Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 78:56-64
Ps 78:56-64
56 But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. 57 Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. 58 They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. 59 When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely. 60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among men. 61 He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. 62 He gave his people over to the sword; he was very angry with his inheritance. 63 Fire consumed their young men, and their maidens had no wedding songs; 64 their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep.
Rom 5:1-5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
When we look at mankind we see all kinds of evil. This evil is the result of sin that came into the world in the Garden when Eve ate the forbidden fruit. We are not guilty of sin because of her sin or that of Adam but we are guilty because we each choose to sin in our own lives. Since the wages of sin is death, this paints a bleak picture for us in eternity. This was true for Israel and it is true for us today.
But God! This just God who must punish sin and who sees every evil deed we do and then also every evil thought we have, this God loves us so much that even in our rebellion he sent his Son to take our sin upon himself and die for us. By doing this, he is both just and the justifier of those who will come to him in faith. It is by the grace of God that we have hope and live in hope. Because of this hope, we can sleep at night in peace, no matter how much turmoil surrounds us.
Heavenly Father I am so thankful for your love and your grace. Thank you for your willingness to offer your Son for my sin. I am thankful to Jesus for his willingness to submit to the abuse, torture and finally his death on the cross for me. Instill in me a love for righteousness, justice and mercy that is based on your love so I will reflect Jesus to all who know me. Please guide our elections at every level to give us leaders that will allow us to live in peace, according to your wisdom. Be with your church that the gospel will spread. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
