Daily Devotionals for Women - Today's Encouraging Word from Scripture

RIDING THE FENCE

Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way. Psalm 119:128

David doesn't ride the fence. There is no neutrality. He loves truth. He hates every false way. He reminds me that I should show no ambivalence when it comes to good or evil either because there is no such thing as neutrality. It’s sin or it’s not sin. If Jesus wouldn’t do it, think it, or condone it, then it should be intolerable for me as well.

Is there something I find myself in the middle of today that seems sticky? Perhaps if I were dealing with a stranger, I’d take a stand but because it’s a friend or family member, the waters muddy. I know there are repercussions if I think differently from those who know me best. To give myself a way out, I begin to rationalize. “I shouldn’t make a big deal out of this. It’s not like this is the end of the world if I give in.” Those thoughts signal a red flag. The real issue is this ~ What would Jesus do if he were in my place?

What am I letting get by me today because I fear the consequences of speaking up? If I can answer that question, and if I believe that this particular sellout falls in a harmless category, I am not thinking like Jesus. To speak up every time I encounter sin is not the aim here. It is to be willing to – if God nudges. If there is a situation that causes me to shut my mouth up tight, then I fear man more than I fear God. Psalm 118:6 comes to mind for me to internalize. “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

You never ask your child to take a stand, suffer the consequences, without Your personal attention afterwards. Just as angels came to Jesus in the wilderness to strengthen His heart, You come to me when I am isolated. Amen