Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 114:1-8
Psalms 114:1-8
1 When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, 2 Judah became God's sanctuary, Israel his dominion. 3 The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; 4 the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5 Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back, 6 you mountains, that you skipped like rams, you hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, 8 who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.
When God brought his people out of Egypt, the history of the world changed forever. Israel became not only a nation at that time but one of the greatest world powers of that day. But even more than this, the promise of God was brought forth and the long awaited Messiah was given through them.
While physical Israel changed the world of that day and ours today, it was this Messiah that made the real change in things. His kingdom is not of this world and it knows no bounds of nationality, gender, education or race. His kingdom and his reign today is just as real in the remote villages of Africa or China as it is in the cities of America. He rules over the hearts and lives of his subjects and lives in each of us through his Spirit.
We hear a lot today about the immigration problems in our country. But in the kingdom of God everyone is invited to come and take freely of all the benefits that are afforded. We can enjoy being in the family of God and knowing him as our Father. It is in this relationship that he has forgiven every sin we ever committed through the sacrifice and blood of Jesus. The one distinguishing mark of the disciples of Jesus (and thus citizens in his kingdom) is the love that we have one for another. We all are one in him.
So we rejoice and praise God for his wisdom made known in Jesus after being hidden for ages past. We thank him for his mighty power and we praise him for his love that is beyond our understanding. We give him glory because all we are is because of him, his power and his grace in our lives. Praise the Lord!
Thank you God for loving me. Thank you for your wisdom and your power that affords me the opportunity to be in your family and to be your child. Help me set my eyes on heaven, on you and on Jesus so I will make my goal today and every day to live up to your glory. Help me love as you love me and to have the same true compassion for others you have shown me and thus to be able to forgive others as you have forgiven me. Give me wisdom to understand your will and to be able to teach it but even more, give me strength to practice it before I preach it to others. Use me in your will today. I pray in the name of Jesus.
--Robert
