Monthly Archives: February 2021

Matchless

08 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalm 103

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Today’s verse from the Psalms
Psalm 103_13-14 AHeavenly Father,
 you are matchless.
There is none like you.
Your compassion is astonishing.
Your grandeur is beyond my ability to even imagine.
I love you, LORD.
I bow in awe.
Amen.

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

Dust and Stars

08 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalm 103, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 103
(Verses 13-18)
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts (NIV).*

stars at night

Photo by egil sju00f8holt on Pexels.com

Reflection
Last week I heard a news report that stated that new research has led astronomers to realize that there are ten times more stars in the universe than they previously estimated. A minor miscalculation you may assume. Not really!

Our own Milky Way galaxy contains about 400 billion stars of varying sizes. The most recent astronomical estimate counts 170 billion galaxies in the observable universe. To do a rough calculation of the total number of stars in the universe, you multiply 400 billion stars X 170 billion galaxies and get a number with twenty-five zeroes tacked on the end. Now that’s astronomical!

So how does that ginormous number connect with today’s reading from Psalm 103? It tells us the LORD’s concern and care for us are nothing short of astounding. The God who created all that vast array of stars cares even for you and me. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 

Dust… We are nothing more than dust. From dust we were formed and to dust we will return. (See Genesis 3:19.) Yet despite our humble origin and our body’s grave fate, we have a God who has the compassion of a father for his children. Furthermore, this care and compassion is not fleeting; it’s eternal. Our time on earth may be transitory, but God’s love for us persists. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Why would a God of such infinite capacity commit Himself to a creature of such miniscule significance? The LORD is mind-boggling; God is completely mind-boggling! You can see it in the stars. You can count it in the grains of dust—dust that the LORD loves!

Response: Father God, you are matchless. There is none like you. Your compassion is astonishing. Your grandeur is beyond my ability to even imagine. I love you, LORD. I bow in awe. Amen.

Your Turn: How big is your God? How tiny are you before this awesome God? How does knowing His love make you feel?

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

May You Bless

07 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalm 109

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Today’s verse from the Psalms
Psalm 109_28Heavenly Father,
 You bless.
You bless even the ungodly.
You cause the sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and send rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Lord, help me to be more like you.
Be exalted in my life.
In Jesus name, I pray.
Amen.

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

You, LORD, Have Done It

07 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalm 109, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!

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My hope is in you all day long — photo by David Kitz

Help me, LORD my God;
    save me according to your unfailing love.
Let them know that it is your hand,
    that you, LORD, have done it.
While they curse, may you bless;
    may those who attack me be put to shame,
    but may your servant rejoice.
May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
    and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD;
    in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him.
For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
    to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

(Psalm 109:26-31, NIV)*

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

Above the Heavens

06 Saturday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalm 108

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Today’s verse from the Psalms
Psalm 108_4-5Heavenly Father,
 I genuinely appreciate your love and faithfulness.
You are always good,
loving and worthy of praise.
Be exalted in my life.
In Jesus name, I pray.
Amen.

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

I Will Awaken the Dawn

06 Saturday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalm 108, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!

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Dale Kitz farm, MacNutt, SK — photo by David Kitz

My heart, O God, is steadfast;
    I will sing and make music with all my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre!
    I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth.

(Psalm 108:1-5, NIV)*

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

A Debt of Love

05 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

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Today’s quote from Psalms 365
Satan is the accuser; God is the merciful forgiver 365 Psalm 103Heavenly Father,
because of your love, mercy and grace
I want to serve you.
Please accept my feeble attempts at loving you back.
Your forgiveness leaves me with a debt of love
I cannot pay.
Amen.

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

Which Is Your Favorite?

05 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalm 103, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 103
(Verses 7-12)
He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us (NIV).*

Winter Spruce 2021-01-24

Racette Park, Orleans, ON — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Here is a little secret that will be a secret no longer: Of all the psalms, Psalm 103 is my favorite.

Why do I have such a deep love for this psalm? The answer lies in what the psalm tells us about God. The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

That sentence should be etched on our hearts and minds. The character of God is revealed in these traits. I stand in need of a God who has these qualities because by nature I am the polar opposite. In various situations I have lacked compassion. I have reasoned that those who suffer are getting what they deserve. Rather than extent grace, I have a tendency to be judgmental. When things don’t go my way, I can be quick tempered rather than slow to anger. I like to think I am loving, but I’m not sure others would always agree.

The amazing truth is that despite all our shortcomings God still loves you and me. He [the LORD] will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

Satan is the accuser; God is the merciful forgiver. Sometimes I think in our minds, we have reversed those roles. That’s why this psalm acts as such a powerful antidote to wrong thinking. Do you think God cannot forgive you because of some past transgression? Think again. Psalm 103 tells us to view God differently. He is more compassionate than we can imagine, more loving than we can fathom, more patient than we can comprehend.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Infinite—our God’s love and compassion are infinite. Enough said.

Response: Father God, because of your love, mercy and grace I want to serve you. Please accept my feeble attempts at loving you back. Your forgiveness leaves me with a debt of love I cannot pay. Amen.

Your Turn: What is your favorite psalm? Why?

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

Praise the LORD, my soul!

04 Thursday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalms

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Today’s verse from the Psalms
Psalm 103_1Heavenly Father,
 I genuinely want to learn to praise you
in all situations.
You are always good,
loving and worthy of praise.
Along with David, I declare,
“Praise the LORD, my soul!”
Amen.

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

A New, Yet So Familiar Story

04 Thursday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalms, The Soldier Who Killed a King

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With Lent fast approaching—it begins Wednesday, February 17th—why not plan a journey to the cross and the empty tomb?

There’s nothing quite like a good book to transport you to a different time and plaSoldier800kbce. For thousands of readers The Soldier Who Killed a King has been doing just that. It’s been bringing them directly to Jesus, the cross, and the empty tomb.

Here’s a five star Amazon review from Canada dated February 3rd, 2021:

A New, Yet So Familiar Story
It’s a story every Christian has heard many many times, but never quite like this! David Kitz does an impressive job capturing the historical events expressed in the biblical account of Jesus’ death, and re-presenting them from a new, relatable, and incredibly human perspective. Journeying with this Roman Centurion will lead readers to an intimate encounter with the passion of Jesus Christ.

And from JR in the USA,  January 15, 2021…

“The Soldier Who Killed a King” As Satisfying as Reading Ben Hur

I forgot who suggested this book. If I knew I would thank them. This historical novel is every bit as great as the book Ben Hur.

A free seven week study guide is also available for small groups or personal use.

For book purchases of The Soldier Who Killed a King try Amazon or christianbook.com.