Devos 365

Psalm 138 Of David. 1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; 2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. 3 On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased. 4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, 5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. 6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. 8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. I try to stay out of the fray of the political circus we...

1 Peter 1:13-16 13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” I’ve always found these four verses of Scripture to be challenging, inspiring, and intimidating – in equal measure. There’s a call to action in the very beginning of this passage that cannot be discounted or ignored. “… preparing your minds for action” . We have been made part of God’s Kingdom, through the power and work of the Holy Spirit. In Him we are brought to faith. But it doesn’t end there. While we have no part in our salvation, we do take on some responsibility when it comes to living our faith on the outside. There are six characteristic we have to own as functioning C...

1 Peter 1:10-12 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. Throughout the Old Testament, we have voices of the prophets telling God’s people what was coming – The Messiah, promised to Adam and Eve. While there are a few prophecies that pain a picture of a suffering Messiah, (specifically Isaiah 53) I doubt if any of them could have imagined the reality of Christ’s crucifixion. When the Old Testament prophets thought about the coming Messiah, the One who would crush Satan’s head, they perhaps had a powerful s...