Devotional for April 24

The Lord Will Bless Both Small and Great Who Trust Him

115 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.
2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
9 O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
11 Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great. Psalm 115:1-13 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Blessed is the child that knows what the mercy of God must do for him or her. The curse of this fallen world has left us weak in the flesh, with depravity of soul, and alienated from God in spirit. Recognize the importance of the physical body to the spiritual life. The body is meant to be an instrument of righteousness rather than a facilitator of sin. Once you begin the journey to spiritual and physical fitness, you must never look back with desire for your old unhealthy ways. Athletic success is possible only with devotion to the sport being pursued. How much more deserving of whole-hearted devotion should be our pursuit of God? There really is no need to worry about anything if you will only believe the gospel.

Question

How important is it to trust the Lord?

Answer

Trust is the vital connection between belief and faith. Just as a person who can read, but doesn’t, is no better off than the person who can’t read, to believe without trust is no different than unbelief (Matthew 17:19-20). If you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (James 2:19), you must step up to trust Him (Romans 10:11) if you would be loosed from your unbelief (Luke 6:46-49; Mark 9:23-24; John 20:27-29; Luke 13:10-13; Jeremiah 17:7-8).

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that I, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ my Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen. from the Book of Common Prayer