Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 107:1-9
Ps 107:1-9
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this--those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
John 13:34-35
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."
One of the many things that sets our God apart from the many gods of this world is the love he has for mankind. An inanimate god made of stone, metal, or wood, or the gods of greed, pleasure, or self-satisfaction do not and cannot love. It is in his love that he allows us to make our own choices and determine if we will live for him and serve him or if we will worship one of the many false gods.
But choices come with consequences. This is true in almost all every aspect of life and in the material world. I read somewhere along the way where some great thinker said that every action has an opposite and equal reaction. In our personal relations and our individual behavior, it may not be opposite and it may not always be equal but there certainly are results (reactions) of all we do and say.
Jesus asked Saul of Tarsus why he was “kicking against the goads” to make him realize that he was fighting against that which was there to help him. When we resist God or resist living like Jesus or resist his word, we are the ones who suffer the most and make ourselves miserable. It is when we submit to God and we set our hearts on following the pattern that Jesus left for us that we can find true happiness. Living in God’s love is the way of peace and eternal life.
O Lord God Almighty, it is with deep humility that I come before you and your heavenly throne of grace. It is with joy in my heart that I praise you and your Son for the salvation you provide to me and make available to all the world. Thank you for your love, for your mercy, for your compassion and for your grace. Fill me with your Spirit so I will overflow with your love, mercy, compassion, and grace. Use me to help others want to serve you and also use me to lift the spirits of those who are hurting and struggling today. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
