Mark's Blog

Reading:  Psalm 25:3-8

Show me your ways, O LORD,
and teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.

Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love,
for they are from everlasting.

Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions;
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O LORD.

Gracious and upright is the LORD;
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.

He guides the humble in doing right
and teaches his way to the lowly

In some mildly unfathomable way, we are always a part of The Coming.  Teach me your path, lead me, guide me, don’t all of these pleas on our part suggest to you that the Way or the Path is one that we too have the opportunity to walk?

But apparently we are not forcibly restricted to the same path as The Coming. We apparently can choose our own path. We don’t have to follow the Leader; we can be the leader. We can guide ourselves—if that is what we want.

I did not have a debauched youth! Quite the contrary, my parents and many others taught me the Way of the Lord early in life. But I did struggle with thinking that I was in control and should even try to choose my own path and be my own guide.

I think about all of those hard decisions of youth: purity, college, career, relationships, marriage, children, church.  all of these momentous choices come at a time in life when we think we are invincible, finally independent, when we are fully educated, when we are wise beyond our years—or so we think.

Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions!

I know there are special temptations that come with advanced years as well, but in our youth, perhaps our biggest sin is believing the lie that I am the one who is Coming! Coming of age—as if that gives me all I need to choose my own path and be my own guide.

Fortunately, He teaches sinners, He guides the humble, He shows compassion and love—and He doesn’t remember the sins of my youth!

You are the Way! You are the Truth! You are the Life!

Come, Lord Jesus!