Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 28:6-9
Ps 28:6-9
Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Eph 6:10-13
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Earlier in this same letter, Paul had prayed for the Ephesian church family that they would be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner being, so that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith. To be strong physically one must eat the right things, exercise, and then get rest. To be strong spiritually, one must feed on the word of God, use what we have learned from him, and then meditate and allow the Spirit to make his fruit grow within us. This takes faith.
Most people that I know want to be in control of their own lives. We want to think that we know what is best for us and we want to make it happen. A lot of books have been written about how we can be successful if we have the right positive attitude. Most of these imply that if we believe it strongly enough, we can make it happen in our lives. We control our own destiny. Believe in yourself.
Much of what is said in these books is from Scripture and is therefore true. The problem lies in the concept of the source of our strength and the ability to control things, that is self vs. God. We are told to think with a positive attitude. We are to rejoice always, we are to be an encouragement and inspiration to others around us, we are to make wise choices, and we need to believe in ourselves. But we must realize that the strength and the wisdom comes from God. All of our efforts are futile if we leave him and seeking his glory out of our thinking. Trust God!
O Lord God, it is mind boggling to sit and think about your majesty, your glory, and your eternal nature! It is impossible for me to understand your infinite wisdom, your absolute power, and your matchless love. What makes this even more difficult is to reconcile your greatness with the idea that you know me, my problems, my accomplishments, and that you actually care! Thank you! Give me a servant heart and a willing spirit to use my energy to help others, as they seek to find you and to serve you. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert