The Sheep and the Goats

08 Wednesday Jul 2026

Posted by Victor Uduh in Psalm 80, Psalms

Tags

Authority Of Jesus, Biblical Wisdom, Christian Vigilance, compassion, eternal reward, Faith Expressed Through Love, Faithful Stewardship, gospel, gospel reading, humility, Jesus, Jesus Teaches, Judgment Day, Kingdom Principles, Kingdom Values, Living With Compassion, Psalms, Spiritual Discernment, Spiritual Responsibility

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

Today’s Reading: Psalm 80:1-7 (NIV)*

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD God,
today I need face time with you.
Show me your kindness.
Help me to sense you smiling down on me,
like a loving parent smiles down on their child.
Thanks for your grace.
Amen.

— — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Sheep and the Goats

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
All the nations will be gathered before him,
and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you something to drink?
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in,
or needing clothes and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply,
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for
one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you did not invite me in,
I needed clothes and you did not clothe me,
I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger
or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply,
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”
(Matthew 25:31-46).

* * *

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them.
And this is how we know that he lives in us:
We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(1 John 3:24 NIV)

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

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

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
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.

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.

Let Your Face Shine on Us

08 Wednesday Jul 2026

Posted by Tim K in Psalm 80, Psalms

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Asaph, face of God, God's favor, grace, happy face, Psalms, restore, smile, smiley face, tears, the LORD

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

Reading: Psalm 80:1-7 (NIV)*

Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might; come and save us.

Restore us, O God;
    make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.
How long, LORD God Almighty,
    will your anger smolder
    against the prayers of your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears;
    you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
You have made us an object of derision to our neighbors,
    and our enemies mock us.
Restore us, God Almighty;
    make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.

Reflection

Have you been greeted by a happy face today? I’m talking about the ubiquitous, yellow, happy face stickers that pop up everywhere, especially in any form of online communication. 🙂, 🙂, 🙂! We all recognize these happy faces are intended to brighten our day—make us feel happy like the smiley face shows. I’m not sure they always succeed in their objective.

Of course, a bright, shining human face with a broad genuine smile is much better in communicating happiness than a symbolic sticker on a screen. Real live face time trumps online communication in every way—at least it should. Some things—most things—are communicated best face to face.

Here in Psalm 80, the psalmist, Asaph, pleads for face time with the LORD. In fact, in the entire psalm, Asaph repeats this request three times. Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. Clearly, the psalmist is longing to see the smiley face of God—the shining face of God.

In Hebrew literature the shining face of God represents God’s favor—His grace. The psalmist is pleading for God’s favor to rest on him and his people. The truth is we get nowhere without the favor of God. Unless the LORD is gracious to us, we are doomed to fail in this life and perish in eternity. It’s just that simple. We desperately need that happy face sticker from God. This should be our daily prayer: Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved (v. 7).

Response

Father God, today I need face time with you. Show me your kindness. Help me to sense you smiling down on me, like a loving parent smiles down on their child. Thanks for your grace. Amen.

Your Turn

Have you recently sensed God smiling down on you? How did that make you feel?

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

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

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

07 Tuesday Jul 2026

Posted by Victor Uduh in Psalm 79, Psalms

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Tags

Authority Of Jesus, Biblical Wisdom, Christian Vigilance, eternal reward, Faithful Discipleship, Faithful Stewardship, gospel, gospel reading, humility, Jesus, Jesus Teaches, Kingdom Principles, Kingdom Values, Psalms, Spiritual Discernment, Spiritual Readiness, Spiritual Responsibility, Using God’s Gifts

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

Today’s Reading: Psalm 79:8-13 (NIV)*

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

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.
Amen.

— — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Parable of the Bags of Gold

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey,
who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,
each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and
put his money to work and gained five bags more.
So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.
But the man who had received one bag went off,
dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five.
‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with two bags of gold also came.
‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came.
‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man,
harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers,
so that when I returned, I would have received it back with interest.

“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.
For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.
Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
(Matthew 25:14-30).

* * *

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them.
And this is how we know that he lives in us:
We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(1 John 3:24 NIV)

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

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

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return
to Ukraine and Russia!

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.

The Cries of the Oppressed

07 Tuesday Jul 2026

Posted by Tim K in Psalm 79, Psalms

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

destruction of Jerusalem, destruction of the temple, forgive sin, God's help, Jerusalem, mercy, minorities, national sins, neighbors, praise, Psalms, sin, the LORD, the oppressed

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

Reading: Psalm 79:8-13 (NIV)*

Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;
    may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
    for we are in desperate need.
Help us, God our Savior,
    for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.
Why should the nations say,
  “Where is their God?”

Before our eyes, make known among the nations
    that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
    with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times
    the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
    will praise you forever;
from generation to generation
    we will proclaim your praise.

Reflection

Psalm 79 began with the psalmist lamenting that Jerusalem had been invaded by foreign armies. Destruction and bloodshed were everywhere. O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble (Psalm 79:1). Now at the conclusion of this psalm there is a plea for God’s help and mercy. Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need (v. 9).

It becomes clear from this psalm and other passages in scripture that there are personal sins and there are corporate or national sins. Here specifically the psalmist is reflecting on the sins of the nation. Both personal and national sins can be intergenerational. They are passed down from generation to generation with terrible consequences. The father who disrespects and abuses his wife is far more likely to raise a son who does the same to his partner.

The nation that mistreats racial, religious, or ethnic minorities within its borders can expect dire national consequences. The LORD hears the cries of the oppressed. He heard the cries of the people of Israel when they were enslaved in Egypt, and the LORD hasn’t suddenly changed. His ears are still open to the cries of any people who cry out to Him for mercy.

But as for us, we need to recognize our collective or national sins even as we recognize and repent of our personal sins. Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” (v. 10). As always, our God is watching us. He is watching over the nations, and He sees how we treat our neighbors here and around the world.