Devotional for July 8

Let All Creation Praise the Name of the Lord

7 Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
11 Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 148:7-14 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Choose to think of God as often as you can. It would be extremely rude to eagerly invite someone to move in with you, and then ignore them once they were in your home. No one would think of doing this to any of their friends, yet this is exactly what we do when we pray for the Holy Spirit and then ignore His presence. Some will say, “I asked for the Holy Spirit, but I don’t feel any different.” And you may not, at least at first. “I know I asked, but I don’t see any evidence in my life,” they might say. And they may not, at least at first. It may be we receive the Holy Spirit accompanied with feelings and signs, and it may be with no feelings nor signs. The present or absence of feelings and signs doesn’t change divine facts. Ask and you shall receive. From being born again, to receiving the Holy Spirit, to spiritual maturity, from beginning to end and everything in between, it’s all by faith. The things of the Spirit don’t come by what we feel or see. (Hebrews 11:1-6; Exodus 17:7; Hebrews 3:19; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Psalm 100:4; Romans 1:17; John 14:23-24; Luke 11:11-13; James 1:6; Revelation 3:20; Joshua 1:8-9; Psalm 10:4; Romans 1:21; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Chronicles 16:8-12; Ephesians 5:18-20; Romans 8:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 84:10-12; Philippians 4:4-9; 2 Corinthians 13:14)