Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 15:1-5
Ps 15:1-5
1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? 2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart 3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, 4 who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, 5 who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
1 Peter 1:20-23
20 He was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
To be in perfect harmony with God, we must love like God because God is love. Paul says we are to be imitators of God and love one another. The fruit of the Spirit in us begins with love and Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all our being and then love one another. John says we are liars if we say we love God but do not love our fellowman. Perfected love takes away all fear.
But John says if we love God, we will keep his commandments. The Psalmist asks who can be in fellowship with God and then replies it is the one who loves others as God loves us. This is in accord with the judgment scene pictured by Jesus when people are divided like sheep and goats, based on how they have treated others and seen to the needs of those being afflicted and in need. Love never fails.
Now back up a moment in our thinking. We are saved by faith. This is a complete trust that is conjoined with obedience. In other words, we are seeking to be just like God in our thinking and therefore in our every action. We seek to be all we can be to honor and glorify God and to do what is best for others around us.
Heavenly Father give me faith enough to give up my love for self and to put you ahead of me in all things. Help me consider others better than myself and to look out for their good ahead of my own. Fill me with your Spirit so that your love will be perfected in me and then overflow to all around me. Be with those who are sick and those who are taking treatments that they can have your healing. Use me how you want me to be used to help others and to honor you. Help me be like Barnabas, an encourager to all those around me. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
