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!
1 John 3:12-13
12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.
John 15:18-19a
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
Satan is the god of this world and he comes in many different forms. He comes in the form of false religion. He appears as an angel of light; as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But he also appears as the agnostic or the atheist. He comes in the guise of harmless pleasures that receive too much of our time, energy and money. The god of greed is the love of money or putting our trust in material possessions.
Some of the more subtle forms the devil uses are humanism, relativism and the deification of mankind. If God is not God, His word is not absolute truth and thus, morality is not absolute, then there can be no rule for us to follow. If we are our own gods, why can we not make our own rules of life? So if someone feels it is right to kill or commit violence, why would it be wrong?
The apostle Paul tells us that we must live in the world but we are not to be of the world or like the world. Other scriptures tell us that we are not to love the world or the things in the world and that a friend of the world is an enemy of God. This all goes back to what Jesus said, that where our treasure is, there will be our heart also. So, let us draw near to God so he will draw near to us.
Heavenly Father, I am so thankful that you have revealed your will to me. Thank you for your revelation of Scripture that tells me about the origin of life and the purpose for my existence. Give me a heart like yours so I will love everyone from the heart but still have a hatred of sin. Keep me from being like the world or putting my trust in material things. Lord, I grieve about all the violence in our country. Please open hearts and minds to see that when you are rejected, this is the only outcome we can expect. I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
