Devotional for July 31

The Lord Preserves His Saints Forever

27  Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Psalm 37:27-33 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

It’s crazy to believe you can have the fruits of perseverance without the testing of your determination. He who wins is the one who keeps his hand on the plow when it hurts. He who loses gives up and turns back before reaching the end of the row. So press on, fight on, struggle on, accept the pain, and know that all who remain standfast in Christ have already won! Remember that no matter what comes or doesn’t come, Almighty God is your sustainer. He alone is worthy of complete trust. Depend only on Him and all that happens will only increase the strength of your faith. Faith can only be exercised when our interpretation of reality contradicts the word of God. The word of God is completely reliable. Doubt your doubts that arise only from fallible human reasoning, deceivable physical senses, interpretations based on limited information, or the feelings triggered by circumstances. Indeed, this is the only time when faith can be expressed externally by our words and deeds. Blessed are all who speak and do the word of God in the face of trials. We may have to sow in righteousness with tears, but we have a divine guarantee to reap a bountiful harvest with great joy. 

Question

Why must we be born again?

Answer

Imagine the earth breaking free of its orbit around the sun and spinning out into the darkness of other space (Scripture). Physical life on earth may continue for a short period of time in such a case, but essentially it would be dead as soon as it starts moving away from the sun (Scripture). Trapped on a dying planet heading into the dark abyss, self on the throne of the heart makes it impossible to reverse course (Scripture).  The salvation plan of God is to restore fallen humanity to its proper orbit by creating it anew (Scripture. Because death came to all as a result of the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden, this new creation requires being spiritually born again (Scripture). Impossible to understand when self still reigns supreme (Scripture). Deny self, believe the word of God, and you will see the light of the gospel (Scripture). Pick up your cross, die to self, and you will live the new life (Scripture). Follow Jesus, place the will of God in its rightful place, and all of life makes sense (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.