September 11: Psalms 68 24-27
Key Verse: Psalms 68 25
The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.
Devotion:
When was the last time you went singing into school, work or even church? We read about how people sing and worship God through song and music and yet we don’t think too much about the application of song in our own lives. Yes we sing in church as we worship God which is wonderful; but when did you last worship Him through song outside of church?
In 2 Chronicles 20 we see how the Israelites sung before going into battle and God gave them the victory. Here in Psalms 68 we see how singers and musicians went into the temple to praise God first. Song and music is being used to give God the glory before worship begins and before we bring our requests to God; not the other way round! We need to lift God up before we expect Him to answer all our prayers…
When God sees we are willing to give Him the glory before others and to show we are not ashamed, He will show His mercy to those who are worshipping Him. This is true no matter whether we are going to work, finding life difficult, on top of the world or wherever we are; if we are willing to give glory to God we will find out just how faithful and just He really is.
Too many times in our lives we do not remember the awesome power of God, so we try to figure things out for ourselves or go ahead and try accomplish things by ourselves. We are reminded all throughout scripture about the power of God. All we have to do is to take that step of faith and believe that His mercy, grace and strength are sufficient for our every need. When Jesus talked about being with us it was not just Him being beside us and giving us a gentle nudge now and again, He would be in our midst with all His power and might! God is looking after us in a mighty way... We just need to open our eyes to it!
Points to Ponder:
Do you fight with truth or strength?
Will you give your fight to God first?
September 10: Exodus 34 1-9
Key Verse: Exodus 34 6
And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
Devotion:
Right from the beginning of time (as we know it), God has wanted us to know of His mercy and His love towards us. When Moses had broken the first tablets, God wanted him to know He was merciful, gracious, longsuffering, full of the truth, but there would be a portion of wrath for those who just would not listen. God was willing to forgive the Children of Israel back in those times, even after they had sinned so much and had started worshipping other gods right in front of Him! God wanted them to know mercy. God wanted them to be able to see real forgiveness.
If you wanted to teach someone good from bad, you may allow them to get into a bit of bother just so you can show them the good side after they have experienced the bad side. This is not being unkind, it’s being realistic! God wanted forgiveness to be a part of our lives, not just something He would be handing out to us all the time. He wanted us to make sure we made it a central part of our Christian lives.
We see throughout the Bible how mercy is something shown by the strong over or to the weak, by the rich over the poor, by people on the inside to people on the outside. It is not about being in control but rather about giving control to the people you want to experience grace and mercy.
God is all powerful, there is none stronger. We are the weak ones that give in to temptations all the time. God can and does show us His great bountiful mercy all the time – we just need to open our eyes to see it! Once we open our eyes we will see His amazing love stretch out further toward us than ever before.
Points to Ponder:
Do you like being forgiven?
Is there anything greater than God’s forgiveness?
September 9: Proverbs 8 12-21
Key Verse: Proverbs 8 17
I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.
Devotion:
We cannot hope to obtain wisdom without first trying to look for it. Here in these passages we read a good description of a wisdom which is good, not all the knowledge of the stock markets or how to fix cars or operate on people; we are talking about something more. Without it, none of the above would be possible. Without it, nobody would be able to do anything.
So what is this wisdom? Where does it come from? What makes it so special?
There is nothing that we can learn that we cannot learn from God. There is nothing that we can do that we cannot do through God. There is nothing that we can find that we cannot find through Jesus. The place to start looking is within the Bible. If we are able to find out the will of God in our lives, then we are one step closer to finding the wisdom that He wants each of us to attain for His glory. Once we are able to understand what it is that God wants in our lives, we will be able to live that life for Him.
Once we start living that life for Him, then we shall find all sorts of things start to go our way. We will find all sorts of things start to happen to help us in leading that life. We will find that we are more able to understand His word when it is to do with what He wants us to do in our lives. When we seek this wisdom, He will supply more than just earthly wisdom for us. He will show us how much He loves us simply because we are returning some of the love that He has already shown to us.
So the question should really be ‘Who is this Wisdom?’ This Wisdom is Jesus Christ and this description is all about Jesus Christ. When we gain Jesus, the world opens up to us and we have work to do with Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are wise?
Will you seek Christ instead of ‘the answer’?
September 8: Psalms 19 12-14
Key Verse: Psalms 19 14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
Devotion:
Another song from the past highlighting God as the power behind us as well as our Saviour. Who else is going to understand why we do things wrong other than the One who made us? Who else is going to be able to help us out when we are pulled down into the sinking sand of sin? Who else is going to know the secret sins that we get up to?
Many times in our lives we do fall into the sinking sand of sin and there is nobody around us to help us because we are keeping it all to ourselves. We don't want others to know about it. The only one that does know and the only one that will help you out at that time is the Lord.
One of the best ways to let the Lord explain things to us is to read His word and allow Him to help explain it to us. When we read the Bible, the Lord will help to explain our faults to us through the words that we read. The Lord will explain more than just our faults when we meditate on His word because He wants us to be encouraged and not discouraged. Instead of just reading through the words, start to think about the words. Read a bit slower and allow the Lord to explain your life, your errors, your good things, and your secrets to you as you read. The Lord wants each of us to grow stronger by understanding what we should be doing in our lives.
The only way that we are going to learn is by letting Him explain it to us. And the only way that we are going to get that to happen is by meditating on His Word. Don’t just listen to it. Don’t just read it. Don’t just look at it. Let God open it up to you as you accept it into your heart.
Points to Ponder:
How much of your bible have you read today?
How did you read it?
September 7: Psalms 70 1-5
Key Verse: Psalms 70 4
Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!”
Devotion:
These word remind me of the chorus that I have sung on summer camps many years ago. The Psalmist writes here about being poor and needy. When we are feeling down and in need of cheering up, there is not much more that can cheer you up than a good song. Now I am not talking about the strange lyrics that come out of the mouths of some of the pop singers of today... I am talking about making a joyful noise to the Lord. If we want to be happy, what better way than to ask the ultimate power in our universe to cheer you up by singing praises to Him.
No, I am not talking about flattering God! I am talking about giving Him the respect and love that is due to Him because of the respect and love that He has already shown to us! This means backing up our words we sing with actions in our lives to show God we mean what we sing. That can be difficult when you sing words inviting God to take you deeper than you have been before; because God will do it!
We always like to think others around us should be helping us, but think about the Lord for He is always with us and always willing to help us out. We may have friends round, but they may not be willing to go that extra mile to truly help us out. But the Lord is willing to go all the way with you to make sure that you know just how much He does love you. What better way than showing the Lord that you love Him by praising Him continually?
Despite the words of this psalm, it is not your position to bring others down to our level of feeling just because they are persecuting us. When we are trapped by others trying to encourage us into doing something that we ought not to, then we must turn to the Lord and ask for a little help from Him. There is nothing wrong in asking Him to put a stop to the annoyances from others.
Points to Ponder:
What was the last song you listened to?
Is it praising or blaming others?