Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 17:1-5
Ps 17:1-5
1 Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer--it does not rise from deceitful lips. 2 May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. 3 Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin. 4 As for the deeds of men--by the word of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent. 5 My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
2 Tim 4:6-8
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
We live in a world of laws. God established many laws beyond what we read in the Bible such as the law of gravity and the law of physics. One law that is in his word is the law of sin and death. Simply put, this law is that sin must be punished by death. Since we have all sinned, we all deserve to die, away from God.
But Jesus, who knew no sin himself, became sin for us and died in our place, so this law is kept, thus making God both just and the justifier. So when we are in Jesus and are walking in his light, we have the victory over sin and death. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
With this belief in mind, we can face death with a joy instead of fear or dread. We know we are simply giving up this world of trouble to be with our Savior in a place where there is no crying, no tears, no sorrow and all is glory and joy. While very few of us want to leave our loved ones and we don’t want them to grieve, we all will face this time of departure and we can do so with anticipation and joy.
The world does not know this peace of mind so they are always seeking to define life in terms of the moment. For the child of God, life is not about “now” but is about eternity. We keep our eyes on Jesus and the things above because all of the troubles, pain and suffering now, cannot compare with the glory to be revealed.
Heavenly Father I am thankful for your grace extended to me in Jesus Christ. Help me keep my mind focused on you and on what is right. Give me a greater desire to be like you and wisdom to use what you have given me to prepare for eternity. I know I fail to live up to your glory so I need your continued forgiveness. Help me grow stronger in the grace and knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. Even though I am living for eternity, use me to do your will here on earth and to lead others to serve you. Lord Jesus, come quickly and take us home to be with you.
Robert
