Turn to the Living Water

15 Tuesday Oct 2024

Tags

devotion, faith, God, Jesus, life, Prayer, Psalms, Reflection, Scripture, soul, Spirituality, thirst

Reading: Psalm 42:1-5
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
These things I remember as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy
and praise among the festive throng.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God (NIV).

Reflection
Thirst is one of our most basic cravings. Our need for water far exceeds our need for food. The human body can go 60 days or more without food, but only about ten days without water. Your body needs water because it is water. About two thirds, (2/3) of your body weight is water.

But you are more than skin filled with bones and water. Paul, the apostle, closes his first letter to the Thessalonians with this prayer, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

As Paul states, we are spirit, soul, and body. By nature—by God’s design—you are two thirds, (2/3) spiritual. You are more than a collection of molecules. You are a living soul with a spirit that was designed and intended to commune with God. Therefore, just as our physical body thirsts for water, so our spiritual man thirsts for God.

This should be our constant prayer, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (v. 1-2)

Are you thirsting for God? The truth is we all thirst for God. Some of us know how to mask our thirst or we substitute other things for the true living water. But the thirst remains. We need to heed Jesus’ invitation. On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” (John 7:37).

Response: LORD God, I thank you for Jesus. I am thankful you are the true water of life and when we drink of your Spirit, springs of water flow from us. Hallelujah! Amen.

Your Turn: Have you tasted the life-changing, life-invigorating water of Christ?

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

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

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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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Focusing on What Truly Matters

07 Monday Oct 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

accountability, faith, hope, life, purpose, redemption, Reflection

Reading: Psalm 39:6-13
“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth
without knowing whose it will finally be.
“But now, LORD, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin,
you consume their wealth like a moth—surely everyone is but a breath.
“Hear my prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more” (NIV).

The-Art-of-Focus-in-Photography-Capturing-Clarity-Amidst-Chaos

Reflection
Today’s reading is the concluding portion of Psalm 39. In this psalm we find David in a silent, reflective mood. He contemplates the brevity of life and the certainty of the grave. In the previously posted psalm portion he prayed, “Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.”

Why would knowing the number of our days matter? Well, it should focus our minds on making the most of the time available to us. Our days on this earth are not infinite. We are each allotted a predetermined number of days. In Psalm 139, another psalm attributed to David, we read, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16).

We have no control or at best limited control over the number of days we live on this earth. But how and with whom we spend those days is within the range of our effective will. I can break my marital vows and my wife’s heart, or I can be true to her, and my words spoken before God. I can love and raise my children in godly discipline, or I can neglect them, or alienate them through harsh words or punishment. I can be faithful to my Redeemer, or I can turn my back on Him. These decisions fall within the scope of my will. In this life and the next I will be accountable for the decisions I make. Undoubtedly, this is why David cries out, “But now, LORD, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions” (v. 7-8).

Response: LORD God, I need your saving help. Through the redemptive blood of Jesus keep me from being trapped and controlled by my transgressions. I need your presence in my life so I can make the most of my days. May your Kingdom rule extend to me and through me to others. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you think you would live your life differently if you knew how many days you had left? What priorities would change?

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

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

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The Power of Silence and the Fire Within

04 Friday Oct 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

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Tags

faith, God, life, Light, meditation, purpose, Reflection, silence, values, wisdom

Reading: Psalm 39:1-5
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
I said, “I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
while in the presence of the wicked.”
So I remained utterly silent,
not even saying anything good.
But my anguish increased;
my heart grew hot within me.
While I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
“Show me, LORD, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure (NIV).

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Reflection
Do you often find yourself in a dilemma of silence? In this psalm David finds himself in this very predicament. He decided, “I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.”

If your ways and your thoughts run contrary to the ways of the wicked, you are in good company. You are in the company of the LORD. But don’t be surprised if you are socially ostracized when you express your opinion. The ungodly rarely want to hear about the error of their ways. They usually prefer to blunder along in the darkness and curse the sudden appearance of light. It’s seen as too great a threat to their way of life.

David remained silent, “not even saying anything good.” But it was an uneasy silence.

Often as I listen to others—as I listen to news reports and the ruminations of cultural icons—I find myself in an uneasy silence. We live in a world that has largely abandoned God and His ways. When we embrace the God of the Bible, we are choosing to swim upstream against the flow of gravity and humanity. The world heaps scorn on those who have caught a different vision.

In his silence, David’s anguish increased. He states, “My heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned.”

Is passion for God burning in your heart? True worth and eternal values can only be found in Him.

Response: LORD, show me your ways. Show me how much I need you day by day. Help me to value every day you give me on this earth. Shine your light in me and through me by the power of Jesus. Amen.

Your Turn: Are we silent too often when we should speak? Reflect on times when you have spoken up and good has resulted.

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

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

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Finding True Hope in God’s Unfailing Love

02 Monday Sep 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

calamity, deliverance, divine, endurance, eternal, faith, God, hope, life, Lord, love, perseverance, Prayer, protection, Psalm, purpose, Reflection, rejoice, Scripture, strength, survival, trust, Unfailing, victory

Reading: Psalm 33:16-22
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 (NIV).

Labour Day

Reflection
This final portion of Psalm 33 is all about hope. Life is all about hope. From the first breath we take until our last gasp, life is all about hope. Life has no meaning or purpose if we lose hope.

The essential question we must ask is where do you place your hope? All too often we place our hope in the things of this world, our resources, our ingenuity, and the strength of our flesh. But the psalmist reminds us: 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 (v. 16-17).

Repeatedly throughout history the little guy has won. David defeated Goliath. The Viet Cong ousted the US Army. The Afghan rebels outlasted the armies of the USSR and the USA. Victory does not always go to the mighty. So, the lament goes up, “How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!” (2 Samuel 1:27).

Where is your hope? Where have you put your trust? The psalmist reminds us to put our hope in the LORD. Leaders come and go; nations rise and fall. Human abilities wane. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Our hope and our trust must be in God and in His unfailing word.

When calamity strikes, those who maintain hope survive; those who give up hope perish. In stories of extreme survival over and over again this truth is borne out. Hope sustains the human heart when food and water run out. When we put our trust in the LORD, we tap into a limitless supply of hope. Therefore: “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” (v. 20-21).

Response: This is our prayer. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you. In the name of Jesus—our source of hope—who defeated death, we pray. Amen.

Your Turn: What are some sources of false hope? Why have you put your hope in God?

Happy Labor Day to all my readers in Canada and the United States of America!

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

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

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The Value of Life

27 Thursday Jun 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 17, Psalms

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David, faithfulness, life, Prayer, Psalms, Righteousness, the LORD, troubles, trust in God, vindication

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

Reading: Psalm 17:10-15

Father God,
help me to seek vindication from you.
Help me put my troubles in your hands.
Rise up and come to my defense.
Today,
I trust in you to act on my behalf.
Amen.

— — —

Then Saul said,
“I have sinned.
Come back,
David my son.
Because you considered my life precious today,
I will not try to harm you again.
Surely I have acted like a fool
and have been terribly wrong.”
“Here is the king’s spear,” David answered.
“Let one of your young men come over and get it.
The LORD rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness.
The LORD delivered you into my hands today,
but I would not lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed.
As surely as I valued your life today,
so may the LORD value my life
and deliver me from all trouble.”
(Genesis 35:2-3), NIV)*

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

* GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

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The Government of the Mind

11 Tuesday Jun 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 9, Psalms

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Tags

David, death, life, peace, praise, praising God, Prayer, rejoice, the flesh, the LORD, The Spirit

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

Reading: Psalm 9:1-10

Heavenly Father,
I praise you, LORD,
and I seek you.
Along with David,
I can say you have upheld me in difficult times.
Be the master within me.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name,
O Most High.
Amen.

— — —

Those who live according to the flesh
have their minds set on what the flesh desires;
but those who live in accordance with the Spirit
have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind governed by the flesh is death,
but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

(Romans 8:5-6), NIV)*

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

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

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I Am the Way

04 Tuesday Jun 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

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Bible, danger, enemies, faith, God the Father, Jesus, life, Prayer, Psalms, truth

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

Reading: Psalm 5:8-12

Heavenly Father,
lead me.
I can’t see the dangers ahead.
Often, I am unaware of the enemies
that are trying to undermine my life
and my love for you.
Go before me.
Show me the way, Lord Jesus,
because you are the way.
Amen.

— — —

Thomas said to him,
“Lord, we don’t know where you are going,
so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered,
“I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father
except through me.
(John 14:5-6), NIV)*

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The LORD Is Good

10 Sunday Mar 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 34, Psalms

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Tags

fear of the LORD, life, peace, praise the LORD, Psalms, refuge, taste, the LORD

I will praise the LORD!

Photo by Aaron J Hill on Pexels.com

Reading: Psalm 34:8-14

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Whoever of you loves life
    and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it. *

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Gone Astray

27 Tuesday Feb 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 119

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Tags

blood of Christ, Jesus, life, lost sheep, Prayer, Psalms, sheep

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

Reading: Psalm 119:169-176

Father God,
I confess I am prone to stray.
Help me to stay to the straight and narrow way
that leads to life.
I thank you, Jesus,
for seeking me and saving me
by your shed blood.
Amen.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53:6), NIV)*

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Hope is Foundational to Revival

16 Tuesday Jan 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Devotions

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Almighty, churches, Holy Spirit, hope, hope in God, joy, life, love, peace of God, poem, poetry, revival, Savior, survival, trust in God

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13, NIV). *

I have always been fascinated by stories of extreme survival.

In the early 1900s a cargo freighter carrying coal caught fire while rounding Cape Horn on the southern tip of South America. After battling the onboard fire for many days, the eighteen-member crew was forced to abandon ship in frigid waters. Most were able to make it to shore on an uninhabited, inhospitable rocky island. As the weeks passed, one by one they succumbed to starvation and the frigid conditions. EFFECTS winter

Finally, only three remained, the cook, who was the deceased captain’s wife, and two crew members. After long months they were finally rescued by a passing ship. Why did these three survive? The two men said it was entirely due to the cook. She refused to give up. She always maintained hope—hope that they would be rescued. Hope saved their lives.

We have all seen it. The elderly and the sick wither away and die when hope is abandoned. Churches wither when hope wanes. They die when hope is abandoned. But the opposite is also true. Hope revives the frail, it energizes the weak, and renews our faith in an Almighty Savior.

As we begin this year fill your heart with hope. Let it overflow. Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit turns survival into revival.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reading: Psalm 17:10-15

Father God, help me to seek vindication from you. Help me put my troubles in your hands. Rise up and come to my defense. Today, I trust in you to act on my behalf. Amen.

— — —

* GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

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

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

Reading: Psalm 9:1-10

Heavenly Father, I praise you, LORD, and I seek you. Along with David, I can say you have upheld me in difficult times. Be the master within me. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Amen.

— — — Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

(Romans 8:5-6), NIV)*

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

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

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

Reading: Psalm 5:8-12

Heavenly Father, lead me. I can’t see the dangers ahead. Often, I am unaware of the enemies that are trying to undermine my life and my love for you. Go before me. Show me the way, Lord Jesus, because you are the way. Amen.

— — — Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:5-6), NIV)*

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

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

I will praise the LORD!

Reading: Psalm 34:8-14

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

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

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

Reading: Psalm 119:169-176

Father God, I confess I am prone to stray. Help me to stay to the straight and narrow way that leads to life. I thank you, Jesus, for seeking me and saving me by your shed blood. Amen.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6), NIV)*

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

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

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

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

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

Father God,
help me to seek vindication from you.
Help me put my troubles in your hands.
Rise up and come to my defense.
Today,
I trust in you to act on my behalf.
Amen.

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

Heavenly Father,
I praise you, LORD,
and I seek you.
Along with David,
I can say you have upheld me in difficult times.
Be the master within me.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name,
O Most High.
Amen.

— — —

Those who live according to the flesh
have their minds set on what the flesh desires;
but those who live in accordance with the Spirit
have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind governed by the flesh is death,
but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

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

Heavenly Father,
lead me.
I can’t see the dangers ahead.
Often, I am unaware of the enemies
that are trying to undermine my life
and my love for you.
Go before me.
Show me the way, Lord Jesus,
because you are the way.
Amen.

— — —

Thomas said to him,
“Lord, we don’t know where you are going,
so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered,
“I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father
except through me.
(John 14:5-6), NIV)*

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

Father God,
I confess I am prone to stray.
Help me to stay to the straight and narrow way
that leads to life.
I thank you, Jesus,
for seeking me and saving me
by your shed blood.
Amen.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53:6), NIV)*