Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 25:16-22
Ps 25:16-22
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. 18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. 19 See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! 20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. 22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
Matt 5:3-6
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
One of the keys to really getting to know God and to knowing we are really close to him is the recognition of our weakness and our total dependency on him. This is the faith (total trust) that is exemplified in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. We see there examples of men and women who understood what it meant to trust God so much they were willing to obey him, even when it did not make sense to do so. They recognized that finding favor with God was not based on always doing or being right but humbly seeking to comply with his will in every way.
While it may seem trite, as Christians we are not perfect, we are forgiven. We need to let this soak in until we realize we really are not perfect. It is easy for us to want to accept the forgiveness but admitting we are spiritually poor in the sight of God and then mourning for our sin (and sinfulness) is not so easy. After all, we want to think we are pretty good – not nearly as bad as some other people we know. We can make a list of things we don’t do or things we do that make us seem like we are really good people.
True faith in God is when we allow his Spirit to change us and conform us to be like him. The result (or fruit) of this is listed by Paul: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
O God, I know I fail in so many ways to live up to your glory. I do and say things that should not be done or said. I fail to do the things you want me to do. Give me the wisdom from above and the power of your Spirit to practice self-control so I can be more like you each day. Use me to show others your way. I know you have children all over the world but I ask a special blessing for my brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe, Africa and those in China. Supply them with courage, with faith and the physical things they need. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
