Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 102:8-14
Ps. 102:8-14
8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse. 9 For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears 10 because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside. 11 My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass. 12 But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. 13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. 14 For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity.
James 1:12
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
God is forever! We have been given the opportunity to live with him forever in a place that has no pain, no sorrow, no sickness, no betrayal and no death. It is a place that is so beautiful and wonderful that our minds cannot really grasp the glory and majesty it affords. The most wonderful thing about this place is that God the Father and Jesus our Savior will be present and we will be allowed to see them in all of their glory as we praise them in our new glorified bodies.
Heaven cannot be bought. We cannot earn this place with God with either our works or our money. That very concept is foreign to most of us because we have to pay in some way for everything we have in life. We work (or someone does) for our food, our clothes and our homes and if we don’t work, we do without.
Because of the greed in our society that has often permeated the people of God, we find it difficult to visualize the concept of grace. Every gift in our lives seems to have strings attached so that in the end, we pay. We give so we can get.
God’s grace is not like this because it is not for his good but ours. God doesn’t need us or our service. We cannot offer anything to him that is not already his; even the air we breath is his. His grace provides us with a way of salvation by the death, burial and resurrection of his Son. He asks that we trust him and obey his gospel to receive eternal life. We then show our trust by living for him daily.
Heavenly Father, I am so thankful for your love, your mercy and your grace that allows me to be your child with a promise of eternal life. Increase my faith so I will live for you in every part of my life and then share your salvation with others. Use me to help others live for you and to give comfort to those who are hurting as you give your strength and peace to them. Thank you for those who have helped me know you better and to better understand your word. In Jesus name.
Robert
