Weekly Devotional 21st of June, 2024
by Bruce Billington
Weekly Devotional 21st of June, 2024
We are continuing to explore the knowledge of God as expressed in the Psalms. This week we will complete Psalm 97.
Psalm 97:10-12 – “Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown like seed for the righteous And gladness for the upright in heart. Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones, And give thanks to His holy name.”
The key to walking in freedom from evil is not resisting it but hating it. We need to see where it leads us and the harm it will do to us and others. Our issue, in seeking to be like God, is to be very indignant about evil and to be in arms against it. If we hate and keep a safe distance from evil, God will deliver us from it and keep it far from us.
We need to be sowers of a good crop because what we sow will eventually come back to us. Speaking of this the POSB says,
What is sown will come up again in due time; though, like a winter seedness, it may lie long under the clods, and seem to be lost and buried, yet it will return in a rich and plentiful increase. God’s goodness shall be sure of a harvest in the appointed weeks. Those that sow in tears shall, without fail, reap in joy, Ps. cxxvi. 5, 6. Christ told his disciples, at parting (John xvi. 20), You shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. Gladness is sure to the upright in heart, to those only that are sincere in religion. The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment. There is no serenity without a lasting sincerity…
So, we need not have any fear of darkness or what we see on the 6 pm news. Because we love the Lord we should not be discouraged. God is the Most High, and He is in total control. Psalm 2 tells us He looks from the heavens and laughs at the kings of the earth who take their stand.
As His sons and daughters, we need to entrust ourselves to His care, and always keep seeking His ways and how we can constantly be an expression of the Kingdom of God here on earth. This does not only consist of our outward actions but
should also reflect an integrity of heart and a desire to walk in the righteousness of Christ.
Verse 12 exhorts us to be a people of gratitude, giving thanks and praising His holy name even during the darkness that we may experience or see around us. Rejoicing in the Lord and exalting in His name will bring fountains of joy to us.
Let us beseech the Lord to lead us to where His streams of comfort flow to us and cause our praise and worship to flow from our grateful hearts. The Apostle Paul expresses the heart of this exhortation In Philippians 4 where he says,
Philippians 4:5-8 – “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
This great exhortation urges us to draw close to Him, find and clothe ourselves with His peace, and then take control of our minds. As we do that, we become partakers of His holiness and rejoice in it.
May God bless you.
Bruce Billington