Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

Why would David ask the omnipresent and omniscient God to know and test his heart? Why would he ask God to reveal any wicked ways in him?

As we are by nature, we would rather not let the light shine upon our innermost secrets. We would rather not have the true thoughts and intents of our hearts exposed – and especially so since “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). It is as Jesus said, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19).

As a believer in the LORD God, trusting in His promise to send the Messiah and Savior of the world who would “redeem Israel from all his iniquities” (Psalm 130:8), David desired that the God who searches men’s hearts and tests their minds (Jeremiah 17:10) would search and test his own heart and reveal any iniquity in him that he might repent of his wicked and sinful ways and look to the LORD for mercy in the Son and the atoning sacrifice He would make for the sins of all. And he desired that God would not only forgive him but also give him the help and strength to amend his ways that he might walk in the ways of the LORD.

And what about us? Are we willing to ask God to turn on the light, to search and test our hearts and reveal our true thoughts and desires? As sinful human beings, that can be a frightening thing. But, like David of old, we too trust in the LORD God to be merciful to us and forgive our sins for the sake of Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross for the sins of the world.

We seek God’s mercy and forgiveness for our sins. And, as believers in Christ, we seek to be like Christ (Romans 8:29; Philippians 3:8ff.; 1 John 3:2-3). Therefore, we desire that God would search us and reveal to us those areas and aspects of our lives where we are not like Christ that we might repent, receive mercy and then amend our lives to live for Christ Jesus, who died for our sins and rose again (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:15).

David prayed that the Spirit of the LORD God would reveal His sinfulness and lead Him “in the way everlasting.” And we, too, seek that the Spirit of the LORD – given to us in our baptism, who dwells in us and keeps us in the faith – would lead us in the way everlasting by moving us to acknowledge and confess our sins and wickedness and to receive the forgiveness and cleansing offered and given us for the sake of Jesus’ blood shed upon the cross for the sins of the world (cf. 1 John 1:7 – 2:2). We seek God’s pardon and cleansing, and we seek to amend our ways and be more and more like Jesus, our Savior!

Search my heart, O God. Examine my ways, my thoughts and my desires. Reveal to me all wickedness within me and lead me to repent of my sinful ways, trust in You for mercy in Christ Jesus and amend my ways that I might live for You and walk in Your ways. I ask this for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.” 1 John 5:1

Do you remember when Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matt. 16:13)? And when His disciples answered, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (v. 14), Jesus asked His disciples: “But who do you say that I am?” (v. 15).

What did Peter, speaking for all the disciples, answer? “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).

Do you see the difference? Most people recognize that Jesus was a great teacher and prophet because of His words and miracles, but only those to whom the Spirit reveals Jesus’ true nature and identity recognize Jesus for who He really was and is: “The Christ, the Son of the living God.”

As Jesus said to Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (v. 17), so it is a true blessing, of God’s gracious working, to recognize that Jesus is the promised Messiah (the Christ) and Savior of the world.

And what does John say of love? Those who love their Father in heaven who gave life to them by bringing them to faith in Christ Jesus will also love those begotten of their heavenly Father. They will love their brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus because they recognize that the same God who generated them and gave them faith and life also did so for their fellow believers.

And, such love for our fellow believers is evidence of our rebirth from above – of our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord. We love God when we come to know His love toward us in Jesus Christ and His innocent sufferings and death in our stead. We love our brothers and sisters in Christ because God loves them, too, and gives them salvation for the sake of Jesus.

Reveal to me Jesus as the promised Messiah, Your Son and my Savior, O God. Grant that I see and take hold of Your great love toward me in Jesus, and grant that I also love You in return and love my fellow believers, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

[Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3 (Read Matthew 24:1-51)

Jesus’ disciples asked a twofold question. The first dealt with the destruction of Jerusalem of which Jesus had just spoken. The second part with the sign of Jesus’ second coming and the end of the age.

Notice that Jesus said the wars, the famines, the diseases and the earthquakes were only the beginning of sorrows and “the end is not yet.” There would be false Christs and false prophets who would deceive many, but it still is not the end. Persecution would arise against followers of Jesus, and times of great tribulation would come. And all this was fulfilled already in the lifetimes of Jesus’ disciples. Jerusalem was besieged and destroyed, Christians were persecuted and killed for their faith in Christ Jesus.

But when will the end come? How can we know when it is near? Jesus said: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (v. 14). When the good news of God sending forth His Son as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world has been preached and proclaimed around the world as a witness to all peoples, then the end will come.

And the fact that all these things have occurred should tell us the end is near. No one knows the day or the hour, but the time is ripe. As Jesus said, “When you see all these things, know that it is near — at the doors!” (v. 33).

So, when will Jesus return and carry out His judgments upon all who have not turned from their sinful ways to Him for mercy and forgiveness? I don’t know. What I do know is that it could be anytime now — today, tomorrow, soon. Then “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (v. 29-31).

What is the point? Be ready! Don’t assume Jesus won’t come back today! Don’t live as though you have days and years to repent and come to faith in Christ Jesus as your Savior. Live as though He were coming any moment! Don’t let sin reign in your life; repent and look to Jesus for mercy and forgiveness now, before it is too late! And, trusting in Jesus, live each day and each moment of each day as though it is the one “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).

Dear Lord Jesus, grant that I hold fast to You and continually await Your glorious return that I not be caught unawares and unprepared at Your coming. Grant me sincere repentance and faith in Your blood shed upon the cross for the sins of the world that I may rejoice in that day and not weep and lament because I was found not ready. Grant this for the sake of Your death and resurrection. Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. Psalm 25:14

The knowledge of the LORD and understanding of His covenant of mercy toward us is revealed to those who honor and revere the LORD God for who He is.

Through His Word, the Spirit of God reveals to us our utter sinfulness and failures to keep His holy commandments but also reveals to us our Savior, the Son of God made man that He might keep the law for us and bear the curse and punishment for all our sins by His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross.

Jesus Christ, by His atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world, established a new covenant of mercy and forgiveness whereby all who trust in Christ are forgiven and accepted by God as His dear children. Under this new covenant, their sins are washed away in Jesus’ blood and God grants to them the everlasting joys of heaven.

Show us Your truth, O God and reveal to us Your covenant of mercy in Christ Jesus, our God and Savior. Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (Read John 15:1-6)

Can a man do good works in God’s sight without having saving faith in Jesus Christ? Many would say “Yes” to this question, but Jesus says “No.”

In the Parable of the Vine and the Branches, Jesus teaches us that only those who abide in Him — those who are connected to Him through saving faith — are able to produce fruit acceptable to the LORD God; and God the Father will cut off those branches which produce no fruit for Him. He also prunes and purges those branches which do produce fruit that they might bring forth more fruit for Him.

Those who through faith are joined to Jesus Christ have forgiveness for all their sins and evil works. They are clean through the Word of the Gospel spoken to them — all their sins are washed away by the precious blood of Jesus which was shed upon the cross for the sins of the whole world!

As long as they have true and saving faith in Christ and His redemptive work, they will be fruitful and do works which are acceptable and pleasing in God’s sight. This is so because Christ, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, abides in them and empowers them to live for Him, and because the sin and impurity yet in their works is forgiven and not held against them.

Apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ, one cannot do good works in God’s sight, for one remains spiritually dead to God and unable to truly love Him and honor Him with pure and holy works. He is like a branch which has been severed from the vine. It will not produce grapes but will wither up and eventually be thrown into the fire and be burned.

So also, the one who does not trust in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for forgiveness and life will not only be unable to do good works in God’s sight; he will be gathered up on the Last Day, together with all others who were unbelieving and fruitless, and be cast into the eternal fires of hell!

Abide with richest blessings among us, bounteous Lord; let us in grace and wisdom grow daily through Thy Word. Abide, O faithful Savior, among us with Thy love; grant steadfastness and help us to reach our home above. Amen. (TLH, Hymn #53, Verses 4,6)

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]