Devotional for April 18

The Lord Will Fulfill His Purpose For Me

138 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. Psalm 138 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

The Lord is risen (Matthew 28:1-8)! God has made known to us the ways of life and filled us full of joy in His presence (2 Peter 1:3-13; Proverbs 2:3-6). Don’t waste your time and money chasing after magic beans (Proverbs 13:11). Eyes on the prize, shoulder to the wheel, hands on the plow, and work for the harvest (Matthew 9:35-38; John 6:28-29). Count your blessings by starting with what you have been taking for granted (Psalm 115:1). Consider to glorify God as the purpose of your multitude of blessings (Psalm 50:23). To do otherwise would be to steal the glory rightful due to the Lord (Isaiah 42:8-10; 1 Corinthians 4:7, 3:6-7). God forbid that we be like the unprofitable servant (Matthew 25:14-30), or an unfaithful steward, for the day will surely come when we will be called to account for our stewardship of all that God has given us in this life (Luke 16:1-2, 10-12). Life has no higher bliss than to do God’s will and glorify Him forever (Revelation 4:8-11). In the space of as little as 100 years, all besides will be proven to be plain vanity (Psalm 90:12; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Bless the Lord while it is today (Hebrews 13:15), and may all things praise His holy name (Psalm 115:1, 96:9-11,103:19-22, 107:2-8, 118:24).

Question

What’s love got to do with it?

Answer

Only this: that love cannot be forced, or it is no longer love (Matthew 23:37). Love has to be a free choice (Leviticus 19:5; Matthew 22:1-14). We get only this life to get it right (Psalm 32:9). The choice we make here on earth will be the same one we carry into eternity (Revelation 22:11-12, 17, 20-21).

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

Almighty and everlasting God, grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. from the Book of Common Prayer