Author Archives: davidkitz

In our Low Estate

09 Thursday Jan 2020

Posted by in Devotionals, Psalm 136, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 136
(Verses 17-26)
to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.
He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever (NIV).

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Rachette Park, Orleans, ON — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
In recent months I have transitioned from attending an established church to involvement in a new church plant. In many respects the change has been refreshing. This new church has a clear focus on reaching the lost in our city, specifically those who are trapped in addictions. Almost weekly new converts are coming forward to put their trust in Christ. The church itself is a place of transition, as deadly habits are broken, and the healing power of Jesus is applied to long festering inner wounds.

So how does this connect with our reading from Psalm 136? In his description of Israel, the psalmist makes this statement: He remembered us in our low estate… and freed us from our enemies.

We serve a God who rescues us at our lowest point, in our low estate. In our foolish pride, we would never turn to God. But when we hit bottom—when there is no way forward, put up—then we turn to the Lord. You see, Christ has been patiently waiting for us to acknowledge our need. But Jesus doesn’t rescue the proud. He doesn’t save those who see no need for salvation. He only comes to the humble—those who admit they need a lift from the hole they find themselves in.

Sadly, there are many who sit in fine churches that have never discovered their low estate. Actually, they have become experts at hiding it. We all have a secret addiction to sin. Even St. Paul wrote, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). The only one who can turn us around is Jesus, our Savior. See Romans 7:25. 

Response: Father God, I admit my need for Jesus, your Son, my Savior. His love endures forever. Amen.

Your Turn: Why do we hide our sins rather than confess them? Does pride hold you back?

Our Redeemer

08 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by in Devotionals, Psalm 136, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 136
(Verses 10-16)
to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.
to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever (NIV).

christ the redeemer brazil

Photo by 4FLY RJ on Pexels.com

Reflection
Because of the responsive pattern employed by the psalmist, today’s reading from Psalm 136 begins as an incomplete sentence. When combined with yesterday’s reading, the full sentence reads: Give thanks to the Lord of lords, to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, and brought Israel out from among them with a mighty hand and outstretched arm.

Whereas yesterday’s reading from Psalm 136 celebrates the wonders of God’s creation, today’s reading celebrates the wonders of God’s redemption of Israel. The LORD delivered the captive souls of Israel from hard labor and slavery in Egypt. Though the eldest child of the Egyptians perished, the Hebrew children were spared from the Angel of Death, because the blood of the Passover lamb was applied to the doorposts of their home. See Exodus 12.

At a grim Passover celebration 2,000 years ago, Jesus suffered and died on the cross as our Passover Lamb. When we place our faith in his sacrificial blood, we too are spared from death. Jesus tasted death on our behalf, so that we can live eternally with him.  As believers we can rejoice and draw comfort from these words. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

Through the blood of Christ the power of Satan is broken and we are brought into the dominion of the Son of God. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).

Surely as redeemed children of God—children personally redeemed by the Son of God—we have this testimony: His love endures forever. 

Response: Father God, I thank you for redeeming me with the sacred blood of Jesus. I have been adopted into your family. You are my heavenly Father. I can never thank you enough. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you living in a new kingdom, under a new king—King Jesus?

The Wonder of God’s Creation

07 Tuesday Jan 2020

Posted by in Devotionals, Psalm 136, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 136
(Verses 1-9)
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever (NIV).

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Who made the great lights — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Here are some straightforward facts about me. I love nature. I enjoy all four seasons. I love getting out of the house and hiking through the woods or riding my bicycle along nature trails. I am fascinated by the wildlife I encounter on these excursions. I like planting a backyard garden in spring, and harvesting the produce from it through the summer and fall. I feel knitted to the land and its seasons.

My love for God’s creation underpins my love for God. A God who created such a beautiful, wonder-filled world must be truly awesome—awesome beyond measure—because the universe He created is awesome beyond measure.

Psalm 136 extols the virtues of this awesome limitless God. His love endures forever. For a total of twenty-six verses the psalmist expounds on the goodness of the LORD. In response His people reply, “His love endures forever.”

Today’s reading lays the foundation for our worship. That foundation rests on the wonder of God’s creation. We are to give thanks to God because He alone does great wonders. By his understanding, [He] made the heavens, and spread out the earth upon the waters.

As you go through your day do you find moments where you give God thanks for the wonders of His creation? In an urban, man-made environment we can lose touch with nature and our Creator. We lose something precious—something fundamental to our well-being—when that happens.

Response: LORD God, help me to appreciate the wonder of your creation every day. Give me opportunities to see the beauty in it, because it’s a reflection of your magnificent character. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you enjoy nature? Does that appreciation of nature translate into love for God?

An Idolatrous Financial System

06 Monday Jan 2020

Posted by in Devotionals, Psalm 135, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 135
(Verses 15-21)
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
All you Israelites, praise the LORD;
house of Aaron, praise the LORD;
house of Levi, praise the LORD;
you who fear him, praise the LORD.
Praise be to the LORD from Zion,
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD (NIV).

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Street Corner Idol — Nagakute, Japan — David Kitz

Reflection
Though it may not be obvious, there is something timeless about the first sentence from today’s reading: The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. 

In today’s world shaping silver or gold into an idol may be unusual, but it still occurs. India and the nations of Southeast Asia have plenty of gold and silver idols. This is not a dying worship form. Many have been cast in recent years.

In the western world we frown on such openly idolatrous displays of wealth and worship. Or do we? Gold and silver represent wealth. In reality, we have simply transformed our worship of wealth from bulky commodities like silver and gold to more transferable assets like securities and paper currency. We are still guilty of bowing before silver and gold, but it comes with a different name. Now we call it the almighty dollar.

The almighty dollar, or more broadly speaking, the market, determines the ebb and flow of commerce, and by extension impacts every aspect of our daily lives. It is not an exaggeration to say we are caught up in financial system that is deeply idolatrous. Our society has taken the worship of wealth (Mammon) to new heights. We elect our political leaders not on the basis of morality or personal integrity, but rather can they deliver a higher level of GDP—put more money in our pockets.

Into this corrupt world, St. Peter speaks these words to those who have been called to follow Christ:  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Response: Father God, I need the right perspective on wealth and finances. Your precious blood is worth more than all the silver and gold this world has to offer. I bow before you as my Almighty Savior. Amen.

Your Turn: Is Jesus the Lord of your finances? Is your Redeemer more important than wealth?

We Put our Hope in You

05 Sunday Jan 2020

Posted by in Bible, Psalm 33, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!

animal animal photography close up countryside

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No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the LORD;
    he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
    even as we put our hope in you.

  (Psalm 33:16-22, NIV)

He Who Forms the Hearts

04 Saturday Jan 2020

Posted by in Bible, Psalm 33, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!

branch cold freezing frost

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Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
    the people he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down
    and sees all mankind;
from his dwelling place he watches
    all who live on earth—
he who forms the hearts of all,
    who considers everything they do.

  (Psalm 33:12-15, NIV)

Some thoughts on “Psalms Alive!”

03 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in book review, Psalms

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This morning I came upon this book review by Pam:

David Kitz’s devotional, “psalms alive” is a book I bought for my friends and family this past Christmas and I plan to read it a second time. It is one of the best devotionals I have ever read for the following reasons:

* The Scripture is printed at the beginning of each devotional. This makes it so convenient and for me it meant reading and then re-reading that Psalm many times as I studied Kitz’s devotional which followed. Many devotionals only quote the reference which you are to study. Tell me – how many of you actually look up this passage? Lol. It’s too easy not to get your bible and look it up. It’s such a simple thing to print the Psalm right in the devotional but it made the study so much more helpful.

* Secondly, this was an excellent resource because of the cultural and historical insights Kitz provided. These brought the Psalms to life and helped me remember and apply them.

* Theologically, I believe Kitz is sound and credible; he often cross-referenced his thoughts with other biblical passages.

* The whole picture – Kitz provided each Psalm in light of the sweep of biblical history and revelation, often showing how the Psalm prophesied Christ. I appreciated this and it helped me see the relevance and power of the Psalms in my daily life.

Reading “psalms alive” was a highlight of October/November 2017. I looked forward to it every day; it was a feast every morning that I will indulge in again. My copy is highlighted, underlined, tear-stained, and I have several pictures I drew in response to the insights I learned. It is a treasure that I recommend with the highest confidence.

Pam

Psalms Alive! is available for purchase from Christianbook.com or directly from the author.

Our Great Liberation

03 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in Devotionals, Psalm 135, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 135
(Verses 8-14)
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—
Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan—
and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
Your name, LORD, endures forever,
your renown, LORD, through all generations.
For the LORD will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants (NIV).

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Photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Psalm 135 began with a call for the LORD’s people to praise Him. For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.

In today’s reading, the psalmist continues by recounting how Israel came to be God’s treasured possession. It happened as the result of a great cosmic struggle. The descendants of the patriarch Israel (who was also called Jacob) were enslaved in Egypt. There they toiled under cruel taskmasters until by the hand of Moses the LORD sent his signs and wonders into their midst. After ten terrible plagues, Pharaoh finally relented and set God’s people free. Nevertheless, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to pursue Israel. Again at the Red Sea, the LORD intervened. He parted the sea, for His chosen people, but brought it crashing down upon Egypt’s army.

Make no mistake; you too are part of a great cosmic struggle. You were born into a world that is under the control of Satan. Jesus called our adversary the ruler, or prince of this world (John 16:11). We were born under Satan’s authority and within his domain just as the Hebrew children were born into a state of slavery in the land of Egypt. As we grow up, Satan has his taskmasters, who set us to work doing his bidding. It begins as we bow to peer pressure, but soon those things we choose begin to assert control. We can soon find ourselves in a downward spiral, imprisoned by sinful habits.

Only Jesus can liberate us from this bondage. At the cross he paid the full price for our redemption. Crossing the Red Sea foreshadows the New Testament sacrament of baptism. It signals our break with the old life—the old bondage. See 1 Corinthians 10:1-4. We have a new master now. His name is Jesus. He is the great liberator. He liberates us from the bondage of sin, and the taunts of the Accuser, who insists that we will never be good enough. But Jesus is our sufficiency. By his grace we are saved.

Response: Father God, I thank you for liberation. Through Jesus you freed me from the bondage of sin. I am eternally grateful. Fill me with the joy of your salvation. You saved me. Hallelujah! Amen.

Your Turn: Have you been liberated from the bondage of sin?

God’s Prescription for Us

02 Thursday Jan 2020

Posted by in Devotionals, Psalm 135, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 135
(Verses 1-7)
Praise the LORD.
Praise the name of the LORD;
praise him, you servants of the LORD,
you who minister in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.
I know that the LORD is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses (NIV).

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He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Like many of the psalms, Psalm 135 begins by calling us to worship. Specifically, this is a call to praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.

So what is the difference between praise and worship? Worship is a broad term that expresses itself in a variety of ways. The Encarta Dictionary defines worship as “the adoration, devotion, and respect given to a deity.”

We can show devotion, adoration and respect for God in wide range of ways. We can use our bodies to express worship by bowing, kneeling, falling prostrate, or lifting our hands and faces heavenward. We read that both David and Miriam danced before the LORD as an act of worship. See 2 Samuel 6:13-15 and Exodus 15:20-21.

Praise and thanksgiving are verbal forms of worship that reflect a heart of adoration. But why do the Psalms call on us to praise God so frequently? Is the LORD a grand, heavenly egomaniac who demands our worship to satisfy His desire for recognition and importance? Hardly.

Actually, just the opposite is true. God does not need our worship. We are the egomaniacs. Praise and worship counteracts the selfishness that is at the root of our sinful nature. We desperately need to get our eyes off ourselves and onto the One who is worthy of all praise. So here to counter what ales us, is a simple but powerful prescription from your heavenly Father: Praise the LORD.

Response: Father God, I worship you. Thank you for sending Jesus to be my Savior. Holy Spirit, infuse my praise and worship with joy. You are so very good—so very kind to me. Let praise in all its varied forms flow from me to you. Amen.

Your Turn: What forms or expressions of worship are most meaningful to you?

Knowing Whose You Are

01 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by in Devotionals, Psalm 134, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 134
A song of ascents.
Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD
who minister by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the LORD.
May the LORD bless you from Zion,
he who is the Maker of heaven and earth (NIV).

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Ministering by night in the house of the LORD — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
This is the fifteenth and final psalm in the Songs of Ascent series. In reality, this psalm is the pilgrims’ farewell offering of worship to the LORD.  After a week or more in Jerusalem, the time has arrived for the pilgrims to return to their homes. But on the evening before they set out on the return journey, they make one last visit to Mount Zion and the great Temple of the LORD. There they lift their hands in praise to the God of Israel. Early next morning, they will begin the arduous journey back home. But for now, it’s time to bless the LORD and offer thanks.

It is likely that the twelve-year-old Jesus sang this psalm with his parents on the final evening of their Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On the following day the family departed for Nazareth where Joseph would resume his trade as a carpenter. When they left the next morning, they assumed Jesus was traveling with them in the large company of other pilgrims from their hometown. See Luke 2:41-52.

Typically, we read this account of the lost twelve-year-old Jesus from the viewpoint of a parent. We identify with the stress of losing a child in a big city. We would title this story, “Mary and Joseph find lost Jesus.” But the story reads quite differently, when we view it from the perspective of a child trying to discover who he really is. Viewed from Jesus’ perspective the title of the story might well be, “Lost Boy finds Himself” or “Lost Boy Discovers His Divinity.”

How did Jesus discover he was the son of God? Some believers might well reason that the answer is obvious. Jesus is God; therefore, he is omniscient. The all-knowing Jesus would surely know that he was God’s son. But many theologians would beg to differ. They view the humanity of Christ as all pervasive. Jesus was 100% human and as such he needed to learn and discover his identity even as any child does.

If through the incarnation Jesus fully took on humanity, then the boy Jesus needed to discover his divine identity. It may have been written into every fiber of his being, but he still needed to discover it, just as any young musical prodigy needs to explore and discover his or her gift. All divine gifts must be discovered and developed to reach their maximum potential.

How do we discover our true identity? From the account in Luke, it would appear that the boy Jesus discovered his true identity in the House of God. Perhaps it began as he lifted his hands in worship. We cannot fully discover who we are until we discover who God is. We must know our Creator to know ourselves. Self-understanding begins with knowing whose we are. You and I belong to the Father.

Response: Father God, I thank you for loving me and inviting me into your family. Lord Jesus, thank you for purchasing my redemption. Holy Spirit, I thank you for the confirmation that I am your child. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you know who you are? How is God the Father shaping your identity?

Happy New Year!
May you see God at work in your life in 2020.