Devotional for July 25

This Is the Day the Lord Has Made

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:
20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:19-24 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

To be born again means to be fully alive. Just as we can be here in America and at the same time be present in Thailand with a video chat, so too do we inhabit this physical world while simultaneously being seated spiritually with Christ in the Kingdom of God. The vain dream of the natural man is being able to just sit around all day counting his money without a problem in the world. While being alive spiritually means come rain or come shine, we have learned to trust the Lord. Faith allows us to either be the hammer or the anvil as God commands. And we know and depend on the grace of God to lovingly care for us always. Let His peace rule in the heart. He is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, and He is more than willing to provide for all the needs of His children. Nothing is impossible for God and no good thing does He withhold from those who love Him. Take your eyes off the visible and enter His courts with praise and thanksgiving. Sow with tears if need be. God will wipe away every tear and bring you in with a bountiful harvest.

Question

Why obey God?

Answer

Obeying God is the only real proof that we know God (Scripture). To know God is to love God (Scripture), and to love God is to obey God (Scripture). God is absolutely good (Scripture). God is love (1 John 4:7). Every normal human parent will make sure that everything is as good for a beloved child as possible according to the parent’s knowledge, ability, and resources (Scripture). God is far better than the best of human parents could ever be (Scripture). God has perfect knowledge of the past, present, and future (Scripture). God has unlimited ability to speak and create just as easily as we can speak and blink (Scripture). There is no such thing as scarcity for God, as He has unlimited resources far beyond what we can imagine or think (Scripture). God is also just and a consuming fire (Scripture). We either come to see the light of the gospel and participate in God’s great program for salvation (Scripture) or we remain in darkness condemned to be cast away forever (Scripture). Woe to those who refuse the carrot of God’s grace (Scripture), and thereby choose the stick of eternal damnation (Scripture). 

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

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know my necessities before I ask and my ignorance in asking: Have compassion on my weakness, and mercifully give me those things which for my unworthiness I dare not, and for my blindness I cannot ask; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.