Devotional for March 21

Only You, Lord, Make Me Dwell in Safety

4 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. Psalm 4 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Killing yourself to get more out of life is a silly way to live. Take the fight to the finish. Run the race to exhaustion. Swim the sea to the shore. In training however, it’s better to take the words of former 8-time Mr. Olympia, Lee Haney: “Stimulate, not annihilate!” Wisdom and prudence are required for both physical gains and godly living. Wisdom teaches us the fear of the Lord, which is a motivating deep love and reverent awe of God that naturally causes the heart to abhor pride, arrogance, and all evil. Prudence instructs us to be diligent about forsaking all sin, or it will ensnare, hinder, and enslave us. Keep the dead flies of sin out of your ointment or else it will cause you to stinketh (sometimes the King James spelling is needed). Praise God for Christ Jesus! By His crucifixion, we too have died to sin. By His resurrection, we have a new life to live for God. Let striving in our your strength cease and take your rest in the grace of Christ alone. God is good today, all day, tomorrow, and forever. If you will believe, you definitely will see it.

Question

Why do we worry about this and that?

Answer

It is easy to worry when we look at the magnitude of our problems or the size of our adversaries when we are like grasshoppers by comparison. Flip the focus. All the giants in the world set against us are nothing in comparison to the infinite God who loves us.

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring us again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. from the Book of Common Prayer