Devotional for January 7

He Has Shown the Wonders of His Unfailing Love

19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city. Psalm 31:19-21 (KJV)

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

The Morning Inspiration

Fitness has two parts: things we need to do, and things we need to stop doing. Most everyone already knows which is which. The universal human condition is not so much a lack of the knowledge of what is right, as it is a lack of the ability to do what is known to be right. Now if we don’t do what we know to be right, that is sin. To be free from this invisible bondage of sin requires a power higher than self. Attempting to be free of sin by self-effort is like attempting to put out a fire with gasoline. This a tried to do for more than 20 years, but the natural outcome of self-help is the vanity of running around with clothes on fire. Surrendering all to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is the better way. Both the will and the wisdom that enables us to choose Jesus Christ are gifts from Almighty God. The will of our Father in heaven is to give us the kingdom wherein we are taken up into the divine love shared between the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This precious gift is ours if we only will to receive it. God is waiting to enable us to love Him with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength. This in turn produces the fruit of the Spirit causing us to love our neighbor as we love ourself. This divine love causes other fruits of the Spirit, joy, peace, gentleness, and patience are also seen and experienced in abundance. All that is in the world tends to be over-hyped, but there are no limits in God. It is impossible to even comprehend all the goodness that is God. Woe to the one who refuses the love of God, sad is the one who lingers, and tragic is the one who turns back. Ask the Lord to search your heart to make known to you any wrong in what you eat, what you do, or what you think. Then confess, repent, and believe for the sanctification by the Spirit promised before the foundation of the world to all who believe. Do not fear the consequences. That is only the last ditch effort of the enemy of our soul trying to turn us away from destruction. Trust in God. Come what may, hold firmly to the assurance of faith that His staff and His rod will take care of you. Be courageous and rest under the mighty hand of God. Walk in the newness of life provided by the grace of Jesus Christ to the glory of our Heavenly Father.

Today’s Question to Consider

Many saints throughout the ages have walked this path before us. Who encourages you the most by his or her example?