Devotional for January 28

God Gives Power and Strength to His People

32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:
33 To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God. Psalm 68:32-35 (KJV)

The Prayer for This Week

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Book of Common Prayer

The Morning Inspiration

Here is wisdom: give up what you cannot keep to gain what you cannot lose. Giving up our selfishness is the only way to enter into the Kingdom of God. The Master has commanded us to deny self, pick up our cross, and follow Him. The only way to obey this is to stop living for our own self-interest. Our secular educational system from elementary to post-graduate is focused on strengthening self while ignoring God. The cardinal mind of the self-life is the enemy of our soul that the Bible calls the flesh. It is deadly because it cannot agree with the Word of God. When the flesh reins in the heart, the ultimate counsel of the cardinal mind is to always walk by sight. Allowing what you see in the mirror to discourage you is a perfect example of the type of persuasion born of the cardinal mind. If the reflection is pleasing on the other hand, the cardinal mind will with equal ease puff up the heart with pride. Who will free us from this body of death? Take your eyes off the pool searching for evidence of its stirring. Rather, fix your eyes on Jesus, and cast down every thought and imagination the cardinal mind offers that exalts itself above the Word of God. Be strong and courageous. With praise and thanksgiving, go to work with eager expectation based on the Word and not what you see. This is the walking by faith that the Holy Bible teaches us. The rule in the Kingdom is this: according to your faith will it be done unto you. Know without doubting that what is seen will surely catch up to our faith in due time. The safeguard against abusing the privilege to ask for whatsoever we want is in the motive. Asking for something to simply gratify self is to tempt God. 

Today’s Question to Consider

Knowing that all the promises of God are “yes and yes” in Christ Jesus, what will you ask God for today?