Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 94:8-15
Ps 94:8-15
8 Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? 9 Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? 10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? 11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile. 12 Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law; 13 you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance. 15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Heb 12:10-11
10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
We use the word discipline in our vocabulary to imply punishment. The word used in scripture may include punishment at times but this is not the basic meaning of the word. It comes from a word used in horticulture when a tree was planted and then a rope or cord was tied to it to bend it in a certain direction. While certain kinds of training can be painful, it is not the same as being punished.
God uses many ways of training us. All scripture is profitable for training us in righteousness. But often our training is from the lips of others or even from the example they set before us. We are trained when we endure hardship or when we overcome some temptation or even when we give in to it. Every experience in life can be used to train us to be what God wants us to become.
Ultimately, it is up to the individual to decide how we will use the things we face in life. We can let them destroy us, make us bitter, depress us or we can use the same things to lift us up or make us stronger. Some of the worst tragedies have yielded some of the greatest ministries for the Lord. Paul said that God can work all things together for our good if we love him and are called by him.
O Lord God, use me and everything in my life to make me more like Jesus. Keep me from ever being proud in the sense of thinking I am better than others or that anyone owes me anything in life. As I live in this world that is filled with hate and all kinds of violence, help me show your love and live at peace; at peace with you, with myself and also with those around me. Use me to accomplish what you want me to do and give me faith to trust you to take care of everything else. Give your healing to those who are sick and taking treatments. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
