Tags
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.
Affirming Good Character Qualities
18 Monday Jan 2021
Author Archives: davidkitz
A Scribe or Ascribe
18 Monday Jan 2021
Reading: Psalm 96
(Verses 7-13)
Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness (NIV).*
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them — Photo courtesy of Andrew Nicholls.
Reflection
When I think of the word, ascribe, I immediately picture a long, grey-bearded man with a quill pen in his hand scratching words onto a scroll. That’s a scribe. I suppose this scribe could be busy ascribing. I wonder just what he could be ascribing? Well, according to the author of Psalm 96 my imaginary scribe could be ascribing glory and strength to the LORD.
In all seriousness ascribing means crediting or attributing certain character qualities to a person. The LORD certainly is strong and glorious. Along with those attributes, we could also add the words loving, faithful, merciful, just and holy. The LORD is all those things and more. For all these character qualities the LORD is worthy of praise.
Sometimes I don’t see something until it smacks me in the face. I can be blind to that missing shirt hanging in the closet or across the back of a chair. It takes someone else, usually my wife, to point out what should be plainly obvious. In the same way I can be blind to the kind gestures of a friend or colleague. It takes someone else to point them out—to ascribe them—by drawing my attention to them.
Are you missing something? Have you become blind to the beautiful character qualities of your spouse, your children or your workmates? Maybe you need to do some ascribing? Before it’s too late, let them know the good qualities you see in their lives. You won’t regret speaking words of affirmation to the ones you love. As for the LORD, He will be honored if we carry through with the words of the psalmist: Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
Response: LORD God, I want to see your glory and strength. I acknowledge your attributes. You are magnificent, holy, merciful and just. Thank you for your judgments. They are righteous. Amen.
Your Turn: Is there someone whose good character you need to ascribe or affirm? Do it today.
* 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.
He Fills the Hungry
17 Sunday Jan 2021
Tags
Today’s quote from the Psalms
Heavenly Father,
I thank you and praise you
because you supply all my needs.
Even during this pandemic I eat like a king.
Thank you for your bountiful provision
through the grace of my Savior.
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise.
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.
He Led Them by a Straight Way
17 Sunday Jan 2021
Tags
I will praise the LORD!
Night Song – photo courtesy of Donald Adam
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
(Psalm 107:4-9, NIV)*
* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica
Some Thoughts on a New Devotional
16 Saturday Jan 2021
The start of a new year can be a great time to start a new devotional. If you have enjoyed my daily online posts on the Psalms, you may be pleased to know that these same posts are now available in an attractive book format. 
Daily reading and meditation on the Psalms is an ideal way to grow in your love for God and his holy Word.
Endorsements:
David Kitz writes with a heart that wants to worship God, and he invites us all to join in through his writings. His daily reflections on the Psalms are practical and make you want to love our God and Savior more.
Jimmy Li
Jimmy Li, Pastor & blogger for Veritas Domain
For more than twenty years David Kitz has been my friend, colleague, and fellow member in a weekly men’s fellowship group. He has always demonstrated his passion to know and make manifest God’s Word in his life, to draw close to the heart of his Father. In other words, he is a man after God’s own heart, which is so clearly evident in this new daily devotions book. I have had the distinct privilege of reading these devotions through David’s blog in preparation for this new publication. Each devotion will inspire and provide the reader with biblical insights and life applications, through a daily call to prayer, worship, obedience, thanksgiving, and meditation on God’s Word. May this book help to strengthen, heal, and encourage all who read it!
Don MacGregor
Leader, Next Level Ministries
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.
The Redeemed Tell Their Story
16 Saturday Jan 2021
I will praise the LORD!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
(Psalm 107:1-3, NIV)*
* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica
Because God Is
15 Friday Jan 2021
Tags
Today’s quote from Psalms 365
Heavenly Father,
I want to praise you.
Give me news songs
and new melodies to sing your praise.
Your goodness and love abounds.
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise.
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.
Sing to the LORD
15 Friday Jan 2021
Tags
Reading: Psalm 96
(Verses 1-6)
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary (NIV).*
Photo courtesy of Donald Adam
Reflection
Who are you singing to? Let’s face it; most of us sing. We may not sing in a choir or in front of a crowd of thousands, but we sing. Maybe you sing in the shower. Maybe you just hum, whistle or sing a tune in your mind. Even though you may not fully vocalize your song, the music is still there bubbling beneath the surface.
Psalm 96 urges us to sing that song to the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
I believe it’s in our nature to sing. Music is after all a universal activity enjoyed by people of every race and culture. This universality begs a question: Who put that love for music and song within us?
For believers the answer is obvious. God put music in our hearts and God puts songs on our lips. We sing because we are and because God is. Music is so foundational—so fundamental to our being—that it’s hard to imagine our world without it. When we break forth in song we are doing what God designed us to do. You were designed to sing, just as you were designed to bring glory to God through the work of your hands or the fruit of your body. So let your voice bring honor, praise and glory to God. Sing out your worship with joy.
Psalm 96 is also a call for newness in worship. Why does God want a new song? Could it be because His mercy and love for us are continually renewed? In the midst of national tragedy, Jeremiah reminded us of this truth. Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Just as the changing seasons bring renewal to the earth and its vegetation, so to new songs of praise bring renewal to our worship. So whether you hum, whistle, or belt out songs in the choir, let your song ascend to the LORD. You are singing for Him and to Him.
Response: LORD God, I want to praise you. Give me news songs and new melodies to sing your praise. Your goodness and love abounds. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise. Amen.
Your Turn: Do you enjoy singing? Do you like both old and new worship songs?
* 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 265-page daily devotional book visit Amazon and enter David Kitz into the search bar.
A Cure for a Hard Heart
14 Thursday Jan 2021
Heavenly Father,
give me ears that hear your voice
gently speaking to me.
Give me a heart that is quick to obey.
I want a tender heart that reflects your love
for me and for others.
I pray in Jesus’ name.
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.
Hardening of the Heart
14 Thursday Jan 2021
Reading: Psalm 95
(Verses 7-11)
Today, if only you would hear his voice,
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest’” (NIV).*
Photo by Andreas Wohlfahrt on Pexels.com
Reflection
Long before we knew about the medical condition known as hardening of the arteries, there existed another condition called hardening of the heart. Hardening of the heart is not a deadly medical condition; it’s a deadly spiritual condition. Those who suffer from hardening of the heart have a hard time hearing God, and when they do hear God, they tend to stop their ears, or they do their best to pretend that God hasn’t spoken.
Although we can safely say that this condition has existed since the human species stepped out of Eden, the first reported case of hardening of the heart occurred about 3,500 years ago. In the Book of Exodus we read that Pharaoh developed a severe case of hardening of the heart. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said (Exodus 8:15).
Time and again as the ten plagues ravaged Egypt, we read that Pharaoh hardened his heart and he would not let the people of Israel go. In several instances we read that the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart. But let’s be clear about this condition. Heart hardening only happens with the willing participation of the individual. Don’t go about blaming God for your hard heart. Hearts harden due to our willful disregard of God’s Spirit and His laws.
Neither should we presume that heart hardening only happens with a certain type of person. We are all prone to develop this spiritual malady. Our ancestry or genetic makeup offers no protection. The Egyptian Pharaoh developed a heart, but ultimately the Israelites—the people that the LORD pried free from Pharaoh also developed the same condition. That’s why the psalmist issues this warning: Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.”
The key to avoiding a hard heart is hearing and heeding the voice of God. It’s just that simple.
Response: LORD, give me ears that hear your voice gently speaking to me. Give me a heart that is quick to obey. I want a tender heart that reflects your love for me and for others. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Your Turn: Does a hard heart toward others result in a hard heart toward God? What are your thoughts?
* 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.
I love the Psalms 