Start With Praise
Sunday, September 28
Psalm 146:1-7
Why do you go to church? Is it for the fellowship? The teaching? The music? We gather for all of these reasons and more. We gather to worship the One who is worthy of praise. When we truly consider God’s character, the sacrifice of Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can’t help but praise. Praise is extolling the attributes of a holy God. Psalms 145–150 make up the final group of what are known as the “Hallelujah Psalms.” Hallelujah simply means praise God. Psalm 146 begins with a statement of praise to the God of Jacob, the source of our hope, and moves into a doxology—a declaration of who God is. He is creator. He is faithful. He defends those who are wronged. He feeds the hungry. He sets prisoners free. Wherever you find yourself in worship today take some time to list some of the attributes of God, and spend time in doxology, praising God for who he is.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Amen.
See With God’s Eyes
Monday, September 29
Psalm 146:7-10
The doxology begun yesterday continues in the second half of the psalm. The psalmist reflects back to God words of who he is. God is the God of the oppressed. He cares for those who are on the margins of life—the stranger, the fatherless, the widow. This passage is reminiscent of Isaiah 61:1–2 and of Jesus’s reading of that text at the outset of his ministry (Luke 4:17–21). The character of God is the character of Christ. As we follow Christ, our character is to become more and more like Jesus through the Holy Spirit working in our lives. This means we are to lift up the downtrodden, protect the stranger, and care for the fatherless and widows.
Lord, help us to see with your eyes and heart of compassion those around us who need to be lifted up. Help us not only to bring them before you in prayer, but to meet their physical and emotional needs as we are able. Amen.
Look Outward
Tuesday, September 30
Amos 6:1, 4-7
We all know people who seem to live in a bubble. Life is good for them, so it must be good for everyone. Insulated and isolated, they are out of touch with the world outside their sphere. God has harsh words for those who are unable to see past their own noses. Through the prophet Amos, God calls out those who are too comfortable to be bothered. Amos reminds us we are not to have apathy toward others. As the saying goes, “There but for the grace of God go I.”
Are we not to enjoy God’s blessings and the goodness of life here? Of course we are. Those material blessings, though, should never become the focus of our lives or cause us to become apathetic to the needs of others. Someone is always more needy than I, and I have an obligation as God’s child to help where I can.
Lord, as we enjoy the many blessings you have given us, keep us from turning a blind eye to the needs around us. Amen.
Upside-Down World
Wednesday, October 1
Psalm 113
Our God has turned the world upside down. In a world where status and prestige are valued, God raises the poor from the dust and elevates them. This psalm is echoed in Mary’s song in which she rejoices in being chosen as the mother of Jesus. It is also reminiscent of Jesus’s teachings as he declares that the last shall be first. Paul reiterates this idea in many of his letters, as well. God is in the business of raising up the unlikely. The Lord of the universe stepped into a specific time and place as a human. The King of kings was born in a stall. Tax collectors, fishermen, and people referred to simply as “sinners” were Jesus’s closest friends.
God stoops to raise the lowly. The hierarchy of human worth we place on each other is upended. The prestige and status we often value so highly has no place in God’s kingdom. He stoops to raise the lowly.
Lord, help me see others how you see them—as precious and highly valued. Amen.
Will You Believe?
Thursday, October 2
Luke 16:19-31
At first glance, this passage looks like it could be a story about karma. But karma is not part of Christian teaching. It is also not a story about the poor being elevated and the rich suffering. The warning of this parable lies in the final two verses. Many people are reluctant to follow Jesus because they say they just don’t have enough proof that he is who he says he is—the only way to heaven. Instead, they throw up road blocks or claim they are looking for one more bit of explanation. But when that “one more” comes, they refuse to see it for what it is.
At the end of this passage Jesus says, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead” (v. 31, NIV). That statement is one of the saddest things Jesus ever said. I can almost hear him saying it with a sigh of resignation. People who refuse to see the truth of the gospel as shown through the words and actions of those who have gone before will not be persuaded by someone rising from the dead.
Lord, give me a heart to receive your truth without reservation and a life that shows it. Amen.
The Humble Kind
Friday, October 3
Matthew 8:1-4
Humility is not a virtue many aspire to these days. To be humble is seen to be self-deprecating. Weak. A door mat. Yet in today’s passage we see humility in both the giver and the receiver. Jesus has just completed preaching what has become known as the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:28–29, we read that the multitudes were amazed because he was teaching with authority. Jesus was something like rock star. He had a following, a fan club. And then a leper, an outcast, had the audacity to approach him. Humbly bowing down, he asked for healing—but only if this man, so much greater than he, was willing. Jesus could have made a show of it. “Watch me heal this leper! Now do you believe that I am master of the universe?” But he didn’t. He quietly healed the man. In The Message, verse 4 reads, “Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.”
Jesus, we humbly come to you. Help us humbly live our lives a witness to your grace. Amen.
The Great Physician
Saturday, October 4
Matthew 8:14-17
Pain, disease, grief, mental illness. These have all touched our lives or the lives of those we love. Sometimes we recognize our need and can put it into words, bringing it directly to Jesus. But sometimes we don’t know how to ask for help from those around us or from God in the midst of our pain. Sometimes the pain is so deep we can’t put our need into words, let alone know how to pray. At times we have to rely on others to carry us to Jesus. They see our need before we do.
God knows our need before we do. He desires that his children be healthy and whole. Wherever you find yourself today, let Jesus be your healer, the one who takes your infirmities and diseases upon himself. And if you are unable to reach out to him on your own, ask a friend to help you get there.
Jesus, thank you for healing us, body, mind, and soul. Amen.
