Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 109:1-5
Ps 109:1-5
O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred, they surround me; they attack me without cause. In return for my friendship, they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.
Gal 6:12-14
Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? I have and it hurts. When we trust someone as a friend and we confide in them, we lean on them and then they betray us and use what they know from us to do us harm, it hurts. How do we respond? Get even. Bitterness. Hatred. Fight back. To be sure, these are the things that any advisor of the world would recommend. But what would did Jesus do?
Jesus was betrayed by one of the twelve men that he had chosen to be his apostles. Judas had been with him for three years and was the group’s trusted treasurer. But for his own financial gain, he betrayed Jesus to his enemies. Jesus was betrayed by his fellow Jews. He was betrayed by the religious leaders of his own people. He prayed for them. He kept silent when accused. He never stopped loving them and some of his dying words were to ask God to forgive them.
If you serve God in the world today, there will be people who will not like it and they will try to stop you. It may be blatant and openly or it may be by deceit, but it will happen. Satan uses some seemingly good people to do his work too. Just as in the days of Jesus, he still uses religious leaders, teachers, preachers, and others who seem to be good people, but who are more interested in their own agenda than Christ. Their god is their own wisdom, their ego, and building their following.
O Lord God, I pray for those who are working for Satan against Jesus and who seek to stop those who are willing to speak uncomfortable things for him. I ask you to stop them in their misguided ways and help them see your wonderful love in Jesus. Help me be bold against evil, immorality, greed, hatred, and bitterness. Use me to heal wounds of discord and help others know how to love, even in the face of hateful opposition. Be with leaders of the nations, so your people can live in peace. Give healing to those who are taking treatments. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
