Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 55:16-23
Ps 55:16-23
But I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them—Selah men who never change their ways and have no fear of God. My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant. His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords. Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.
1 Tim 4:9-11
This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things.
Where is your hope today? Do you have the joy of salvation? Are you at peace in your heart? Is your life filled with thanksgiving to God and to those who have helped you become who you are? It is in recognizing that all we are is from God and all we have comes from him, that we can find true joy and peace. Our hope must be based on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and his righteousness.
No matter how cruel life becomes, no matter who turns against us, no matter how unfair things seem to be, we put our trust in God and in Jesus Christ. When we have achieved the greatest success that seems possible, we must acknowledge that it comes from God and it is by his grace. Our intelligence, our education, our hard work are all incidental to our success. It is God who makes it all possible.
What a joy to be able to know that we are children of God. What a blessing to go to bed at night and wake up each day, knowing that our sins are forgiven by the grace of God. It is because of this grace that we must live for him and do all we can to serve others on his behalf. When we follow the example of Jesus in being humble, we will never feel that we are too good to be kind to the homeless, the poor, the downtrodden, or the entitled rich kid who thinks he (or she) is special.
O Lord God, help me recognize and remember that I am what I am by your grace and all that I may ever accomplish is because you have given it to me. I know that just because I believe something to be true, that does not make it truth. Like most everyone, I do not like to be wrong but remind me that I am too often. Give me wisdom to understand your word better and more accurately. Use me to be kind to everyone I meet today. Forgive me when I fail. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
