Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 138:1-8
Ps 138:1-8
1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. 3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. 4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth. 5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. 6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. 8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever--do not abandon the works of your hands.
Rom 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We live in a world that is filled with hatred, turmoil and vice. People are easily offended (whatever that means today), slighted and made to feel less than royalty by the things others do or say. It seems that some think they are entitled to happiness and that only comes in their minds when the world caters to them and their every whim. Prosecutors seek to make every crime one of hate so it can be tried with the greatest possible punishment. The world is full of confusion.
The sad thing is that Jesus is the target of blame and hatred by the press and the news media while he is the only real answer to the problem. It is in Jesus that we can find peace with God and peace with each other. It is only when we allow the love of God to overflow from our hearts that we can love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat and malign us. It is when the Holy Spirit empowers us that we will actually be kind to the unkind, loving to the unloving and forgiving to the hateful. The love of God is the only antidote for hatred and bitterness and this is only found in Jesus Christ. The greatest blessing in this is that when we find this peace in Jesus we also find forgiveness of our sins and eternal life in Him.
Thank you Lord for your love for me. Help me love others as you love me. Keep me from being bitter, hateful or unloving toward those who are unkind to me and those with whom I disagree. Be with the leaders of our country and those of other countries. Give them a heart that will look to you for wisdom and guidance as they make decisions. Be with the Supreme Court of this country as they convene to make decisions that will last for many years to come. I ask your special care on the Los Vegas victims and their families. I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
