Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Renewal

Focus verses: Psalm 118

This psalm contains some of my favorite lines of scripture. It begins with "His love endures forever." That is such a comfort.

When God loves you, He never stops loving you. If you are disobedient and willful, He loves you. Even when you reject Him, He loves you. When He has to let you suffer the consequences of your own actions, He loves you. When you love Him and obey Him, you can enjoy the fact that He loves you and revel in His blessings.

God's love is the basis for all our confidence. If God be for us, who can stand against us? The ultimate victory is ours. The enemy may win a skirmish here and there, but the victory is the Lord's. When we are on His side, we cannot lose.

The assurance that the Lord is always victorious give us the strength to go forward, singing songs of His praise. We can sing, even in times of trouble and grief because the victory belongs to the Lord, not to the enemy.

Man's opinion does not count in God's world. It is God's opinion that defines who we are and what we can do. While we do not completely disregard the opinions of others, it is God's word that must define our thoughts and actions. It is God who will reward the deeds we do.

Our job is to take possession of today. God's mercies are new every morning. So today we will rejoice in Him and His provision for our lives. We cannot wallow in the regrets of yesterday. There is nothing we can do to change what has already been done. We cannot worry about tomorrow, we don't have the leisure to speculate on what if this or that. It is today that counts. We need to go about our business, singing the praises of the Lord today. He knows what tomorrow will bring and has already made provision for that as well.

We do well to "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."

Father, God,

Help us to cultivate an attitude of gratitude for all that You are and all that You do for us. We forget that our next breath is a gift from You. Grant that we may always remember all Your mercies.
In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

1 comment:

Shadia said...

What a glorious reminder! I'm printing this and putting it in my journal as an encouragement and reminder that I need not shrink back when trials come; the ultimate victory is ours in Christ Jesus! Amen!