Best Verse: Psalm 72:20 “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.”

THE LAST WORD

This Psalm was supposedly the last Psalm written by David.  There may be others that come after this one in the book of Psalms, but they were probably written earlier and just placed later in the book.  This is a strange verse to use for a devotional, don’t you think? You may be asking what I was thinking.

Finality!  That’s what I was thinking.  Everything must come to an end.  The title today was the closing words spoken by Porky Pig at the end of the cartoon show. The show was over.  That was it.  That’s all folks.  One day we will all face an end, just like we face an end to things here on earth. Only eternity lasts forever. Everything else is temporal and will fade.

TEACHING MOMENT

Watching your little Johnny or Susie grow can be exciting.  Childhood will end.  They will reach puberty and become teens.  You may think that will NEVER end, but it will.  They will finish high school and college, and before you know it, they are married with children.  

Use the time you have in each season of life wisely.  Ask the Lord what His purpose is for you for that time.  As the seasons of our life change so can His purpose for you.  I know my own ministry has changed over the past four decades.  Bring them each to a finality that honors Him.

Are you nearing the end of a “season”?  Look for the ways to end it well.  Perhaps you are entering into a brand, new time of your life.  That can be exciting and terrifying.  Embrace it with the knowledge that God is with you.

I am excited, Lord, at how you walk with me through every time of my life.  I pray I will end well.  I pray I will complete the tasks You have for me.

Best Verse: Psalm 71:18 “And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.”

STILL USE ME

It happens to us all, if we live long enough. We get old and gray.  You may color your hair to hide the gray, but underneath it all, it is still gray and you’re still old.  Age has a way of doing that.  And that’s okay.  Getting old is just part of the cycle of life.  I don’t mind at all.

Like the Psalmist here in Psalm 71, I want to be used by God even when I am old and gray.  Why?  How?  I want to declare Him to the next generation. I want to pass on the faith.  I want to see them come to know Him and live for him.  And any believer can do that.  They can pass on the knowledge God has given them.

TEACHING MOMENT

Teaching our children, passing on the truths of God’s Word to the next generation, is our job.  We are called by God to instruct and train them.  This doesn’t stop when our children leave home, though. This task continues until God calls US home.  We have the opportunity to invest in our grandchildren and even, if God allows, our great grandchildren.  What a privilege.

We declare His strength and power. How?  By living it daily.  As we age our bodies get weaker.  Duh, right? I mean, if you are over 50 and not feeling your age, more power to you.  By relying on the Lord’s strength and His power, you are a living testimony to Him. Your family and friends will see that. 

So, how are you doing with this whole aging thing? Are you old and gray?  Are you still sharing with the future generations? God has given you a task to perform. You aren’t finished yet.  Take on each day with a vengeance.  Let Him empower you today.

Lord, there are days when I am physically weary.  I can accept that.  But don’t let me ever get spiritually weary.  Give me Your power and strength today.

Best Verse: Psalm 70:1 “O God, hasten to deliver me; O Lord, hasten to my help!”

DON’T YOU KNOW I NEED YOU?

How many times have you prayed that?  You find yourself in a world of hurt, either due to your own bad decisions or no fault of your own.  So, what do you do?  You start praying for help.  But you have your own idea of the correct time table.

David is begging for the same thing.  Do you remember how long it took God to deliver him from Saul?  Saul chased him around the country trying to kill him for years.  We don’t know the exact amount of time, but it was for a while. Don’t you know David got tired of that? After all, God had already told him he was going to be king.

TEACHING MOMENT

Most children don’t have a lot of patience.  “Are we there yet?”  “When will we be going to Disney World?”  Question after question.  They can’t wait to get somewhere, or they can’t wait to get that special present.  It seems it’s always hurry, hurry, hurry.

One thing we need to help them learn at an early age is patience.  And we won’t do that if we are always giving in to their incessant questions.  There is nothing wrong with questions.  But some things just take time.  God does everything in His perfect time.  He will do it when it is the perfect time and not before.  That’s a lesson we should all learn.

Are you anxious about something today?  Are you asking God to hurry up and do something? I’ve been guilty of that.  I’ve begged God to just do something.  Allow God to work.  He has His perfect reason for waiting for the perfect time to do the perfect thing. Perfection is not rushed.

O Lord, forgive my impatience.  I will wait on You.  I know You know what and when is best for me.

Best Verse: Psalm 69:21 “They also gave me gall for my food and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

NASTY!

Many people drink vinegar for their health. Even I have fallen into the habit a time or two.  But man…that stuff is nasty.  I know what they say.  Vinegar can cleanse your system.  It can help regulate your body’s Ph.  It can…do miracles.  But getting it past the nostrils is a challenge.

You may read this verse and think of Matthew 27:34 where Jesus is being crucified and was offered vinegar to drink.  Many commentators point back to this verse as a Messianic prophecy.  Whether it is or not, the picture is clear.  Those who offered the vinegar were NOT trying to quench Jesus’ thirst. As the saying goes, “With friends like that…”

TEACHING MOMENT

At your next family dinner why don’t you pour everyone a little sip of vinegar in a cup?  Read this verse and talk about the prophecy.  Then ask all those who are brave enough to drink the vinegar.  It’s not going to hurt them.  Promise them that.  See who can drink it and keep it down (you might want to have a spit pail handy, lol).

Vinegar is bitter and can burn your throat and mouth. People can be bitter and cause you to want to spew that bitterness right back at them.  This is the lesson for today.  But like Jesus, we should NOT receive that bitterness (He didn’t drink it when offered).  Just like Jesus, we should not return bitterness with bitterness.  What did He do?  He died for them.  He gave His life for those who offered Him that vinegar.  We should be willing to do the same.

Is there someone in your life who is causing you to be bitter?  Now, hang on. NO ONE can make you bitter.  That is your choice.  Don’t fall into that trap. Don’t receive that bitterness from them. Don’t return it.  Pray for the sweetness of Jesus to come out of your mouth. Bless those who curse you.

O Lord, it is hard to return sweet words to those who spew bitter ones.  But Lord, I know if I die to myself and allow Your Holy Spirit to control my tongue, I can do that.  Thank You!

Best Verse: Psalm 67:1 “God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us- Selah.”

DON’T POWDER IT

Millions of dollars a year are spent on cosmetics, both by men and women.  One thing most people who wear makeup try to do is stop face shine.  They put stuff on their face to keep that shiny look from popping through.  If you are like me and suffer with oily skin, that can be quite challenging.  And we won’t even talk about the challenge of powdering a shiny dome.  

So, when I read this verse today, I thought it kind of funny.  God’s face shines.  He has a shiny face, and it shines on us.  Of course, His face shines, not due to oily skin, but because He is light.  His face shines His light upon us.  That’s the kind of shiny face I want.

TEACHING MOMENT

Get your son or daughter to draw a picture of God’s shiny face.  I wish I could see what they come up with.  Will it have radiating beams shooting from it like the sun?  Will it have a glow emanating from around it?  However they draw it, it will certainly capture their imagination.

But then explain that as believers we have the light of Jesus in us.  Our face should shine for Him.  People ought to be able to tell just by looking that He lives in us.  God’s shiny face should show on our face.  What does that mean?  It doesn’t mean we have to go around with a perpetual grin.  But it does mean that we don’t wear a scowl all the time.  Our face should draw people to God, not scare them away.

Look in the mirror.  What do you see?  Is your face shining for Jesus today?  Will others look at you and say, “Wow!  I want to know what he knows.”  Let your face tell the story of Jesus to someone today.

God, I am thankful Your face shines on me.  Help me allow You to shine through me to others.  Wipe away the frown and turn it into a smile.

Best Verse: Psalm 64:10 “The righteous man will be glad in the Lord and will take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart will glory.”

TAKE REFUGE

What a promising verse of scripture.  The righteous will be glad in the Lord.  What does that mean, though?  The Hebrew word means cheer up, be make glad, make joyful, make merry, cause to or make to rejoice.  That is pretty clear, I think.  Because we are made righteous through the blood of Christ, we have all the reason in the world to be glad.

And because we are glad in the Lord, we have no fear of Him and can come to Him for a place of refuge and safety.  We run to Him in times of trouble, knowing He welcomes us warmly.  Even in those times we come with joy, rejoicing in our righteousness.

TEACHING MOMENT

Hopefully, your children feel that way about coming home to you.  Perhaps your children have grown up and moved out.  Do they come home to visit with that feeling in their heart?  Do they feel like your home is a place of refuge? They should if you are exemplifying the love of Christ to them.

If your children are still at home, begin now to prepare your home to be that way.  You want them to walk in the door feeling glad and rejoicing.  They should walk in knowing they will be received with open arms.  They should come home with merriment and joy.  Our homes should be models of God’s home – welcoming and inviting.

What do you need to do to improve your home? Do others feel that way when they visit? Make your home so joyous that others quickly smile when they think of visiting.  May the love of Christ in you radiate to all who enter.

Father, help me to spread the welcome mat joyfully to others. Let my home be a beacon of light to all. Let the joy of Jesus shine.

Best Verses: 1 John 5:14-15 “14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

YOU WILL RECEIVE

What an incredible promise!  If we ask ANYTHING according to His will, He hears and gives.  That sounds too good to be true.  Couldn’t that be dangerous?  I mean, couldn’t that get out of hand really quick?

Possibly, if it weren’t for the main qualifier – according to His will.  You see, that changes everything.  If we are truly asking according to His will, then He has already desired that for us. Why wouldn’t He give us what we ask for if we are asking for what He has already determined He wants to give us?

TEACHING MOMENT

I bet your child asks for things from time to time.  Now, they may ask for some things that you would never give them.  You wouldn’t give a five-year-old a real gun, right?  Of course, not.  But if your child asks for something that you have already decided you want to give them, you don’t hesitate to get it for them.

You may not even let them know you had already planned to give it to them.  But God reveals His will to us.  How? Through His Word.  And if He has revealed His will to us, why wouldn’t we pray like that.  Your children need to learn this now.  It will save years of frustration from praying for the wrong things.

What are you praying for right now?  Have you checked this according to His will?  How does it line up with that?  If it does, rest assured God is in the process of answering your prayer.  He will do it because He says He will.  It’s that simple.  So, ask away – just ask correctly.

Lord, I do not understand how You answer prayers so perfectly. You know my need before I do. Continue to teach me to seek Your will as I voice my requests to You.

Best Verses: Psalm 61:1-4 “1 Hear my cry, O God; give heed to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.3 For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.”

HEAR ME, O GOD

I just love the hymn “A Mighty Fortress.”  I couldn’t help but think of it when I read these verses today.  God is our refuge and tower of strength.  He is our bulwark.  He defends us.  How? Through just His spoken word.  He speaks, and Satan flees.  How awesome is that?!

So, when I cry out to God, He listens and responds. He doesn’t do it just because we ask, though.  He does it because He loves us and wants to see us thrive.  He wants to lift us up.  He wants to conquer our enemies. He wants us to see Him work in our lives.

TEACHING MOMENT

Teach your little Johnny to cry out to God first. They should not wait until it gets unbearable.  Teach them to cry out at the first hint of the enemy.  Don’t let the enemy approach.  Keep them at a distance.  We cannot defeat them – on our own.  And we don’t have to.

If our children can learn this life lesson early, they will have such a deeper walk with Christ as they get older. Seeing the Lord work builds our trust in Him.  He restores our faith.  He increases our endurance in trials.  But we have to call out.

Who are you crying out to today?  Is it the Lord God?  Or are you crying out to someone else?  It doesn’t matter how skilled they are or how many degrees they have behind their name.  No one can defend you or counsel you like Jesus.

O Jesus, You are the only One I can cry out to.  Help me today to stand firm and strong against the enemy.  Help me trust You to defend me against the accuser.

Best Verse: 1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;”

Have you ever tried to walk in darkness?  I mean real, deep, dark darkness!  I recently was walking in the woods early in the morning before daylight.  It was a cloudy night, so there were NO stars out.  There was no moonlight.  It was DARK! Without the aid of my flashlight I could not have found my way down the trail.  I would have been lost or worse – injured.  But with the aid of a little flashlight the darkness was pierced.  

So many people try to navigate the darkness on their own.  They think they can get out of the light and be okay.  Listen brother, you can’t.  Sister, don’t try it.  Stay in the light.  John tells us that if we claim to be with Jesus but walk in the darkness, we are liars! Pretty harsh words but true.

TEACHING MOMENT

Take a walk with your children in the woods or in the neighborhood one night.  Find a spot without any street lights and then turn off your flashlight.  Ask your child to lead you out of the darkness. They will probably cling to your leg and beg you to turn the light back on.

We can learn something by doing this. Shouldn’t we be the same way? Should we not, the moment we step into darkness, turn on the light of Jesus so we will expose what is around us? Satan loves to lure us into the darkness.  He wants us to feel afraid. He wants us to feel threatened.  But once we shine the light of Jesus, he flees.  He has to.  He can’t stand the light of Jesus.

Are you in darkness or light?  Are you a liar or truth teller?  Are you in fellowship or animosity?  Those are the only choices.  To do otherwise is false.  Live for Him. Live in the light.  You are safe there.

Lord of light, shine on me.  Expose the darkness around me.  Let me be the one who stays on the lighted path.

Best Verse: Psalm 60:6a “God has spoken in His holiness:”

HOLY

How do you think God talks?  Does He have a deep voice or a high pitch voice? Does He sound like James Earl Jones or Mickey Mouse?  I’m not trying to be sacrilegious.  Hear me out. It doesn’t matter how He sounds. I believe He sounds differently to different people. But He will ALWAYS sound holy.  

The verse today says He speaks in His holiness.  That can also be translated as “in is sanctuary.”  Wherever God speaks and however God speaks, He is always holy.  His words ring of holiness.  His carefully chosen words are pure are fitting for His sanctuary.

TEACHING MOMENT

My mind jumps to the scene in “A Christmas Story,” the timeless Christmas movie when Ralphie is overheard by his mother saying some very bad words during a fight.  When she gets him home, she makes him sit in the bathroom with a bar of soap in his mouth.  Those bad words had to be “cleaned out.”  

I am NOT advocating doing that to your child.  But I am suggesting that you correct and teach your child about sounding holy. How is that possible?  It is not teaching them to use “thou” and “thine” in their speech and prayers.  It’s about saying those things that only God would say.  To speak as He would speak – with love and purity.

How is your speech?  Do you forget yourself sometimes and let words slip out that should not be heard?  Ask the Lord today to clean up your speech.  Memorize Scripture instead of lyrics to songs with bad language. Concentrate on choosing your words carefully before you speak.  

O Lord, You made my tongue to praise You.  Help me form my words in the same manner You do – in holiness, as if I am standing in Your sanctuary.