Bible Studies

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The Songs
Psalm 72 - Attainable Perfection
Key Verses: (NRSV)

• 1: "Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king's son." - Solomon's prayer for the perfect king can be personalized into our own Christian lives as we strive towards Christ-like perfection.
  
  
• 4: "May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor." - Focusing on the needs of others is one way to overcome our slavery to sin as discussed by Paul in Romans, chapter seven.
  
  
• 7: "In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more." - Living our lives in the way God wants us to live results in abounding peace. His kingdom will reign forever.
  
  
• 8: "May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth." - Releasing control over every aspect of our lives enables us to gain full access to God's glory.
  
  
• 16: "May there be abundance of grain in the land; may it wave on the tops of the mountains, may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities lie the grass of the field." - A righteous life leads to an abundance of blessings.
  
  
• 17: "May His name endure forever, His fame continue as long as the sun. May all nations be blessed in Him; may they pronounce Him happy." - Jesus Christ is the perfect king! All people can gain access to the riches of eternal life through Him. Happy is he who calls Him Lord!
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Are you a king? Do you have a kingdom of influence? Today's psalm is a prayer for the successful reign of a king. Can this prayer be applied to your life and to the areas in which you have influence? As you read this prayer in context with yesterday's verses from Romans, what characteristics or traits of the perfect king will help you in your struggles with sin? Do you pray that you may be able to live righteously? Do you seek justice and fairness? Do you want to experience victory over the oppressor and eliminate evil everywhere?
  
  
• Do you defend the cause of the poor and needy? Notice that the focus of the perfect king is more towards others than himself. In your struggles with sin and as you strive to do what is right; do you see that your failures generally come about from a focus on your selfish needs and desires? Haven't your victories over sin come about when you have dropped your inward focus and have turned, unselfishly, towards the needs of others? When Jesus teaches us to focus on the needs of the poor, is it because they have a special place in His heart, or is it because He loves you and wants to provide you with a pathway towards His righteousness?
  
  
• Are you blessed? Is there an abundance of God's blessings pouring into your life? What are you doing with these blessings? Are you stockpiling them for harsher times, or are you sharing your blessings with others? Do you remember that God blesses you so that you can be a blessing to others? Are you providing others access to the abundance of God that is evident in your life?
  

Promise of the Gospel:

Through our studies in Romans we have come to recognize the battle of sin that rages within each of us. We strive to do what is right but, instead, we find that we often do what is not right. From today's prayer for the perfect king we not only are able to see what perfection looks like but we can see a glimpse of some of the ways perfection is attained. Christ is the only perfect king but, as Christians, we are to be Christ-like in everything we do. When we learn to turn our focus outwards and help those in need, we discover a life filled with the bounties of heaven. Christ's kingdom is for everyone and as we open the gates to His love, the world around us is richly blessed.

FUMC Devotionals
Faithwriters Magazine

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