My devotional for Psalm 28 is up today on the Vertical site.
Remember that scene in Star Wars (Episode IV) where Luke discovers the holographic message hidden in R2D2? In the hologram Leia says, “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope!” In times of trouble where do you turn for help? Who is your only hope?
In Psalm 28 we see David cry out to God in time of need. David specifically names the trouble he’s in, what he’s afraid of, what he wants. We too should be direct with God during our anxious moments and take our concerns to him in prayer. Whether it be our children, our careers, or evildoers, the Lord will hear our prayers.
David’s anxiety lessens and his prayer turns to the praise and glory of the sovereign God. He proclaims that “The Lord is my strength and my shield.” (v 7) We have so much to be thankful for…our spouses, our children, our careers, our health, even our very lives. But things are far from perfect.
We are in a world of hurt and we have a great need. We are rebels. Our sins and the guilt they bring cause lots of anxiety, physical death, and the eternal torment of hell. Only a perfect savior could propitiate the wrath of God. Our good shepherd died for his people like a lamb that is led to the slaughter (Is 53:7). The anointed one poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (Is 53:12 ESV). He is the only hope in this world of hurt. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the answer to our greatest need.
Who is your only hope? Can you proclaim “The Lord is my strength and my shield”
Caedmon’s Call sings of this beautifully in Only Hope. Buy Only Hope on iTunes. Listen at Lala.com.
My devotional for Luke 14:25-35 is up today on the Vertical site.
How often do we talk about the cost of following Christ? Not often enough. It is uncomfortable. It is a message that has serious consequences. Dietrich Bonhoeffer understood these consequences. In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, he wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids come and die.”
In wrapping up His contrast between the “apparently faithful” and the “truly faithful”, Jesus gets specific on the cost of discipleship. He calls us to unrivaled allegiance. We are called to have no other loves before Him.
We are called to deny our immediate pleasures, forsake everything, and carry our own cross unto death. If we are not serving our purpose, we are of no use. Feeling a bit uncomfortable? Me too.
The apostle Paul understood the cost, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”. (Philippians 3:8 ESV) His life reflected the supremacy of Christ. Ours should too.
We have been bought with a price and our Redeemer is calling us to repent and follow Him above anyone or anything else. Are we truly following the Savior or do we just appear to be doing so? How are you protecting the supremacy of Christ in your life?
A number of the devotions written up at VerticalDevotion.com have gotten me thinking about the life of Christ. Is Jesus Christ’s life a good example that we are should emulate?
I imagine that most Christians would agree that we should emulate His love and care for the poor, mistreated, overlooked, diseased, etc. But the story doesn’t stop there. Jesus isn’t just our example. he is our Savior and our Righteouness. That is the Good News of the Gospel!
I read notes on Mark Dever’s teaching on Luke 6 this week and he shared this great truth:
The most common misunderstanding of Christianity is that Jesus mainly is a good example for people to follow. While this is true in a secondary sense, it is not possible to understand Christianity if you do not understand that Jesus is mainly utterly unique. He is the Son of the eternal God who became man and lived the perfect life; He died on the cross, suffered and provided an atonement for our sins by taking upon Himself God’s wrath and the punishment for the sins of those who would trust in him and calls us now to respond to this claim; uniquely, he was raised from death, showing that his sacrifice was accepted and God’s wrath was exhausted. That is why this and every Sunday we gather to celebrate the resurrection – that Christ was raised from the dead. Christ alone is like that. That is why Christ alone is the Lord of religion.
Christian, the point of our religion and everything we do is Jesus. The goal of Christians is to know Him better, to have a more realistic and true relationship with Him. In the funeral sermon entitled “Christ is Best,” Richard Sibbes preached, “Heaven is not heaven without Christ… to be with Christ is to be at home.” This is our Sabbath rest, and Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.
