Daily Devotionals

Where Heaven Meets Earth: Week 3 - Monday

 

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Psalm 100:1

In our world today, becoming self-focused is easy. In fact, it comes naturally to many people. As humans, we tend to think of ourselves and our needs over anything else. This way of thinking may come naturally, but it never serves us well. Selfishness leaves us unsatisfied and empty. It also wreaks havoc on our relationships. As followers of Christ, our calling is to take our eyes off of ourselves. One of the best ways we can do that is to worship. Worship allows us to take our eyes off of ourselves and straight to Christ and His kingdom.

Psalm 100 illustrates the power of worship and how worship allows us to stop thinking about ourselves and fix our eyes on Christ instead. In this passage of Scripture, the Psalmist wrote, "Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy" (verses 1-2). In these verses, the Psalmist issued a call for readers to worship God with gladness and singing. Then, he illustrated that worshiping God forces us to take our eyes off of ourselves. He wrote, "Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His" (verse 3). When we worship, we are to acknowledge that God is, indeed, God. He is the One who created the world. He created us. We belong to Him. When we focus on God and His kingdom, we cannot simultaneously focus on ourselves. This is the beauty of worship: it forces us to take our eyes off of ourselves and onto someone infinitely greater: God, the creator and sustainer of everything. 

We are only able to focus on one thing. We get to choose where we will focus. Where will you focus today? Will you focus on yourself and your needs or keep your eyes fixed on God and His kingdom? We are finite human beings who do not have control. God is the creator of the universe who holds all power and control. Will you focus on Him and His kingdom today?  

 

Moving Toward Action

After reading the verses from the Going Deeper section below, pray. Focus your mind and heart on God and His kingdom. Commit to paying attention to the needs around you and the ways you can share the hope of Christ with those around you. Ask God to help you as you seek to do this. 


Going Deeper

Psalm 11:1-5

I trust in the Lord for protection.
So why do you say to me,
    “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!
The wicked are stringing their bows
    and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings.
They shoot from the shadows
    at those whose hearts are right.
The foundations of law and order have collapsed.
    What can the righteous do?”

But the Lord is in his holy Temple;
    the Lord still rules from heaven.
He watches everyone closely,
    examining every person on earth.
The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked.
    He hates those who love violence.