Today's Verse: Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. ~Psalm 112:4 Integrity refers to the character, honesty, truthfulness, and virtue of a man. A man of integrity is non-compromising when it comes to his affairs and relationship with others. He is a trusted and respected individual. Another word that describes a man of integrity is upright. Ps. 112 is about the upright man. Upright means he is straight u

Today's Verse: Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. ~Psalm 147:1 Psalm 147 is a psalm that calls all of us to praise the Lord. Praise is a response to God’s goodness: we are to speak with praises, but we are to also sing with praises. Then, he says that praise is pleasant and comely. The word “comely” means “beautiful.” The question we must ask is, “Is my praise comely?” Let us see what comely praise is.

Today's Verse: Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. ~Psalm 124:7 During David’s time, men were experts in catching small game for food. Among this small game was the capture of small birds. Hunters would make these clever traps that an unsuspecting bird would venture into and get caught in. The capture typically would inhibit the bird from flying away once it was caught. The trap was commonly referred to as t

Today's Verse: Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. ~Psalm 26:2 Do you get annual physical exams? If you do, you know that this is preventive care for your health and longevity. The doctor will examine your heart, lungs, digestion, kidneys, musculoskeletal system, eyes, ears, mouth, and feet, and then order a number of diagnostic tests. These exams are critical for preventing and detecting serious problems that can occur in our health. The goal of a

Today's Verse: He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. ~Psalm 107:40 What comes to your mind when you hear the word "wilderness"? For me, I have foreboding thoughts of barrenness, uncharted territory, wild animals, and a place where you can die for lack of supplies and resources. The psalmist described it as a place where there is no way. The wilderness is not a place that you would choose for an adventurous vaca

Today's Verse: For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. ~Psalm 22:16 The story is told of a boy who was trapped by a fire on the second floor of his house. The rest of his family had perished in the fire. A man, seeing the boy’s desperate situation, climbed his way into the boy’s bedroom by way of a metal pipe attached all the way to the roof of the house. The man was successful in reaching and rescuing the b

Today's Verse: Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. ~Psalm 37:1 Dealing with people can be a blessing. It can also be a trying experience as some personalities choose to be adversarial, annoying, contentious, disloyal, undermining, or difficult to work with. Some types of personalities can just get under your skin. In other words, they test your patience and lead to fretting on our part. Three times in the opening ve

Today's Verse: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. ~Psalm 121:1 The background to Psalm 121 is a believer who is in a valley and trapped by his enemies. He is outnumbered, overwhelmed, and desperate. He looks behind him and he is in trouble. He looks ahead of him and he is in trouble. He looks to his left and to his right and he is in trouble. However, he looks up to the hills and help is on the way. This morning, let us look to the hills, fr

Today's Verse: I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. ~Psalm 102:6-7 Loneliness is the feeling of someone being left all by himself. It is an utterly desolate and discouraging feeling of abandonment. You feel like everyone in your life has left you. You feel friendless, solitary, and hollow on the inside. The psalmist describes his loneliness as a pelican in the wilderness, an owl of the d

Today's Verse: For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, ~Psalm 95:7 One of the blessed metaphors that the Bible uses to describe our relationship to God is that of a shepherd and his sheep. Shepherding is one of the most arduous occupations. It is a very demanding work that is 24/7 in nature. A shepherd must be vigilant at all times. A shepherd must be concerned for the entire flock, and especially

Today's Verse: But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. ~Psalm 92:10 Oil is a necessity of life. It is used for medicinal purposes. It is used to provide relief during the intense heat of the day. It is used for cooking. It was also used to indicate the approval of God upon a new king or a prophet of God. Oil is made by applying strong pressure to olives until all the oil has been extracted. Many olives must be crushed to

Today's Verse: I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. ~Psalm 119:32 A few years ago, a missionary that we support indicated that she was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. This condition led to several other life-threatening health developments. Mayo Clinic says the following about an enlarged heart: “An enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) isn't a disease, but rather a sign of another condition. The term 'cardiomegaly' refers to an enlarged heart s

Today's Verse: Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. ~Psalm 86:1-2 A man prayed this prayer one morning: “Dear Heavenly Father, So far, today, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped or lost my temper. I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, or self-centered. I'm really happy about that so far. But in a few minutes I'm going to be getting out of bed and then I'm goi

Today's Verse: For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. ~Psalm 71:5 Most of us deposit money into a bank without much fear of loss. Banks insure our money up to a certain amount through the FDIC. There is an implied trust we have in the banking institution that the money we have deposited is safe and secure. Many people keep their money with a mainline bank for most of their lifetime because they feel a sense of reliability in the size, strength, a

Today's Verse: But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. ~Psalm 22:6 Dictionary.com gives the following definition of worms: "any of numerous small creeping animals with more or less slender, elongated bodies, and without limbs or with very short ones, including individuals of widely differing kinds, as earthworms, tapeworms, insect larvae, and adult forms of some insects." Worms are often regarded as a low and insignificant form of life.

Today's Verse: I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. ~Psalm 119:63 I thank the Lord for my preacher friends who love the Lord, win souls to Christ, and have strong Biblical values. We enjoy each other’s fellowship and rejoice in speaking of what God wants to do through our lives. In our devotion this morning, the psalmist makes a statement about his friends in life. He sets for us the criteria for bosom buddies. We see the camar

Today's Verse: Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High . ~Psalm 56:2 David was way over his head in problems. Psalm 56 was written during the Absalom Rebellion. Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel and took over the nation. David and his most loyal men escaped to avoid a conflict. David was in fear and was hurt that Ahithophel, his counselor, joined ranks with Absalom. He was hurt when Shimei came forth to cu

Today's Verse: I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: ~Psalm 26:6 There was a time many years ago when doctors were concerned about the high mortality rate of babies who died shortly after birth due to infections. They learned that these deaths could have been avoided by simply washing their hands before touching a patient. Today, it is a standard practice for doctors and medical professionals to wash their hands with bacterial soap unde

Today's Verse: I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. ~Psalm 140:12 Have you ever...

Today's Verse: My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a...