Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 5:1-7
Ps 5:1-7
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. 2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. 4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. 5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. 6 You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors. 7 But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.
Matt 7:21-23
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
An older and wiser friend, who has served in many as a mentor in my life, once told me that he had come to the conclusion that our preaching should be more about “becoming” instead of “doing” what the Bible teaches. He went on to say that if we become what God wants us to be, we will do what he wants but we can do all the right things without becoming what he desires. In the days of Jesus the Pharisees did all the right things but their hearts were far from God.
In the Old Testament the priests were condemned because they did not practice mercy and love, compassion and forgiveness. They took unfair advantage of the widows and those in distress. They claimed to serve God but did not trust him as God in their lives. Many times Jesus rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith.
As we open our hearts to God, he gives us his Spirit to work in us. As we learn the word the Spirit empowers us to understand and to put it into practice. The result (the fruit) of the Spirit working in us is that we become more like Jesus in our minds, our thoughts and in our daily living. Our faith grows so that we learn to trust God, realizing he always knows what is best for us. Praise the Lord!
O Lord, Master and Creator, thank you for loving me enough to make it possible for me to be forgiven of all my past and to be your child today. I want to be like Jesus but I know I still fail in many ways. Help me be more concerned about being righteous and putting you first in every part of my life. As I look at the beautiful sunrise in the early mornings and gaze at the sunset in the evenings, I see your majesty and praise your holy name. Thank you for the flowers that bloom and the birds that sing. Increase my faith and my love. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
