Overview of: Psalms
Today's Reading:
Psalms 41 - 44
SONGBOOK II : Psalms 42 - 72
Focus Verses: Psalm 41:1-4
1 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble. 2 The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. 3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness. 4 I said, "O LORD, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you."
Insight:
There is a connection between our relationship with God and our relationships others. The connection is a matter of perspective and motivation. If we truly understand and receive God's love, it will impact the way we love others. When we understand our need to be forgiven and God's grace to forgive, it moves us to forgive others. In recognizing our weakness before God and our need for deliverance, we are reminded and moved to have compassion on those around us who are weak and in need of rescue. As we love, forbear, help, and extend grace and support for others, we can rest in the assurance of God's faithfulness to preserve our lives and meet our needs.
Response and Action:
Because God is gracious and faithful to me, I will faithfully extend grace to others. I will have regard for the weak. I will do what I can to help others in times of trouble. I will pray, share, listen, work, give, and sacrifice for others as an expression of my faith and reliance upon God. Because I cry out to God, I will be sensitive to the cries of those around me who are hurting and in need.
O Lord, thank you for your gracious salvation and work in my life. Help me, by faith, to do the good things you've prepared in advance for me to do--to be faithful, fruitful, and effective as your servant. Give me a regard for the weak, a heart for the hurting, a hand for the downtrodden, an ear for the misunderstood, a good word for the weary, and a generosity for the needy. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.
New Testament for Today: 1 John 4:19-21
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
In Context: 1 John 4:7-21
Proverb for Today: Prov. 23:6-7
"Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you."
Recommended Reading:
Love, The Ultimate Apologetic: The Heart of Christian Witness
by Art Lindsley
