Devotional for February 12

The Lord Has Ordained a Blessing

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. Psalm 133 (KJV)

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept my prayers; and because in my weakness I can do nothing good without you, give me the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments I may please you in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. Book of Common Prayer

The Morning Exhortation

Let us move onward to who we are in our Lord Jesus Christ. Know that He who has begun a good work in you will also see it to completion. The God of all hope and patience will certainly fill you with all joy and peace in believing. Abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and pray for guidance when standing before any fork in the road. No one is surprised by the blind man who drives himself over a cleft. Get out of the driver seat and trust God. Only by faith do we understand what cannot be understood otherwise. God is the source of all blessings small and great. All His spiritual blessings flow into our life by grace through the golden pipe of our obedience to His will. Obedience is the conductor and the sin of unbelief only hinders the flow of grace. Give the grace of God its free flow. Hold fast what is good and shun even the appearance of evil. Let us break down all that hinders grace by trusting God and having a willingness to do the work set before us. 

Question

How do we increase our joy and peace in believing?

Answer

By asking the Holy Spirit to show us any unbelief we harbor in the heart. If nothing is pressed upon our soul, then believe there is nothing. If after such a prayer though, we become aware of any hinderance, take immediately action. Repent. Then choose to rejoice in the hope of the gospel, which is a confident expectation of all the promised blessings of righteousness in Christ Jesus. Thus believing, our joy and peace will be made full.