January 17 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 31:19-24:

¹⁹Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
²⁰Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
²¹Blessed be the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvelous kindness in a strong city.
²²For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.
²³O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
²⁴Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD

Devotional

No doubt, the heart by many is considered to be the most important member of the human body. Day in, day out; year in, year out; over a period of sixty, seventy, eighty years or more it keeps on beating. What causes it to keep on beating? How marvelous it is in its function! Solomon says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

The heart in its spiritual sense is even more important than the physical heart. But the natural heart of man is wicked and corrupt. Christ tells us, "Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart," and they defile the man. "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." God knows our hearts. He searches all hearts. The Lord trieth the hearts.

But He does more: He renews our hearts. We read, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." He cleanses us from all our iniquities; He causes us to walk in his statutes, and we shall be his people, and He will be our God. He is the strength of our heart, and our portion for ever. Your heart shall live that seek God. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

Prayer

O God, Thou Searcher of hearts, look down upon us in mercy. We must confess before Thee that our hearts by nature are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know them? We pray, cleanse Thou our hearts from all pride and deceit and unrighteousness; make them humble, upright, and pure. Search us, O God, and know our heart; try us, and know our thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting. Let the words of our mouth, and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our Strength, and our Redeemer. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Prov. 4:23; Matt. 15:18, 19; Luke 16:15; 1 Chron. 28:9; Prov. 17:3; Ezek. 36:26, 33; Ezek. 36:27, 28; Ps. 72:26; 69:32; 51:17.

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