Daily Devotional For Sunday, May 17, 2026
Good morning and good day Southside! It is Sunday. This is what we used to call “The Lord’s Day.” In reality, everyday is the Lord’s day. Sunday is the day most Christians set aside to go to a worship service. Now the BIG question is this: if you do this, do you see yourself as an attendee or a participant in a worship service? If you see yourself as an attendee, then you are only there to observe and then make judgment calls if the worship service lived up to your expectations to meet your needs. If you go as a participant, then you are there to sing your heart out to the praise and glory of Jesus Christ. You understand that the way you get your needs met is by praising and honoring the Lord.
You would never let trivial items such as how comfortable the seats are, or the temperature in the room, or was it entertaining enough be the determining factor. No – you are not there for yourself. You are there only for the audience of One – Jesus Christ. We have become such a consumer based culture that we even now think that worship should be catered to us. The psalmist wrote this in Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (NLT). Glad, not sad. Glad, not mad. Glad, not bad.
The Hebrew word translated as “glad” is [שָׂ֭מַחְתִּי, samadhti]. To go to Jerusalem for worship for many was a hike. Jerusalem sits on top of a mound and it is uphill to the Temple. This Hebrew word means more than “glad.” It refers to exhilaration, excitement, bubbling and bursting over with joy like an artesian well. This psalm is what we call “an ascent” psalm. It depicts a pilgrim probably on their way to celebrate one of the 3 required festivals: Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Psalm 122 is the third of 15 ascent psalms (Psalm 120-134).
If we go with the idea that the psalmist is a pilgrim on his way to one of the 3 required festivals, then when we understand the total context here, this psalm comes alive. Psalm 120 is the first of these ascent psalms. It is a psalm of lament, where the psalmist is far away from Jerusalem in his journey to it battling the enemies of falsehoods, deceitfulness and the haters of all that is good with God. Psalm 121 is the second psalm in this series of ascent psalms and is a psalm of thanksgiving as the psalmist as he is just outside of Jerusalem. Psalm 122 is a psalm of celebration as the psalmist is now in Jerusalem for the festival to worship the Lord. As we read Psalm 120, Psalm 121 and Psalm 122, we see the psalmist’s progression in his trip emotionally and attitudinally to Jerusalem for this festival.
Maybe you find yourself in the same progression as the psalmist. First, you’re just trying lamenting about going through all the problems, stressors, disappointments, discouragements and despairing challenges in your life. Second, as you push through this first step, you find yourself in the second one – you find yourself giving thanks to the Lord and are able to go and worship the Lord. And third, once there, you are thrilled that you are there for only one reason – the audience of One – Jesus Christ. Nothing else matters but praising and worshipping Him.
Reflection Assignment: When you get up on Sundays, are you thrilled, excited, bursting with joy and excitement that you get to go worship the King of king and the Lord of lords? This Sunday, I dare you, I triple dog dare you to make worship about Jesus and Him only. Make nothing of it about yourself and I promise you, you’ll come out being different.
Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 100, “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! (2) Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy. (3) Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. (4) Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. (5) For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, please forgive me when my attitude towards worship is self-centered, self-serving and apathetic. Today, I am going to praise You. I am going to hold nothing back. I am all in to focusing on You, the audience of One You are good and Your unfailing love and faithfulness continues forever. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly