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

Things look different from afar than they do closer up. To know better requires drawing close enough to see the finer details. God bids each of us to draw near and know Him. To know about salvation is to see Jesus Christ from afar. To know the Lord intimately requires the working out of salvation with true humility and deepest respect. For two to walk together they must agree. God is holy, therefore we must be willing to be made so if we are to draw near. Jesus Christ lives! Expect to be changed as you come to know Him better, and expect real help from the Holy Spirit as you do. When one asks Christ to be Lord of his or her life, drawing near with a consistent focus over time to the written word of God is necessary for spiritual growth. Consistent focus over time is the fundamental requirement of paying attention for worshiping in spirit and truth. We don’t need to rely on our own strength to do this. Our part is to be willing, and the promise is that God will make us so. (Leviticus 19:2; Matthew 23:37; Psalm 32:9; James 4:8; Luke 6:46; Joshua 1:8; Jeremiah 29:13; Psalm 1; Philippians 3:4-16; Amos 3:3; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 4:23-24, 14:31; Philippians 2:12-13; Revelation 22:6-21)