Scripture Read:  Psalm 87, 88

Key Verse:  Psalm 87:6

“The LORD records as he registers the peoples “This one was born there.”

Observation:

Psalm 87 has a dual purpose. The people of God could sing it wherever they went. Outside of the temple walls it was much like a national anthem praising the city of Jerusalem, it’s protective gates, and the privileged who were affiliated with it. But it held special meaning for the children of God as they relate it to the eternal kingdom of God; the kingdom where God records the names of each citizen.

Application:

My mom has done extensive research into the ancestry of her family as well as my father’s. Her father, like those lost this weekend in war, died in battle. She was just a toddler – too young to remember him. But there are records of birth, certificates of death, census of towns and church records the date back years and years tracing the lineage of our people. Pause here: church records – they tell us who’s in, who the owners of God’s vision were for that local church. Do you own the vision for what God wants to do through 217church? Own it! Come to the next ownership class. (That was a freebie.) All of these records helped piece together the legacy of my family. As she discovered the names of those who belonged to the family, she wrote them in a book for each of her children and that book is important to me and to her grandchildren. But there is another book so much more precious. God wrote my name in a book that he keeps in his eternal kingdom of which I am part.

Prayer:

God, you cared enough for me to die. You were buried and returned to life so that I could be forgiven. When I accepted your precious gift of grace you wrote my name in your book. Thank you for keeping track of the family of believers. Thank you for keeping track of “this one” today.

By Bonnie 217staff team