Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 141:5b-10
Ps 141:5b-10
Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers; their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken. They will say, "As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave." But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge--do not give me over to death. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.
1 Cor 15:9-10
For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
There are two concepts that have changed my perceptions of being what God wants me to be, more than anything else over the years. There is nothing new about either of these, only my understanding of them has grown. The first is the concept of the grace of God. In simple words, I am forgiven of all my sin, not because of me or what I know or what I have done on my own, but because God loves me and he was willing to provide forgiveness through the death, burial and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ. He paid the debt for my sin.
The second concept is that of trust in God. We often make the terms of trust and faith to be synonymous, but depending on the context and usage, they may or may not mean exactly the same. Faith always involves trust but is often used in scripture in a broader sense than just trust. Saving faith demands trust but also demands obedience in confessing our trust and then also the actions of turning from our sin and (in our initial conversion) being baptized into Christ.
However, one may have all of the latter components of faith without ever really having trust in God and this amounts to denying the grace of God. It is our total trust in God that must be the basis of our faith. This takes away our trust in self, in our actions (no matter how noble or righteous), in our knowledge and in our understanding. We must have complete trust in God in every part of our lives.
Heavenly Father it is so good to know that you love me and that you are willing to save me, in spite of all the things I have done in my life that are against your will. I thank you for your grace shown to me in Jesus Christ. Your grace toward me is not without effect in my thinking and in my life. I want to live for you and please you because of all you have done for me. Please give your healing and peace to those who are sick, hurting, and struggling. I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
