Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 30:7-12
Ps 30:7-12
7 O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 8 To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9 "What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help." 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Eph 5:17-20
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are told to be thankful in all things. We are told to speak with thanksgiving and to sing with thanksgiving. To be a Christian is to be thankful. Being a child of God is the greatest privilege we can have in life (now and in eternity) because we are added to his family by grace. It is not our own doing or righteousness.
Some have made grace carte blanche as though God will save everyone, no matter how they respond to him. Others have made grace just a lenient legal system where we and our obedience are the main driving force of salvation. The very definition of “grace” is favor that is not deserved. No matter how good we are and no matter how obedient we seek to be, we will never earn or deserve to be a child of God or in his favor. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.
But grace must be accepted. When we hear the gospel of Christ and we believe it, faith is established in our hearts. We put our trust in the atoning sacrifice and the resurrection of Jesus. This faith will cause us to turn from sin and confess Jesus as our Lord. This doesn’t earn us anything, it is a response of faith. This same faith will demand that we be buried with Christ in baptism and then raised as a new person to live a new life in him. Baptism and godly living doesn’t earn us anything, it is a response of faith. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.
Heavenly Father it is such a privilege to be your child and to know that all of my sins are forgiven. Thank you for the assurance and hope you give me in Jesus my Savior. Thank you for the material things you have given me. Keep me from letting these control me and my life. Give me wisdom and willingness to share and to be rich in good deeds. Give me understanding of your unfathomable grace and your matchless love so I will be loving and gracious to others. Bless our nation, guide our leaders in your wisdom and give us peace. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
