Psalm 108:1-3 – “I am determined, O God.  I will sing and praise you with my whole heart.  ² Awake, O stringed instrument and harp.  I will wake up at dawn.  ³ I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord. I will sing praises to you before foreigners.”

Today, I heard, “Begin right, stay right, and end right.” I contemplated that as I read.   How we begin is important, but that alone is not sufficient to carry us through to completion.   However, if we do not begin right, we are severely disadvantaged in our hope of completion.   In fact, without a right beginning, there can be no right ending.

The Psalmist in Psalm 108:1-3 committed to begin his day worshipping God.   That gave him a pathway to walk in the presence of the LORD.   Is that a guarantee of ease?   Hardly, but it is an access designed to help what would otherwise not be realized.    

Seeking God FIRST infuses God’s strength into our day! If God is for us, what difference does it make who is against us?   It brings Psalm 91 into our hearts and enlightens us, helping us see God’s reality clearly.   In that mindset, we can be like Paul and Silas in Jail.  Acts 16:25 – They rocked the jail at midnight with praise and worship.   You could say this was the original “Jailhouse Rock”, long before Elvis!

The key to finishing the race with God’s favor is developing a mindset that seeks God in all things and at all times.  It is developing a mindset of gratitude, commitment, and confidence in God.

If God fills our hearts, sin troubles our spirits! Acts 17:16: When Paul was alone in Athens and toured the city, he saw all the idols, and it “greatly upset” his spirit.   We live in a world that overflows with idolatry and do not give it a second thought. Have we become that calloused in our hearts?   When God fills us to overflowing, sin bothers us!   When sin doesn’t bother us, it just might indicate that God does not occupy the throne of our lives.

Those outside the Grace of God (Lost) are racing toward destruction (hell). Does that bother us?   How much does it bother us?  How often does it bother us?  What are we doing about it?  All that is revealing, far more than we like to acknowledge.   We like to live religious, unaffected lives, getting our weekly religious fixes on Sunday and living unbothered, busy lives pursuing our objectives.

What is the prime objective of the Holy Spirit if it is not pursuing the Will and Kingdom of God?   What did Jesus say the Holy Spirit would focus on?   What do we focus on?   Is there a contrast?

Believe me, I’m not being condemnatory or suggesting I am not guilty, only asking, “Does Sin Bother Us?” How much?  My prayer is, “LORD, forgive me for living an unaffected life. Transform me and fill me to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. Help me to seek You above all and trust You to provide all I need rather than justifying my negligence by saying, I have to do this or that to provide for myself and my family. Help me to roll my entire life on You. I Surrender All. Amen.”

LORD, help us to begin right so we can end right and never give up the fight!