A Repentant Prayer

King David’s prayer of repentance in Psalm 51: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness… Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me… Create in me a new heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

 

            King David was as scripture declares “a man after God’s own heart” ^[1] and “the apple of God’s eye.” ^[2] If that is the case then why on earth would he need to utter the above prayer of repentance?  Because he is human; frail and fault ridden. No mortal man is perfect; not even close. So though his relationship with Almighty God was close, it required the Lord to exhibit extreme patience in the face of David’s indiscretions.

            David knew God intimately, yet was still tempted to sin and worse yet, had succumbed to that sin. He knew he was in need of a serious spiritual cleansing. He needed to be once again cleansed of his sinful behavior. David sought a new heart and a faithful and unswerving spirit toward his God.

            David exhibited humility when he recognized his need to be cleansed by the Lord. He knew what he had done was sinful in God’s eyes, but did it, nonetheless. Now God knows the sincerity of David’s repentant prayer and the motivation of his heart. It was one of contrition, deep sorrow and regret. 

            The lesson we can take from David’s situation is that God obviously understands our frail state and while we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our God, mistakes in judgment shall be made. God’s grace doesn’t allow our mistakes to define us. We always have a chance to repent. Take David’s prayer to heart. Perhaps it may even apply to you. I know it does me. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1] “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” (Acts 13:22 NIV); The phrase also appears in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 13:14 (NIV), where the prophet Samuel tells Saul: “But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

^[2] David refers to himself as the "apple of God's eye" in Psalm 17:8, where he prays, "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings."

Fractions

            Here is something that I never thought of before. I heard it today as a lyric from a song. “Without the Lord we’re a fraction of what we’re supposed to be.” Without the Lord we are incomplete. Now those who don’t know the Lord have no concept of that. God created us in our mother’s womb. Folks who don’t happen to believe that are liable to believe just about any other notion regarding how they came into existence. But for those who have chosen to believe, there is a level of excitement that exists in their heart and soul.

            I would imagine that any person would like to be a ‘whole’, rather than a ‘fraction of that same whole’. Wholeness only comes thru Christ’s blood. Eternal life only comes thru Christ’s willing sacrifice in our place. We speak of how ‘God is love’, and he is. How do we know that? Just look at what he did for us all. That is love magnified. Who could ever top that?

            Those who consciously avoid dealing with the ‘salvation from sin’ issue are short-changing themselves and they don’t even realize it. Their autonomous nature refuses to allow their conscious mind to assimilate the knowledge needed to become a child of God. Not understanding the magnitude of what is being offered shines a spotlight on their ignorance regarding the topic. To clarify, ignorance is not ‘stupidity’, it’s ‘not being aware of something’.  

As I’ve said before, ignorance and stubbornness make terrible bedfellows. You are unaware of something, and you are steadfast in your ignorance of that thing. Frankly, especially nowadays, people do NOT want anyone telling them what to think or do. 

            Until folks do a self-examination of your heart, mind, and soul, they will more than likely always remain a fraction of a thing. It doesn’t have to be that way, but it’s a plain fact that not everyone God created will embrace him and surrender their life over to his leadership. People will accept just about anything if it’s free, but will never receive salvation even though it’s also free. Why? It messes with their sensibilities. It replaces their autonomy. Their pride will never allow it. 

            Allow the Lord into your life. It sounds like a bad thing, like you lose control of your life, but that isn’t true. God’s template for living is in the Bible and once you familiarize yourself with it things begin to make a whole lot more sense. You are now a whole instead of a fraction and your life will never be the same (in a good way).

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

             

Lord, why can’t I stop cursing?

                          “Swearing acts as a rapid pressure valve for anger, frustration, pain, and stress.  It triggers a mild fight-or-flight response (measurable via heart rate), which can temporarily blunt pain perception and discharge emotional tension.  

Once a trigger–response loop (e.g., frustration → swear word) is repeated enough, the brain routes it through deep, automatic structures rather than the deliberate language centers.  The result is a neural shortcut that bypasses conscious choice — which is why it feels involuntary. 

Swearing is socially contagious — you learn it from family, friends, and peer groups, and it functions as an in-group signal of trust, authenticity, and intimacy. Communication Accommodation Theory explains how people match the language of those around them. 

The "disinhibition" explanation is when under sudden pain or stress, social self-monitoring drops and taboo words that would normally be suppressed come out. This is partly why swearing spikes during physical pain, surprise, or conflict. Involuntary, context-free cursing can signal Tourette syndrome or other neurological conditions affecting the ventral prefrontal cortex.  This is distinct from habitual but voluntary swearing.

The most common pattern in everyday life is a combination: a personality predisposition + emotional regulation need + social reinforcement + habit entrenchment, making it feel almost reflexive.”

 

My assessment of the problem: You can feed your mind with positive thoughts daily... habitually. Pick other words to replace the curse words; like “biscuit eater” in place of “b*stard”. “Firecracker” in place of “f*ck”. “Sheet” instead of “sh*t”. “Beach” in place of “b*tch”, and so on. Most unsaved folks cuss and think nothing of it. Following suit with them via the words you use will not win you any friends. They may wonder why a “Christian” is really not too much different then them. We are to strive to be like Christ, not our buddies at work. Mingle with unsaved folks, absolutely, but do not replicate their behavior.

If you truly want to stop cussing, it takes determination and self-control. You can do it, but only with the Spirit’s help. I’ve battled this problem most of my adult life. I have good periods of time and horrible periods of time based largely on the level of stress I happen to be dealing with at the time. I am a work in progress, but I have every confidence that with God’s help I will beat this bad habit. 

Until next time, give all your problems and concerns to the Lord.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resources: www.neurolaunch.com, www.scienceinsights.org, www.themindsjournal.com

Quote Contemplations

“I used to want to fix people, but now I just want to be with them.” –  Bob Goff *

 

            It’s often been said that men want to fix things and women want security. I don’t know how true that is, but it sounds about right to me. The thing is we may think a lot of people need fixing, but all they really want to be loved or appreciated for who they are. I think that is what the essence of Bob Goff’s quote is.  Instead of looking at people and only seeing the faults, flaws, or problems, we need to look more clearly at them and see who they truly are. 

            There are people with annoying habits or in your face personas that are really only crying out for attention. People have a desire to feel like they matter. The more folks are the target of destructive statements, the more they will begin to embody what’s been said. If you’re told you are lazy loser, over time you will begin to believe you are lazy loser. Conversely, if you are told you are awesome blessing, you will begin to feel good about yourself. 

            Do you have a burning desire to fix someone? Why not simply go and spend time with them and get to know them for who they truly are. As a follower of Christ we may find an opening to share our testimony with them. That should NOT be the sole reason we reach out to people. St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as saying: “Preach the gospel at all times & if necessary, use words.” Live like Jesus did, not literally as in dress how he dressed, eat what he ate, no... live like Jesus from a behavioral perspective. Only God can fix people; we just need to know them and befriend them for the sole reason of making them feel loved. 

            Jesus made everyone feel included and of value. He treated everyone the same. We are to be the same way. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

* Robert Kendall Goff (born February 22, 1959) is an American lawyer, speaker, and author.

Quote Contemplations

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein 

            To be a success in life you must be able to accomplish whatever goal you happen to set for yourself. Success has the potential to become egocentric in that you do things for your own notoriety; for your own sake and not necessarily for anyone else, though certainly not always. Pride and arrogance CAN become enemies of success if they are allowed to be. Achieving success on any level for the betterment of humankind is admirable and also desirable. This must be kept in mind, so you seek success for the right reason(s).

            To be of value means to be useful.  It can mean a few other things, but for my purposes “useful” fits the bill. It is commonly used to indicate that something or someone provides a benefit, or significance, and is not always assigned to monetary worth.  

While it is true that a benefit of success can be that it is useful as well, being useful as an individual can have a positive influence on all who are touched by one’s usefulness. 

The quote on top isn’t tied to spirituality per se, but can be fashioned in such a way as to edify believers. Matthew 10:31 states that believers in Christ are of more value than the sparrows of the field. Hence, we are of great value. As we spread the Gospel the words of God enhance the value of the receiver. 

It would seem that just as trust is linked to faith, so success is linked to value. When a person is of value then their words and actions become more important. Think of Paul or Peter as just two examples of men of value who were successful in what they did, though it never translated into financial gain. Many times just the opposite. Be a person of value to those around you. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

You Are Loved!!

         Life can be very hard at times. It can be unfair. There are times when we can feel forgotten, overlooked, or even unloved, even by the ones who made a covenant to love, honor, and cherish till death do us part. There’s something I’d like to impart to you all. YOU ARE LOVED!! You are not loved superficially, but rather eternally. Almighty God, who created you in your mother’s womb, loves you deeply and without reservation. He created you out of love, and sent His Son to die in your place out of love. His greatest gift to mankind is a life for a life. Even if we wanted to, we could never do for ourselves what Christ did for us all. 

            If you feel down and out today; if you feel disregarded or irrelevant, know this day that you are loved more than any person on this earth could love another. Our attempts at loving someone, whether family, friend, or spouse end up being weak and in many cases unacceptable in the eyes of the God and the recipient.  The only way we can know how to love anyone is thru our relationship with God. 

            This world has no idea how to love another person. It has nothing to do with the material goods, money, or sex. Those are by products of loving someone, but in and of themselves are inconsequential. 

            The bottom line here is that if you desire to actually BE loved, you must tap into God. You must turn control of your life over to Him, not just as Savior, but as Lord. The world has sold you a bill of goods; a cheap imitation. If it weren’t true then why are there so many “loving” couples getting divorced? God’s Word tells us we are loved by Him. You will find true love nowhere else.

            Until next time, walk with the King & allow Him to love you.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Quote Contemplations

“It’s NEVER right to do wrong, but conversely, it’s NEVER wrong to do right.” – RL Keller

            The wrong thing may be easier, it may be more profitable, or may make you popular with the wrong crowd, but the wrongs things are addressed in Proverbs. The Amplified Bible translates Proverbs 14:12 thusly; “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but its end is the way of death.” Could mean physical death; however, when man goes his own way his spiritual presence drowns in a sea of conceit & ignorance. Man feels that going it alone is the correct path to take. On that path man is enticed with many questionable things. There are many tangent paths one could take.

            Doing the right thing is always preferable, with one caveat... a person’s heart motivation. Your motivation for doing something is known to God alone (and the doer of the action him or herself, of course). God judges our heart’s motivation. Doing something for recognition or notoriety is arrogant and worthless in God’s economy. A humble spirit allows a person to do whatever happens to be necessary without fanfare. Not being noticed is or at least should be their goal.

In Matthew 6:3, Jesus says "don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing". In other words, give so discreetly that the giver themselves doesn’t dwell on their own generosity.  They want to show that the act was motivated by pure love rather than a desire for any sort of recognition. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries