Title

The Disgrace of Reproach

Scripture
Turn away my reproach which I dread, for Your judgments are good.
(Psalm 119:39)
Devotional
Reproach is the absence of grace. To be a reproach is to be a disgrace. Proverbs 14:34 tells us that, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”(1) Anytime we attempt to step out from under the grace of God we inevitably will become a reproach to not only God, but man as well. Whenever we attempt to walk in our own righteousness instead of the righteousness of God we become a reproach. Whenever we live in unbelief instead of by faith we become a reproach. And whenever we walk in self-righteousness instead of the righteousness of God we likewise are a reproach. Let us therefore walk in, “The doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”(2) Let us pray with the psalmist, “Remove from me reproach and contempt.”(3) And let us always remember that His judgments are good and that His judgments are found in His Word.

(1) Proverbs 14:34, (2) Titus 2:10, (3) Psalm 119:22
Thought For The Night

“Just before the death of character actor W.C. Fields, a friend visited Fields’ hospital room and was surprised to find him thumbing through a Bible. Asked what he was doing with a Bible, Fields replied, ‘I'm looking for loopholes.’” Unknown 

Evening Text
Psalm 119:39: Turn away my reproach which I dread, for Your judgments are good.
Looking for Answers
 
Evening Study Guide
Defining: “Reproach”: That which brings shame, infamy and disgrace to man and sadness to God.
 
Referencing: “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward,” Hebrews 11:24-26.
 
Applying: If you are to suffer reproach, let it be for the cause of Christ.