Category: Devotions

Psalm 121
Day 121: Be blessed

Yesterday a lovely lady in the church I had pastored died. She was a gift to the church in encouragement, enthusiasm and sheer belief that God can do all things! The church will miss her. I think of her today as I read this Psalm which I have lost count of the many times I have read this in funeral services.
Does my strength come from mountain experiences? Have a look at them, look at those hill-top moments you have had with God:
a. The experience of sacrifice e.g. moments of fasting and giving. God called Abraham to a mountain range to kill his son, Genesis 22:1-2
b. The experience of worship, again the very same scene was an actual act of worship.
c. The experience of phenomena, e.g. the glory on the mountain Moses was called to in Exodus 24:12-18. We have known many manifestations of God’s Spirit.
d. The experience of transformation, e.g. the glory of Christ on the mountain of transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-3. We have known the transformational work of the Spirit in our lives.
e. The experience of prayer and guidance, e.g. the prayer mountain of Jesus in Luke 6:12-13. We have found guidance from the periods of prayer we have spent with God.
f. The experience of divine call and purpose for living, e.g. the mountain of the great commission in Matthew 28:16-20.

All these are mountain-top experiences that strengthen our lives.
Yet even these sometimes are not strong enough in the time of need.

My strength is my faith in Him:
Who did not let her fall, v3
Who watched over her, v5
Who kept her from all harm, v7
Enjoy your Saviour Jean, you are blessed!

Psalm 120
Day 120: Be blessed

I recently heard a story of a man who brought in a violin to his local pawn shop for a valuation. According to the man’s story, he had recently purchased a piece of property that included a house and a barn. Shortly after his purchase, while inspecting the barn, he opened an old chest and discovered the violin safely tucked inside. As he dusted off the near-perfect instrument, he found the word “Stradivarius” clearly inscribed on the violin. The man was hoping the “Stradivarius” was worth thousands of pounds.
However, after the pawn store owners examined the violin and then by an independent expert, they told the man it wasn’t a genuine Stradivarius. Instead, it was a cheap imitation produced in the early part of the 1900s, worth around five or six hundred pounds. The appraiser concluded by telling the disappointed violin owner, “Just because something has a label doesn’t mean it’s real.”

I think we all know what it is to have been taken in by something. We know the effects of being lied to.
We need a Saviour from lying lips. We need Jesus.
The packaging of a lie is truth.
A lie is a false guide. It calls for decisions that would not have been made otherwise.
Being afraid of the truth births the lie.
A lie prevents justice in the present.
A lie paints a picture which is not only false but reveals the painter is insecure.
Lying is addictive. A person wants to lie again when they begin to lie.
Lying can be taught and caught. It is a sin that is passed down to the next generation.
It is difficult to know if you are being lied to until it is too late.

All of these things are why we need to pray, “Save me from liars”. Right now, you maybe oblivious to the lies that are being sown around you, but Jesus knows. He can and will save you from the effects of those lies. So put your trust in Him and stay blessed.

Psalm 119
Day 119: Be blessed

The longest chapter in the Bible focuses almost entirely on living a life focused on God’s law.
It is divided into 22 sections, one section for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the verses of that section begins with that letter in the Hebrew.
The meaning of each letter of the alphabet points us to God.
Aleph meaning first: “Jesus is the Aleph” (Rev 22:13). Jesus is the first.
Beth meaning house/creation. It is the first letter of the first word in the Bible: “In the beginning”. Jesus is the creator.
Gimmel meaning the creator’s mercy. Jesus is mercy.
Daleth meaning the hope of our dreams. Jesus is hope.
He meaning breath, symbolising the Spirit of the Lord. The Spirit of Christ is in our lives.
Waw meaning humanity and the redemption of it. Jesus is our redeemer.
Zayin meaning spiritual struggle. Jesus has struggled for us.
Heth meaning sin and the sign of divine grace. Jesus is grace.
Teth meaning the goodness of God. Jesus is goodness.
Yodh meaning hand. Jesus’ hands are reaching out to you.
Kaph meaning crowning accomplishment. Jesus is king.
Lamedh meaning a sign of wisdom. Jesus is wisdom.
Mem meaning the symbol of the revealed. Jesus is the revelation of God.
Nun meaning everlasting faithfulness. Jesus is faithful.
Samekh meaning divine support and protection. Jesus is trustworthy.
Ayin meaning the symbol of insight. Jesus knows.
Pe meaning speaking praise. Jesus, be praised.
Tsadhe meaning righteousness in God. Jesus is our righteousness.
Qoph meaning the sign for holiness. Jesus is holy.
Resh meaning the challenge of the choice we make. Jesus in all we do.
Sin and Shin meaning the symbol of peace. Jesus is peace.
Taw meaning the vehicle of sacrifice. Jesus paid the price.
Now read each section incorporating who Jesus is into each section and watch your confidence rise in the belief that with Jesus all things are possible, even the keeping of God’s law.
Do this and be blessed!

Psalm 118
Day 118: Be blessed!

Anything worth saying is worth repeating
Some things need to be said more than once.
His love endures for ever.
His love endures for ever.
His love endures for ever.
His love endures for ever.
The Lord is with me.
The Lord is with me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord.
(my enemy) surrounded me but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.
(my enemy) surrounded me but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.
In the name of the Lord I cut them off.
The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things.
The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things.
Open for me the gates of righteousness.
The gates of the Lord through which the righteous enter.
He has become my salvation.
You have become my salvation.
You are my God.
You are my God.
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.
For the more learned than me they will understand the importance of repetition. They know what alliteration, assonance, consonance and rhyme really are. All I know is that they are chosen for the same purpose, that of attention-drawing and creating patterns pleasing to the ear.
We need to build repetition into our thought-life. Our minds need to be focused and captured by the Lord. We need to create new patterns of thinking.
Today, take some of the repetitions in this Psalm and begin to speak them out, memorise them, meditate on them, write them down.
Anything worth saying is worth repeating.
Be blessed

Psalm 117
Day 117: Be blessed

Sometimes … less is more.

Psalm 116
Day 116: Be blessed!

He saved you. He heard you. He turned to you. He saved you. He was gracious to you. He gave righteousness to you. He was compassionate to you. He saved you. He protected you. He has been good to you. He delivered you. He saved you. He dried your eyes. He steadied your feet. He brought you to life. He saved you. In the presence of suffering, in the presence of liars, in the presence of all His people, even in the presence of death, He saved you. He freed you, freed you to serve, freed you to praise and freed you to live. He saved you.
For the ones who have fallen on hard times. For the tattered and the torn and those who have been forgotten. For the ones that have run out of second chances, burnt every bridge, and hit rock bottom… You are never too dirty, never too deep, never too far, to find hope, find relief, to find a Saviour.
In the fall of 2010, billions of people around the globe were captivated by the story of the Chilean miners. Trapped beneath two thousand feet of solid rock, the thirty-three men were desperate. For two months they prayed for someone to save them.
No one had ever been trapped underground this long and lived to tell about it.
On October 13, 2010, the men began to emerge, a great-grandfather, a nineteen-year-old. All had different stories, but all had made the same decision. They trusted someone else to save them. No one returned the rescue offer with: “Thanks but no thanks, I can get out of here on my own.” They had stared at the stone tomb long enough to reach the unanimous opinion: “We need help. We need someone to penetrate this world and pull us out.’ And when the rescue came, they climbed in.
He saved you.
This is blessing!

Psalm 115
Day 115: Be blessed!

“It’s all about you, Jesus”, according to the song anyway.
I remember travelling in Africa and seeing the biggest billboard I had ever seen on the side of the road. We were travelling too fast for me to read when the church services were that the poster was advertising. However, I clearly saw who the main man was! For across over half of the board was a larger than life poster of the preacher draped in gold and smiling with perfect white teeth!
It was clearly all about him!
I see a lot of super stars.
I see a lot of men wanting to be somebody.
Small men with small minds and with small impact, trying to be the big chief.
At the end of the Passover meal and before Jesus and the disciples went to Gethsemane they said the Hallel, a collection of lines from the Psalms, one of which was this: v1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Not to us O Lord.
It is never about man.
It is always about Him.
When it becomes about us, when we try and grab the glory then we begin to fashion God into who we think He is or should be. We fashion Him after ourselves: a God of our own imaginations, idol-worship, v3-8.
But when we get this right then:
Trust comes, v9-11
Help and protection is known, v9-11
Blessing is given, v12-13
Increase is yours, v14

Now this is why we are a blessed people!

Psalm 114
Day 114: Be blessed!

Israel didn’t just leave Egypt, they didn’t just come away from a foreign culture.
And you didn’t just leave your old life. You didn’t just decide to change your life.
No. Even if you summarise it like that, the truth is amazing things were taking place.
God was making a way where there was no way, v3.
Unmovable things became moveable, v4.
Tough places contained miraculous provisions, v8.
Still today, His presence will accomplish those very same things. So seek His presence and watch for the changes.
This is why we are a blessed people!

Psalm 113
Day 113: Be blessed!

There are days like today when I need to declare some faith statement, like this one:
Who is like the Lord our God …?

Maybe you need to join with me…
Feeling weakened ….who is like the Lord our God?
Jehovak-m’kaddesh (Lev 20:8 The Lord who sanctifies) = He lives within us to empower us to live holy lives.

Feeling away from God …who is like the Lord our God?
Jehovah-Shalom (judges 6:24 God is Peace) = God has brought peace and contentment and satisfaction between Himself and us.

In sickness …who is like the Lord our God?
Jehovah-Rophe (Isaiah 53 God heals) = He cures or heals not only in physical terms but spiritual and moral)

Needing provision …who is like the Lord our God?
Jehovah-Jireh (Genesis 22:14 The Lord who sees) = He knows our needs and makes provision.

Weary from battling …who is like the Lord our God?
Jehovak-nissi (Exodus 17:18 God my banner) = God is our battle deliverer.

Not knowing what to do …who is like the Lord our God?
Jehovah-rohi (Psalm 23 God my Shepherd) = He feeds, leads, protects and cares for us.

Who is like Him and where is He? 1 John 4:4 He that is in you is greater than He that is in the world!!

Sometimes we live our lives like He just has the edge over the devil. He’s just a little greater.
But God in you is much more significant, far superior, cannot be compared to the god of this world.

All that thrills my soul is Jesus;
He is more than life to me;
And the fairest of ten thousand,
In my blessed Lord I see.
Thoro Harris

Who is like the Lord our God? The answer is no one!
This is our faith statement today and that is why we are blessed!

Psalm 112
Day 112: Be blessed
Blessed men and women…
Love obeying God, v1
Expect the best is yet to be, v4
Steadfast on the day of bad news, v7
Secure when under attack, v8
Esteemed for their strength to remain, v9
Donate generously, v9.