[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY JUNE 24

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY JUNE 24

WORD OF WISDOM

Regardless of what the world demands, as Christians we are called to stand
out, not blend in.

___

DAILY DEVOTION

What No One Else Sees


Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with
eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And
whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing
that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye
serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong
which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Colossians 3:22-25

Dr. Robert Speer, who wrote two of the original articles in a series of
books titled The Fundamentals, told the story of a sculptor who was hard at
work on a statue. The piece was designed to go inside a niche in the wall so
that it would only be seen from the front. Yet a visitor to his studio found
the sculptor diligently laboring over the back of the piece. When he
expressed surprise, the sculptor said, "God will always be looking upon it."
Speer concluded, "I am not so sure that it is not on the obscurities of our
lives that God looks far more than on what we regard as our real life upon
which men look. What He looks at after all is what is back of the life."
The temptation to cut corners and do just enough to get by must be resisted.
No matter what the business setting is, a Christian should be the most
diligent, responsible, and faithful worker there. This is just as true for
someone who works for a church as it is for someone who works in a factory.
No matter what company name is on the paycheck we receive, as believers, we
are ultimately working for God, not for our employer. And He always deserves
the very best that we can offer Him. When Daniel's enemies tried to find
something in his work life to use against him, they came up empty. "Then
said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except
we find it against him concerning the law of his God" (Daniel 6:5).
The way we approach our work reveals much about the way we view our
relationship with God.

___

DAILY BIBLE READING

Psalm 101-105 New King James Version
Promised Faithfulness to the Lord
A Psalm of David.

101 I will sing of mercy and justice;
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.

2 I will behave wisely in a 
[a]
perfect way.
Oh, when will You come to me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

3 I will set nothing 
[b]
wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will not know wickedness.

5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,
Him I will destroy;
The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart,
Him I will not endure.

6 My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,
That they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a 
[c]
perfect way,
He shall serve me.
7 He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who tells lies shall not 
[d]
continue in my presence.
8 Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.

The Lord’s Eternal Love
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his
complaint before the Lord.

102 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And let my cry come to You.
2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day that I call, answer me speedily.

3 For my days 
[e]
are consumed like smoke,
And my bones are burned like a hearth.
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass,
So that I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning
My bones cling to my 
[f]
skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I lie awake,
And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.

8 My enemies reproach me all day long;
Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
And I wither away like grass.

12 But You, O Lord, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
15 So the 
[g]
nations shall fear the name of the Lord,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For the Lord shall build up Zion;
He shall appear in His glory.
17 He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.

18 This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.
19 For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
>From heaven the Lord viewed the earth,
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death,
21 To declare the name of the Lord in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.

23 He weakened my strength in the way;
He shortened my days.
24 I said, “O my God,
Do not take me away in the midst of my days;
Your years are throughout all generations.
25 Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 They will perish, but You will 
[h]
endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
27 But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
28 The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”

Praise for the Lord’s Mercies
A Psalm of David.

103 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So thatyour youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He 
[i]
knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is 
[j]
gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You 
[k]
ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Praise to the Sovereign Lord for His Creation and Providence

104 Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
4 Who makes His angels spirits,
His 
[l]
ministers a flame of fire.

5 You who 
[m]
laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.
7 At Your rebuke they fled;
At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
8 
[n]
They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys,
To the place which You founded for them.
9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,
That they may not return to cover the earth.

10 He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills.
11 They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 By them the birds of the heavens have their home;
They sing among the branches.
13 He waters the hills from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.

14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the service of man,
That he may bring forth food from the earth,
15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man,
Oil to make his face shine,
And bread which strengthens man’s heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
17 Where the birds make their nests;
The stork has her home in the fir trees.
18 The high hills are for the wild goats;
The cliffs are a refuge for the rock
[o]
 badgers.

19 He appointed the moon for seasons;
The sun knows its going down.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21 The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they gather together
And lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes out to his work
And to his labor until the evening.

24 O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions—
25 This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
26 There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
[p]
Which You have 
[q]
made to play there.

27 These all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
28 What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
29 You hide Your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
May the Lordrejoice in His works.
32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the hills, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord.
35 May sinners be consumed from the earth,
And the wicked be no more.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
[r]
Praise the Lord!

The Eternal Faithfulness of the Lord

105 Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
3 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
4 Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
6 O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

7 He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
10 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
12 When they were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

13 When they went from one nation to another,
>From one kingdom to another people,
14 He permitted no one to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,
15 Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”

16 Moreover He called for a famine in the land;
He destroyed all the provision of bread.
17 He sent a man before them—
Joseph—whowas sold as a slave.
18 They hurt his feet with fetters,
[s]
He was laid in irons.
19 Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the Lord tested him.
20 The king sent and released him,
The ruler of the people let him go free.
21 He made him lord of his house,
And ruler of all his possessions,
22 To 
[t]
bind his princes at his pleasure,
And teach his elders wisdom.

23 Israel also came into Egypt,
And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
24 He increased His people greatly,
And made them stronger than their enemies.
25 He turned their heart to hate His people,
To deal craftily with His servants.

26 He sent Moses His servant,
And Aaron whom He had chosen.
27 They performed His signs among them,
And wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made it dark;
And they did not rebel against His word.
29 He turned their waters into blood,
And killed their fish.
30 Their land abounded with frogs,
Even in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
And lice in all their territory.
32 He gave them hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.
33 He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,
And splintered the trees of their territory.
34 He spoke, and locusts came,
Young locusts without number,
35 And ate up all the vegetation in their land,
And devoured the fruit of their ground.
36 He also 
[u]
destroyed all the firstborn in their land,
The first of all their strength.

37 He also brought them out with silver and gold,
And there was none feeble among His tribes.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
For the fear of them had fallen upon them.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering,
And fire to give light in the night.
40 The people asked, and He brought quail,
And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
It ran in the dry places like a river.

42 For He remembered His holy promise,
And Abraham His servant.
43 He brought out His people with joy,
His chosen ones with 
[v]
gladness.
44 He gave them the lands of the 
[w]
Gentiles,
And they inherited the labor of the nations,
45 That they might observe His statutes
And keep His laws.

[x]
Praise the Lord!

Footnotes
list of 24 items
a. 
Psalm 101:2
blameless 
b. 
Psalm 101:3
worthless 
c. 
Psalm 101:6
blameless 
d. 
Psalm 101:7
Lit. be established 
e. 
Psalm 102:3
Lit. end in 
f. 
Psalm 102:5
flesh 
g. 
Psalm 102:15
Gentiles 
h. 
Psalm 102:26
continue 
i. 
Psalm 103:14
Understands our constitution 
j. 
Psalm 103:16
not 
k. 
Psalm 103:21
servants 
l. 
Psalm 104:4
servants 
m. 
Psalm 104:5
Lit. founded the earth upon her bases 
n. 
Psalm 104:8
Or The mountains rose up; The valleys sank down 
o. 
Psalm 104:18
rock hyraxes 
p. 
Psalm 104:26
A large sea creature of unknown identity 
q. 
Psalm 104:26
Lit. formed 
r. 
Psalm 104:35
Heb. Hallelujah 
s. 
Psalm 105:18
His soul came into iron 
t. 
Psalm 105:22
Bind as prisoners 
u. 
Psalm 105:36
Lit. struck down 
v. 
Psalm 105:43
a joyful shout 
w. 
Psalm 105:44
nations 
x. 
Psalm 105:45
Heb. Hallelujah