1 I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue
when the ungodly are around me.”
2 But as I stood there in silence—
not even speaking of good things—
the turmoil within me grew worse.
3 The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth
will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width
of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”
6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.
7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
8 Rescue me from my rebellion.
Most of us try to live
“godly” lives; we have every intention of not sinning. But it is hard-
God has given us free will- the choice to live our lives as we see fit- but we
are slaves to sin and inevitably sin wins out and we covet our neighbor’s house
or goods- use the Lord’s name in vain and worship other gods, for some the gods
are money, for some fame or pride, we don’t always honor our parents, family,
friends or people we meet on the street.
We build up our treasures on earth and
sometimes forget to build up our treasures in heaven. When we leave our earthly
existence, where will our treasures go? Everything we have is a gift from God,
when we give back what we have been given we build up our treasures in heaven-
where they will be when God calls us to him.
David was near the end of
his earthly existence when he wrote this psalm –he was trying to back pedal
from the things that he had done in his past. He tried to fight the temptations
around him but it was as hard for him as it is difficult for us. He
had the faith though to know that God would forgive him if he truly was sorry
for what he had done and he tried to counteract the bad with being a fair and
just servant of God.
It is a scary thought
that we may be too late with the remission of our sins. We shouldn’t wait
until the end to say we are sorry or to try to make up for what we have done
wrong. Saying your sorry means nothing if you continue to do
(or not do) the same thing over and over again.
We are given each day, to
wipe the slate clean, we should do it now- right now- pray for God’s
forgiveness and when we are done- try to go and sin no more. We are
fortunate in this time and place to have the opportunities to help others with
our time, talents and possessions. We can give to the poor, guide our
youth, serve our congregation, speak a kind word to a stranger- and build up
our treasures in heaven.
Dear Lord – You give us
each day to wipe the slate clean- You highlight these 40 days- as a time to
reflect on our lives and the sacrifice of Your son,
Jesus, for our sins. Please help us to live in a way that makes you
proud. Amen
Denise Clayton