Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

A Cautionary Psalm Psalm 82 is a cautionary tale of sorts. In Old Testament times, God entrusted certain men within Israel to implement His righteous standards among the people. They were to make sure justice prevailed and were known as "judges" or "elohim" in the Hebrew. It's this word "elohim" that's translated here as "gods" (with a small "g"). So when God says, "You are gods," He's not referring to divine beings but to human beings who had been given a divine responsibility. Sadly, this responsibility wasn't met with a spirit of faithfulness or diligence. As time went on, men became slackers, they became corrupt, and they began to abuse their power for selfish ends. Instead of establishing and upholding a standard of justice, they became a living contradiction to it. Consequently, God warned them that despite their privileged position, they "shall die like men" in judgment. When God entrusts something to us, whether it's a position of power, a role of responsibility, or an investment of influence, it should be our utmost concern to be faithful with it. It's an awesome privilege to serve the Lord and to represent Him in any capacity. Psalm 82 serves as a warning of how seriously He takes it when we misrepresent His heart. It begs the question: How faithful and diligent are we with what the Lord has given to us? Our God is watching, but we must also remember that He's willing...willing to help us avoid the mistakes made by Israel's judges of old. Judge over all things, be the Judge over our hearts. Show us where we need to be more faithful with what You've entrusted to us, and may we heed this cautionary Psalm. When God entrusts something to us, whether it's a position of power, a role of responsibility, or an investment of influence, it should be our utmost concern to be faithful with it. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?