Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 145:8-13a
Ps 145:8-13a
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your power, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.
Col 1:18-20
And he [Jesus Christ] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
God made a perfect world and put perfect people in that world. Try to imagine what it would be like to live without any problems. There would be no such thing as sadness, no hate, no disease, no crime, nothing to worry your mind, and every day would be filled with doing what you enjoyed best. Your work would consist of taking care of the perfect place where you lived, with lots of flowers and fruit trees, but no weeds or thorns. This was how God made it for us to live.
But Satan. But sin. But thinking of self instead of God. But not trusting God to know what is best. And then that one fruit that looked so good, but God said to leave it alone. With just a little bit of encouragement from the serpent, Eve took the fruit and gave some to Adam and they ate it. SIN ruined it all. Sin brought all of our problems. Sin broke our relationship with God. Sin introduced death.
But God! He knew this was going to happen before it took place. In fact, he knew it was going to happen before he made the earth, animals, the Garden, and the people he put there. But since he made it all, he loved it all, especially the people he made to live in this perfect place. So, out of his love and through his tender mercy, he devised a plan for a new heaven and a new earth where all would be perfect once again. Only this time, there will be no Satan to ruin it. When we accept his perfect plan of redemption in Jesus, we can have this new home.
O God, Father of love and light, what a blessing to be able to overcome sin and death in Jesus and to have the promise of an inheritance that will not fade or perish. Thank you for loving me when I have been unlovable. Thank you for your grace made available to me in the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus, your Son and my Savior. Give me wisdom to know how to live for you, strength and self-control to do it, and love to enjoy doing it. I pray in Jesus’ name.
Robert
