Devotional for June 12

May the Glory of the Lord Endure Forever

104 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.
32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.
35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 104:1-4, 24-35 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

There is no such thing as a muscle fairy. The only thing you will get from putting an iron plate under your pillow at night is a headache in the morning. We have a God that graciously provides us with all things, including the ability to work. There are no short cuts. Putting in the work is not supposed to be easy, and what comes fast often goes just as fast. Work is a gift from God to be received with thankfulness and executed in faithfulness. Honest work is not to be refused, nor is it to be done half-heartedly with murmuring, grumbling, and complaining. There is honor in all honest work done well. Set your heart on hearing our Lord Jesus Christ saying to you, “well done my faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master.” He will strengthen you and make you firm. Trust God always. Flee idolatry! Not just sticks and stones, but anything that is exalted above God is a false idol. Some worship strong muscles, others put their faith in science, and there be many who make money their idol and food their god. Purify our hearts, O Lord. That we may know and worship Thee the only true God. Jesus Christ our Lord lives! Let the whole earth be full of His glory. Dare to believe the gospel and grieve not the Holy Spirit.

Question

When is the most important time to praise the Lord?

Answer

It is extremely important to praise the Lord when we don’t feel like it (1 Samuel 30:6; Psalm 42:5). It is easy to praise the Lord when everything is going well, we have had plenty to eat, are pain free, and have slept well (Matthew 13:20-22; Mark 9:49-50). Just as it is easy to workout when you feel like working out, but consistency demands that we must be willing to workout sometimes even when we don’t feel like it (Philippians 4:4-8). Consistent workouts condition the body and consistent praise conditions the soul (James 5:13; Ephesians 5:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Jonah may have been able to shorten his three days in the belly of the fish had he remembered to call on the Lord sooner (Psalm 116:17; Jonah 2). The sacrifice of praise is offered based off of choosing faith in God over the council of contrary facts based off of the current temporary circumstances, which are what Jonah called “lying vanities” when compared to the knowledge of God (Mark 11:22-24; Hebrews 13:15, 11:6; Jonah 2:8; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 10:35-36). Fear not, because the Lord means to bless you (Luke 12:32-34; Revelation 2:8-11; Philemon1:25).

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration I may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.