REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by then (2013) staff of Remnant Westside Church in Manhattan, was first posted on September 19, 2013.
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“Lord, All I Want is You”
Psalm 89:15-18
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, 16 who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. 17 For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted. 18 For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
This morning’s Psalm focuses in on the people who have experienced the presence of the Lord that overflows into praise and exaltation of God. The phrase, “the light of your face,” points to the favor of the Lord and also His presence. The imagery of the horn being exalted refers to the rising of strength and power. With this in mind, what we understand is that the outward manifestation of walking in His presence is visible worship that glorifies the name of God, His joy, strength, and power.
In this text, the psalmist is revealing the secret of living a life of victory, strength, worship, and security; it is to walk in the presence of the Lord. He properly sets the order for our lives. First and foremost, it is walking in the light of His face, which means
constantly being aware of who God is and what His words command even in the midst of a hectic week. The overflow of this, then, is the exuberance of worship, when we praise and adore God on Sundays, followed by a life of offering our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1). That’s when we can truly experience the strength, the power and the security of God.
This morning, this Psalm is reminding us that our highest priority and the way to live the blessed life, must be to walk in His presence. He is drawing us into intimacy and His presence. Let us respond this morning by saying, “Lord, all I want is you.”
Prayer: Thank God that, by the grace of God in Jesus Christ, we are able to worship by the Spirit of God! Lord, help us not to take pride in or make me feel like I am a better Christian than others. Help me to repent of taking pride in the flesh. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Song of Songs 4
Lunch Break Study
Read Philippians 3:2-6: Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
Questions to Consider
- What do you know about the rite of circumcision (Gn. 17:10ff)? What was it for?
- Who were the so-called “mutilators of flesh” and how did they manipulate the rite of circumcision?
- What is the apostle Paul’s response to those who wanted to add circumcision to the salvific “formula”?
Notes
- The rite of circumcision, first induced in Genesis 17 with respect to Abraham, was the sign of God’s covenant with Israel that elevated her as the people of God.
- The “mutilators of the flesh” were presumably false teachers using circumcision for ulterior motives, perhaps as a sign of setting themselves above people who weren’t circumcised, as if God loved them more for this “work.”
- Paul debunks this kind of thinking by saying there is nothing in the flesh that merits favor with God. If there were, he has a resume filled with such “works,” but unlike others, he wouldn’t use his accomplishments to lift himself up above others.
Evening Reflection
John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
“Heavenly Father, I seek to grow in true knowledge of You and to know who I am as Your child and disciple, in order to know my purpose in this life. You never disappoint me and You are always near me. I know that You are always counseling and teaching me in the most wonderful ways, leading me in the perfect way to go, giving me the authority and power to be victorious. You are the ultimate One and I choose to anchor my soul in beauty of who You are! Your mercies are new every morning, and Your goodness follows me every day of my life. What have I to fear? The truth of who You are permeates my heart. You are calling me forth, rallying my heart to gaze upon You.” Amen.