Monday 14 Jan 2019

January 14: Psalm 37:1-6

Key Verse: Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Devotion:
It is hard to look at others who are certainly not Christians and see how they seem to enjoy a great life and then look back at yourself and think “am I doing it right?” But what we have to look at is not what they have nor what we do not have, but rather what the Lord could do for them or you. So many people have got the attitude that they have to “look after number one” and forget the rest of the world... How many times did you see Jesus just look out for himself whilst He was on earth? None. Instead, He would go out of His way to make sure others were the ones who heard the gospel and others were the ones to be encouraged as well. He did not leave His children out of things but earnestly went to help those who were seeking.

If you only spoke to someone once in a long while, could you call on them for help when you needed it most? I would be worried I could upset any friendship we may have through my asking something of them when I have previously left them out of my life. On the other hand, if I were in constant contact with someone, I would not be too worried about asking for help because I would know they probably knew of my situation before I asked. I would like to think they would actually help before I had to ask too. Do you see the difference between a close friendship and one that is almost an afterthought?

Christ wants us to be in a close and personal friendship with Him, one that we exercise every day and one that both sides can trust in. When we are in that sort of relationship with Him, we are able to ask and receive without question. Being in those relationships means the things we seek are bound to be the things He wants for us. To delight yourself in Him means you want to do the things He wants of you; in that case, when we ask, He will supply – because He knows we are doing His will! When we walk with Him, we can know He is with us and know He is supporting us. We can also know He will supply our needs, not those selfish wants of those around us, but our close personal needs with Him.

Points to Ponder:
Do you get jealous when you see bad people succeed?

Are you walking close to Christ?