Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 40:11-17
Ps 40:11-17
11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me. 12 For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. 13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. 14 May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" be appalled at their own shame. 16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The LORD be exalted!" 17 Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.
Gal 6:14
14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Life is hard. Life is unfair. Bad things happen to good people and at times it seems only the wicked prosper. But none of this is news to anyone. We can focus on our problems and things will surely get worse. We can focus on how unfair things are and we will see our thoughts become reality. If we put our attention on the faults of others, we will see their imperfections and every mistake they make.
Or we can focus on Jesus and on things above. We can view those who live in sin and are overtaken by this world with compassion and see opportunities to reach them with the gospel. We can trust God to take care of us and in the process lose sight of the inequities of life. When we put our faith in Jesus we will concentrate on the nature of God and seek to be like him. No matter what we face or what happens in our lives, we will live in hope because we belong to Jesus.
It is not a matter of ignoring reality or “burying our heads in the sand” but it is making the choice to see the good in life and in other people. It is about being positive in where we are going; both now and in eternity. It is not about what we have accomplished on our on, but about letting Jesus live in us because we have been crucified with Christ and to the world and the world is dead to us.
O Lord God, creator and giver of life, I am so glad you have shown me your love in more ways than I can even know. Help me keep my eyes focused on Jesus and on things above. By faith, give me a positive attitude and your peace in my heart so I can truly rejoice always. Give me greater motivation to do your will in reaching others with your gospel and to use every opportunity to help others. Forgive me when I fail to be all you want me to become and give me wisdom and strength to be more like you in every part of my life. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
