Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 33:1-5
Ps 33:1-5
Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
Phil 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Worship should be a celebration! Not because it makes us feel good or for any physical benefit, but because we are thrilled to be able to show our love and appreciation for an awesome God. Worship should be an expression from our hearts about how we feel about God. When we worship in this way, we will look forward to being with other saints to join them in praise. We will find it a privilege and not a chore. It is not just rituals and recitation but outpouring of the heart.
Jesus told the woman at the well that we are to worship in spirit and in truth. This has often been used as a “proof text” to show that we must worship in the right way, as given in scripture. I agree that God dictates how we are to worship, and we must do it his way, but I think Jesus is saying that worship must be from the heart and be genuine, not just a put-on show. When we truly love God and stand in awe of him, our praise and worship is an outpouring of the heart that cannot be kept inside. We feel the need to let it out in song as we praise our Lord!
We will usually get out of a worship service equal to what we put into it. When we go to church and sit on a pew like a knot on a log, we will get nothing from it and go away critical of the whole thing. When we focus on Jesus and the Father, we will sing from the heart and we will pray from the depths of our souls, and we will listen intently as we study his word, and in turn we will be lifted up.
O Lord God, thank you for all you do for me. You have done more than I can even know, let alone count. Thank you for all the spiritual blessings in Jesus and the loving family this gives me. Thank you for your redemption in Jesus from my sin and the freedom of heart and mind this gives me. Thank you for the many times you have lifted me up emotionally and helped me get through the tough times in my life. Thank you for all of the physical blessings you have showered on me, family, friends, and lots of things to enjoy. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
