Morning Devotional 041425 Life and Blessings

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

  April 14, 2025

Psalm 36:5-12

5 But your loyal love, LORD, extends to the skies; your faithfulness reaches the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the strongest mountains; your justice is like the deepest sea. LORD, you save both humans and animals. 7 Your faithful love is priceless, God! Humanity finds refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the bounty of your house; you let them drink from your river of pure joy. 9 Within you is the spring of life. In your light, we see light. 10 Extend your faithful love to those who know you; extend your righteousness to those whose heart is right. 11 Don’t let the feet of arrogant people walk all over me; don’t let the hands of the wicked drive me off. 12 Look—right there is where the evildoers have fallen, pushed down, unable to get up!

Good Morning. In God’s light, we see light!

In the first four verses of Psalm 36, David speaks of those who seek evil and are ruled by Satan. In verse five, he changes his subject to lifting up God's virtues. 

God creates all things, living and nonliving. God offers each person the choice of life and blessings or death and curses. The Israelites were told the story from the beginning. I have to wonder why anyone would choose death and curses. 

Sadly, evil provides many opportunities to turn away from God. The temptations offered seem amazing. Consider the game show Let’s Make a Deal. It starts as fun and games, but then you get a glimpse of bigger and better prizes, so you give away what you have in exchange for all that glitters. As the curtain opens, you see that all that glitters is not gold, and you realize you made a poor choice.

In the game, you don’t get to go back and change your mind, but God is always ready to welcome us back despite our poor choices along the way. God invites us to feast on the bounty he provides and drink from the river of pure joy. In return, God asks us to love him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

We might not be rich in earthly standards, but our treasures await us in heaven. 

Loving Lord, Maker of all things! Thank you for giving us choices, and thank you for welcoming us back when we make poor choices. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: God is waiting to welcome us home despite our failures. 

Choose life and blessings! Pastor Liz