Daily Devotional For Monday, September 14, 2026
Good morning Southside! I am following the One Year Chronological Bible reading suggestion and any Bible verses you see highlighted in bold (ex. John 3:16), means it is a link to that verse. All you have to do is click on the reference and it will take you to the verse online. Our daily devotional reading for today comes from Jeremiah 51:15-19:
“The LORD made the earth by His power, and He preserves it by His wisdom. With His own understanding He stretched out the heavens. (16) When He speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses. (17) The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. (18) Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed. (19) But the God of Israel* is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including His people, His own special possession. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is His name!”
This passage is a hymn and was meant to be sung in worship. It is a hymn that compares the power and majesty of God with our idols. We sing hymns in church that remind us of this:
- Awesome God
- To God Be The Glory
- O God Our Help In Ages Past
- Immoral, Invisible, God Only Wise
- Holy, Holy, Holy
- Jesus Is Lord
- A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
These are just a few that call us as we sing to focus on the power, the majesty, the holiness, and the provider our God is. There has been much discussion in the last 20 years or so about music in church. Some only want hymns. Some only want contemporary. The problem with these opposites is that they are idols. It doesn’t matter if we sing a hymn or a contemporary song, if our hearts are not in it, we are mocking the Lord. I grew up on hymns and for most of my young years singing them, the adults I saw in church were just going through the motions. There was no real praise. There was no real worship. They just did what the minister of music directed them to do. Sadly, I am seeing the same thing in churches that use only contemporary praise songs.
Think about this: when was the last time you let it rip in intensity and volume and praise to the Lord yourself? Worship starts first in the heart, not in a hymn or a contemporary song. Worship is an attitude first before it comes an action. Worship is to be like an artesian well that bursts up and over from your heart to your lips. We can sing hymns only every week with just piano and organ or orchestra in bigger churches or Southern Gospel every week or contemporary praise every week with the best bands, but if our heart is not in it, it is all show, entertainment and a ritual. It is not a coincidence that God had the prophet Jeremiah put a worship hymn with a reminder about idolatry. It is possible that even our worship style is an idol.
Reflection Assignment: When you come to church, when it is time to sing, to sing praises to the glory of God with every ounce of your being or do you pathetically hold back? What do you think the Lord would say to you about your worship? Why? What do you need to do differently?
Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 15:18-19, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. (9) Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, thank You that You are worthy of my praise. Please forgive me when I mock You with less than all of me in my worship of You. I do not want to be guilty of what You say in Matthew 15:18-19. I love you Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly