Psalm 105:1: “Oh, give thanks to the LORD! / Call upon His name; / Make known His deeds among the peoples!”

April 20th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

David tells us to do 3 things as we approach God. First, give Him thanks, meaning tell Him that we are grateful for what He has done for us. Thomas à Kempis, the early 1400s German devotional writer, encourages us:

Be thankful for the smallest blessing, and you will deserve to receive greater. Value the least gifts no less than the greatest, and simple graces as especial favors. If you remember the dignity of the Giver, no gift will seem small or mean, for nothing can be valueless that is given by the most high God.

Second, pray to Him by calling on His name or character. God is our provider, our healer, our righteousness, our peace, and many other things, all of which are reflected in His name. When we pray, calling on His name, we are praying according to what His name stands for and means. Also, as believers, we carry His name whenever someone sees us as a Christian or literally “little Christ.” There is an old, unverifiable story about Alexander the Great that says on one occasion a young soldier in his army was brought before him for continually fighting with his fellow soldiers. The general asked the soldier his name. The soldier replied, “Alexander.” The general glared at the soldier who shared his name and responded, “Either change your behavior or change your name.” In the same way, bearing the name of Christ calls us to uphold and accept God’s high standards.

Third, speak of His good deeds to others around you. Jesus gave this same command to his disciples: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). We need to respond by sharing the truth of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Code Blue is a hospital term for a life-and-death emergency. When there is a Code-Blue emergency, everyone drops what he or she is doing to respond to the crisis. We are surrounded every day by people caught up in a life-and-death struggle against the power of Satan, as he tries to steal their very lives. God has called us to be rescuers to this dying generation. As believers, we must tell others about Jesus Christ with the intensity of a Code-Blue response.

“LORD, we thank You for Your gift of salvation, won for us at the cross by Jesus Christ. We call upon You to use us to share Your love this day with those around us.”