Setting Spiritual Goals

14 Monday Apr 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 101, Psalms

Tags

blamelessness, commitment, David, devotion, faith, holiness, justice, love, love of God, Psalm, Reflection, repentance

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 101:1-4
Of David. A psalm.
I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, LORD, I will sing praise.
I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
when will you come to me?
I will conduct the affairs of my house
with a blameless heart.
I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile.
I hate what faithless people do;
I will have no part in it.
The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil (NIV).*

Greenery growing in the rampart walls of Jerusalem — photo courtesy of Lois Morrow

Reflection
Psalm 101 is a call to action or commitment. David, the author of this psalm, commits himself to a course of action. In this short opening portion of the psalm, David makes seven ‘I will’ statements. Each commitment is life altering in some way.

The first commitment David makes is to sing of the LORD’s justice and love. He is determined to praise his God with a full, joyous awareness of the LORD’s character. This is the true starting point of any sustained relationship with God. The LORD is both loving and just. If we emphasize aspects of God’s justice too much, we risk becoming legalistic. If we focus only on the love of God, His holiness is ignored resulting in a break down in personal responsibility. Within the Godhead there exists a perfect tension between His justice and His love. As God’s servants, we do well when we recognize and maintain that tension.

Twice David uses the word blameless. I will be careful to lead a blameless life—when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart (v. 2). With these words, David has set for himself a high standard—an impossible standard. Did David succeed in reaching his lofty goal? The biblical record leaves no room for doubt. He failed miserably. In his affair with Bathsheba, King David was guilty of both adultery and murder.

Well, what good is there then in setting lofty goals? Why make any ‘I will’ statements if I am doomed to fail? Why not freely look on the vile and indulge in it?

Despite David’s stunning failures, there are many sound reasons for calling ourselves to a high standard. To put it bluntly, God expects it of us. He demands holiness from us—always has—always will. Will we succeed? Of course not. That’s why there’s the gift of repentance. That’s why there’s a Savior named Jesus. He’s the blameless one. I need his sinless record applied to my account.

Response: Dear God, I want my will to be conformed to your will. I want to lead a blameless life. By Jesus’ blood, grant me a blameless heart that is determined to love and serve you for all my days. Amen.

Your Turn: Should we set goals for ourselves? How do you measure the progress in your love for God?

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 begin the new year, and daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Gratitude and Thanksgiving

11 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

blessings, faith, gratitude, harvest, joy, praise, Psalms, Reflection, thanksgiving, worship

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations (NIV). *

Enter his gates with thanksgiving — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
When you grow up on a prairie farm, as I did, you appreciate the traditional aspects of Thanksgiving all the more. You are reminded each day that the food on your table does not simply come from a store. You are actively engaged in producing the nourishment that sustains your own life. Though today may be a long way from Thanksgiving, I know I need daily reminders to be thankful. How about you?

As a youngster I sat down to many a Thanksgiving feast, and almost all the food found on that groaning table was home-grown. I watched those vegetables growing in our garden in the hot summer sun. I even pulled the weeds from around those peas. And those mashed potatoes, I helped my mother hill those tubers in the spring and then dug them up after the frost hit in the fall.

My brother loved growing pumpkins, and mom would turn his favorite into the best pumpkin pie east of the Rockies. And how can you eat pumpkin pie without a mound of whipped cream on top? Well let me tell you, it tastes even better, when just that morning you milked the cows that produced that sweet rich cream. Oh, and that huge turkey—we’ll miss that pompous strutting gobbler out by the henhouse. But I’m sure we’ll get over it, somehow. For now, let’s just dig in.

Let’s all dig in, and give thanks to the God, who made all this possible. This sumptuous feast has been brought to you by Him. Now that’s Thanksgiving!

The great God in heaven has been kind to us. He has answered our prayers. He brought the warmth of spring and the rain of heaven. He caused his face to shine upon us. The rich earth responded to his touch. It brought forth its bounty, and now around this table we have gathered as a family to celebrate God’s great goodness to us.

As the psalmist declares, “It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (v. 3). So today with joy-filled hearts, we enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. We give thanks to him and praise his name.

Response: Heavenly Father, thank you for all your kindness. You have been so good to us! Help us to maintain an attitude of gratitude all year long and not only on Thanksgiving Day, but every day. Amen.

Your Turn: What blessings from God’s hand are you most grateful for? Say a prayer of thanks right now.

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!

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Spiritual Accountability

10 Thursday Apr 2025

Posted by adeyemiasaba1 in Psalms

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

David, discipline, faith, forgiveness, holiness, leadership, mercy, Moses, obedience, Reflection, repentance, Scripture, the LORD

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 99:6-9
Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel was among those who called on his name;
they called on the LORD
and he answered them.
He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.
LORD our God,
you answered them;
you were to Israel a forgiving God,
though you punished their misdeeds.
Exalt the LORD our God
and worship at his holy mountain,
for the LORD our God is holy (NIV). *

Flood your people with your grace mercy and peace, LORD — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
David’s name appears in the text of several of the psalms, but this is the only psalm that lists other heroes of the faith. Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, three heavy hitters of the Old Testament, are honored here. They are honored because they called on the LORD and he answered them.

I could quibble with the choice of these three. Moses struck the rock in anger when he was told to speak to it and thereby bring forth water for the people. As a consequence, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Aaron gave into the people’s will and fashioned an idol—the golden calf. Samuel appointed Saul as the first king of Israel—a man who became a disappointing, disastrous leader who descended into witchcraft.

But… But then can I claim to be error free in the way I have lived my life? Like Moses I have lost my patience in more than one situation. If God treated me like Moses, there would be little hope of me reaching the Promised Land. Like Aaron, I tend to be led astray by the crowd, and like the prophet Samuel, at times I have backed people who stumbled badly and betrayed the Lord.

I have not lived a flawless life. That’s why I take comfort in these words: LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds (v. 8).

I need a forgiving God. I need a God who forgives my transgressions—those times when I think I know better, but of course I’m wrong. And if I am truly honest, I also admit that I need a God who punishes my misdeeds. If there are no consequences for my wrongdoing, my transgressions will escalate. I need the discipline of the LORD, or I will go astray by following my own selfish desires. Just like the ancient people of Israel I need to live under the wise and loving rule of a holy God. How about you? Do you need a forgiving God?

Response: LORD God, you are holy. I want to live in a way that honors you. You know my failings and shortcomings. Forgive me as I call on you. I am needy, but in you I find all that I need. Amen.

Your Turn: If there were no consequences for sin would that change your life and conduct? Do you fear the consequences that come from wrongdoing?

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!

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Spiritual Awareness

31 Monday Mar 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

devotion, faith, humility, listening, obedience, Prayer, Reflection, Scripture, Spirituality, worship

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 95:7-11
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). *

man listen

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” (v. 7b-9).

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?

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!

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The Majesty of God

24 Monday Mar 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

absolutes, eternity, faith, holiness, majesty, power, Reflection, Righteousness, sovereignty, worship

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 93
The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
The seas have lifted up, LORD,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is mighty.
Your statutes, LORD, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days (NIV). *

Splendor and majesty are before Him — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
What things in this world are majestic? As I write this post, I’m looking out across my front lawn where a squirrel is cavorting about. Are squirrels majestic? Certainly not in my opinion. In the animal kingdom perhaps lions or stallions are majestic in their bearing. Snow-covered mountain peaks may be majestic, but squirrels not so much.

Here in Psalm 93 the psalmist is trying to capture in words the might and majesty of the LORD. Surely, this is an impossible task, but the psalmist makes a valiant effort. His thoughts turn to the vast power of the sea. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty (v. 4).

Of course, the might of the LORD is incomparable. How can the power of the sea be compared to the power of the One who created the sea? The comparison breaks down; it is not valid. We grasp at straws when we try to capture the majesty and glory of the LORD.

According to the psalmist two things stand firm and secure, the world and the statutes of the LORD. How firm are the laws of the LORD established in your mind? In a world where moral relativism rules the day, absolutes are shunned. What may be deemed right, and good today may be judged as unacceptable or reprehensible tomorrow. In our society it seems the opinion of the fickle masses determines what is good. God’s opinion—His statutes matter little.

But in reality—in this thing called eternity—there are things that never change. There are absolutes. On the day we die, ready or not, we will know and experience the absolutes of God. The unchanging God has not thrown out His moral law with yesterday’s garbage. The psalmist declares, “Your statutes, LORD, stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days” (v. 5).

Response: LORD God, I want your holiness to adorn my house and my heart. Help me to conform to your will and your ways, rather than the other way around. You are my Lord. Reign on sovereign LORD. Reign in glorious majesty. Amen.

Your Turn: What does God’s majesty mean to you? What makes God beautiful in your eyes?

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!

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Flourishing in God’s Presence

21 Friday Mar 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

devotion, Discipleship, faith, flourishing, fruitfulness, Growth, Reflection, Righteousness, Spirituality, trust

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 92:9-15
For surely your enemies, LORD,
surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox;
fine oils have been poured on me.
My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, “The LORD is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him” (NIV). *

Newly planted rice stalks, Nagoya, Japan — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
God’s people have been called or compared to many things. Often, we are likened to sheep—the sheep of the LORD’s pasture. But here in Psalm 92 we are likened to trees, the palm tree, the cedar, and various fruit trees.

There is a striking parallel between the tree analogy found in this psalm and a similar analogy found in Psalm 1. In both cases the righteous are compared to trees. “That person [the righteous] is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers”. (Psalm 1:3).

By its very nature, there is something very settled about a tree. Unlike a sheep, a tree is not prone to wander. Trees flourish or perish where they have taken root. Have you been planted in the house of the LORD? Are you staying fresh and green and flourishing in the courts of our God?

Fruitfulness begins with flowering. Is your relationship with God in the flowering stage? Have you fallen in love with Him—so in love that you radiate beauty? Are you and the message you bear attractive? Have you made yourself attractive because of your love for the Lord?

What about fruit? Are the fruits of the Spirit beginning to appear on your branches? “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23).

I can’t speak for you, but I would rather be a flourishing, fruit-bearing tree in the courts of the LORD than a wayward sheep.

Response: LORD God, daily I want to grow more in love with you. Grant me a settled heart. I want my life to bear fruit that will bring honor to you. Help me to radiate your goodness and beauty. Amen.

Your Turn: How attractive is the message you bear? What signals are you sending out into the world?

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!

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Expressing Love for God through Song

20 Thursday Mar 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

devotion, faith, gratitude, joy, love, music, praise, redemption, Reflection, worship

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 92:1-8
A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.
It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
How great are your works, LORD,
how profound your thoughts!
Senseless people do not know,
fools do not understand,
that though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.
But you, LORD, are forever exalted (NIV). *

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Reflection
Why is music such a central part of the Christian worship experience? For the answer to that question, we need to look no further than the opening lines of Psalm 92. It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp (v. 1-3).

To put it simply, praising the LORD is a good thing. Making music to honor the name of the Most High is a wholesome expression of our love for God. Furthermore, the LORD approves the use of musical instruments. The harp and the lyre are mentioned here, but there is no scriptural reason to limit the use of instruments.

Why do men sing love songs? Because they love the woman of their dreams—the object of their affection. The same holds true when we fall in love with God. The LORD becomes the object of our deepest affection. He is worthy of our praise.

Do you need some reasons to praise God? The psalmist provides us with some sound reasons: For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. How great are your works, LORD, how profound your thoughts! (v. 4-5).

If the marvels of creation are insufficient to prompt us to praise, then consider for a moment the wonders of redemption. God sent His only begotten Son to suffer and die on our behalf. He purchased our eternal redemption with the shed blood of Jesus. Oh, what love! What wondrous love! It makes me want to break out in song.

Response: LORD God, every morning I want to praise you. Thank you for the gift of music. Help me use my voice and every talent you have given me to express my praise to you. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you enjoy praising God? Do you save your praise for Sundays or is it expressed daily?

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

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

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Making Every Moment Count in God’s Grand Plan

14 Friday Mar 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

faith, God, humility, life, Moses, obedience, purpose, Reflection, time, wisdom

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 90:7-12
We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom (NIV). *

Reflection
The finite nature of our lives here on planet earth should cause us to give serious thought to how we spend the days that we have been allotted. Once we reach the age of forty, roughly half of our life is over. Some claim it’s all downhill from that point forward. Life seems to speed up—to pass by quickly— as we careen toward our demise.

Moses concludes his prayer here in Psalm 90 with these words: Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (v. 12).

No one wants to reach the end of their days and then realize that they have wasted their life. In our hearts, we all want to have a meaningful life filled with purpose. Much of that striving for success and our drive for a long list of accomplishments comes from a desire for meaning and purpose in life. Moses certainly had a string of achievements on his resume before the LORD called him home. He was after all the liberator of a nation. He was revered as a great leader and the great law giver. But was that due to Moses’ great ambition?

The Bible paints a different picture of Moses. When God called him into service, Moses resisted. The adopted son of Pharaoh was content to shepherd a few sheep on the backside of the desert. But God had other plans—bigger plans. This is what we are told about Moses. Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3).

Perhaps true wisdom begins with humility—with knowing our place in the grand scheme of things. It starts as it did for Moses by hearing God’s call and ultimately being willing to obey, whatever that takes and wherever that takes us.

Response: LORD, teach me to number my days, so I may gain a heart of wisdom. Give me ears to hear what you are saying to me. I want to live a meaningful life filled with purpose coming from you. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you numbering your days or are they numbering you? Are you following God’s call and purpose for your life?

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

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

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Life is Temporary, but God is Eternal

13 Thursday Mar 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Creator, Ecclesiastes, eternity, faith, God, life, mortality, Prayer, Psalms, Reflection, Scripture, wisdom

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 90:1-6
A prayer of Moses the man of God.
Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You turn people back to dust,
saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:
In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it is dry and withered (NIV). *

The falls at Fairfax, VT — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
In case you have not noticed, your life on this earth is temporal. It won’t last forever. In fact, there is very little on this earth that fits into the “lasts forever category.” My car fits well into this rusty, temporal category. My physical body will suffer a similar fate. My morning aches and pains remind me of this outcome. In this psalm Moses states the obvious when he makes this declaration: You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals” (v. 3).

James, the brother of our Lord, makes a similar observation: You should know better than to say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to the city. We will do business there for a year and make a lot of money!” What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears (James 4:13-14, CEV).

Only God stands apart, above and beyond this temporal world. He is the ageless One, untouched by time. This assertion holds true. A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night (v. 4).

The entire book of Ecclesiastes addresses the topic of the temporal nature of human life. Glenn Fobert has written an excellent book that explains the true meaning of that puzzling book: Everything Is Mist: Ecclesiastes on Life in a Puzzling and Troubled Temporary World.

Life is not meaningless or vanity. According to Fobert, scholars have mistranslated the Hebrew word for mist in Ecclesiastes. Life is like a morning fog that lifts, and is gone. Where has it gone? It goes to the eternal One, the Creator of all life. How then should we live? Ecclesiastes gives us the answer. Simply live in full reverence and praise to your Maker.

Response: LORD God, I thank you for being the author of this wonderful thing called life. Today, I want to live in humble thanksgiving and praise to you. Let my work, words, and conduct honor you. Amen.

Your Turn: Is the Lord your dwelling place? Are you at home with Him?

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

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

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The Eternal Reign of King Jesus

10 Monday Mar 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

covenant, David, eternity, faith, history, Jesus, king, kingdom, promise, prophecy, Reflection, reign, Scripture, submission, worship

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 89:30-37
“If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
but I will not take my love from him,
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.
Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky” (NIV). *

Reflection
Today’s reading from Psalm 89 continues the theme of King David’s endless rule through his offspring. “Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—and I will not lie to David—that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun; it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky” (v. 35-37).

There is however a sizeable problem with this promise to David for those who know biblical Jewish history. After the death of David’s son, the wise King Solomon, Israel was divided. The rebellious people of the northern Kingdom fell into idolatry and chose a new king, who was not a descendant of David. Despite warning after warning from prophets sent by God, Israel continued in its idolatrous ways until the nation was destroyed and swept away by Assyrian invaders in 720 BC.

On the other hand, for hundreds of years, generation after generation a descendant of David sat on the throne of the southern Kingdom of Judah. For the most part these were kings who followed in the footsteps of their ancestor David. They worshipped the LORD, unlike the idolatrous northern kings of Israel who ruled from their capital Samaria. But eventually pagan practises found their way into Judea as well. In succession, several kings—descendants of David—turned to worship idols. God’s judgment fell on Judah too when the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem in 582 BC.

So, what is the point of this brief history lesson? The point is precisely this: These words from Psalm 89 are a lie, and God is a liar—a sworn liar to David—unless we view Jesus as the royal heir who rules for all eternity. The Jewish kingdom came to an end. No Jewish king has ruled over a Jewish kingdom for more than 2,000 years. But Jesus, the eternal son of King David reigns. Is he reigning over your life?

Response: LORD God, I submit to the reign of Jesus. You are my King—my King now and forever. Help me to govern my life according to your will and purpose. I praise you, my Savior and King. Amen.

Your Turn: Is Jesus your King? How can you show your submission to his rule today?

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

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

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.