Devotion – Tuesday, 9 February
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the Psalm of David, “In God, Whose word I praise, in the Lord, Whose word I praise, In (our) God, have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 56 verses 10 and 11, (Amplified Bible). At the beginning of a new week it is good to remind ourselves of the Lord God’s promises to us. David affirms that God is the only Lord, the only God and His word is to be trusted, His works are to be praised. Despite what happens around us, the Word of God stands firm. Despite the news of the day and the calamities around, God is the One to be trusted to guide our steps and to protect us on our way. With God as our Refuge and Shield, we need not fear humans or unseen powers. If God is for us, who can be against us? God is on our side, and we need not fear, because He hears our calls (Psalm 118 verse 7). God protects our thoughts, giving us His thoughts through His Word and Spirit. We can rest assured, He will give us insight and wisdom to make the correct choices and discern information that we hear and see as not being pulled down in a spiral of negativity and fear. God gives us His new day, the rays of sun, the birds’ songs, the drops of dew; all these are signs of His presence and care. God gives us songs to sing from His word, verses to claim from the Book of Books, these are to encourage us and to give us hope. We can praise our Lord, even from the depths of our fear, for He comforts us, “What can humans do to us?” Our relationship with our Lord is built on His love for us that will never falter nor fail. We praise Him for He has loved us from the beginning.
Our God has entrusted his Word to us in our hearts and in our minds. He has given His Son as His gift for us: first as a baby in the manger, coming to dwell with humankind on earth for a little while, and second as the Suffering Servant, who came to take away the pain and sorrow of the world on the Cross. Jesus is the Enfleshed Word of God. He is not only some historic character that we read about in a book: He is God. He spans history from the beginning to the end of the ages. He took the form of human flesh and walked, talked, lived, died and resurrected on this earth. He became a person in the historical sense that lived 2000 years ago, but that is only half the miraculous story of his life. He came not to live, but to die, and through his death He made humankind immortal. He gave them life after life on earth: His life, life-eternal. This truth is touching the hem of the divine! We are promised that this life is the beginning, but this life is transitory, our earthly death leads to our heavenly life with Him in unspeakable joy and beauty. This is the treasure that we, who believe, carry within us. It is a treasure that we need to share. Christ is alive, He lives. Just as He walked the streets of Jerusalem then; He still dwells on the streets of this world. He has pity on the people and calls them to come to Him. When Jesus said farewell to His disciples He gave them instruction to be at peace and wait for the Comforter who will come after his ascension, to be their mediator, their advocate, their consolation. The Holy Spirit was sent to the world to bear witness to the Truth, and He gives us courage and testifies with us (John 15 verse 26 and 27).
“Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us,” the Apostle Paul writes in the Second Letter to Timothy, Chapter One verse14. The work of the Holy Spirit is to make the treasure shine from within. We are vessels containing the gifts of our Lord: Joy and peace, hope and faith, given to us through his death on the Cross. The Spirit opens our understanding and generously teaches us God’s Truths.
Father, we thank you and praise you for entrusting us with Truth, Light and Life, Amen.
