# 26 2020 Dev. Psalm 89:8. Faithfulness! Read all of Psalm 89. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 89:8 “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.”

Ps 89 is the last Psalm of a series of six (84-89) that end Book Three of Psalms. The Psalm is a prayer for the nation and repeats many of the themes found in this series. The prayer is in the first person and is divided into two parts: vs. 1-37 praises God for His faithfulness and for His salvation, “You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior”. The second part, vs 38-51, complains to God about what is perceived as His rejection, “you have rejected, you have spurned, you have renounced the covenant with your servant” (David). The author, Ethan the Ezrahite, a Levite, paints a picture of major disruption of the nation.

This is a prayer that followers of Jesus are tempted to pray today because this prayer is about the lineage of Jesus Christ, it is about God’s choosing his people by Grace and God’s subsequent discipline of the nation for the short comings of David and the descendants of Abraham. We may read the genealogy of Jesus in the book of Mathew Ch.1:1-16 and in Luke Ch. 3:23-38, a long list of people who fell short of God’s ideals. The two genealogies are somewhat different because both Joseph and Mary are in the line of David. Followers of Jesus may want to identify with both sections of this prayer.

Certainly, we identify with the first part of this prayer: “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.” Here we see God’s grace, His forgiveness and His love. Along with the Psalmist we say: “Praise be to the Lord forever!”

The second part of the prayer is more difficult to identify with, not that the whole world is in trouble, it is, but let us look at our own situation for the purpose of this short devotional. The second part of this prayer comes about due to the short comings of the Nation of Israel, unfaithfulness, idolatry, and the rejection of God and of God’s ways. That is the very situation we find ourselves in right now. As we saw in the book of Hebrews some time back, God tests and teaches (disciplines) those whom He loves. How easy it is to point at the secular culture around us, but no, we also bear a responsibility; are we praying for all that is going on around us; leaders, federal, state, local, and church leaders? How about those who oppose us? All legitimate (dully elected) authority comes from God, Romans 13:1-2. Are we practicing what we say we believe? Are we speaking the words that bring life, words of encouragement, words of healing, words that glorify God and His Salvation?  Followers of Jesus, we have our work cut out for us and that is what God is preparing us for, by drawing us closer and closer to Jesus by His Holy Spirit. Amen and amen!

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# 25 2020 Dev. James 1. Perseverance! Read all of Ch.1:1-12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

James 1:2,3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

The book of James is a unique letter that comes to us as “Wisdom Literature.The author, by most commentators’ opinion, is the brother of Jesus and the leader of the the church in Jerusalem. The book moves from proverb to proverb with commentary directing the reader to apply faith and ethics to true Christian living, which are the two themes that bind the diverse subjects of this letter together. The letter is directed to true Jewish Christians living “among the nations”. Further, God’s Word is relevant today and is relevant at all times, both past, present and future, applying to all people everywhere!

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters”. Really, must we rejoice at persecution and opposition to living out our faith?  Yes! But James qualifies his statement by pointing out the results of being tested: perseverance in faith, growth to maturity and to receive wisdom, given on request “from the Lord”. God lovingly shapes, grooms, and prunes His followers for the tasks at hand and prepares us for work in heaven.

In God’s eyes you are rich when you are poor, and you are poor if you are rich.The poor trust in God with a fervent faith, the rich must trust God in humility, thanksgiving and in generosity. In God’s eyes all men and women are equal and in need of salvation. We all are born with nothing and we die with nothing, only our faith in Jesus remains forever.

James ends this section with v. 12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” Jesus loves those who love Him and He loves those who do not love Him (Jn. 3:16-17). Jesus builds us up, using a variety of events in our lives, including unpleasant ones, to prepare us to serve Him and to strengthen us to be able to build the Kingdom of God where He has placed us, according to His will. Praise be to God!

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# 24 2020 Dev. Psalm 88:1. A cry for help! Read all of Psalm 88. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 88:1 “Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.”

Ps 88 is a personal prayer for God’s grace and salvation. The psalmist acknowledges that God is his Savior, but the whole Psalm asks God for relief from his situations.  The Psalmist is close to death, he has lost his friends, he has lost his family, he has lost his station in life, he has no where to turn but to the God who saves. There are times in our lives that we feel this pain as well, illness that could lead to death, loneliness because a loved one rejected us, poverty due to the loss of income. At those times and many are in that situation right now, we feel abandoned like the Psalmist.

God, how can we “show your wonders” at a time like this? How do we “rise up and praise you”? How do we “declare your faithfulness in destruction”? God, are “your wonders” visible in this situation? God, how do we find “your righteous deeds” at such times we are in right now?

The answer is that we “cry to you (Lord) for help” every morning and every evening we pray for God’s grace, for His care, for His love, for His salvation. Prayer is the highway to the throne, fervent prayer is the way to the heart of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, prayer and fasting opens our heart to hear the Word of the Lord. Let all followers of Jesus be in fervent prayer for our country, for her people, for our leaders. Let all followers of Jesus pray for justice, for repentance, for a return to God and pray that God will heal us, heal the people of this land, forgive us and may God heal our land. Praise be to God!

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# 23 2020 Dev. Hebrews 13:5.6  Be an Example! Read all of Ch.13. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Heb. 13:5,6 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”^{[a] 6} So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?”^[b]

The author of Hebrews makes his finals exhortations, he begins with the positive values of Christ: “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. ² Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. ³ Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” As followers of Jesus these are our values as well and they are a timely reminder for us in all we are experiencing right now.

He moves to what is able to destroy fellowship: sexual immorality and the love of money, two areas of life that are also destroying our communities today. He warns us against following false teaching that, still to this day, plague the church.

Instead he wants us to know that Jesus is faithful: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Our response should be as it was then: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Nothing happens unless God allows it, we do not need to fear or be worried, God is in control.

The author continues to show us that Jesus is the last and final sacrifice and  that we are strengthen by His grace. Through Christ we continually offer sacrifices to God in whatever we do in the name of Jesus and in proclaiming His name. “Preach always, use words if necessary. “

“Now may the God of peace, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

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# 21 2020 Dev. Hebrews 12. Be a Witness! Read all of Ch.12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Heb. 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”

The author of Hebrews point back to the “great cloud of witnesses” in chapter 11, as a way of encouraging his readers and also to encourage us. In many ways he begins with what appears to be confession of faith and a way to live out our faith as followers of Jesus.

After that introduction he moves on to the difficult subject of God disciplining his children. The author quotes Pr. 3:11,12 that tells us that a father disciplines the son he loves. There must have been persecution during this time and the author encourages them and us by asking for perseverance, “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.” Is that what is happening to us right now, will we come out stronger by the closure of our churches, will we come out of this as better people, will this “produce a harvest of righteousness”? Yes! We trust God for that.

Next he moves to the fifth warning in the book. “Live in peace with all men” (everyone), “be holy”, no sexual immorality, don’t compromise, we have not come to a mountain we cannot touch or hear commands that we cannot obey, no! “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³ to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.” That refers to us, the followers of Jesus, the church on earth and the church in heaven. What we are experiencing right now is temporary and will pass, remember that all of life is preparation for our service above. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our “God is a consuming fire.”

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Now is the time to live our faith in the face of all those around us, including our families and all who follow Jesus. Thanks be to God, he has called us to witness to  His Grace, amen!

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# 20 2020 Dev. Psalm 86:11. Mercy! Read all of Psalm 86. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 86:11 “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

Psalm 86 is a personal prayer and according to the title, a prayer of David. This Psalm is the only Psalm written by David in Book 3.

Vs.1-4 is David’s request to his God. It is a request that we may all identify with at any time there is trouble, disruption, or health issues in our lives. “Hear me, Lord”, “Guard my life”, “have mercy on me, Lord”, “Bring joy to your servant, Lord”

Vs.5-7 is a reminder of God’s grace and love. “When I am in distress, I call on you, because you answer me.” This reminds us as well.

Vs.8-10 is David praising God and is the center of this prayer.

Vs.11-13 is the part of this prayer that followers of Jesus need to pay attention to today. “Teach me your way, Lord,” God’s way is at risk in the church, and is almost non existence in secular society. “Give me an undivided heart,” there is so much competition for our dedication and devotion; politics, the environment, education, good paying jobs, all good things to be sure but are we keeping our hearts focused on Jesus? In our situation today are we able to focus on: “I will praise you, Lord my God, I will glorify your name”, I will acknowledge your “great love towards me” and your great salvation?

Vs. 14-17 is the conclusion of the prayer. No doubt, followers of Jesus have enemies; Satan want to destroy us. “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

That is what we hold on to and this is our prayer: “Hear me, Lord”, “Guard my life”, “You, Lord, are forgiving and good”, “Teach me your way, Lord”, “give me an undivided heart”, “I will praise you”, “have mercy on me, Lord” and “show your strength” in our behalf on our country and the world, “for you Lord have helped me and comforted me” Amen and amen.

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# 18 2020 Dev. Psalm 85:10,11. Glory! Read all of Psalm 85. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 85:10,11 “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.”

Psalm 85 is the second Psalm in this series, Ps. 84-89. It is a communal prayer and like we see in Ps. 84 there is conflict in the land. Vs. 1-3 are a reminder to God about His faithfulness in the past; “You showed favor, you restored, you forgave, you covered all our sins, you set aside and turned from your fierce anger.”

During this crippling time in our world; sickness, death and economic disaster, we identify with the Psalmist; we have been through difficult times in the past. Is it time to remember God’s goodness, God’s grace and His salvation that He has offered us before and continues to offer our land even now?

 Vs. 4-7 are a supplication to “God our Savior”: how long Lord, “restore” our land, will you be pleased with our land again? “revive us again that your people may rejoice in you”.  “Grant us your salvation”, according to “your unfailing love.”

This is a prayer we should be praying daily!

Vs. 8-9 are the Psalmist assurance that God will answer and that His people “will listen to what God the Lord says.” The people are assured of peace and of salvation “but let them not turn to folly”. “Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land”.

These promises are for us today as well, God is faithful but the psalmist gives us something more, God’s glory. Pray for God’s glory to return to our land!

This is God’s glory actively displayed: Vs. 10-13 “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.  Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.” God’s glory is displayed by an intimate relationship with Him and with each other.

We fervently pray for God’s glory to again grace our land and our lives. “God is faithful; He will do it”! Better days are ahead, amen.

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# 17 2020 Dev. Hebrews 8:12. Forgiveness! Read all of Ch. 8,9,10. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Heb. 8:12 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

We are taking these three chapters at one time because the author is using the proven method of instruction, known as repetition. At the same time, he is going deeper into the theme of Jesus as our High Priest and the Mediator of the New Covenant. The author is is writing to Jewish Christians who are being influenced by Judaizers; those who wanted to Judaize the Gospel. The New Covenant (New Testament) is like the Old Covenant but that Jesus is High Priest, Mediator and is the one time and only sacrifice that is required for the forgiveness of sins. This was already prophesied in the Old Testament; you can read it in Heb. 8:7-13 where the author quotes Jer. 31:31-34.

Chapter 9 compares worship in the earthly tabernacle(vs.1-10) with the worship in the heavenly temple (vs.11- 28). The end result is; “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸ so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” For followers of Jesus, Jesus has taken upon himself our judgment, sanctifying our souls. When He comes again our bodies will be renewed to immortal bodies reuniting body and soul once again, completing our salvation.

Chapter 10 again emphasizes faith, pointing back to Ch.9: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” If faith is needed it is now in the face of the uncertainty, we face at this time. We need to look past this disturbing virus situation and we need to look past this present life; this world is not our home, we “need to persevere, for, in just a little while he who is coming will come and will not delay but my righteous one will live by faith”.

The author of Hebrews gives us the heavenly view that followers of Jesus must always keep ahead of them: whatever happens is for our good and for the building of the Kingdom of God. Praise God, He is in control, Amen!

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