I Am Baptized
Baptism … now saves you, not as
a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. 3:21 ESV)
Make the sign of the cross as you say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
I Believe …
You shall have no other gods.
You shall not misuse the name of
the LORD
your God.
Remember the Sabbath Day by
keeping it holy.
Honor your father and mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false
testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your
neighbor’s house.
You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Bible Reading – Psalm
12
To the choirmaster: according to The
Sheminith.[a] A
Psalm of David.
12 Save,
O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children
of man.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they
speak.
3 May
the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
5 “Because the
poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the Lord;
“I will place him in the safety for which he
longs.”
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You,
O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us[b] from
this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.[1]
I am stuck on that word in verse 8 –
vileness. I looked it up in Hebrew. You can also translate the word
“worthlessness.” I am lamenting how we – the children of man, the sons of Adam,
the whole human race – exalt vileness. We make it important, revel in it,
entertain ourselves with it, and allow it to consume our time, thoughts and
energy.
Many thoughts swirl in my mind
related to worthless vileness. Today I am mostly thinking about social media
and the way they expose us to worthless thoughts, vile images, and, in general,
perpetuate deception. Obviously, I still use social media because I posted this
devotion on Facebook and Twitter, but I deleted these apps from my phone. I am
wrestling with the way they draw us – draw me – to the vile and worthless.
St. Paul writes, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil. 4:8 ESV) Truth. Honor. Justice. Pure. Lovely. Commendable. Excellence.
We have experienced God’s pure word. Indeed, we have met the Word-Made-Flesh in Jesus who has loved us, who is the truth, who honors his Father through his life, death, and resurrection, who is worthy of praise. The psalm says that God’s word is like silver purified seven times: seven the number of completion attached to a rigorous standard of purity and a metal of high value and beauty. That word reveals that there is much more to life than the worthless vileness that can so easily consume our hearts and minds.
There is comfort in knowing that the Lord acts to defend his people. That experience of his love, grace, mercy, justice, and salvation lifts us up and sets our minds on heavenly things. I long for the day when the flattering lips – the program of pandering pabulum – are cut off and we are filled the good, the lovely and the beautiful fill our thoughts. Having been saved by Jesus we are being drawn there to a place where all misery and sorrow, all injustice and wickedness, all vileness and worthlessness, come to an end in his glorious presence. So we pray with the psalmist that he will guard and keep us until that day … and that the day will come soon.
Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer
The
Sixth Petition: “And lead us not into temptation.”
Father in heaven, You tempt no
one. Please guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful
nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other
great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we
may finally overcome them and win the victory through Jesus, our Savior and
Lord. Amen.
Prayer
Pray
for those who are sick, injured, grieving, dying, lonely, bullied, and
experiencing injustice.
Benediction
Now to him who is able to keep
you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his
glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus
Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time
and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25 ESV)
[1] English
Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good
News Publishers.
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