you have experienced the frustration of trying to find your ball in 3-4” rough. You saw your ball land in what seemed like an open area, but when arriving where you thought your ball was, there is nothing to be seen. The ball is hidden in the tall grass.

The time I am referring to, one of my partners had some glasses that helped the ball to stand out from the grass around it. The glasses were tinted making the white ball stand out from the green grass. With his help I was able to locate my ball and continue on without a penalty.

David desired that God would see him through tinted glasses. I need God to look at me through the lenses of Christ’s death. With David, I plead that God would remember me as righteous, forgiven, and holy in the light of his love. It is not that I attain these things on my own, it is only through Christ I am these things to God.

God remember me in the light of your love and Christ’s death. Without the covering of Christ in my life I am revolting to you. Thank you for loving me and making me into something beautiful in your sight. - Dan Jones