Thursday, January 18, 2024

Vindicate me, O Lord...

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 Psalm 26:1-5

"Vindicate me, O Lord, 
for I have walked in my integrity,
And I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
Test my mind and my heart.

For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked in Your truth.

I do not sit with deceitful men,
Nor will I go with pretenders.

I hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked."...
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..."I wrote you in my letter not to associate 
with immoral people;
I did not at all mean with the 
immoral people of this world, 
or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, 
for then you would have to go out of the world.

But actually, I wrote to you not to associate 
with any so-called brother 
if he is an immoral person, or covetous, 
or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, 
or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? 
Do you not judge those who are within the church?
But those who are outside, God judges. 
Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.
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...“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, 
or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; 
for the tree is known by its fruit.

You brood of vipers, how can you, 
being evil, speak what is good? 

For the mouth speaks out of that 
which fills the heart.

The good man brings out of his good treasure 
what is good; 
and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure 
what is evil.

But I tell you that every careless word 
that people speak, 
they shall give an accounting 
for it in the day of judgment.

For by your words you will be justified, 
and by your words you will be condemned.”
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“Beware of the false prophets,
who come to you in sheep’s clothing, 
but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

You will know them by their fruits. 

Grapes are not gathered from 
thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 
So every good tree bears good fruit, 
but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, 
nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down 
and thrown into the fire.

So then, you will know them by their fruits."
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..."I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel."...
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