Daily Devotional

Praise the Lord, my soul,
and do not forget any of His benefits!
- Psalm 103:2

Forgetfulness is part of our lives. And while it’s good to forget offenses and problems from the past, there are also many negative aspects to forgetting. It’s quite natural to have memory lapses from time to time, forgetting your keys, a password, where you left your phone, food in the oven, or a bill to pay... It’s annoying, but who hasn’t been through that?

However, beyond this kind of healthy and normal forgetfulness (since our selective memory stores what’s important and discards what’s secondary), there’s another kind that’s much more serious: forgetting things that are truly important. Unfortunately, due to illness, inattention, stress, or distractions, the consequences of this type of forgetfulness can be much more severe, even fatal in some cases (forgetting children in the car, missing important commitments, etc.). In both cases, we need to exercise our minds, stimulating our memory so that essential things are not erased.

In today’s verse, the psalmist exhorts his own soul to bless the Lord and not forget Him or His blessings. It’s an exercise we should all practice, encouraging our minds and hearts not to forget God!

Don’t forget God or His infinite blessings

• Stimulate your mind to think about God throughout the day. Maintain an attitude of gratitude for all the blessings you have received. Consider them valuable.
• Create visual reminders. Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer, to remind the people that God had helped them up to that point (1 Samuel 7:12). Record, mark, and train your mind to remember!
• Pray and give thanks for all the good that God has done for you.
• Keep a journal or notebook for your prayer requests and answers. Over time, you can look back and see how God has cared for you.
• Count your blessings! Make a list of God’s blessings in your life, place it where you can see it (on your mirror, fridge door, or work desk), and share it with those around you.

Prayer:

Lord my God and Father, thank You so much for all the blessings You have given me! Teach me to recognize Your goodness and mercy every day. In the smallest details, from the air I breathe to the grace of salvation in Jesus, I know that You always care for me. Help me not to forget any of Your blessings. I praise and glorify You for each one of them. In Jesus’ name, amen!

For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
- Psalm 33:4

There is no word more true than the Word of God! It is a living Word that builds us up and transforms us. In it we find the source we need for our lives, and through it we can continue to bear fruit and grow in grace.

In a world full of false truths, fake news, and conflict, the Bible is our safe harbor. Even though it was written centuries ago, within it we find the true Good News! Through His Word, we can move forward in faith in this dark world full of traps. God’s faithfulness gives us security, and under His covering we can go on without fearing evil.

Just as a pilot in a storm is guided by his instruments to land safely, we must use the Bible as our instrument of spiritual navigation. His Word guides us and brings light in the midst of darkness. Even when we don’t know what will happen because the future belongs to Him, we must be guided by the Word and move forward in faith. Believe it: God is faithful in all He does! He loves us, and everything that happens works together for the good of those who love God!

Walking in the Truth

• Make a Bible reading plan.
• Build the habit of reading God’s Word daily. The body needs food, and so does the spirit.
• Put the Word into practice—exercise your faith in what you’ve meditated on. To be a Christian is to put faith into action.

To Pray: