Good morning people who keep the reputation of the Lord God in your mind.

Psalms 25:11 NIV For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

I need the Lord’s help to write this today. I don’t want it to be confusing, but rather, I pray that it will be positive fuel in your walk forward with the Lord.

David didn’t ask the Lord to forgive his sins so that he could feel better. Sometimes, I am guilty of these kinds of prayers; self-focused prayers, not God-focused prayers. Sometimes, my requests are more about me escaping discomfort than they are about God being glorified and seen.

But David is speaking a truth that is very powerful and it is very right. Our lives are signposts that point people to God. As followers of Jesus Christ, our lives testify about who God is and about what God can do. This is an awesome privilege and responsibility!

Like me, I’m sure that you want to accurately represent God. But also, like me, you know that we miss the mark many times, and every time we do, it can seem like another pebble is thrown into the lake, causing the reflective image of God to be distorted. This is not what we want.

I believe this is how David felt, and the reason I say this is because of what He said in this insightful verse. David made his request for God’s forgiveness to be more about the reputation and honour of God’s name than about himself feeling better.

So, whether we are flying high or stumbling forward, may our heart’s motivation and desire be to bring God glory. And when we need to repent, may our focus be on the name of the Lord, and not just on ourselves.

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike other ‘religions’, where you need to earn your way into God’s good books and hopefully be good enough after enough time groveling, when we repent and receive God’s forgiveness, it further demonstrates the loving nature of God to the world! Our repentance shows God’s kindness!

May God be seen in us all.