Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.

When we consider why David was pleasing to God, despite his mistakes, the thing that stands out is his teachable spirit. He proclaimed his dependence on God and his desire to know how to be fully obedient to Him. He was certainly capable of ignoring God, as in the horrible incident with Bathsheba, essentially murdering her husband, but even then, when confronted by Nathan, he genuinely repented. I remain convinced that the biggest barrier to salvation is pride. David was an enormously capable, gifted individual, but he knew he was dependent on God and sought to live in obedience to Him. He was obviously a lousy father, seeing how his children turned out, but he still set an example that has echoed in the thousands of years since. We too need to genuinely ask God to teach and guide us, and commit ourselves to full obedience to what He shows us.

I can never get away from this issue, and have struggled with it all my life. That shouldn’t be surprising, since it was pride that made Adam and Eve think they knew better than to be fully obedient to God. However, that’s never an excuse. I need to walk consistently in humility and gratitude, not being resentful of anything but submitting everything to God, in full assurance of His love, grace, and holiness. I am to remember that my righteousness is worthless, (Isaiah 64:6) but God’s grace is sufficient for me. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I have discovered the deep joy of Him working, speaking, through me, and I desire that more and more. However, I don’t always act like it, lapsing into pity parties and the like. How foolish! I have been blessed beyond measure, and the only way to maintain those blessings is to walk in full awareness of where they came from, in grateful obedience.

Father, this is a brief Word, but it is absolutely fundamental. Help me live it out. We have a full day ahead of us today. Everyone has issues of one sort or another. May I extend to each individual the grace that You have poured out on me, so that they may be healed and strengthened and drawn closer to You, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!