Devotional for May 2

God is All Knowing, All Powerful, and All Good

139 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:1-10 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Exercise the grace of faith by waiting on the Lord with eager expectation for His fulfillment of His precious promises. Hunger and thirst to have Christ live in your heart. Stop wrestling with the Lord and go to work resisting the devil by faith putting on the whole armor of God. Lift up your heart to the Lord and seek the light of His countenance in all things. Then ask God for what you need. He will knock flat the walls that hinder you, cleanse your heart and mind from destructive thoughts, and be your strength and shield. Ask, and let the thoughts of your mind, the words of your mouth, and the meditation of your heart be pleasing to God. Ask, and believe that He will fulfill your request because of His righteous character revealed in your heart, which produces in you the obedience of faith to His everlasting Word. We may sometimes lack comfort and ease, but the one who has the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit already has the highest possible good there ever has been, is now, and will ever be.

Question

What is strength?

Answer

Strength is the ability to do and re-do as necessary (Isaiah 40:30-31). Rely on your own strength, and the Lord has warned us that it must eventually fail (Proverbs 24:10; Matthew 7:24-29; Proverbs 20:27-29, 18:14). Rely on your own strength, and that is all you will have (Isaiah 50:10-11). Deny self, pick up your cross, and follow Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:25). Do not be like the horse or mule that have no understanding (Psalm 32:8-9). Make the joy of the Lord your strength (Philippians 3:13-15) and do all for the glory of God (Nehemiah 8:10; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

I thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered me from the dominion of sin and death and brought me into the kingdom of your Son; and I pray that, as by his death he has recalled me to life, so by his love he may raise me to eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. from the Book of Common Prayer