Devotional for July 29

The Joy of the Lord Is Our Strength

98 O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
2 The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5 Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.
7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
9 Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. Psalm 98 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Yesterday is gone forever. Don’t allow it to distract you from the now. Ready or not, tomorrow stands at the door. Take the discomfort necessary to be ready for it, or you will be forced to suffer the greater pain born from procrastination later. Do not deceive yourself by saying in your heart “when the time is right, I will live wholly for the Lord.” Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ with your whole heart right now, then step out in faith and obedience. We don’t need to rely on our own strength to do this. The needed grace for the humble is both a precept and a promise. Our part is to willfully consent to be humble, and the promise is that God will make us so. The hand of faith can only receive what the eye of faith sees as the will of God. Humble yourself by depending on God to provide all the grace you need to do His good, pleasing, and perfect will. 

Question

What is important?

Answer

Knowing your place is important (Scripture). In 100 years, only a few of us will be remembered by those who come after (Scripture). That is not important though (Scripture). Knowing our place requires us to love much (Scripture). Knowing our place calls for us to accept the responsibility to do what we can for God and others (Scripture). Indeed, we will be accountable to God whether we choose to accept this responsibility or not (Scripture). God requires that we love Him with all our heart and Gabriel the Archangel can do no more than that (Scripture). Greatness doesn’t matter at all (Scripture). The particulars of our individual call are unique, but the general call of God is the plain command to do what we can (Scripture).      

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

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon all your faithful people your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.