LORD God, I thank you for Jesus.
I am thankful I can put my complete trust in you.
You forgive me
and cleanse me from all my sins.
I am saved by your amazing grace
not by my effort.
Amen.
— — — —
Three That Testify This is the one who came by water and blood—
Jesus Christ.
He did not come by water only,
but by water and blood.
And it is the Spirit who testifies,
because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood;
and the three are in agreement. We accept human testimony,
but God’s testimony is greater
because it is the testimony of God,
which he has given about his Son.
(1 John 5:6-9 NIV)*
Whoever does not love does not know God,
because Godislove (1 John 4:8 NIV)
Pray for enduring peace in Israel and Gaza, and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Also available from David KitzIs a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.
For details click here.
A psalm of David. A petition. LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. (NIV)*
Arrows recovered from Little Bighorn Battlefield (Picryl)
Reflection Psalm 38 is a psalm of personal lamentation. The psalmist, David, laments the state of his personal and spiritual health. Notes of joy and triumph are absent from this psalm; instead, we find David in a state of deep melancholy.
What is the cause of this melancholy—this depression verging on despair? David attributes his current ill health to sin. He has sinned and is bearing the consequences of his sin. His words of confession make this perfectly clear. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear (v. 3-4).
What a refreshingly different approach to one’s problems! Rather than blaming others or blaming God, David takes responsibility for his self-inflicted difficulties. How different from the pop-psychology of today! Rather than deal with the sin issue, we are often advised to pop a pill, blame a parent, a colleague or society in general. Rather than take our problems to God, the world encourages us to indulge ourselves with another bottle, another doughnut, or another spouse, meanwhile, our putrid load of sin piles ever higher.
David was on the right track when he confessed his sin to the LORD. He laments, “My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly” (v. 5).
Thanks be to God! He can handle our sinful folly. He sent Jesus to die on the cross to wipe away our sins. Healing, forgiveness, and redemption are available through the blood Jesus shed.
Response LORD God, I thank you for Jesus. I am thankful I can put my complete trust in you. You forgive me and cleanse me from all my sins. I am saved by your amazing grace not by my effort. Amen.
Your Turn When was the last time you truly lamented over sin in your life? How is your spiritual health?
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Russia and Ukraine!
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Ideal for the Season of Lent
A stunning story of Holy Week through the eyes of a Roman centurion. Watch the triumphal entry of the donkey-riding king through the eyes of Marcus Longinus, the centurion charged with keeping the streets from erupting into open rebellion.
Look behind the scenes at the political plotting of King Herod, known as the scheming Fox for his ruthless shrewdness.
Get a front-row seat to the confrontation between the Jewish high priest Caiaphas and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
Understand as never before the horror of the decision to save a brutal terrorist in order to condemn the peaceful Jew to death.
If you’ve heard the story of Passion Week so often it’s become stale, now is the time to rediscover the terrible events leading from Jesus’s humble ride into the city to his crucifixion. The Soldier Who Killed a King will stun you afresh with how completely Christ’s resurrection changed history, one life at a time.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
I love the Psalms 