Welcome to another daily encouragement from the Our Daily Bread Devotional.

Today's reading is titled Wisely Weeding and was written by Patricia Rabin.

My grandchildren are running around my backyard.

Playing games? No, pulling weeds. Pulling them up by the roots, the youngest says, showing me a hefty prize.

Her delight as we tackled weeds that day was how much we enjoyed plucking the weedy roots,

clearing away each pesky menace. Before the joy, however,

came the choice to go after them. Intentional weeding is also the first step in removing personal

sin. Thus, David prayed in Psalm 139, search me, God, and know my heart.

See if there is any offensive way in me.

What a wise approach to go after our sin by asking God to show it to us.

He above all knows everything about us.

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me, wrote the psalmist.

You know when I sit and when I rise.

You perceive my thoughts from afar.

Such knowledge, David added, is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Even before a sin takes root,

therefore, God can alert us to the danger. He knows our landscape. So when a sneaky,

sinful attitude tries to take root, he's first to know and point it out.

Where can I go from your spirit? wrote David. Where can I flee from your presence?

May we closely follow our Savior to higher ground.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from Psalm 139, verses 1 through 6 and 23 through 24.

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise.

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