Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
July 5, 2022
Read Psalm 103:1-12
1 Let my whole being bless the LORD! Let everything inside me bless his holy name! 2 Let my whole being bless the LORD and never forget all his good deeds: 3 how God forgives all your sins, heals all your sickness, 4 saves your life from the pit, crowns you with faithful love and compassion, 5 and satisfies you with plenty of good things so that your youth is made fresh like an eagle’s. 6 The LORD works righteousness; does justice for all who are oppressed. 7 God made his ways known to Moses; made his deeds known to the Israelites. 8 The LORD is compassionate and merciful, very patient, and full of faithful love. 9 God won’t always play the judge; he won’t be angry forever. 10 He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin or repay us according to our wrongdoing, 11 because as high as heaven is above the earth, that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him. 12 As far as east is from west, that's how far God has removed our sin from us.
Good morning! Bless the Lord, O My Soul!
As long as I have breath, I will praise the Lord! I can’t imagine living a life without Christ as my foundation. Through Christ and the Holy Spirit working within us, we are blessed and forgiven of our sinful ways, and we are given the gift of eternal life. Life never-ending is a difficult concept to imagine. Just believe and be blessed!
As a child, I was greatly blessed for I was raised within the community of faith. I was taught to believe in God even before I understood what that meant. Before I could read and discern Scripture for myself, faithful stewards of Christ took me by my hand and taught me about God. Like many of you, I listened to the Bible stories, sang songs, and completed crafts to help me begin to see God at work all around me.
I continued to grow in faith as I continued down my path. Sure, I wandered from the path, occasionally slipped and fell, and encountered many obstacles along my journey, but God was always with me. Even in my moments of darkness, the light of Christ is always there to show the way and call me back. Blessings upon blessings given unconditionally to all who call upon Christ’s Holy name.
Have you considered what it means to not know God? All of these words that I have just typed are meaningless to those who do not yet know God. John describes darkness as the absence of God in one’s life. There are those who have been called and have chosen to walk away, and there are those who have not yet been made aware of the blessings that await them. We are each called to “go out and make disciples throughout the land” so that all may join the community of faith.
Each new day is an opportunity to be blessed and to share those blessings with all you meet. When you open your eyes, praise God. When you get out of bed, praise God. Throughout your day, praise God. When you prepare to lie down, praise God. As you close your eyes, praise God. With your dying breath, praise God.
Chorus
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
O my soul, worship His holy Name.
Sing like never before, O my soul.
I’ll worship Your holy Name.
Verse 1
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning;
It’s time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes.
Loving and Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. O Lord, we fall short of our calling, but you still love us. All praise to You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God loves me no matter what.
Praise God the whole day long! Pastor Liz
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