Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 144:11-14
Ps 144:11-15
11 Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful. 12 Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace. 13 Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields; 14 our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets. 15 Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
Rom 15:5-6
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For some of us a tragedy or grave sin in our lives actually brings us closer to the Lord and causes our faith to be stronger. For others, the same events cause us to doubt the love of God or his faithfulness to us and make us wonder if serving him is really worth what we have to go through. What is a difficult temptation for some is no temptation at all for others. Each of us is different in our thinking and in our understanding of God and his word. That doesn’t make us all right but it also doesn’t make us all wrong either. We each must weigh what we think we know and how it applies to what the word actually says – not how we feel about it or what seems good or right to us. God sets (and is) the standard.
Often, the most difficult time to remain faithful is not in trials but when we have plenty and all is going our way in life. Affluence is a real danger because we begin to trust in ourselves and our abilities to succeed instead of trusting in God. In the good times we must remember that God is why we are having the good times and not what we have done on our own. We may think that we have studied hard and worked wisely and that has brought us success but it is God who gave us the ability to learn and the wisdom to make the right choices. Let him who thinks he is standing tall be careful because he may be about to fall on his (her) face.
Lord God in heaven, there have been times in my life when I have been proud and have thought I had really done things right but fell on my face and realized that you are the giver of all blessings. Help me always remember that my life is to be about you – not about me. I thank you for Jesus as my Savior and the peace it gives me to know I will be with you in eternity. Thank you for Jesus as my Lord and my King who guides me and directs my every footstep. Help me to be truly obedient to him in every way. It is in His Holy Name I offer this prayer.
Robert
