Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
July 2, 2022
Read Psalm 118:19-24
19 Open the gates of righteousness for me so I can come in and give thanks to the LORD! 20 This is the LORD’s gate; those who are righteous enter through it. 21 I thank you because you answered me, because you were my saving help. 22 The stone rejected by the builders is now the main foundation stone! 23 This has happened because of the LORD; it is astounding in our sight! 24 This is the day the LORD acted; we will rejoice and celebrate in it!
Good morning! The Lord selected us as the main foundation stone.
There is a popular question/statement that you see as the subject of posters and t-shirts. What is your superpower? Sometimes this will be a career listed as your superpower. Perhaps this trend is a result of the upsurge in Marvel and DC movies where we watch a never ending cast of characters, both good and evil, who have superpowers. It is interesting that for many of these characters, the alter ego is very meek and mild compared to their “hero” or “villain” persona.
To whom was Jesus drawn when he walked among God’s children? It wasn’t the Pharisees, political leaders, or those of great wealth/power. Jesus reached out to the outcasts: the meek, the mild, the “least of us”. It seems that it might have been an easier path to go and teach about God among those learned men. Think for a moment about those who cherish their earthly power. Are they interested in humbling themselves or submitting themselves to someone else? Not likely! Even if that person seems to have the answers, they are resistant because they can’t risk losing all that they have worked so hard to gain.
In verse 22, the stone rejected by the builders represents us. We, who are cast aside by the powerful as useless, are lifted up by God as worthy to receive the gift of salvation. What a mighty God we serve! Jesus taught us by his example to take risks and seek out those who have been deemed worthless. We are to look past the earthly trappings and see the one who God sees within the soul of the least likely brother or sister.
God can take the ordinary, us, and perform extraordinary acts. “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” – Acts 4:13.
Throughout the Bible, God uses ordinary servants who are willing to commit themselves to God to do “impossible” things. What is our superpower? God is our superpower!
Loving and Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. On the surface, we are just ordinary beings, but through the Holy Spirit working within us God uses us to work miracles in the name of Christ. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God can use the ordinary to reveal the extraordinary.
Look for the extraordinary all around us! Pastor Liz
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