Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 129:1-8
Ps 129:1-8
1 They have greatly oppressed me from my youth--let Israel say--2 they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me. 3 Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long. 4 But the LORD is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked. 5 May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame. 6 May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow; 7 with it the reaper cannot fill his hands, nor the one who gathers fill his arms. 8 May those who pass by not say, "The blessing of the LORD be upon you; we bless you in the name of the LORD."
Rom 8:23-25
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
For the child of God, it does not matter what we face in life, God is going to see us through it. He may not take away our pain or he may allow us to be persecuted, but in the end, he will reward those who remain faithful to him. There have been many who have been burned at the stake or who were fed to the lions because they refused to deny the name of Jesus. They died saying “Jesus is Lord.”
We must remain faithful in a wicked world. The greater problem in our time is not the open persecution as much as it is to worship the unseen gods of this world and give the devil our time and our energy. John says that we are not to love the world or the things in this world because they are all passing away. We must love God above our possessions and more than the distractions of the world.
We must make a living and there is nothing wrong with making money. Abraham, Job and David were all very wealthy but remained faithful to God. Jesus told his apostles to take a vacation from their work and rest. There is nothing wrong with living life and enjoying it but we must remember that our goal is not this world but to live the real life with God in eternity. This life is in Jesus now and forever.
Heavenly Father it is with thanksgiving that I come to you today for all you have done for me and given to me in so many ways. Thank you for the good times I have had with so many fellow Christians over the years. Thank you for the joy of having such a wonderful family. I know there are a lot of people who are lonely or who are hurting or who are sick. I ask you to use me to help them and encourage them. Shower your blessings on them and give your healing and your peace as you know best. Be with the leaders of our nation. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
