Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 119:1-8
Ps 119:1-8 Aleph
Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.
Matt 7:21-23
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
People have a tendency to swing like a pendulum in what they believe, both as a group and as individuals. When we begin to change, we often go to the opposite extreme instead of finding the truth somewhere in between. But the truth is seldom at either extreme of a subject, but also, is almost never in the middle.
When I was growing up, there was a lot of preaching on the subject of obedience and very little on the subject of grace. This led to a lot of people forming the belief that we somehow earn our salvation with God because it is based solely on how good we are at obedience. As time has gone by, the pendulum has swung to a lot more preaching on grace. This has led to some believing that it does not matter what we do, God will overlook it all, so obedience has no place.
The truth is that God demands complete obedience, in every respect, to every command and in every situation. The failure to comply with every part of the will of God is sin and sin demands punishment. We all have sinned so none has or ever will earn our salvation. But Jesus died in our place, for our sin so that we can become the righteousness of God in him. Grace forgives and counts us as sinless, even though we do not deserve it. But our goal remains perfect obedience.
O Lord God, my heavenly Father, I am thankful for your word that you have revealed to me. Thank you for the ability to understand it and the opportunity to learn to live it. Help me strive to be perfect in every way, as I seek to obey your every command. But also help me rely on your grace for my salvation so that I do not become proud of my understanding or my obedience, or that I become so disheartened that I want to just give up and quit. Use me to serve others as you see their needs, whatever they may be. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
