21 May
Hos. 1:6
The consequence of Lo-Ruhamah
What will be the aftermath of the Lord withdrawing His love from the
Northern kingdom of Israel? According to the passage, the Lord will not
forgive them (Hos. 1:6). This means that they will now come under His
wrath(2 Kgs.17:7-14). They are no more objects of His mercy but of His
wrath. Again, the principle is the same for all mankind and all generations.
The time of God’s mercy is prior to His judgment or wrath(see 2
Cor.6:2). Anyone who refuses to repent of his sins and to turn to God
is not an object of His mercy or favour but of His judgment or wrath(Heb.10:26-27).
The right thing for anyone to do is to seek and turn to the Lord while
His love remains(Is.55:6-7), not when it has been withdrawn. Repentance
is acceptable prior to God’s judgment(Heb.10:26-27). The consequence
of persisting in sin and unbelief is judgment, not mercy(Heb.10:26-27).
God’s mercy and forgiveness are available to the one who repents
of his sin and turns to Him(cf. Acts 2: 38-39). Like Israel of Hosea’s
time, anyone who persists in sin and refuses to turn from it to God will
also have His love withdrawn from him.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to turn completely
from every sin to you.
2. Father, please do not ever withdraw your love from me.
22 May
Ps. 145:17
God is righteous
Here the psalmist states another attribute of God (Ps. 145:17). To
Him, God is not only righteous, but righteous in all His ways (Ps.
145:17).
Thus God is righteous both in His being and everything (Ps. 145:17).
To be righteous means there is no evil of any kind in Him. What the
psalmist has stated is completely true of God. God is indeed righteous
(Ps. 11:7;
Ps. 119:137). All His activities are conditioned by His righteousness.
He deals with everyone according to His righteousness. He does not
condone any evil since there is no evil of any kind in Him (Ps. 5:4).
Due to
His righteousness, we please Him when we act righteously, and provoke
Him to anger when we do not do so (Ps. 11:5; Ps. 34:16; Ps. 55:23).
God expects us to be righteous like Him (Ps. 97:10; 1 Thess. 5:22).
But no
one can become righteous before Him (see Ps. 143:2; Eccl. 7:20; Prov.
3:33). Since no one can be righteous before Him, God has graciously
provided a means for us to be righteous like Him (Rom. 3:21-24). Therefore,
through
Christ we can become righteous as God requires (Rom. 3:21-24). To become
righteous through Christ, we must turn from sin to Him (Acts 2:38-39;
Acts 3:19-20). Righteousness is the basis of our blessings (Ps. 34:15,
17, 19-20; Prov. 3:33).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please destroy completely the spirit unrighteousness
in me.
2. Father, please take my own righteousness away and
give me the
righteousness of Jesus.
3. Lord, make me righteous like you.
23 May
Ps. 10:14
God’s responsibility to His children in trouble
We learn from this passage that God does not abandon the afflicted,
the fatherless, or the helpless. We are told that He sees all the actions
of the wicked against
them (Ps. 10:14). To see here not only means to take account of it but to take
action concerning it (Ps. 10:14; cf. Exod. 3:7-10). It is well known from the
Scripture that God has a special place in His heart and plan for the afflicted,
the fatherless, the helpless, (see Ps. 68:5-6; cf. Mk. 6:34; Mk. 8:1-2). Therefore,
the afflicted, the fatherless, the helpless can always find Him a welcome,
present, and unfailing refuge and help in trouble (Ps. 46:1). With
God, there is no basis
for fear or despair for the afflicted, the fatherless, the helpless (Ps. 46:1-3).
God alone is a sufficient refuge for those in trouble (Ps. 10:14; 46:1). No
one else is able to help the afflicted, the fatherless, the helpless,
like Him. With
God, there is no need for the afflicted, the fatherless, the helpless, to turn
to another for refuge or help.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please be my help always.
2. Father, please enable me to look up to you alone for all things
at all times.
24 May
Ps. 145:13
The Lord keeps all His promises
Here the psalmist states another important truth about God. According
to him, He is faithful to all His promises (Ps. 145:13). This means
that He keeps all
His promises (Jos. 21:45; Jos. 23:14; 1 Kgs. 8:56). All His promises are potent
(2 Cor. 1:20). His promises never fail (Jos. 21:45; Jos. 23:14). His promises
have no record of failing to come to pass. It is not in His nature to fail
to keep His promises (see Num. 23:19). It is not some of His promises that
He keeps,
but all of them (Ps. 145:13). Therefore, we can count on all His promises.
None of His promises will ever fail come to pass for us (see Jos. 21:45; Jos.
23:14;
1 Kgs. 8:56). He never promised without fulfilling (Num. 23:19). We can count
on Him to fulfill all His promises.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please fulfill all your promises
in my life.
2. Father, please enable me to trust you to fulfill all your promises.
25 May
Ps. 145:18
The Lord answers those who call on Him
The Psalmist presents us here with another important truth about God
(Ps. 145:18). It is that the Lord is near to all who call on Him in
truth (Ps. 145:18). He
is near, not to anyone who calls on Him, but to those who do so in truth (Ps.
145:18). To be near is to answer, and to call on Him in truth is to call on
Him from the heart. This means therefore that the Lord answers those who call
on
Him from the heart. It is those who call on Him from the heart who are sure
of His answer (Ps. 145:18). The Lord is an answering God (see (Ps. 18:6; Ps.
30:2-3;
Ps. 116:1; Ps. 120:1). But His answer belongs to those who call on him from
the heart (Ps. 50:14-15; Ps. 145:18). Therefore we can call on Him and be certain
of His answer if we do so from the heart (see Jam. 5:15-16). It is calling
on
Him from the heart that guarantees His answer (cf. Ps. 50:14-15; Jam.5:15-16).
If there is no answer, it means that the calling is not from the heart (see
Ps. 66:18; cf. Ps. 50:14-15; Jam. 5:15-16). To call on Him from the heart,
one must
first become His child and live for Him in full obedience (see Deut. 6:5; Jos.
24:15; Matt. 4:10). Anyone can become His child through Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:12-13).
No one can call on Him from the heart unless he becomes His child through Jesus
Christ (Jn. 1:12-13).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please make me your child through
Jesus Christ.
2. Father, please enable me to call on you from my heart.
3. Father, please answer me whenever I call.
26 May
1 Tim. 1:3-4
God’s work is by faith
Here Paul points out a marked difference between false teachings of
the Law and the work of God (1Tim. 1:3-4). According to him, the difference
between
false
teachings of the Law and God’s work is that the latter is by faith (1Tim.
1:4). This means that the false teachings of the Law are not based on faith,
but on works (see Rom. 9:30-33). Paul was consistent in teaching that God’s
work is not based on works, but on faith (Rom. 3:21-26, 28; Eph. 2:8-9). This
difference persists today. In fact, salvation by works is commonly taught in
several forms today. But anyone who seeks God by works than faith will not find
Him (cf. Rom. 9:30-33). It is indeed futile to seek God by any other means than
by faith (Heb. 11:6). And to have faith is to believe in Him and His word ( Heb.
11:1).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please increase my faith.
2. Father, please, let your grace be sufficient to me for all things.
27 May
Ps. 145:19
The Lord fulfils the desires of His children
The Psalmist states here again another important truth about God
(Ps. 145:19). According to him, the Lord is the one who fulfils the
desire of those who
fear Him (Ps. 145:19). It is His nature to do so, and He does it continuously
and
unfailingly (Ps. 145:19). Those who fear the Lord are those who acknowledge
Him alone as their God and obey Him wholeheartedly (see Deut. 6:5; Prov.
8:13; Eccl.
12:13; Jn. 14:15). Therefore, those who fear the Lord can count on Him
to fulfill their desires. The Lord is a promise keeper, known to
keep all His
promises
(Jos. 21:45; 2 Cor. 1:20). Our duty is to fear Him, His is to fulfill our
desires. Once we do our part, He is certain to do His own. He is willing
and able to
do
so (Lk. 1:37). This promise belongs exclusively to those who fear the Lord,
not to those who refuse to do so (Ps. 145:19; see Deut. 28:1-68; Ps. 1:1-6).
Therefore,
if anyone needs His desires to be fulfilled, he must fear the Lord. Those
who do not fear the Lord are objects of His displeasure, not of His blessings
(Rom.
8:7-8; Deut. 28:15-68; Ps. 1:4-6; Ps. 145:20). To fear the Lord is therefore
a rewarding activity, not a vain exercise.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to fear you
as you deserve.
2. Father, please fulfill my desires as you promised.
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