For protection and safety for President Obama every moment of every day
For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
�Psalm 91:11(NIV)
Almighty God, we praise You today for creating angels to be Your ministering spirits to us; that while we cannot see their presence, we can sense their guarding embrace as we remember Your faithful promises from Psalm 91. It overwhelms us to know that You care for us in such an intimate and powerful way.
Therefore, Lord, we also ask now that Your magnificent angels would envelop President Obama, shielding him from physical and spiritual harm. As you do this, O God, let him sense their presence in a way that unquestionably glorifies You and Your individual work in his life. Let this be done, omnipotent Father, in the name of Christ we ask, amen.
I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
"To set God before us is nothing else than to keep all our senses bound and captive, that they may not run out and go astray after any other object.
"We ought so to depend upon God as to continue to be fully persuaded of his being near to us, even when he seems to be removed to the greater distance from us. When we shall have thus turned our eyes towards him, the masks and the vain illusions of this world will no longer deceive us."
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
If you believe yet fear the wrath of God, remember that Jesus has borne it on your behalf. Let us praise Him for His grace this day.
It's review day, so I'll look back at the last six devotions to see what God taught me.
DAY 323--AN HONEST JUDGE--2 Timothy 4:1-8
I never quite made the title fit in this one. But the main point that I got out of this devotion was to keep going. Never quit. Also that the truth of the gospel is the only real race worth running.
This is the race that I am running with my life. I may be in last place, but I'm still running. I will not quit. No matter how many times I fall down and skin my knees (and face, sometimes), I will continue to run until the day that Jesus says, "Enough. Come home."
DAY 324--AGENT OF CHRIST--Titus 1:1-4
We need to be God's slaves and Christ's agents for promoting the faith among his people. I waxed lengthy about what a mediocre job I do in this task, but the truth is, this is related (although I didn't see it at the time--this is why these review days are good) to the previous day's devotion. Whether or not I'm consistently being God's slave, I need to keep trying. I never need to give up. This will yield more consistency over time. God has given us promises, and he keeps them. He will raise our hopes, and more often than not, this happens through other believers. This is a ministry that we have to one another.
DAY 325--A GOD-FILLED LIFE--Titus 2:11-14
Continuing in the theme of not giving up, I need to stand firm and turn my back on the portions of my life that are "godless" and "indulgent." Anything that is purely self-indulgent needs to be discarded. My life needs to be God-filled and God-honoring. I also need to have more energy for doing good.
DAY 326--WASHED INSIDE AND OUT--Titus 3:1-11
Since we've been "washed inside and out," by the Holy Spirit, there are attitudes within us that should change. We should be "bighearted and courteous." No fights. No insults. This is probably challenging for a lot of us. But this old nature that we carry around like dead weight, is, in fact, just that. Dead. Therefore, we should let the nature of Jesus shine forth.
DAY 327--A TRUE CHRISTIAN BROTHER--Philemon 8-20
Just as Paul exhorted Philemon to accept his former slave, Onesimus, as a true brother, we ought accept all other believers as true brothers and sisters. We all know that there are those among us who are hard to be around. But God would have us overlook things in each other that we don't like. We are all part of the body of Christ, and are destined to spend eternity together. So we should practice liking each other here.
Day 328--Holding Everything Together--Hebrews 1:3
Jesus is the perfect mirror of the Father. He displays the perfect representation of God to us. He also holds everything together by the awesome power of his words! We, in turn, have the responsibility of mirroring Christ to the world, and, somehow, conveying the message to them that Christ holds their world together, as well.
Well, that's it for this time.
Father, I pray that all of these things will seriously take hold in my life, in my spirit. Especially, the ability to keep on keeping on. Let me never give up in any of the tasks that you have given me. No matter what.
Grace and peace, friends.