Tag Archives: Jesus

The LORD Loves the Foreigner

06 Thursday Feb 2025

Posted by in Psalm 79

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.

Reading: Psalm 79:8-13

LORD God,
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your name’s sake.
Forgive the sins we have committed
against minorities within our borders.
You hold us accountable.
Show us your mercy,
Lord Jesus.
Amen.

— — —

For the LORD your God is God of gods 
and Lord of lords, 
the great God, mighty and awesome, 
who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 
He defends the cause
of the fatherless and the widow, 
and loves the foreigner residing among you,
giving them food and clothing. 
And you are to love those who are foreigners,
for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.
Fear the LORD your God and serve him. 
Hold fast to him
and take your oaths in his name.
(Deuteronomy 10:17-20)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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

The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II

The Blessed and the Cursed

03 Monday Feb 2025

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.

Reading: Psalm 78:56-64

LORD God,
 collectively as a nation,
we have wandered away from you.
LORD in your mercy
lead us back to the center of your holy will.
Give us repentant hearts that seek your face
and hunger for you, Lord Jesus,
the living Word.
Amen.

— — —

This is what the LORD says:

  “Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
    they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
    in a salt land where no one lives.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

(Jeremiah 17:5-8)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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

When Israel Abandoned God

03 Monday Feb 2025

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Reading: Psalm 78:56-64

But they put God to the test
    and rebelled against the Most High;
    they did not keep his statutes.
Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless,
    as unreliable as a faulty bow.
They angered him with their high places;
    they aroused his jealousy with their idols.
When God heard them, he was furious;
    he rejected Israel completely.
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
    the tent he had set up among humans.
He sent the ark of his might into captivity,
    his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
He gave his people over to the sword;
    he was furious with his inheritance.
Fire consumed their young men,
    and their young women had no wedding songs;
their priests were put to the sword,
    and their widows could not weep (NIV). *

Reflection
Sin has consequences. We can pretend it isn’t so, but we’re fooling ourselves. Unchecked sin on a personal level can have devastating consequences—consequences that lead to heartache and an early grave. I think we all know individuals who became trapped in sin and wandered down a self-destructive path.

Today’s reading from Psalm 78 reminds us that a whole nation can abandon God and become mired in the consequences of sin. The nation of Israel did just that. The psalmist tells us they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow (v. 57).

When Israel abandoned God, He in turn abandoned them. We read, “He rejected Israel completely. He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans. He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. He gave his people over to the sword; he was furious with his inheritance” (v. 59-62).

Has God changed? If the LORD abandoned His people in ancient times, will He treat our nation—any nation that turns away from Him differently today? There are consequences for sin and that truth applies to nations too. When collectively we abandon the ways of God and the precepts He has established from the foundations of the world, we can expect dire days ahead. That’s what happened to ancient Israel, and it can happen to us today as well.

Response: LORD God, collectively as a nation, we have wandered away from you. LORD in your mercy lead us back to the center of your holy will. Give us repentant hearts that seek your face. Amen.  

Your Turn: Are you concerned about the spiritual state of your nation? What are you doing about it?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, 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 begin the new year, and daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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A gripping read from David Kitz.
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To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Sing for Joy to God

01 Saturday Feb 2025

Posted by in Psalm 81, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!


Psalm 81:1-10

For the director of music. According to gittith. Of Asaph.

Sing for joy to God our strength;
    shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
Begin the music, strike the timbrel,
    play the melodious harp and lyre.
Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
    and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
this is a decree for Israel,
    an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
When God went out against Egypt,
    he established it as a statute for Joseph.
I heard an unknown voice say:
“I removed the burden from their shoulders;
    their hands were set free from the basket.
In your distress you called and I rescued you,
    I answered you out of a thundercloud;
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
    if you would only listen to me, Israel!
You shall have no foreign god among you;
    you shall not worship any god other than me.
I am the LORD your God,
    who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, 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 begin the new year, and daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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A gripping read from David Kitz.
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To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The Unfathomable Choice

31 Friday Jan 2025

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Reading: Psalm 78:50-55
He prepared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death
but gave them over to the plague.
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
But he brought his people out like a flock;
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed their enemies.
And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
to the hill country his right hand had taken.
He drove out nations before them
and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;
he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes (NIV). *

Reflection
Understanding God’s choice is not a simple matter. Today’s reading from Psalm 78 draws our attention to the choices God makes. Why did God choose the people of Israel? Why did He decide to get behind this rebellious people? Why did the LORD throw His active support behind a slave revolt? Why did He show mercy to Israel, but pour out His wrath on Egypt?

Of course, we can ask the same questions on a personal level. Why did God choose to save me from my personal pile of sin and destructive habits? Why did He show me the incredible love of Jesus through his death on the cross? Why did the message of the gospel touch me so deeply and transform me so radically, while it bounced off others around me like a babble of meaningless words?

We may never know the answers to these questions. What I do know is God did not choose the best and the greatest when He chose Israel. Furthermore, at this present time, God overlooked the best and the greatest and instead He chose you and me. St. Paul writes, “My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn’t think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27, CEV).

Paul writes, “The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Why does the light go on for some, but not for others? We could spend an eternity pondering these questions and not arrive at a satisfactory answer. Ultimately, we must allow God to be God. We did not choose Him, but rather He chose us and for that we can be eternally grateful.

Response: LORD God, I am thankful your Spirit sought me out and drew me to the cross of Jesus. I bow before you in praise and gratitude. I pray you will show the same mercy to many others. Give me a heart of compassion for those who have not experienced your saving grace. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you understand God’s sovereign choice? How do you respond?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, 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.
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Our God Opposes the Proud

30 Thursday Jan 2025

Posted by in Psalm 78, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.

Reading: Psalm 78:40-49

LORD God,
I believe in your wrath
because you are grieved
at the hate and harm
we generate in this world.
Jesus,
I want to hear you calling
and follow you
to a place of deep personal change. 
Amen.

— — —

You adulterous people,
don’t you know that friendship with the world
means enmity against God?
Therefore,
anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world
becomes an enemy of God.
Or do you think Scripture says without reason
that he jealously longs for the spirit
he has caused to dwell in us?
But he gives us more grace.
That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”


Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you.
Come near to God
and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts,
you double-minded.
Grieve, mourn and wail.
Change your laughter to mourning
and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up.
(James 4:4-10)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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

The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II

Because of the LORD’s Great Love

29 Wednesday Jan 2025

Posted by in Psalm 78

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.

Reading: Psalm 78:32-39

LORD God,
 I cannot boast because of my righteousness.
You know all my shortcomings.
I have an impressive pile of personal sin.
Forgive me through the mercy of your son, Jesus.
Amen.

— — —

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.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke
    while he is young.
(Lamentations 3:22-27)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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

The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II

Though Your Riches Increase

28 Tuesday Jan 2025

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.

Reading: Psalm 78:23-31

LORD God,
help me to find my contentment in you
and not in the abundance of my possessions.
If your blessings come,
help me to be a wise and generous manager
who seeks first the Kingdom of God
and your righteosness,
which is found in Jesus Christ.
Amen.

— — —

Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
    the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
    together they are only a breath.
Do not trust in extortion
    or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
    do not set your heart on them.
(Psalm 62:9-10)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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

The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II

Mountain Moving Faith

27 Monday Jan 2025

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.

Reading: Psalm 78:17-22

LORD God,
I humbly ask you for the gift of faith—
faith to sustain me
through the tough times ahead.
You are my help,
my salvation, and my deliverer.
I praise you for your faithfulness.
Amen.

— — —

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,”
Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you?
How long shall I put up with you?
Bring the boy here to me.”
Jesus rebuked the demon,
and it came out of the boy,
and he was healed at that moment.

   Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked,
“Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied,
“Because you have so little faith.
Truly I tell you,
if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,
you can say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’
and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you.”
(Matthew 17:17-20)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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

The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II

Does Your Faith Have Wings?

27 Monday Jan 2025

Posted by in Psalm 78

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Reading: Psalm 78:17-22
But they continued to sin against him,
    rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
They willfully put God to the test
    by demanding the food they craved.
They spoke against God;
    they said, “Can God really
    spread a table in the wilderness?
True, he struck the rock,
    and water gushed out,
    streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
    Can he supply meat for his people?”
When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
    his fire broke out against Jacob,
    and his wrath rose against Israel,
for they did not believe in God
    or trust in his deliverance (NIV). *

Reflection
Psalm 78 is largely an indictment against the people of Israel for their lack of faith and their rebellious ways. As the psalmist says, “They willfully put God to the test” (v. 18).

As a child I recall reading the entire book of Exodus and thinking to myself, “Wow, these people sure are dumb. How could they see God’s amazing miracles and then a few days later grumble, complain and doubt that the LORD would help them? These people are real losers!”

Then I grew up and had a family of my own. At times I saw amazing miracles and God’s supernatural provision. But guess what? When the next big difficulty arose, I found myself doubting God would come through. I complained about the difficulty I was in and acted just like the people of Israel in the wilderness.

Oops! I thought I was different. I thought I was smarter than those spiritual dullards in the Old Testament. In reality, my grownup faith was much weaker than my childhood faith. When real testing and temptation came, I was and still am, as susceptible to unbelief as any of the wandering Israelites in the wilderness. Faith is a gift from God—a wonder-filled gift that carries us through the hard times.

The indictment against Israel is that they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance (v. 22). Do I truly believe in God and trust in his deliverance? Is my faith more than a creedal statement? Does it have legs and wings to carry me through the toughest situation? Often, I am more like the rebellious children of Israel than I would like to admit. How about you?

Response: LORD God, I humbly ask you for the gift of faith—faith to sustain me through the tough times ahead. You are my help, my salvation, and my deliverer. I praise you for your faithfulness. Amen.  

Your Turn: Do you have grown-up faith or childlike faith? Which is better? Why?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, 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 begin the new year, and daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

RGB72PsalmsVol2

A gripping read from David Kitz.
4485 SHARABLE-2

To purchase or for a closer look click here.