Psalm 109
1O God of my praise, be not silent. 2For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. 3They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause. 4In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. 5They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 6Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin. 8May his days be few; may another take his position. 9May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. 10May his children wander as beggars, seeking sustenance far from their ruined homes. 11May the creditor seize all he owns, and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. 12May there be no one to extend kindness to him, and no one to favor his fatherless children. 13May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation. 14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and the sin of his mother never be blotted out. 15May their sins always remain before the LORD, that He may cut off their memory from the earth. 16For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death. 17The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him. 18The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil. 19May it be like a robe wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. 20May this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers, to those who speak evil against me. 21But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion. 22For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me. 23I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. 24My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt. 25I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. 26Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to Your loving devotion. 27Let them know that this is Your hand, that You, O LORD, have done it. 28Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice. 29May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may they wear their shame like a robe. 30With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely; I will praise Him in the presence of many. 31For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.
Life is short. Where are you going?
You just read God’s own words, and one day every one of us will stand before Him. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). This life will be over sooner than you think — do you know where you are going when it is?
The Bible says, “Man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). If you died today, would you be ready?
Are you a good person?
Most of us think we are. But God doesn’t measure us against other people — He measures us by His Law. Look honestly at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–17):
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make for yourself an idol.
- You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
- Honor your father and mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness.
- You shall not covet.
Have you ever told a lie — even a small one? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? Have you ever wanted what belongs to someone else? Jesus said that anyone who looks with lust “has already committed adultery … in his heart” (Matthew 5:28), and the Bible says “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15).
If we’re honest, we have all broken God’s Law — and “whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). “There is no one righteous, not even one … there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10–12).
That leaves every one of us guilty before a holy God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and “whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). This is why our world is full of tragedy — and without Christ, every life ends in the greatest tragedy of all.
But God made a way
“God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus lived the perfect life we never could, and on the cross He took the punishment we deserved: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Three days later He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
It’s like standing guilty in court when the judge steps down and pays your fine himself. Forgiveness is a free gift — you can’t earn it: “It is by grace you have been saved through faith … it is the gift of God, not by works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” Jesus — John 10:10
What will you do with Jesus?
“Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). Turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus alone — “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” (Romans 10:9). Don’t put it off — “now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
And when you turn to Him, you won’t be met with a frown — you’ll be met with a celebration. Jesus said, “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). God says, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). He is “mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness … He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Like the father who ran to embrace his lost son, He is waiting with open arms — and heaven throws a party when you come home (Luke 15:20–24).
If you died today, where would you spend eternity? Today you can be forgiven, made new, and have real, abundant life — now and forever.
Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain.