Devotional for September 15

Majestic Is the Name of the Lord

8 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Psalm 8 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Can you do what they say can’t be done? Are you even good enough to do what others have already done? It is all up to you and at the same time it totally depends on the will of God. Only by grace are we able to grasp both of these facts simultaneously, which enables us to live in the light at the balance point of the truth. The full revelation of the Holy Bible is absolutely essential. All power belongs to God and apart from Him we can do nothing. It is also written that as a man sows so shall he reap and we are accountable to God for our actions. These facts don’t contradict each other with the one being true and the other false. Rather, they are different sides of the truth. Coins in US currency have a head on one side and the other side is known as the tail. The tail is no less a part of the coin because it is not the head, and the head alone is just one side of the coin. In like manner, “we can do nothing without God” and “we are responsible for our every action” are but different sides of the truth. God feeds every animal. Still, every big cat knows that not every chase will end in a kill. The cat who says: “wow, those wildebeest are too fast, so I’ll just wait until God sends one walking into my den,” will surely starve to death. Recognize the fear of failure is like a big cat that won’t hunt. Better to drop dead while in the heat of the chase, than it is to be found among the faithless cats starving in the dark of their own cave. Step out in faith after prayer, diligently ordering your steps according to the word of truth. Run the course the Lord has set before you in love. Acknowledge that from Him, through Him, and for Him are all things. We are all called in Christ Jesus to know this, to do this, to help others to see this, and thereby all will come to glorify His name.

Question

What is the will of God?

Answer

The will of God is the power and authority that governs everything known and unknown (Scripture). We humans are created lower than the angels, but like angels we are moral beings having been given the freedom to choose between right and wrong (Scripture). To live contrary to the will of God, is to be spiritually cut off from our divine power source (Scripture). Without being reconciled to God, we live in a low power mode having physical life only until even that is taken away (Scripture). Blessed are those who understand (Scripture). Far from being something we should run from, instead we should be eagerly running toward the will of God with all our might (Scripture). The will of God is in effect the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Scripture). 

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

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule my heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.