Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 18:25-30
Ps 18:25-30
With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
Matt 23:23-24
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
Jesus never condoned sin. But he never condoned false pretense either, nor did he approve of those who looked down on others while being self-righteous, yet they were guilty of many things. In this same speech, he told these religious leaders that they appeared outwardly as beautiful white tombs but inwardly they were filled with dead men’s bones because they were full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Earlier he said that our righteousness must exceed this pretense.
As followers of Jesus, we are to be changed by the Spirit from within so that we love what is right and holy, what is honest and true, and what is pure. We love God and we love his Son with all our heart, soul, and mind. Our goal in life is to be like Jesus in all we do and in all we say. As we follow him, we will hate sin and we will condemn it, but we will do so with a heart of love for those caught in it.
God will be our shield and our fortress in times of trouble. He loves to help us when we are trying to live for him. He will give light to our paths when the way seems dark, and we do not know which way to go. He will provide a way for us when life seems to give us no viable options. With God all things are possible, because he is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all we ask or think by the power of the Spirit that is living within us. Praise the Lord, for he is good!
O Lord God, thank you for all you do for me every day! You have provided healing to my body, and I ask you to continue to give me healing and strength. Help me to be spiritually strong as I try to be like Jesus. Use me to help others in their time of struggles, grief, and pain. Give me just the right words to say at just the right time to encourage those who feel they are all alone. I come to you on behalf of our nation and our leaders that you will guide them in a way that we can live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
