Devotional for November 6

All Shall Be Blessed in Him

14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
16 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. Psalm 72:14-17 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

Physical beauty is a delight to the eyes, and God did create the earth and mankind with an abundance of natural beauty. The beauty of the Lord is of a much higher quality though, and it is a sheer delight to the soul. We must be nourished by the Word of God and live by faith in order to behold the beauty of the Lord. God is love and light. God is also a consuming fire. Such knowledge is so high it is difficult for our finite mind, so deep we cannot reach it all, and so wide we cannot cross over it all. It is in the glory of His holiness that His beauty is beyond compare. It is altogether too wonderful for us to fully comprehend the infinite majesty of God. Pray for the grace needed to just accept the fact. A fact is that which is real or true regardless of whether or not it is believed to be real or true. The fall from the Garden of Eden separated mankind from God. We lost the anchor of our soul, which resulted in the necessity for truth be to revealed to us. Having been separated by sin, we are all born into this world drifting about subject to the strong currents created by our bodily sensations and tossed about by the constantly changing winds of our emotions. Without the knowledge of God, we are left only with what our mind can understand and what our heart can feel to determine what is true. This is the root cause of our greatest problems, which are our understandings based off incomplete knowledge, our emotional decisions based off our physical sensations, and our hearts so easily deceived when left to themselves. Together these amount to lying vanities when they stand contrary to the revealed Word of God. Therefore, to determine reality only by what one thinks and feels is to build on shifting sand. The Bible is a book of facts that can be trusted yesterday, today, and forever. To believe and trust in God is to recapture the anchor of our soul and build on solid rock. Blessed is the one with faith properly placed in God. Life has no higher bliss than having the beauty of the living God dwelling within us. Bless the Lord and praise Him for His precious gift of the Word of God.

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Kings 19; Hebrews 1

Hosea 12; Psalm 135-136

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

O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, I may purify myself as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, I may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.