Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 85:1-7
Ps. 85:1-7
1 You showed favor to your land, O LORD; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Selah 3 You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger. 4 Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. 5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? 6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? 7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
1 Thess. 3:11-13
12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
The more I have studied the word of God, the more I am convinced that the gospel is about the love of God. Probably the best known passage from the Bible is “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.” But we have quoted it so much that it has almost become trite to many. This the is essence of God.
John says that “God is love” more than one time. Love is from God and not from mankind. Our hope of eternal life is rooted in his nature of love.
But then he goes one step farther. We are to be like God and we are to imitate his love in our hearts and lives. As we allow his love to be perfected (matured) in us, we gain our confidence of salvation and fear is removed from our hearts. We also begin to see things from his perspective and it opens a world of compassion and forgiveness on our part toward others that we have never known before.
His love in us produces kindness and gentleness on our part. As we begin to get along with others better and overlook their faults, we only want what is best for them. This does away with judging them and replaces it with helping them. The wonderful by-product is that we have a joy and peace in our hearts that the world does not know and cannot understand. The more we love, the more we give.
Lord God increase my faith to be able to trust you to really control my heart and my life. Help me open my heart to your Spirit to guide me and mold me into the likeness of Jesus. Give me an honest heart to get rid of all sin and malice so I will allow the Spirit’s fruit to grow in me and change me from within. Give me wisdom to use every opportunity I have to share your love with others around me. Please be with our nation as we have our mid-term elections and give us the leaders that will carry out your will for us. I pray in the blessed name of Jesus my Savior.
Robert
