Let the Words of My Mouth - Psalm 19:14

Welcome to Verse of the Day!

Today's Bible Verse:

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (ESV)

Today's Inspiring Thought: Let the Words of My Mouth

The words we speak are reflections of our thoughts and meditations. But how do they become acceptable in God's sight?

Our thoughts and meditations become visually pleasing to the Lord when they move us to Christlike actions—so they are seen and not just heard. But what should those actions be, and is it even possible for sinful human beings to do anything pleasing to God?

Taken in context, this verse from Psalm 19 continues the theme that God's law is good, a reflection of the majestic Creator of all things. The Israelites' grateful response could only be humble sacrifice, honoring both God himself and his law.

But for us present-day Christians, the ultimate sacrifice has already been made: Jesus Christ on the cross. Christ's atoning death ended the need for any further sacrifices. He did everything needed to free humanity from its sins.

And doesn't Isaiah 64:6 say "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..."? Then how can we think or do anything that will be acceptable to God? The answer is that God loves obedience.

A Living Sacrifice

We obey God not to earn salvation; we are already saved. We obey God to show him we love him and are dependent on him. The person who obeys God offers their will as an acceptable sacrifice, and that is a Christlike offering.

Christians sacrifice time and money at church. We understand that God alone deserves our worship. To the best of our ability, we love our neighbor as our self. Under the New Covenant, we no longer need to sacrifice animals, but we must reverence the blood sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.

It is easy to take our redemption for granted and live as unbelievers do. Our society demands that we fit in and be politically correct. Honoring God with our words and deeds makes other people uncomfortable. It makes them conscious of their sins. It reminds them there is a real God, and he is not what they spend their lives chasing after.

Living a life acceptable to God brings on criticism and ridicule, and that is what makes it hard. Satan would have us keep quiet. He likes it better when we know what the right thing is and fail to do it. The wide way of the world is untroubled and crowded. The narrow way of Christ is tough and lonely.

How to Know the Mind of God

When we read and remember God's Word, we are equipped to think thoughts acceptable to him. If we are uninformed about what he desires, we cannot do it. Regular Bible reading is the only way to know the mind of God.

Today's study Bibles give us an advantage our grandparents did not have: expert explanations of what passages mean and how to apply them to our lives. Commentaries and Bible software give us tools to dig into holy Scripture as never before.

The only thing they do not supply is time. We must carve that out of our overcrowded schedule ourselves. Making time for God is indeed an act he finds pleasing. In the end, it comes down to ordering our priorities.

How much we think and speak about God is up to each one of us. We alone decide how that is reflected externally in our lives. Take a moment and ask yourself, are my thoughts and words acceptable, even visually pleasing, to the Lord?

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