Devotional for July 4

Remember the Lord Always

23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. Psalm 22:23-31 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

With all the easy ways to get six pack abs advertised on television, you would think more people would have six pack abs. These slick advertisements are designed to produce a sight based pseudo-faith in whatever is being sold. The problem with a sight based pseudo-faith is that it is easily convinced to give a thing a try, but rapidly evaporates unless results are seen immediately. True faith comes from believing God before you see any physical evidence of His promise. That feeling of “I can’t do it” loses its sting when it is seen in the light of the Gospel for what it truly is….nothing more than a reminder of our total dependence on Christ our Redeemer. A life lived in one’s own strength is full of weakness even for the strongest man. As we grow in the knowledge of God, our dependence on the indwelling Spirit of Christ becomes greater and greater while our confidence and dependence on anything else becomes less and less. To exchange my weakness for Thy strength? So be it Lord! I humbly accept my total dependence on my God with joy, thanksgiving, and praise. There is no independence without a total dependence on God. Settle the issue once and for all…everything that is contrary to the word of God amounts to a lying vanity. It doesn’t matter how physically real something may be, “Thus saith the Lord…” that is enduring truth. All that offends is destined for the fire. 

Question

Why is faith in God necessary?

Answer

Faith is necessary because it allows us to choose (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). The day will come when each of us will no longer have a choice about whether or not to bow before the throne of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5-11; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Those who choose to have faith in God during this present life will be rewarded (Hebrews 11:6), and those who refuse will be lost forever (Hebrews 2:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:11-12; Matthew 13:40-43). Knowing our place in this lower animal kingdom is easy to see, but knowing our place in the higher spiritual kingdom of God requires faith (Ephesians 2:1-9; John 3:30; Psalm 107:2; 2 Corinthians 13:12-14).

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

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant that all of us may be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.