Devotionals

Today's Bible Reading: Joshua 3-5, Psalm 73, Mark 1:9-20, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Psalm 73: Have you ever felt as if the people who really have all the fun are those who are not following God? That is the feeling that this psalmist was wrestling with. He starts out by stating the pious truth that he knows he should believe: “Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart” (73:1). But soon enough the reality comes in hard. Why? “I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (73:3). How is it that all those who do not follow God manage to do so well in life if it is really true that the “pure in heart” are so blessed by God? In his dismay at the reality of the prosperity of the wicked, the psalmist then goes to great length to record just how prosperous they are! (73:4-12). This description culminates…

Today's Bible Reading: Joshua 1-2, Psalm 72, Mark 1:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:1-17 Psalm 72: This is apparently a prayer “of David” (72:20) about his Solomon (“the royal son,” 72:1). There are three themes of this prayer: justice, blessing, and kingdom expansion globally. The first central theme of this prayer is “justice”: “Give the king your justice, O God” (72:1) “May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!” (72:2) “Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!” (72:3) “May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!” (72:4) “For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their…

Today's Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 33-34, Psalm 71, Matthew 28:11-20, Romans 16  Psalm 71: When you are attacked as a young man or woman, you have certain advantages. To begin with, you are strong. You fear less the actual physical attack, or the hidden insinuated physical attack, that lies behind the words of slander or accusation. Plus, as a young person you have more emotional reserves. True, you do not have the experience to know that a particular way of acting is likely to lead to a particular kind of result; you have less experience because you have lived less long. But you do have a greater ability to bounce back. You are less plagued by sleeplessness. You can work out you anger with physical exercise, going for a run or playing some anaerobic sport or other. Yet most of all, a young person when under attack has the advantage of time. If this battle…

Today's Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 70, Matthew 28:1-10, Romans 15:14-33 Psalm 70: Jesus teaches us that we should always pray and not give up. And it is the experience of many a godly man and woman that prayer is to be persevered in, not merely played with. And yet, it is also a worthy desire to ask God to answer your prayers speedily. Such is this prayer here in this psalm. David is asking that God move quickly or hastily: “Make haste O God” (70:1); “make haste to help me” (70:1); “hasten to me, O God” (70:5); “O Lord, do not delay” (70:5). Is there something on your mind this morning that requires not only God’s intervention but his speedy intervention? If so, take courage in both hands, and in the name of Christ and with the boldness that can only come through his grace fulfilled in Christ’s redemptive blood, ask God to…

Today's Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 29-31, Psalm 69:19-36, Matthew 27:57-66, Romans 15:1-13Psalm 69:19-36:This second section of the psalm continues its focus upon “salvation” (see verses 29 and 35). It begins with a mournful plea to God: “You know my reproach.” Take comfort if you are in difficulties that God knows. Your pain is not hidden from him; your sorrows are not invisible to him. He knows. And he cares!But the most striking part of this second section of Psalm 69 is no doubt the middle portion from verses 22 to 30. What are we to make of it? David says, “Let their own table before them become a snare.”That itself is not too hard to swallow, perhaps. David is asking that the moral order of the universe would be upheld by God. We would rather David had prayed for his enemies for them to be saved. We would rather he had loved his enemies. But this part…

Today's Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 27-28, Psalm 69:1-18, Matthew 27:45-56, Romans 14Psalm 69:1-18:David is asking to be “saved” (69:1, 13, 35; cf. 69:18). This is the theme throughout this psalm: salvation. But salvation from what and by whom? It’s one thing to know that you are in trouble and you need help. It is another thing to get the help that you need. Perhaps you are in a situation where you are longing for some sort of solution to the problems you face. But where is that help going to come from? What steps do you need to take to secure that help? Where will the help come from? David dramatically and passionately turns to God to be saved. “Save me, O God!” He “sinks in deep mire”; he has come into “deep waters.” His eyes “grow dim.” Why? What is going on? He has people who “hate him without cause.” In fact, his enemies…

Today's Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 22-26, Psalm 68, Matthew 27:27-44, Romans 13 Psalm 68: When you think of God, what comes into your mind? A.W. Tozer once said that the the answer to that question is the most important thing to know about yourself or anyone else. For many people today, when they think of God, the immediate word association is “love.” That is not surprising or wrong, for after all, God is a God of love. Other people—those who are not Christians—when they think of God might think “myth” or “fairytale.” What is unlikely to be thought of God by many today is the word that represents the theme of this psalm. Namely, “power.” “Summon your power, O God, the power, O God, by which you have worked for us…” (68:28) “Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies…” (68:34) “The God of Israel –…

Today's Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 18-21, Psalm 67, Matthew 27:11-26, Romans 12:9-21 Psalm 67: The psalm begins with a reflection on the famous Aaronic blessing that God commanded the priests to bless his people with (Numbers 6:22-27). But now this psalm is interpreted in a missionary context. This blessing is “that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations” (67:2). The blessing of God, then, is for the salvation of people. Is that how we think of our blessings? Is that how we think of what it means to ask God to bless us and make his face to shine upon us? God blesses us that we might be a vehicle of evangelism, mission, and blessing to all the nations. What is more, this blessing is for the joy of all nations. “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy” (67:4). Too often do we interpret God-centeredness with moroseness,…