Still Learning, Still Growing

Daily Office Readings — Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Psalm 101; Psalm 109; Psalm 119:121–144; Hosea 4:11–19; Acts 21:15–26; Luke 5:27–39

The Psalms reveal the wide range of human experience.

In Psalm 101, David pledges to live a blameless life with integrity. He will refuse to look upon anything vile or vulgar. He will reject perverse ideas, stay away from evil, and seek faithful people as his companions.

But Psalm 109 comes from a very different place. David is poor and needy. His heart is wounded, and his knees are weak from fasting. He cries out:

“Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me because of your unfailing love.”

There are days when we confidently promise to walk in integrity. There are other days when we can only cry, “Lord, help me.” Both are part of the human experience.

Psalm 119 brings these experiences together in a prayer for discernment:

“Give discernment to me, your servant;
then I will understand your laws.”

God’s Word gives light so that even the simple can understand. David asks God to guide his steps, look upon him with love, and help him understand so that he may live. Even when pressure and stress bear down upon him, he finds joy in God’s commands.

Hosea 4 offers a sharp contrast. The people have allowed wine, idolatry, and stubborn habits to rob them of understanding. Instead of seeking the living God, they ask a piece of wood for advice. They have become so set in their ways that they refuse to see differently.

Hosea describes their idolatry as unfaithfulness within a covenant relationship. They have forsaken the command to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. They may continue practicing religion, but their hearts have wandered elsewhere.

Idolatry is spiritual adultery, and adultery can become a form of idolatry. Both place something else where covenant faithfulness belongs. Both break promises and give to another what was pledged in love.

In Acts 21, Paul arrives in Jerusalem and is welcomed by James and the elders. They rejoice when Paul tells them what God has accomplished among the Gentiles. Yet rumors are circulating that Paul teaches Jewish believers to abandon Moses and their customs.

The elders ask Paul to join four men in their purification rites and pay their expenses. Paul agrees. He does not surrender his conviction that Gentiles do not need to become Jews before following Jesus. He simply removes an unnecessary obstacle for the sake of fellowship.

This reminds me of Paul’s teaching in Romans 12–15, especially Romans 14. We are not to judge one another over every difference. We are to pursue what leads to peace and mutual growth.

Discernment helps us recognize the difference between a conviction that must be defended and a preference that can be surrendered in love. Paul seems to be saying:

“I do not have to prove that I am right at the expense of our relationship.”

In Luke 5, Jesus sees Levi sitting in his tax booth and says, “Follow me.” Levi leaves everything behind and holds a banquet so that other tax collectors can meet Jesus.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law criticize Jesus for eating with people they consider sinners and outcasts. But Jesus sees what they refuse to see. They see a despised tax collector; Jesus sees a future disciple. They see contamination; Jesus sees someone who can be healed and restored.

This reminds me of what God later taught Peter: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”

Jesus is then questioned because his disciples eat and drink while John’s disciples fast. Jesus compares himself to a bridegroom. A wedding is a time for celebration, but the bridegroom will someday be taken away. Then his disciples will fast.

There is a time to feast and a time to fast, a time to celebrate and a time to lament. Discernment helps us recognize what faithfulness requires in the present moment.

Jesus concludes with the images of a new garment and new wine. God is doing something new, but old assumptions cannot always contain it. Those who are stubborn and refuse to see differently may miss the grace standing directly in front of them.

These readings are about discernment, something we have considered often on this journey.

Discernment is not something we master once and possess forever. We are still learning and growing. We continue bringing Sacred Writings, tradition, experience, and reason into prayer, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide us toward truth.

Sometimes discernment confirms what we already believe. Sometimes it corrects us, stretches us, or asks us to make room for the new wine of grace.

The Curious Pilgrim never says, “I have arrived and understand everything.” Instead, we pray:

Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to see.
Give me discernment when the way is unclear.
Expose the idols that have captured my heart.
Teach me when to stand firm and when to yield in love.
Help me welcome those whom others reject.
Keep my heart faithful and my spirit teachable.
Guide my steps by your Word,
for I am still learning, still growing,
and still following you. Amen.

Open Heart. Open Hands. Clear Boundaries.

The Curious Pilgrim