"Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. (11) I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.

Is my sacrifice of worship one of attempting to give back to You what You already own while refusing the one gift that I have complete control over? Is not that a hypocritical sacrifice?

Today's readings in the Psalms:

Morning: Psalm 112

Mid-day: 119:161-168

Evening: Psalm 38

Voices Together is available as an annual daily devotional and can be purchased at the Fellowship Of Ailbe bookstore.

He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!" The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

My body, my will, my mind, my soul, my heart, my all, presented to You to be used in Your service. This is my worship to be totally dedicated to Your service.

Today's readings in the Psalms:

Morning: Psalm 111

Mid-day: 119:153-160

Evening: Psalm 37

Voices Together is available as an annual daily devotional and can be purchased at the Fellowship Of Ailbe bookstore.

A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.

LORD, God Almighty, the roar of a devouring fire, the thunder of a mighty tempest, the tumult of the crashing waves, the oppressive silence of an approaching tornado, the great crash as the storm breaks upon one; all are weak and futile attempts by the human mind to describe Your infinite majesty.

Today's readings in the Psalms:

Morning: Psalm 110

Mid-day: 119:145-152

Evening: Psalm 37

Voices Together is available as an annual daily devotional and can be purchased at the Fellowship Of Ailbe bookstore.

For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

Lord, my prayer this morning is that I can enter into that power, that my life will be one of complete surrender to You, trusting in Your control of 'all things' for Your glorification and my good.

Today's readings in the Psalms:

Morning: Psalm 109

Mid-day: 119:137-144

Evening: Psalm 35

Voices Together is available as an annual daily devotional and can be purchased at the Fellowship Of Ailbe bookstore.

I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.

Lord, help me to preach that Your Kingdom is not rules and regulations, it is not obedience to the Law because You have commanded it. Life in the Kingdom is acceptance of Your Lordship, trusting in You completely and without reservation. Life in the Kingdom is pursuit of a relationship with You, a seeking to know You and a compulsion to live according to Your Word. It is seeking to live in Your presence with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, loving my neighbor as myself. It is that transformation from one degree of glory into another that Paul speaks of. It is accepting the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all aspects of my life. It is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is knowing You, the one true God and your Son, Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Today's readings in the Psalms:

Morning: Psalm 108

Mid-day: 119:129-136

Evening: Psalm 34

Voices Together is available as an annual daily devotional and can be purchased at the Fellowship Of Ailbe bookstore.

I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.

Living according to Your statutes is a way of life; it will be my way of life until You bring me home. Amen, so help me Lord Jesus.

Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

I know, Lord, that when I enter finally into the fullness of the Kingdom, that there your Testimonies will shine in all their glory and completeness. That will be the time when I will see Your Word completely, not just in bits and pieces as I do today. What a glorious Day that will be.

I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law.

To remember Your law continuously throughout the day, in every aspect of my life, is to keep me safely walking according to Your Word.

The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts.

To keep Your precepts constantly in my mind and before my eyes is the only sure way to avoid the deceptive and cunningly laid traps of the Evil One.

Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me your rules.

To freely praise you is to create within me a willingness to learn the rules of God and a receptivity to receive instruction and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word!

When my affliction is the result of the Evil One's attacks, whether physical, emotional or spiritual, the healing comes from applying Your Word to my life. Your Word is the healing Balm of Gilead.

Psalm 119:105, 106

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

This precious verse totally describing the intended role of the Word of the Lord in my life. Now to submit to that totality of seeking understanding and willing obedience to be led.

I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.

It is my solemn vow to keep Your righteous rules, so help me, God. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that I have the expectation of obedience.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules. (107) I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word! Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me your rules. I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.

Filled with responses to the Lord's promises to guide and teach His people, this stanza is one of hope and confidence that the Lord will lead me through every difficulty according to His Word. I must be continuous in my freewill offering of praise, I must be continuous in my absorption of His Word and in its prayerful application to every aspect of my life. And I must be always ready to perform according to His statutes. It is not a free pass to the good life, but a mutual covenant to work to advance the Kingdom.