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Bible Reading Plan

Reading Plan: Psalm 103

Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

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Daily Devotional: Pray and Obey, Bring Heaven to Earth

your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10

 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” 

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) 

“Saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done'”

Luke 22:42 (ESV)

When Jesus walked the earth, He already intimately knew heaven. He prayed in His deepest distress to do the will of the Father. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that His model prayer for us consists of inviting the Father’s will and welcoming heaven on earth. Jesus, fully man and fully God, walked with one foot in heaven and one foot on earth. We currently live in an in-between state. Jesus was the start of heaven coming down to earth, but the Father’s will is not yet fully accomplished.

Jesus brought heaven to earth when He healed the hopeless. Jesus brought heaven to earth when He taught in ways that mesmerized the crowds. God’s kingdom came to earth when Jesus prayed to and then obeyed the Father. We, like Jesus,can invite God’s kingdom to earth through prayer and obedience. 

Mother Teresa prayed, “Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine.”

Then she obeyed, and in a revolutionary way attended to the dying of Calcutta. She first sought the kingdom of heaven, then brought a piece of it down to earth.

Martin Luther King Jr. prayed, “O God, make us willing to do your will, come what may. Increase the number of persons of good will and moral sensitivity. Give us renewed confidence in nonviolence and the way of love as taught by Christ. Amen.”

Then he obeyed, and in a revolutionary way he brought change that resulted in glimpses of heaven on earth.

I don’t expect to change the world but I can pray a humble prayer. I can obey what the Holy Spirit lays on my heart, whispers in my ear, and sometimes relentlessly nags me about when I’m not quick to hear. I can bring a tiny piece of heaven to the people in my sphere of influence, as they have done for me.

Next Steps

One of the lines in this song says “heaven has started” and it is regarding the room Jesus prepares for us in His Father’s mansion. “It’s all been prepared. Life is much sweeter knowing I’m already there.” If we claim Jesus as Lord and Savior we are already there! We can bring a tiny piece down to earth. May we live with one foot on earth and one foot in heaven.