Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 112:1-5
Ps 112:1-5
1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. 2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. 5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
Matt 5:6-8
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
One of the things we find in the word of God is that we are to become like him in our attitudes, our minds and our actions. God is love and we are to have his love perfected in us so that we love others as he loves us. God is willing to forgive us, even when we don’t deserve to be forgiven because he is full of mercy. In turn, he expects us to be filled with his mercy toward those around us which causes us to forgive others, even when we feel that they don’t deserve it. Because of his love and mercy, he is a God of compassion and we are to show compassion toward others instead of being judgmental or retaliatory toward them. On more than one occasion when Jesus was confronted with people who did not accept him or his teaching, he had compassion on them. We are to be like him.
In the Old Testament Law we read that the Israelite was to lend to his fellow Jew when it was needed but he could not charge interest on the loan. He was to treat his slave with dignity because they too had been slaves when they were in the land of Egypt. Jesus said the second greatest command from the Law of Moses was to love your neighbor as yourself which was a reflection of loving God with all your heart, your soul and your mind. While the Old Law with all the sacrifices and rituals was not like the New Law in Christ, it was based on the nature of God and reflected his love, his compassion and his mercy. The more we reflect God and Jesus in our lives the more he will bless us and take care of us.
O Lord God, giver of life and all I know around me, I thank you for your love and your mercy toward me. As I ponder your greatness, I know you do not owe me anything but punishment because I have failed to be like you in so many ways. As I yield my will to you and allow your Spirit to change me from within, my life will become a greater reflection of Jesus. I do need you every hour. Help me show your love toward others. Fill me with your joy and the peace that only comes from you. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus my Savior and my Lord.
Robert
