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SUMMARY: In our culture, we call them two-faced. They say one thing to you then another behind your back. The Bible puts it much more strongly, labelling them hypocrites. And though our culture pretty much excuses their behavior and accepts their ways, there is One who doesn’t! God’s righteous gaze penetrates the syrupy surface of their lives with utter moral clarity and labels the wickedness of their hypocritical hearts, calling them what they truly are: Workers of iniquity. God Speaks—I Obey // Psalm 28:3 “Do not take me away with the wicked, and with workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts.”
There’s a category of people whose behavior, by and large, we excuse, but God doesn’t. He doesn’t find them acceptable. He finds the unseen attitude of their hearts deplorable. They are the kind of people who will say one thing to your face but say another thing behind your back. And even worse to God than what they say about you is what they think about you in their hearts. The psalmist says they speak peace when they’re in a face-to-face conversation with you, but even before you turn away from them, their minds are flooded with ill will toward you. In our culture, we call them two-faced. The Bible calls them hypocrites. And though our culture pretty much excuses their behavior and accepts their ways, there is One who doesn’t! God’s righteous gaze penetrates the syrupy surface of their lives with utter moral clarity and labels the wickedness of their hypocritical hearts, calling them what they truly are: Workers of iniquity.Now I realize that at this point in your reading you might be thinking this is anything but an encouraging little devotional thought for the day. And truthfully, it’s not. Rather, this is an exhortation. And the exhortation I have for you is twofold: One, it is most likely that you will rub shoulders today with the kind of people David describes in this psalm. Be careful of them. Discern their hypocritical hearts and don’t be tainted by their iniquitous ways. If you allow them into your inner circle, they will ensnare you. So be careful and steer clear of any entanglement with them. And two, don’t be one of them. It is so easy to fall into this kind of two-faced living. Ask God to keep you from hypocrisy. Don’t fall into the trap of saying one thing about another human being but thinking another in your heart. Ask God for integrity of word and thought, of heart and mind. The psalmist prayed, “Keep me from two-faced people, and keep me from being one of them.” You and I need to pray that prayer, too! Dr. Ray Noah That’s what David prayed: Keep me from them … and keep me from being one of them. I hope you will pray that too! Choose You This Day: A good prayer to pray in light of this scripture is the one David prayed in Psalm 139: 23-24. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” “Next to hypocrisy in religion, there is nothing worse than hypocrisy in friendship.” Joseph Hall 
SUMMARY: What is it that is making you cry today? A heart broken by a fractured relationship? A dashed hope or the death of a dream? A failed family? A personal sin? The consequences of a past mistake that continues to haunt you? What is it that is making you feel such deep sadness? Entrust those tears to God. And let the very next tear that fills your eyes and spills down your cheek be a reminder that your tears never really just dry up and fade into a painful memory; they go right into the bottle of that One who truly knows, cares, remembers, and acts! God Speaks—I Obey // Psalm 56:8 You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
Tears are a mysterious part of what it means to be human. Strangely, people have the capacity to cry—to expel water from their eyes when they are sad. Crying seems to serve no real purpose—although science can explain the physiological “why” and mental health experts can explain the psychological “why”. That still leaves the question of “why” tears—why were we created with that capacity? Perhaps this psalm provides a clue. Maybe they are to remind us that God cares about the things that make us sad enough to shed tears. So much does he bear our sorrow that he collects our tears in a bottle, as the New Living Translation says, or as other versions put it, “he records them in his ledger.” In other words, God takes note—implying that he is not only aware of our sadness, but he will not forget it. What is it that is making you cry today? A heart broken by a fractured relationship? A dashed hope or the death of a dream? A failed family? A personal sin? The consequences of a past mistake that continues to haunt you? What is it that you feel such deep sadness over? “While others will move on long before your pain is healed, there is One who sees, who cares, who never forgets, and who will never move on—your Heavenly Father, who simply asks you to take comfort in His compassion for you! Dr. Ray Noah It is likely that no one truly knows the depth of what you are feeling right now. Maybe no one will ever see those tears that have rolled down your cheek—and the intense hurt that caused them. But God knows. As the Yiddish proverb says, “A child’s tear rends the heavens.” The psalmist reminds us, The Lord is like a father to his children,
Tender and compassionate to those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13) And that compassionate, loving Heavenly Father likewise asks you to place your trust in him. In fact, so strongly does he desire your trust that he extends the invitation twice in Psalm 56 just to make sure you really know his heart for you: In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:4,10-11) I hope you will do that. Entrust those tears to God. And let the very next tear that fills your eyes and spills down your cheek be a reminder that your tears never really just dry up and fade into a painful memory; they go right into the bottle of that One who truly cares! Choose You This Day: Whatever is breaking your heart today, whatever is causing anguish in your soul, whatever is making you cry, take your upset and put it through the filter of Psalm 56. And above all, practice remembering that while others may not understand the depth of your broken-heartedness, God does. And he is able to comfort you in the midst of your inner turmoil. “Jesus lost all his glory so that we could be clothed in it. He was shut out so we could get access. He was bound, nailed, so that we could be free. He was cast out so we could approach. And Jesus took away the only kind of suffering that can really destroy you: that is being cast away from God. He took that so that now all suffering that comes into your life will only make you great. A lump of coal under pressure becomes a diamond. And the suffering of a person in Christ only turns you into somebody gorgeous.” Tim Keller 
SUMMARY: What if you lived every day with the end in view? What if you fast-forwarded the film of your life to the end, to that day when another will speak at a memorial service to eulogize your days on earth? What if you envision when you stand before God to give an account for the entire life he loaned you for the 70, 80, or 90 years of your earthly pilgrimage? Whatever you want said of you at the end of your life, whether by another person or, more importantly, by God, means that you must rewind the tape to the present and begin to live now with the end in view. My friend, you would be among the wisest to live with the end in view! God Speaks—I Obey // Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.
The end. I hate to break this to you, but the end is coming faster than you think! As the famous tombstone reads, “This is what I expected, just not so soon!” Given that reality, what if you lived every day from here on out with the end in view? What if you fast-forwarded the film of your life to the end, to that day when another will speak at a memorial service to eulogize your days on earth? What if you envision that time when you stand before the Righteous Judge to give an account for the entirety of the life he loaned you for the 70, 80, or 90 years of your earthly pilgrimage? Whatever it is you want said of you at the end of your life, whether by man or, more importantly, by God, will require you to rewind the final tape of your life to the present, then begin to live that way now. In other words, you must begin to live today with the end in view. So, here’s a critical question for you: What do you hope will be said of you in the end? Your life will end! Then you will be eulogized by others. So, be careful of the material you leave them that will tell your life’s story! Dr. Ray Noah The end is nothing more than a compilation of the motives, thoughts, attitudes, habits, words, and actions that have issued from your head, heart, and hands, moment by moment, throughout all the days of your life. They add up. They count. They form a pattern. They create the narrative that is your life. They tell your story. They are your destiny. Be careful, then, with the material you give them, because in the end, everything will come out! Yes, there is a way that SEEMS RIGHT to a man, but in the end, it produces only death. On the other hand, there is a way that IS RIGHT — right in the sight of God — that in the end, leads to life. We are all headed for the end, that’s for sure, so let’s make sure the reputation that gets there ahead of us will be celebrated by both God and man. As Ecclesiastes 7:8 says, “Endings are better than beginnings. Sticking to it is better than standing out.” The end! Choose You This Day: If you knew that you had one week to live, what would be the first five things you would put on your “To Do” list? Why not go ahead and do them? “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” Stephen Covey 
SUMMARY: As we passionately pursue God’s purposes, God has passionately committed himself to fulfilling his purposes in us. No matter what things may look like — horrible circumstances and hateful people notwithstanding — God will never abandon the work that he has lovingly and painstakingly invested in us, and he will ultimately bring that work to perfect completion. No way—you can’t stop God from doing what God does! God Speaks—I Obey // Focus: Psalm 138:8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands.
“God will perfect everything that concerns you.” (Psalm 138:8, NKJV) I have heard my wife use King David’s phrase many times in her public prayers. I like that thought, don’t you? Nothing will stop God from fulfilling his purpose for my life—nothing! That was the essence of David’s thinking in this psalm. Nothing could get in the way of what God had in mind, that is, God’s perfect will for David’s life—not even his own fleshly desires. That’s the caveat to this truth: the perfecting is of that which is according to God’s will, which of course is what ought to concern us more than anything else in this life. The New Testament writer Jude captures the essence of this truth in his benedictory prayer when he wrote, “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25) Likewise, the Apostle Paul wrote similar words in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” How comforting and empowering to know that if we are passionately pursuing God’s purposes, God has passionately committed himself to fulfilling his purposes in us. No matter what things may look like—horrible circumstances and hateful people notwithstanding (Psalm 138:7)—God will never abandon the work he has lovingly and painstakingly invested in us, and he will ultimately bring that work to perfect completion. What David had discovered was that when we are for God, and when God is for us, we cannot lose! 2 Chronicles 16:9 reminds us of this profound truth, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Wow! God so desires to fulfill his purposes in this world that he is actually scouring the earth looking for fully devoted people in order to release his enabling power in their lives. Is your heart fully committed to him? If it is, then God will find you, and sooner or later you will come into the greatest joy that anyone can ever experience in this life: God fulfilling his purposes for you and through you. Yes, God will perfect that which concerns you! In other words, There’s no stopping God! Choose You This Day: What are the obstacles standing in your path to pursuing God? According to Psalm 138:8, God will repurpose those stumbling blocks into building blocks. Try praying a thanksgiving prayer for everything that seems to be impeding your progress. Then ask God to empower you to work with him to use those very things to perfect you. Pray this risky prayer: “God, use this to shape me.” “To know and believe in God is the best thing that can happen in your life because He can turn what appears to be the worst event into the best. He can transform your struggles into your learning. He can turn your suffering into strength. He can use your failures to bring success.” Nick Vujicic 
SUMMARY: Relax about trying to be righteous and morally perfect! Jesus did it for you. God accepts Christ’s efforts on your behalf as good enough, so you don’t have to be good enough. All you have to do is accept it, believe it, and conform your life to it! God Speaks—I Obey // Romans 10:9-10 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Your good works cannot save you. Period! No matter how hard you try, your “good” is not good enough for the perfectly holy and completely righteous God. Nor can you be saved through an alternative, less stringent means, for only through God is eternal salvation possible. Moreover, you cannot be saved by your moral perfection—no matter how moral you are or how close to moral you get. As the Old Testament prophet Isaiah pointed out, your righteousness is about as good as a “snot rag”. (Isaiah 64:6). I have actually cleaned that up a bit, because the Hebrew words for filthy rags, ukabeged ehdim, literally mean, “like as rags of menstruation.” Sorry if that disgusts you. It’s Scripture—so blame Isaiah. The point is that both our acts of righteousness and the quality of righteousness we hope they produce are disgusting to God. So, if you are disgusted by Isaiah’s language, think of how God is repulsed by your efforts to get him to save you. Then what hope is there for our salvation? Well, no hope resides within us. None whatsoever. Ephesians 2:1 says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” All a dead person can do is lie there and be dead, let alone try to be righteous before God. “All a dead person can do is lie there and be dead, let alone try to be righteous before God. No, our righteousness comes from Christ alone.” Dr. Ray Noah No, our righteousness—and let’s be clear, we do have to be righteous to be acceptable to God—comes from Christ alone. You see, God sent his Son to die on the cross—he literally became our sin—in order to pay the just punishment for sin that we deserved. That is our only hope: that Jesus became sin—our sin—and in so doing, he likewise became our righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says it well, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” How dishonoring to God’s grace and Christ’s atonement when we therefore try to save ourselves by our acts of righteousness and our efforts at moral perfection! The sooner we realize that, the sooner we will discover salvation by grace alone through faith, as Paul spoke about in Philippians 3:8-9, “I consider everything a loss compared with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them [our best efforts] rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him—not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” It is only through the power of Christ’s resurrection and our death to self (Philippians 3:10-11) that our heart—the core of who we are; that which represents every fiber of our existence—will get transformed. And it is only out of a God-enabled transformed heart that our tongue can truly confess Jesus is Lord. Then, and only then, are we saved. So relax about trying to be righteous and morally perfect! Jesus did it for you. God accepts Christ’s efforts on your behalf as good enough, so you don’t have to be good enough. All you have to do is accept it, believe it, and conform your life to it! Choose You This Day: This week, meditate on Romans 10:1-21. Rehearse Romans 10:9-10 each day this week: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”
“When the will of God crosses the will of man, somebody has to die.” Addison Leitch 
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