Devotional Thoughts

Psalm 148:13-14    "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.  (14)  He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD." As always, I encourage you to read the entire Psalm. The Psalmist lists those things and people who are to praise the Lord. He lists more reasons for praising the Lord. But these last two verses speak volumes when we can look into them and see who the writer is speaking of. We know this was written at least a thousand years before Christ came to this earth; yet throughout the Psalms, we have seen glimpses of Jesus. Psalm 2, Psalm 22, and Psalm 41:9 speak specifically about Jesus and events in His life which was to come. But this morning, as I read today's Psalm, I see Jesus in these last two verses. You see, above all the other reasons for praising the Lord, Jesus stands alone as the g...

1 Corinthians 16:22-24    “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” Paul closes this epistle with a strong warning to the church and a strong desire that they be blessed. It almost seems contradictory without some close inspection and diligent consideration of all that Paul has written to the brethren at Corinth (and to us). It begins with a lack of love for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Greek word translated here as “love” is the word phileō, which means “to be a friend to or have affection for” (see Strong’s). As we consider the things Paul has addressed in his letter, we can clearly see that there were brethren there who did not have the proper affection for Jesus. They had put their confidence in men like Paul, Apollos, and Peter, thus bringing division among the brethren (1Co 1:12). Some of them had embraced a great fornication, such as even t...

1 Corinthians 16:19-21    “The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss. The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand.” As Paul begins to close out his first letter to the church at Corinth, he makes it plain that the churches were aware of each other, even without the modern technology that allows us such ease of communication today. The apostle makes reference to the churches of Asia, and our minds turn immediately to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. However, the church is more, and goes deeper, than the place where people congregate to worship. After mentioning the churches of Asia, Paul then sends them a salutation from his friends and fellow-laborers, Aquila and Priscilla. This was not just a personal greeting however: it was from them and the church that was in their house. Paul’s state...

Psalm 147:1-5    "Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.  (2)  The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.  (3)  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.  (4)  He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.  (5)  Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite." The Book of the Psalms closes out with consecutive songs of praise. Each one lists various works of God in the universe and in our hearts that are worthy of our praise. I must admit that all too many times I am negligent of offering proper praise unto the Lord for things that may even be overlooked. It is too easy to take things for granted. I'm speaking of things that are of absolute importance to us, but go unnoticed - until they fail to work properly. Today's Psalm, when read in its entirety, speak of the ...