Daily Devotional - 10/2/15

Prayer Focus - Wants



Day 7
Pray for:
One thing that you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream that you want to see happen in your life
One issue in your character that you want to see changed
One regret that you want to move past
One person that you want to get to know better
One health issue that you want to see improved in someone (can be yourself)


Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 92


"It is good to praise the Lord...

For You make me glad by Your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands. How great are Your works, O Lord, how profound Your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.

But You, O Lord, are exalted forever.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, 'The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is not wickedness in Him."  (vs. 1a, 4 - 8, 12 - 15)


It is good to praise the Lord.  I am grateful to know and understand this.  Some people will never understand and this is hard for us.  It is sad and oftentimes even heartbreaking, but we must remain faithful and remember that even Jesus was deserted by His closest friends in the end.  They did not fully understand what He was about and what He came for.  He knew that but He still did what He had to for those of us who would believe.  We can not be down heartened as if it was our fault when someone we love is not following God.  Everyone has free choice and some choose to sear their consciences and pursue other gods.  Some deny that there is anything beyond what they can see.  They live only for the here and now.  But God is real, whether we choose to believe in Him or not.  He will be exalted.  We just need to keep holding this out.

If we choose to follow God and be righteous, we will flourish.  It is an eternal principle.  We may not grow rich or live free from struggles, but we will grow and still bear fruit in our old age.  What a wonderful promise, that although our bodies are aging and dying, our souls and our spiritual lives become more and more beautiful if we devote ourselves to God.  I want to flourish.  I do not want to grow old and set in my ways.  I want to be new and fresh and beautiful inside.  I hope this for all of us.  So let us praise the Lord, for this is good.



Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


We praise You for this is good.  You have been very good to us.  Help us to always understand and seek You.  Help us to know gratitude and be able to see all the works of Your hand in our life and in the lives of others.  We want to grow strong and tall like the trees.  We want to flourish in Your house.  We want to still bear fruit in our old age.  We know that we will find this only in You.  We long to be close to You and be transformed.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1.  Do I praise God?  Why or why not?  What do I have to praise God for?  Can I make a list of 10, 20, or 30 plus things that God deserves praise for?

2. How do I feel when people do not understand my faith? Do I love the people anyway or do I get angry and dismissive?  Do I pray for those who reject my faith?

3. Do I feel like I am growing spiritually?  Why or why not?  How can I go after this?  What am I doing that helps?  What am I doing that hinders me? 

4. How long have I been following God?  Do I still have the love I originally did?  If it is not as strong, why do I feel like it has faded?  What can I do to get back my "first love"?

5. Am I bearing fruit?  What does that mean to me?  What evidence is there that my faith is growing and being more productive?