Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 138:1-5
Ps 138:1-5
1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. 3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. 4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth. 5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. This is true because in the act of unselfish giving, we find true joy as we join in the very being of the one to whom we give. The word “fellowship” is most often used in the New Testament in reference to our giving or sharing to help someone else. We most often us it to refer to some kind of meal or in eating together. But the only reference in the Bible to this use of the word is in regard to the Lord’s Supper.
When we praise God, it is not for our benefit. We may join in a praise service and we may feel good afterward but if it is real praise, it has been an expression of true and unselfish devotion to God. We give of ourselves to him because he is God and he is the one who made us. We praise him for his goodness toward us and for his lovingkindness shown to us and for his abundant grace.
God deserves our praise because he is God and not just for the things he has done for us. We are to praise him because of his majesty, his greatness and his glory that is beyond our comprehension. It was he who appeared to Israel in a cloud of smoke, who made the mountain quake and whose voice was as the sound of thunder. Even so, he gave his Son so we can have fellowship with him forever.
Lord God of heaven and earth, it is with a humble heart that I approach you and offer you praise from my lips. Give me a pure heart so I will praise you in my life and in all I do and all I say. You alone are deserving of praise as God. Thank you for loving me and for all you have done for me. Motivate me to be more like you and to share your love with those who do not know you. Protect your people in the midst of this pandemic and take away all fear from our hearts as we put our trust in you. May I ever praise you in all things. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
