May 18, 2023 Verse Of The Day
Being A Witness
Psalm 67:1-2 Blessed To Make God Known
God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah, that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among the nations. Psalm 67:1-2
Being blessed is often seen as something best for self and not for the benefit of others. People hold onto their own personal blessings for their own good, not to bless others. Selfishness and pride rise to the top when things are going good and successful for most people. They begin to look down upon others, rather than passing those blessings along or showing where those blessings came from.
In this psalm, the writer asks God to be merciful and bless them and cause His face to shine upon them so that His ways and salvation may be known among the nations.
Any person who has done something wrong will seek mercy upon the one judging them. No one wants the books thrown at them in harsh judgement. Along with not desiring the harsh judgement, everyone wants to be blessed and have great favor. This is most often to just look good in the eyes of everyone else.
Believers in the church will often have this same problem with self pride. They want to look like a good Christian believer in the eyes of others in the church. Their purpose for looking good is not so that the world may know God and His ways.
God’s purpose for believers upon this earth is to make Jesus known among the nations. Jesus came to seek and save the lost and then passed that mission onto every believer so that none would be lost.
As God has mercy and blesses a person, that person must be willing to share what God has done with others, letting the whole world know of God’s great mercy and love.
God has been merciful in your own life in forgiving you of the sins you have committed against Him. He has also poured out many blessings, if you take time to see them and count all of them in your life. These things God has done is not for you to hoard them and make you look good, but so that you can show the world His mercy and way to salvation.
Each day you will have opportunities to share what God has done in your life with someone who needs to hear it. Let the whole world know.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know God’s mercy in your life; that you will know God’s blessings in your life; that you will tell the world of the mercy and salvation God provides; and that God’s face will shine upon you.
Picture by Tim Zankert on Unsplash
Psalm 18:49 Where Will You Give Thanks?
Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name. Psalm 18:49
People like to talk about who they like or do not like. They are quick to tell everyone around them about certain people, both good and bad. Seldom is there any shame or fear of talking about someone that a person really likes, either for a relationship or just something that the other person does. The only time when a person does not like to talk about someone is when they are among the enemies of that other person.
David says he will give thanks to God while among the Gentiles and will always sing praise to His name.
The world is not ashamed to talk about who or what they like. In fact, many will strive to push their likes upon everyone else and often get angry at those who do not like the same things.
Too many in the church, however, are ashamed to give thanks for what God is doing or sing praises to God in front of non-believers. They do not want to offend anyone or make anyone mad at them. Many believe that their faith is a private thing and should not be ‘pushed’ on other people.
Instead of being ashamed or silent, believers need to be outspoken. The world needs to hear what God is doing and how great He is. The world, as a whole, is not inside the church, but out in the world and that is where believers need to go and be a witness. Every believer can be a witness by telling what God is doing in one’s own life among the Gentiles or non-believers.
As the world hears these testimonies, some will choose to believe in Jesus and be saved.
God has done various good things in your life. Some may appear to be small, while other things may be great and awesome. You most likely already give God thanks in your private home or space but be willing to give that thanks openly for the world to hear. There is someone outside the church that needs to hear what you have to say. They need to hear you give thanks and praise to God so that they may know He is real to you and can be real to them also.
Where will you give thanks and praise?
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will publicly give thanks for what God has done; that you will publicly praise God for who He is; and that you will not be ashamed of what God has done in your life.
Picture by Dim Hou on https://unsplash.com/photos/X7P5C1K73qUUnsplash
Nehemiah 2:13 Seeing What Was Torn Down
By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Nehemiah 2:13
When a disaster strikes an area, there are workers who go into examine what occurred and how much damage was done. The entire purpose of doing this examination is to determine what it will take to restore everything back to its original state. Sometimes people will throw up their hands and give up without ever doing an examination.
Nehemiah went during the night to examine the walls and gate of Jerusalem to see how much damage had occurred.
Every year millions of people around the world go through the experience of a natural disaster in their lives. Homes and vehicles are destroyed and need to be rebuilt.
While there are lots of natural disasters going on there is a greater disaster that has occurred but is often ignored. This is the disaster of the souls of men and women around the world.
In every nation there is a problem with the acceptance and promotion of sin which causes the death of the soul. Walls of protection against sinful activity has been torn down. The gates are opened wide to sin and its promotion.
It has become so commonplace of a thing that many believers do not even see the disaster occurring right before their eyes. This causes many to not be a witness of who Jesus is and making disciples of all peoples.
Instead of ignoring what is going on around them, believers must open their eyes to see how ripe the field is for harvest. They need to see how many are heading to hell and do not even know it. Then they must take action to spread the gospel message and make disciples of Jesus, repairing the walls and gates.
Take time to take a look around you and see how many walls of morality and holiness have been torn down. Look at how the gates have been opened up to allowing sin more easily into the lives of people.
Let it break your heart at seeing the disaster of so many lives. Then allow it to stir your heart to go out and tell people about Jesus. Do as Jesus had said and make disciples of all people, rebuilding the walls and gates of Holiness and Righteousness in your life and the lives of others.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that God will open your eyes to the disaster that is right around you; that God will give you boldness to be His witness; that God will reveal broken walls in your own life; and that God will draw you and others closer to Him in holiness and righteousness.
Ezra 4:4 Attempts To Discourage And Stop Work
Then all the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. Ezra 4:4
Discouragement is something that can easily set in and cause a person to back down on getting something done. Often it is when things go badly that a person gets discouraged and chooses to quit. At other times, there are people who will do or say things to discourage a person in the process of striving to get them to stop doing something. Many people do not like to see others succeed for many different reasons.
The enemies around the people of Judah made it their focus to discourage the people of Judah and get them to stop building the temple of God.
Believers are commissioned by God to build His kingdom on the earth. This is going out and making disciples of Jesus, each of whom will be a part of the temple of God individually and corporately.
As they are striving to do this, the world will have their focus set upon discouraging believers from doing the building and get them to stop. Words and threats are set out against believers to do whatever it will take to stop them.
Many believers will often stop the work out of discouragement because it does not appear to be working. There appears to be little to no change occurring. Others stop out of fear of those in the world. They do not want to be offensive, or they fear the attacks of the world.
Instead of being discouraged or afraid, believers should have their focus upon God and what He has called them to do. God is working in light of eternity, not a few days in time. Things may look bad at the moment, but in the end God and all who are with Him will win.
As a believer, you have a mission from God to build His kingdom. It will not always be an easy or fun task, but one that is necessary. The world will often do what it can to discourage you and get you to stop the building.
Do not listen to the lies and threats of the world but listen to what God is saying and doing. People need to hear the gospel message about Jesus whether they want to or not or whether others want them to or not. Keep building His temple and don’t get discouraged and quit.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will be a witness to the world about Jesus; that you will make disciples of Jesus wherever you go; that you will be focused on what God wants you to do; and that God will remove all discouragement and fear.
Insights From Tom 