September 2-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:13-14, As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
Observe what it is saying.
We continue this week with David, the author, speaking to his soul to offer all-out praise for the many benefits of our Lord. God is compassionate as a good father is with his children. God’s compassion easily comes to those who fear or revere Him as the one true Holy Loving Father He is. If we want to know what the heart of God is like, then look at the hearts of parents who deeply love their children. This is a beautiful picture of how God looks upon us. Because God is not only our Father but also our Creator, He knows how we have been created. He knows our weakness. As a result of the Fall, He also knows our tendency to stumble and fumble along life’s journey. Instead of looking upon us with harsh critical judgment, He chooses to view us with compassion and grace. Maybe, we want to offer others the same.
Relate it to your life.
God’s compassion is a great promise for all who worship and revere Jesus as Lord.
Do something.
“Father, thank You for Your compassion because I know how much I need it in my life. Amen.”
September 3-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:15-16, The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
Observe what it is saying.
These verses speak of the brevity of life. Just as grass is here one day and, then, when the hot winds blow, they are gone soon after. This is a continuation of yesterday’s benefit that spoke of God’s compassion toward us because He knows we are made of dust and to dust we will return. It is by the grace of God we are able to do anything for any length of time. The Apostle Peter wrote this as commentary on a similar passage from Isaiah 40, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:22-25) God’s greatest act of compassion is in Christ where we are born anew, put on imperishability as our eternal reward, and empowers us to love each other deeply now.
Relate it to your life.
In Christ, God’s compassion promises us resurrection and empowers us to display His love to others.
Do something.
“Father, as a born-anew follower of Jesus, help me to make the most of life by loving others. Amen.”
September 4-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:17-18, But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
Observe what it is saying.
The wording “from everlasting to everlasting” appears three other times in the Psalms. In Psalm 90 and here, it contrasts the eternality of the Lord’s nature and character with humanity’s temporal status. The good news is that God’s love outlasts our little time in this life and extends out to our grandchildren. However, there is a condition for this tremendous promise. It is not for everyone but for those who fear the Lord. This kind of fear holds with deepest reverence and respect the holy loving nature of God and is willing to keep the covenant the Lord has provided. To keep the covenant means we obey the teachings laid out in Scripture. It’s not that the Lord looks to remove His love from us, but if we fail to stay steadfastly connected to His glorious life-giving way, we remove ourselves from His promised love.
Relate it to your life.
God’s covenantal love is a beautiful promise for all who are willing to stay the course with His holy ways.
Do something.
“Father, keep me close so that I stay in your love and pass it on to my grandchildren. Amen.”
September 5-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:19, The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Observe what it is saying.
The Lord’s "throne" may be in heaven, but His kingdom extends to all creation. This affirmation is the conclusion of the many benefits of which we are to offer praise. This one brings all the other benefits together and gives us great assurance that God is in charge. He is sovereign. He is over all. There is no one greater. In a world where evil reigns through many dictators and governments and where elections are of deep concern, one thing we can be confident is that God is on the throne and has authority over every earthly power. Whether our presidential candidate wins or not, the King of kings has already won and is overseeing the global mess that mankind has created. Revelation 17 depicts the final war of kings who submit to the beast in opposition to Christ, and “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” (Revelation 17:14) May we choose the winning King!
Relate it to your life.
We can choose to be upset by the affairs of the world or choose to take comfort that we win with Christ.
Do something.
“Father, I belong to Your kingdom first and foremost. Please keep me at peace knowing Your purposes will prevail over man’s plans, and You will win out over all the rulers and kingdoms of this world. Amen.”
September 6-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:20-21, Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
Observe what it is saying.
Now that David has given us a long list of benefits of which he speaks to his soul to offer praise to the Lord, he extends the audience and, surprisingly, calls on the angels and the heavenly hosts to do the same. These heavenly beings accomplish the work of the Lord by obeying His word and doing His will. Their praise comes from their obedience, as well as, their voiced praise that we get to see a glimpse of in Revelation. The angels respond to the four living creatures and the elders’ worship. ”Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:11-12) Can you imagine the volume of this angelic choir singing praise to the Lord!
Relate it to your life.
When I offer praise to the Lord, I join the choir of heaven in offering my worship to the Lord.
Do something.
“Father, may my voice blend with all of heaven to declare Your majestic glory. Amen.”
September 7-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:22, Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul.
Observe what it is saying.
David declares that all the works of God wherever they are should join in on praising God. As we think about the majesty of creation, they each have their special language of worship. Such voices include the mighty grandeur of the mountains, the powerful roar of the oceans, the delicate beauty of a flower, the joyful song of birds, the vibrant colors of fall, and on and on we can go. Creation has its unique way of declaring praise to the Lord. We are included in this as well. We offer praise in prayer, worship, song, and most of all, in our love and obedience to God’s word and will. The way we go about our work, our relationships, our interactions, and our transactions all bring praise to God or bring Him dishonor. As David did, we need to remind ourselves often to “Praise the Lord, my soul.”
Relate it to your life.
The goal of my discipleship is that my every breath will bring praise to the Lord.
Do something.
“Father, praise be to Your holy name. You are higher and greater than anyone other being. You alone are worthy of all worship. May my life be a continual offering of praise throughout each day. Amen”
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:13-14, As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
Observe what it is saying.
We continue this week with David, the author, speaking to his soul to offer all-out praise for the many benefits of our Lord. God is compassionate as a good father is with his children. God’s compassion easily comes to those who fear or revere Him as the one true Holy Loving Father He is. If we want to know what the heart of God is like, then look at the hearts of parents who deeply love their children. This is a beautiful picture of how God looks upon us. Because God is not only our Father but also our Creator, He knows how we have been created. He knows our weakness. As a result of the Fall, He also knows our tendency to stumble and fumble along life’s journey. Instead of looking upon us with harsh critical judgment, He chooses to view us with compassion and grace. Maybe, we want to offer others the same.
Relate it to your life.
God’s compassion is a great promise for all who worship and revere Jesus as Lord.
Do something.
“Father, thank You for Your compassion because I know how much I need it in my life. Amen.”
September 3-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:15-16, The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
Observe what it is saying.
These verses speak of the brevity of life. Just as grass is here one day and, then, when the hot winds blow, they are gone soon after. This is a continuation of yesterday’s benefit that spoke of God’s compassion toward us because He knows we are made of dust and to dust we will return. It is by the grace of God we are able to do anything for any length of time. The Apostle Peter wrote this as commentary on a similar passage from Isaiah 40, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:22-25) God’s greatest act of compassion is in Christ where we are born anew, put on imperishability as our eternal reward, and empowers us to love each other deeply now.
Relate it to your life.
In Christ, God’s compassion promises us resurrection and empowers us to display His love to others.
Do something.
“Father, as a born-anew follower of Jesus, help me to make the most of life by loving others. Amen.”
September 4-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:17-18, But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
Observe what it is saying.
The wording “from everlasting to everlasting” appears three other times in the Psalms. In Psalm 90 and here, it contrasts the eternality of the Lord’s nature and character with humanity’s temporal status. The good news is that God’s love outlasts our little time in this life and extends out to our grandchildren. However, there is a condition for this tremendous promise. It is not for everyone but for those who fear the Lord. This kind of fear holds with deepest reverence and respect the holy loving nature of God and is willing to keep the covenant the Lord has provided. To keep the covenant means we obey the teachings laid out in Scripture. It’s not that the Lord looks to remove His love from us, but if we fail to stay steadfastly connected to His glorious life-giving way, we remove ourselves from His promised love.
Relate it to your life.
God’s covenantal love is a beautiful promise for all who are willing to stay the course with His holy ways.
Do something.
“Father, keep me close so that I stay in your love and pass it on to my grandchildren. Amen.”
September 5-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:19, The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Observe what it is saying.
The Lord’s "throne" may be in heaven, but His kingdom extends to all creation. This affirmation is the conclusion of the many benefits of which we are to offer praise. This one brings all the other benefits together and gives us great assurance that God is in charge. He is sovereign. He is over all. There is no one greater. In a world where evil reigns through many dictators and governments and where elections are of deep concern, one thing we can be confident is that God is on the throne and has authority over every earthly power. Whether our presidential candidate wins or not, the King of kings has already won and is overseeing the global mess that mankind has created. Revelation 17 depicts the final war of kings who submit to the beast in opposition to Christ, and “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” (Revelation 17:14) May we choose the winning King!
Relate it to your life.
We can choose to be upset by the affairs of the world or choose to take comfort that we win with Christ.
Do something.
“Father, I belong to Your kingdom first and foremost. Please keep me at peace knowing Your purposes will prevail over man’s plans, and You will win out over all the rulers and kingdoms of this world. Amen.”
September 6-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:20-21, Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
Observe what it is saying.
Now that David has given us a long list of benefits of which he speaks to his soul to offer praise to the Lord, he extends the audience and, surprisingly, calls on the angels and the heavenly hosts to do the same. These heavenly beings accomplish the work of the Lord by obeying His word and doing His will. Their praise comes from their obedience, as well as, their voiced praise that we get to see a glimpse of in Revelation. The angels respond to the four living creatures and the elders’ worship. ”Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:11-12) Can you imagine the volume of this angelic choir singing praise to the Lord!
Relate it to your life.
When I offer praise to the Lord, I join the choir of heaven in offering my worship to the Lord.
Do something.
“Father, may my voice blend with all of heaven to declare Your majestic glory. Amen.”
September 7-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 103:22, Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul.
Observe what it is saying.
David declares that all the works of God wherever they are should join in on praising God. As we think about the majesty of creation, they each have their special language of worship. Such voices include the mighty grandeur of the mountains, the powerful roar of the oceans, the delicate beauty of a flower, the joyful song of birds, the vibrant colors of fall, and on and on we can go. Creation has its unique way of declaring praise to the Lord. We are included in this as well. We offer praise in prayer, worship, song, and most of all, in our love and obedience to God’s word and will. The way we go about our work, our relationships, our interactions, and our transactions all bring praise to God or bring Him dishonor. As David did, we need to remind ourselves often to “Praise the Lord, my soul.”
Relate it to your life.
The goal of my discipleship is that my every breath will bring praise to the Lord.
Do something.
“Father, praise be to Your holy name. You are higher and greater than anyone other being. You alone are worthy of all worship. May my life be a continual offering of praise throughout each day. Amen”
Posted in Daily Devotionals