Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 21:1-7
Ps 21:1-7
1 O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give! 2 You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 3 You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. 4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him--length of days, for ever and ever. 5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. 6 Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. 7 For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.
1 Thess 5:15-18
15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
What a Psalm of thanksgiving! We celebrate Thanksgiving in November each year and somehow think we have done our duty. There are still some people who take time to offer a prayer of thanksgiving at some (or all) of their meals but this is not nearly as common as it was a few years ago. We have so much for which to be thankful and yet, most of us do not do it often enough.
Jesus came upon ten lepers who wanted to be healed. He told them to go to the priests and show themselves, according to the Law of Moses. On the way there, the ten were healed of their leprosy. Only one of them, a Samaritan, returned to thank the Lord. He asked: “Were there not ten who were healed, and only this foreigner returned to give thanks? Where are the other nine?” This story is recorded to teach us not to take things for granted but to be thankful.
While this is being read by people from several nations, most are blessed with an abundance of material possessions and many freedoms in our lives. For those of us who have this, we need to be thankful. All of us, in every nation, can enjoy the spiritual freedoms from sin in Jesus Christ and we surely should be thankful for this. This gives us a spiritual family for which we are also thankful.
O Lord God, my heavenly Father, I am thankful that I can be a part of your family and have the encouragement of so many brothers and sisters from all over the world. I thank you for the local church where I attend and the support they give me as I seek to serve you. Most of all, I am thankful for your grace and the ability to be forgiven. I know that I do not deserve it; I never did and I can never repay you for your love. Lord, I don’t want to be proud but have a giving spirit and a willingness to help others when I can. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
