Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 7:7-12
Ps 7:12-17
If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends. I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
Gal 6:7-10
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
It is interesting to me that when Paul talks about sowing to the flesh or sowing to the Spirit and then reaping the rewards accordingly, he is discussing doing good and helping those who are in need. In the verse previous to these, he is talking about paying those who devote themselves to teaching the word of God. James says that “pure religion that is undefiled before God is to help widows and orphans”. To serve others around us in his name is to serve and honor God.
Paul told the Ephesians that the thief is to no longer steal, but rather work, doing honest work, so that he will be able to share with anyone in need. In his rebuke of the Pharisees, Jesus said that they refused to help those in need but rather took advantage of them because they were poor or in a bad situation. God has always used our willingness to help others as a measure of our righteousness.
This is because the opposite of generosity is selfishness. The opposite of a giving spirit is greed, which is idolatry. Remember, all we have is from him and is to be used to his glory. Even when we worked hard to get it, it was God who gave us the abilities and the opportunities to make it work. We have it by his grace.
O Lord God, open my heart to be willing to share with those in need and to do good with what you have given to me. Help me see the opportunities around me to do good and to use them. Help me to honor you with all I have, whether it be money, time, or just a listening ear. Use me to encourage others. Thank you for what you have given me in life because in more ways than I can even know you have been with me and helped me. Be with our nation and our leaders so that we can live quiet and peaceful lives in all godliness. I pray in Jesus’ name.
Robert
