[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR THURSDAY JUNE 23

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR THURSDAY JUNE 23

WORD OF WISDOM

I'm just wondering, when you buy a replacement tire, do you pay
with......spare change??

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DAILY DEVOTION

"Don't Blame My Hands"


Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back
thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me:
then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great
transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be
acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:12-14

For a number of years, the clock in the Park Street Church in Elmira, New
York, continually ran fast. Despite all the efforts to fix it, it continued
to be unreliable. Finally a sign was placed above the clock which read,
"Don't blame my hands; the trouble lies deeper." Whenever there are failings
in our behavior and conduct as Christians, the problem is not so much the
things we are doing outwardly as it is the things we have allowed within.
Until our thoughts and our hearts are cleansed, nothing we do on the outside
will produce a lasting change in behavior.
There are lots of people in our world today trying to substitute cleaning up
the outside for a genuine change in the heart. This isn't new. It is
something that Jesus identified in those who were only concerned with what
others could see. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye
are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but
are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness" (Matthew
23:27).
What we do-how we act, how we speak, how we treat others-matters. It matters
a lot. But it is a byproduct of what is on the inside. When we allow
temptation to linger, when we permit our thoughts to dwell on sinful things,
we may still look fine to those around us. But eventually those inward
things will impact our actions. Before we ask God to change our behavior, we
should be seeking Him in repentance, asking Him to change what no else sees.
That change will fix the problem in a way nothing else can.
The problem of sin does not start on the outside, but rather within our own
hearts and minds.

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DAILY BIBLE READING

Psalm 96-100 New King James Version
A Song of Praise to God Coming in Judgment
96 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the [a]nations,
His wonders among all peoples.

4 For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

7 Give[b] to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
8 [c]Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
9 Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.

10 Say among the [d]nations, "The Lord reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be [e]moved;
He shall judge the peoples righteously."

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and [f]all its fullness;
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice
13     before the Lord.
For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth.

A Song of Praise to the Sovereign Lord
97 The Lord reigns;
Let the earth rejoice;
Let the multitude of [g]isles be glad!

2 Clouds and darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
3 A fire goes before Him,
And burns up His enemies round about.
4 His lightnings light the world;
The earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples see His glory.

7 Let all be put to shame who serve carved images,
Who boast of idols.
Worship Him, all you gods.
8 Zion hears and is glad,
And the daughters of Judah rejoice
Because of Your judgments, O Lord.
9 For You, Lord, are most high above all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods.

10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
And gladness for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,
And give thanks [h]at the remembrance of [i]His holy name.

A Song of Praise to the Lord for His Salvation and Judgment
A Psalm.
98 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
2 The Lord has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the [j]nations.
3 He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
5 Sing to the Lord with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
6 With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.

7 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together
9     before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with [k]equity.

Praise to the Lord for His Holiness
99 The Lord reigns;
Let the peoples tremble!
He dwells between the cherubim;
Let the earth be [l]moved!
2 The Lord is great in Zion,
And He is high above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name-
[m]He is holy.

4 The King's strength also loves justice;
You have established equity;
You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God,
And worship at His footstool-
He is holy.

6 Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
And Samuel was among those who called upon His name;
They called upon the Lord, and He answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar;
They kept His testimonies and the [n]ordinance He gave them.

8 You answered them, O Lord our God;
You were to them God-Who-Forgives,
Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
And worship at His holy hill;
For the Lord our God is holy.

A Song of Praise for the Lord's Faithfulness to His People
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
100 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, [o]all you lands!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and [p]not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Footnotes
Psalm 96:3 Gentiles
Psalm 96:7 Ascribe
Psalm 96:8 Ascribe
Psalm 96:10 Gentiles
Psalm 96:10 shaken
Psalm 96:11 all that is in it
Psalm 97:1 Or coastlands
Psalm 97:12 Or for the memory
Psalm 97:12 Or His holiness
Psalm 98:2 Gentiles
Psalm 98:9 uprightness
Psalm 99:1 shaken
Psalm 99:3 Or It
Psalm 99:7 statute
Psalm 100:1 Lit. all the earth
Psalm 100:3 So with Kt., LXX, Vg.; Qr., many Heb. mss., Tg. we are His