Devotions (Page 7)

For Those Who Govern Give the king [knowledge of] Your judgments, O God,And [the spirit of] Your righteousness to the king’s son [to guide all his ways]. May he judge Your people with righteousness,And Your afflicted with justice. The mountains will bring peace and prosperity to the people,And the hills, in [the establishment of] righteousness. May he bring justice to the poor among the people,Save the children of the needyAnd crush the oppressor, Let them fear You [with awe-inspired reverence…

Waste Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached…that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of. Mark 14:9 Why did the Lord say this? Because the gospel is meant to produce this kind of action. This is what the gospel is for. The gospel is not just to satisfy sinners. Praise God, the sinner has his part. God meets his need and showers him with blessings; but that is, we may say, a blessed byproduct of the gospel and…

Hurry Up, Lord O God, come quickly to save me;O Lord, come quickly to help me! Let those be ashamed and humiliatedWho seek my life;Let them be turned back and humiliatedWho delight in my hurt. Let them be turned back because of their shame and disgraceWho say, “Aha, aha!” May all those who seek You [as life’s first priority] rejoice and be glad in You;May those who love Your salvation say continually,“Let God be magnified!” But I am afflicted and…

In Christ Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away. Romans 6:6 For years after my conversion I had been taught to “reckon.” But the more I reckoned I was dead to sin, the more alive to sin I clearly was! I simply could not believe myself dead, and I saw no way of producing death. Wherever I sought help from others I was told to read Romans 6:11,…

Deep Waters Save me, O God,For the waters have threatened my life [they have come up to my neck]. I have sunk in deep mire, where there is no foothold;I have come into deep waters, where a flood overwhelms me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;My eyes fail while I wait [with confident expectation] for my God. Those who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head;Those who would destroy me are…

For Those Who Stumble He is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory in exceeding joy. Jude 24 Here is a wonderful promise for us who have committed our lives into the hands of God. For our pathway towards “the presence of his glory” conceals many pitfalls, and he undertakes to guard us from these. When do we stumble? When, unaware of any obstruction, we strike our foot on something hidden…

The Shouting’s Just Begun Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered;Let those who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;As wax melts before the fire,So let the wicked and guilty perish before [the presence of] God. But let the righteous be glad; let them be in good spirits before God,Yes, let them rejoice with delight. Sing to God, sing praises to His name;Lift up a song for Him who rides through the…

All The Way The Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country….unto the land I will show thee. Genesis 12:2 This was the second call to Abram, for the first had come when he was in Mesopotamia “before he dwelt in Haran.”(Acts 7:2) Abram had gone forward from Chaldea, but not, it seems, far enough, and it is a solemn thought that no history is recorded of all the days he spent in Haran. But God persisted with…

Rooted He grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. Isaiah 51:2 Its roots are the means whereby a plant is nourished, the channel through which its life is derived. No plant can live without a root-system. Equipped with one it may survive in the most unpromising conditions. Isaiah’s words suggest that Jesus himself did not derive his life and strength from outward circumstances. Nor must we. If necessary we must…

God be gracious and kind-hearted to us and bless us,And make His face shine [with favor] on us— Selah. That Your way may be known on earth,Your salvation and deliverance among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God;Let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,For You will judge the people fairlyAnd guide the nations on earth. Selah. Let the peoples praise You, O God;Let all the peoples praise You. The earth…