Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 116:7-14
Psalms 116:7-14
7 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. 8 For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, 9 that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living. 10 I believed; therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” 11 And in my dismay I said, “All men are liars.” 12 How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
Do you remember the song by Aretha Franklin; R-E-S-P-E-C-T? We all want respect from those around us. I was raised in a culture that taught (demanded and enforced) that all young people show respect to their elders. That meant if someone was older (at least in their mid to late twenties) they were addressed as Sir or Ma’am and you never answered a question without adding one of these to yes or no. If an older person was talking, you kept quiet. If one of these older persons was your parent or teacher, there better be no exceptions.
In the word of God we are told that children are to honor (show respect) their parents. Husbands and wives are to respect each other. We are to honor government officials and those in authority. We show respect to everyone but most of all we honor God. This is about learning respect for others and especially those in authority, no matter where it is or who holds it.
How do we honor another? We do that which brings a good reflection on them by our words and our actions. Children obey their parents and it honors them. There is no age limit because no matter how long we live we are a reflection on them by the way we live. Husbands honor their wives by loving them as they are told by God and at the same time this honors God. Wives honor their husbands by being submissive and this honors God as well because it is his command.
We honor God when we really recognize him as God. That means he is Lord over us and he is in control. His word is final and we don’t argue with him. We obey him because we love him and want to please him in every way we can. We don’t use his name flippantly but show him reverence. We worship him as God.
O God, I do thank you for giving me life and especially the life you have given. I am so grateful for my family, both past and present. I thank you for placing me in this great nation with all the freedoms and blessings I enjoy every day. Help me use all of this to your glory and never for my own selfish ways. I thank you most of all for the spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ and the joy these afford. Thank you for the peace of mind you give through your forgiveness of my sin. Use me to share your word with others and help them live for you. I pray in the name of Jesus.
--Robert
