Monday
Loving God
The Lord is righteous in everything he does;
he is filled with kindness.
The Lord is close to all who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him in truth.
He grants the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
The Lord protects all those who love him,
but he destroys the wicked.
I will praise the Lord,
and may everyone on earth bless his holy name
forever and ever (Psalm 145:17-21 NLT).
Do you love Him? If you do and are close to Him, He will be close to you. He is kind, gracious, merciful, and filled with love and compassion for those who call on Him in truth. Have you called on Him? Do you fear (honor and respect) Him? He provides for our desires and rescues those in need. Do you truly love Him?
Lord God, help us to become closer to you today than we were yesterday. Help us to come to you in truth and may you shower us with your love, mercy, and grace. Thank you, Lord God, for loving us and providing the only way to enter your presence through your Son, Jesus Christ. We praise and honor you. Amen.
Tuesday
Praise Him!
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
Praise him, skies above!
Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.
He set them in place forever and ever.
His decree will never be revoked (Psalm 148:1-6 NLT).
The word and the posture of the day is "Praise!" We can't praise God enough for what He has done, is doing, and is going to do in our lives.
When we are on mountaintops, He is there directing our path. When we are in the valleys of life, He is there holding our hands. When we are stuck in the ruts of life, He is with us giving us support. When we have turned our backs on Him, He is waiting for us to return from our prodigal wanderings. When we return to Him, He is waiting with a glorious robe, rings for our fingers, and greets us with hugs and kisses.
HE IS THERE. HE IS WITH US. HE NEVER LEAVES US. PRAISE HIM!
Lord God, we lift our hands high to you in praise. Thank you for never leaving our side. From beginning to end, you are there. When we think we are alone and when we are broken, you are there. Lord, help us to feel your presence in our times of need. Help us to praise you in the valleys as well as the mountaintops. Thank you, Lord, for loving us more than we deserve. We praise you, Lord God!
Thanks be to God! Amen!
Wednesday
Psalm 150
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
Praise the Lord (Psalm 150:1-6 NLT)!
Let everything praise the Lord: sanctuary, works, music, dancing, the clanging of cymbals, and our voices.
This concludes our trip through Psalms. There is so much more than I covered as we worked from Psalm 1 to Psalm 150, so I recommend reading and studying this great book of King David's life with God.
David's life covered almost every low and high a person can experience, from sin against God and mankind to praising God and following Him. The trip is even more interesting when you follow David's timeline with the Psalms timeline. Doing that really helps your understanding of each psalm.
I think what I get most out of this Scripture is that God is always with us. God never abandons us. His hand will provide help and shelter. We, as people of God, should praise Him with everything we do in this world. May everything and everyone praise the Lord.
Lord God, we praise you. Amen.
Thursday
By Faith
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes – the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life” (Romans 1:16-17 NLT).
I hope each of us will stand with Paul in his statement: "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ."
So many Christians are shying away from exclaiming God's Good News because this world has become increasingly hateful for those who speak God's Truth. Sometimes a person has to stand up for Truth even when it may be difficult. Remember those who oppose His Good News are not attacking the messenger but the message, thus Christ Jesus himself.
Lord, help us to have faith as small as a mustard seed so that we might share your Good News with this lost and dying world. We pray for those who have been blinded by this broken world. We pray that those, blinded by Satan might see. We pray that they might become followers of Christ. We pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Friday
Sinners Saved
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins (Romans 3:23-24 NLT).
God's mercy, grace, and love save us from eternal damnation. I've heard people say that they can't believe in a God who would throw them into Hell. God doesn't condemn us; we do that ourselves. In reality, God has made the only Way for any of us to come into His mighty presence. We can spend eternity with Him. The way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ.
Lord God, thank you for sending Jesus to save us from ourselves. Without His atoning sacrifice, we would be condemned for our sin. All we have to do is have faith in Jesus and accept Him as our Savior while repenting of our sins. Father God, thank you for Jesus Christ, our King and Savior. Amen.
Saturday
Not By Works
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law (Romans 3:27-28 NLT).
It is a pretty simple formula: Grace + Faith. We are saved by grace through faith. It's by what Jesus did, not by what we do or did. Our job is to accept Him, repent, and follow Him while having faith that He is God incarnate.
Father God, thank you for sending Jesus to save us from ourselves and our failings. Help us grow in faith to better serve your kingdom. We pray in His mighty name, amen.
Sunday
Forever Friends
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God (Romans 5:6-11 NLT).
Jesus comes to us as we are but will never leave us as we are. With Jesus, there is change, real change. Change can be fast or may take years to be fully realized, but change will come if you have Jesus in your heart.
Lord God, thank you for sending your Son to pull us out of the muck and mire that we have wallowed in for so many years. The slimy muck of sin runs deep in our lives, and we need your mighty hand to pull us out of the mire's depth. Thank you, Lord! We pray and hope and trust in your mighty name. Amen.
(Editor's Note: "God Has a Gift for You" is the good news that restores the broken relationship we have with God because of our sin.)
