Devotional for April 28

The Lord Almighty Is With Us

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Psalm 46:1-7 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Life is but an empty soap bubble waiting to burst without God dwelling in the heart. Physical appearance in its best state is but a fleeting vanity fair. Hitch your hope to that wagon, and time will cause you to suffer a million tiny deaths before you die. Looking good is great, but without good health it profits nothing. A good looking corpse is as dead as an ugly one. The skillful hands of a plastic surgeon may enhance the illusion, but such vanity never leads to lasting happiness. It is pride that causes us to exaggerate the importance of looking good. It is envy and pride that causes us to compare ourselves with others and to feel bad when we judge them better than ourselves. Christ Jesus died on the Cross so we could be free from the bondage and burden of all such errors of the heart like envy, pride, and pretense. The wisdom of humility is offered to us when we are placed into a right relationship with God. Fix your eyes on Jesus and turn from vanity and evil. By faith working through love, comes a sure hope in God. Faith, love, and hope filling the heart sets the fear of the Lord before our eyes as a protective boundary to help guard us along the way. And these are the signs of those who love the Lord: they obey His commandments and they bear the fruits of the Spirit.

Question

How do we obtain to such spiritual heights promised in the Gospel?

Answer

Striving must cease (Psalm 39:4-7). If we could do it ourselves, we won’t need a savior (Matthew 19:23-26). Pride is the great hardening agent of the unbelieving heart (Hebrews 3:7-19). Hear the promise of the spiritual gift we all need: Seek to know God (Jeremiah 29:11-13; Proverbs 23:26; Psalm 27:8), give Him your heart (Psalm 32:9; Proverbs 3:4-8), and He will surely make Himself known to you (Ephesians 2:1-5; John 14:21-22; Revelation 3:19-22; Luke 12:32).

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