Daily Outreach Devotions

Grace to you and peace from God our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. 541 years ago today a child was born to Hans and Margaretha Luther a couple living in the German town of Eisleben. ? Little did his parents or anyone else know that their son would become one of the most famous people in history and would be given much of the credit for changing the Christian religion throughout the world. Before that change could happen, however, Luther himself would become a changed man, one who was spiritually reborn and enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Today we consider the Bible verse which is often said to be the Scripture passage which changed everything for him, and I would say also for us. Listen again to Habakkuk 2:3-4  3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;     it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it;  it will surely come; it will not delay. 4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,  but the righteous shall live by his faith.”    This is the text as we continue the Sermon Series: Keep the Faith!

Annie Sherwood Hawks published her first poetry at just 14 years old. She felt the presence of God at an early age and it continued as she became a devoted wife and mother. This hymn was one of over 400 that God brought to her heart. She stated that it was never more real to her than when she lost her husband of 31 years. Loss and tragedy often make us realize our great need of a loving God.

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Psalm 119:18 (KJV)

There is a big difference between seeing something and perceiving it. Seeing is the physical act of detecting something, but perceiving has more to do with understanding or discerning it. And that is what the psalmist is telling us in this verse. When we open our Bibles to read God’s Word, we need to do more than just read the words. It takes a humble, willing heart to recognize the
amazing truths God has written for us and to digest them, making them part of us. Take time to pray before you read the Scriptures, asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand what God is saying to you. He has wondrous things to show us from His Word, but we must first yield our hearts to Him in order to truly “see” them and let them change our lives to God’s glory. Let this
song express your heart today: Open Our Eyes, Lord.

Do you speak or read a foreign language? Perhaps you took a course or two in high school or college, or like me, you took an adult education course simply to converse during business travel or on vacation in a foreign country. 

At a much higher level, imagine how difficult it is for people immigrating from foreign lands to the USA to manage their life’s affairs without understanding or speaking English. Perhaps your family forebearers were part of that category.

Biblical scholars believe that David wrote Psalm 16 when he was in a tight spot. There were about 400 men hiding with David in the hills, but King Saul had 3,000 soldiers trying to find him so they could kill him. Despite his difficult situation, you can see that David believed that God is his powerful Sovereign—his beautiful inheritance and treasure—the One who holds David’s lot in His hands. David ends his psalm with an unshakeable confidence (verse 10) that God will preserve his body and soul in death. And, because God has been his portion here in this life, his confidence is unshaken that God will continue to be all of this forever.  Some Christians call this “The Golden Psalm” because it holds the secret to life. The main point of Psalm 16 is that God will bring you—body and soul—through life and death to full and everlasting pleasure, if He is your safe refuge, your supreme treasure, your sovereign Lord, and your trusted counselor! Make this psalm your own prayer—a confidence you share with David!