Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 119:161-168
Ps 119:161-168 Sin and Shin
161 Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word. 162 I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil. 163 I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law. 164 seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. 165 Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. 166 I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands. 167 I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. 168 I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.
Rom 8:5-8
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The fleshly mind is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the fleshly mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.
One thing we all desire is living in peace. Being at peace with others is great but when we are at peace with ourselves, we have a treasure. We can go to bed at night and rest in sleep. We can arise and face a new day with the assurance that all is well and no matter what happens we are going to be ok with it.
This peace does not come from our own accomplishments or our position in this life but true peace comes from serving God. The more our mind is set on the Spirit of God and following his will, the more this inner peace abounds. When we fill our minds with things that are right and wholesome, the God of peace will be with us and take care of us. When we worry about nothing and we pray about everything, we have a peace that is beyond comprehension and the world cannot know.
When we are right with God, we are at peace with him. Being right with him does not come from our attainment but it is by his grace that we are forgiven and then counted as righteous. It is this forgiveness that allows us to live with a clean and clear conscience every day. Even with a spiritual mind we will sin but we know that the blood of Jesus will continue to forgive and wash us clean. Praise the Lord!
Heavenly Father it is with joy that I come to you today and thank you for all you have done for me and all you give me in more ways than I can know. Thank you for my family and so many friends who love me and encourage me. Thank you for the freedoms I enjoy in this country. But I am mindful of so many who are seeking to serve you in the face of persecution and I ask you to give them your peace. Use me to help those who are struggling in so many ways and those who do not have peace in Jesus. Give me wisdom from above. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
