Jason Freyer, Senior MDiv Student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Scripture

Psalm 24

1The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
2for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.

3Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
5They will receive blessing from the LORD,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

7Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
8Who is the King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
10Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory. Selah

Devotional

There’s nothing like a little self-esteem to start your morning, is there? When you read something like Psalm 24, particularly verses 3 and 4, you realize that you’re in deep. A pure heart? Hardly. Do I from time to time place more trust in my cash than in my God, thus making the Almighty Dollar an idol? You bet. As a red-blooded American boy, I can’t even go two minutes with hands devoid of mud or dirt. If you read Psalm 24 in the wrong light, you can get awfully depressed before you’ve even finished your bowl of Raisin Bran.

Then again, we could look at it another way. We could be reminded of the one who was worthy to ascend the mountain of the Lord, the one who is to come. We could be reminded that Jesus Christ came to us, even in the form of an infant in Bethlehem to do what we could not. He came to be what we are not. In our faith, we celebrate that God comes to us, not the other way around.

Prayer

Gracious Lord our God, thank you for doing what we could not, for the promise we look forward to in Christ Jesus. Thank you for coming to us, for being what we could not be, for doing what we could not do. Help us to remember this day to let our view of ourselves be grounded in your love for us. Amen.

Jason Freyer, Senior MDiv Student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Scripture

Psalm 24

1The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
2for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.

3Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
5They will receive blessing from the LORD,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

7Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
8Who is the King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
10Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory. Selah

Devotional

There’s nothing like a little self-esteem to start your morning, is there? When you read something like Psalm 24, particularly verses 3 and 4, you realize that you’re in deep. A pure heart? Hardly. Do I from time to time place more trust in my cash than in my God, thus making the Almighty Dollar an idol? You bet. As a red-blooded American boy, I can’t even go two minutes with hands devoid of mud or dirt. If you read Psalm 24 in the wrong light, you can get awfully depressed before you’ve even finished your bowl of Raisin Bran.

Then again, we could look at it another way. We could be reminded of the one who was worthy to ascend the mountain of the Lord, the one who is to come. We could be reminded that Jesus Christ came to us, even in the form of an infant in Bethlehem to do what we could not. He came to be what we are not. In our faith, we celebrate that God comes to us, not the other way around.

Prayer

Gracious Lord our God, thank you for doing what we could not, for the promise we look forward to in Christ Jesus. Thank you for coming to us, for being what we could not be, for doing what we could not do. Help us to remember this day to let our view of ourselves be grounded in your love for us. Amen.