Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 103:1-6
Ps 103:1-6
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
John 12:44-46
44 Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
There is nothing in this world that is more foolish than sin. Why would anyone want to do that which will only bring ruin, heartache, pain and finally death? Why do we not all want to do the will of God since we know he only wants what is best for us? Every command he has given and every principle he has laid down for us is designed to make us like him and to get us ready to live with him in a new glorious body for eternity. But we all forget his benefits from time to time.
When we choose to serve him and put his will first in our lives, we may have to suffer from time to time but so do the wicked. We can either suffer for doing what is right or we can suffer for our sin – but we all suffer. The wicked get sick and die or are killed in accidents and so do the righteous. In the story that Jesus told of the rich man and Lazarus, there is a statement that has always stood out in my mind which says “and the rich man died too”.
It is appointed for every person to die and after death comes the judgement. We will all stand before God and we will be judged by how we have lived our lives while here on earth. There are two choices for each of us: we can live for God in Jesus Christ or we can follow our own way, reject God and follow Satan. The later leads to death while the former leads to life eternal. We make the choice.
O Lord, my God and my heavenly Father, I am so ashamed of how many times I have failed to acknowledge you as God in my life and how much I have done that goes against your will and your very nature. I am so thankful for you abundance of grace in Jesus Christ and the forgiveness you provide in him. Fill me with your Spirit so I can be more like you and be more loving, to be kind in heart and have greater self-control to do your will in all things. Help me grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord. Use me to help others in their lives; both physically and spiritually. I pray in the name of Jesus my Savior.
Robert
