Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 148:7-14
Ps 148:7-14
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, 9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, 11 kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, 12 young men and maidens, old men and children. 13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. 14 He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the LORD.
1 Peter 1:3-5
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Have you ever been around someone that is so positive and so happy all of the time that it made you want to just slap them? Well, not really slap them, but you get the picture. For most of us it is just not normal to always be positive, to be up, to be happy and to be filled with joy. We have a real life to live and we have real problems in our lives. Things go wrong and people make us angry. There are times that we are sad or depressed and we have legitimate reasons to be that way.
But Paul did say for us to rejoice in the Lord always. He did not say we are to rejoice some of the time. Peter tells us we are to rejoice, even in the midst of our trials and our persecutions for Jesus. He does not say “if” we face trials but for us to rejoice “when” we face them. They both say this because what we have in Christ far outweighs any problems we face in life. We are shielded by the power of God until the end of our lives. Jesus said he will be with us always, even unto the end. Paul gives us a list of things on which we are to concentrate and they are all positive. He then says, “and the God of peace will be with you always.”
Lord God help me focus on the good in my life and all of the blessing you have given me in Jesus Christ. Keep me from being critical of myself and of others or looking at the negative and what could go wrong. I give you all of my troubles and my cares today and ask you to fill my heart with the joy of your Spirit. When any negative thought comes into my mind or negative word slips from my lips, stop them, and replace them with things that are true and noble, pure and lovely, admirable and praiseworthy. I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
