Read
Psalm 64, Deuteronomy 32:31-39, 1 Peter 2 2:19-25 (NLT)
Psalm 64
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
O God, listen to my complaint.
Protect my life from my enemies’ threats.
Hide me from the plots of this evil mob,
from this gang of wrongdoers.
They sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim their bitter words like arrows.
They shoot from ambush at the innocent,
attacking suddenly and fearlessly.
They encourage each other to do evil
and plan how to set their traps in secret.
“Who will ever notice?” they ask.
As they plot their crimes, they say,
“We have devised the perfect plan!”
Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning.
But God himself will shoot them with his arrows,
suddenly striking them down.
Their own tongues will ruin them,
and all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
Then everyone will be afraid;
they will proclaim the mighty acts of God
and realize all the amazing things he does.
The godly will rejoice in the Lord
and find shelter in him.
And those who do what is right
will praise him.
Deuteronomy 32:31-39
But the rock of our enemies is not like our Rock,
as even they recognize.
Their vine grows from the vine of Sodom,
from the vineyards of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poison,
and their clusters are bitter.
Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.
“The Lord says, ‘Am I not storing up these things,
sealing them away in my treasury?
I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
and their destiny will overtake them.’
“Indeed, the Lord will give justice to his people,
and he will change his mind about his servants,
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave or free.
Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods,
the rocks they fled to for refuge?
Where now are those gods,
who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their offerings?
Let those gods arise and help you!
Let them provide you with shelter!
Look now; I myself am he!
There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
I am the one who wounds and heals;
no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!
1 Peter 2:19-25
For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.
He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
who always judges fairly.
He personally carried our sins
in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right.
By his wounds
you are healed.
Once you were like sheep
who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
the Guardian of your souls.
Jesus Storybook Bible:
The Servant King (p.286)
Meditate
God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. (1 Peter 2:21)
Pray
Heavenly Father, vengeance is Yours alone. I will not trust in my own strength but put my confidence in You. I know that You will not abandon me because You gave up Your only Son for my sake. In the midst of my heartache, remind me that nothing can separate me from Your love in Christ and that through Christ I will overcome. Enable me by Your Spirit to follow Christ by loving my enemies mercifully and sacrificially. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Take a moment to pray for others.
New City Catechism
Question 32: What Do Justification and Sanctification Mean?
Answer: Justification means our declared righteousness before God, made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Sanctification means our gradual, growing righteousness, made possible by the Spirit’s work in us.
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