Reading your Bible for Today August 9

August 9: Psalm 37:8-9

Key Verse: Psalm 37:8

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.

Devotion:

Living with the enemy is hard. If you want to stop yourself from getting mad with your enemy, the worst place you can choose to stay is with them! If you want to be able to keep calm about them, then you should remove yourself from them. That does not mean we must hide our heads in the sand, just not get ourselves involved in the mischief they get up to; for if we do, we are opening ourselves to more than just their ways.

If we start to get worked up about the people around us who are having better lives than we are because of the wicked lives they are leading, then we are going to be tempted to join in with those lifestyles just so we can get a piece of the action! The only way we are going to find rest whilst placed in this wicked world is by making sure we base our feet on solid ground where we can trust someone who does nothing wicked – the only way is to place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

One of your biggest problems when you are young Christians may be being angry with God... Before we find salvation in Christ we tend to fly off the handle at almost anything because that is what we see in the world around us. But when we place our faith and trust in Christ and start to grow with Him, we think this anger is only affecting ourselves – it eats at us from the inside. But what we do not realise (all too often) is that each one of those outbursts affects God as well. We may well be destined for a long afterlife with Him, but we may well be hurting Him with every step here and now!

Each time we allow ourselves to be caught up in the worldly things around us, we take a step away from God. The Holy Spirit stays within us – but each time we sin, we are provoking The Holy Spirit. Each time we give in to sin it is like we are forcing Him into a corner. Each time we are provoked ourselves and react in a bad way, we force Him deeper into that corner until He becomes like a silent partner.

Points to Ponder:

How often do you make yourself heard to your friends?

How often do you ignore God in your life?