Psalm 146  1 Praise the Lord.a]">[a]   Praise the Lord, my soul.   2 I will praise the Lord all my life;     I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes,     in human beings, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;     on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,     whose hope is in the Lord their God.   6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,     the sea, and everything in them—     he remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed     and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, 8     the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,     the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the foreigner     and sustains the fatherless and the widow,     but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.   10 The Lord reigns forever,     your God, O Zion, for all generations.   Praise the Lord.   Footnotes: 

Psalm 146

The Daily Practice: a devotional tool from Platt Park Church for developing the habit of daily time with God

Learning to love God takes practice. Just like exercising a muscle, our hearts are trained to love from the bottom up, through the formation of our habits and practices. Discipleship is about curating our hearts to love God and the things that God loves. Forces of our culture train us to love things other than God all the time, but spiritual practices help us to be attentive and intentional about what my heart really loves and desires. Following Jesus is more a matter of hungering and thirsting than of knowing and believing and it is our habit forming practices that form our desires over time. May this daily practice tune your heart to sing His praise.

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Hebrews 12:1-14 New International Version (NIV)  12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. God Disciplines His Children 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,  “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,     and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,     and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”a]">[a]  7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,”b]">[b] so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Warning and Encouragement 14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 

Hebrews 12:1-14

Amos 5:6-15 New International Version (NIV)   6 Seek the Lord and live,     or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them,     and Bethel will have no one to quench it.   7 There are those who turn justice into bitterness     and cast righteousness to the ground.   8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,     who turns midnight into dawn     and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea     and pours them out over the face of the land—     the Lord is his name. 9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold     and brings the fortified city to ruin.   10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court     and detest the one who tells the truth.   11 You levy a straw tax on the poor     and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,     you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards,     you will not drink their wine. 12 For I know how many are your offenses     and how great your sins.   There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes     and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. 13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,     for the times are evil.   14 Seek good, not evil,     that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,     just as you say he is. 15 Hate evil, love good;     maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy     on the remnant of Joseph.  

Amos 5:6-15

John 5:30-47 New International Version (NIV)  30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. Testimonies About Jesus 31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. 33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. 36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You studya]">[a] the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only Godb]">[b]? 45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” 

John 5:30-47

Revelation 4:1-8 New International Version (NIV)  The Throne in Heaven 4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spiritsa]">[a] of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:  “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’b]">[b] who was, and is, and is to come.”  

Revelation 4:1-8

Psalm 17 A prayer of David.  1 Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;     listen to my cry. Hear my prayer—     it does not rise from deceitful lips. 2 Let my vindication come from you;     may your eyes see what is right.   3 Though you probe my heart,     though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil;     my mouth has not transgressed. 4 Though people tried to bribe me,     I have kept myself from the ways of the violent     through what your lips have commanded. 5 My steps have held to your paths;     my feet have not stumbled.   6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;     turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. 7 Show me the wonders of your great love,     you who save by your right hand     those who take refuge in you from their foes. 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;     hide me in the shadow of your wings 9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,     from my mortal enemies who surround me.   10 They close up their callous hearts,     and their mouths speak with arrogance. 11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,     with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. 12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,     like a fierce lion crouching in cover.   13 Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down;     with your sword rescue me from the wicked. 14 By your hand save me from such people, Lord,     from those of this world whose reward is in this life. May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;     may their children gorge themselves on it,     and may there be leftovers for their little ones.   15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;     when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. 

Psalm 146

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