Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 9:17-20
Ps 9:17-20
The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah
2 Thess 1:5, 9-10
This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
How do we determine if what happens to us in life is good or bad? When we suffer for doing what is right, is that good or is it bad? When we are turned down for a promotion or one of our best friends turns against us and says things about us that are not true, and we suffer because of it. Is this good or is it bad? A car accident with injuries or a major sickness or a loved one dies. Good or bad?
You may be thinking that I have lost my mind but in reality, Paul is saying that things like these may all be good when they seem so obviously bad. When we suffer for Christ (and all of these could be just that), it may be to test us, or it may be to strengthen our faith, or to train us for the work he has planned for our lives, or it may be teaching us to help others in their distress. No matter what happens, God can use it for our good – to help us get ready for eternity, eternity with Jesus.
Suffering is not fun! Suffering is not easy! Even mental distress, when our very best friend in the world turns on us and lies about us and tries to harm us, this is hard to deal with and especially hard to be able to forgive. But suffering is a part of life, and it will either strengthen us or it will break us and destroy our faith.
God is faithful and he will never forsake us or leave us! Paul told Timothy that even when we are faithless, God is faithful because he cannot deny Himself. Being faithful is a part of his nature as a righteous God, not based on our actions.
O Lord God, help me keep my eyes set on the things above, where Jesus is seated at your right hand, instead of on things here on earth. Help me love you more than I love things that are destined to be destroyed. Keep me focused on doing good and bringing glory to you and to your name in all I do and in all I say. But I know that I do fail in this, so I need your constant grace and forgiveness. In turn, help me always show grace and forgiveness to others. Mold my heart into the likeness of the heart of Jesus. In his wonderful name I pray.
Robert
