Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. - Romans 5

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Devo Post #19


1/9/18
Psalm 73:25-28
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And [a]besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the [b]strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have [c]destroyed all those who [d]are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord [e]God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.

I still remember at one of the ACF retreats, I was reading through all of the Psalms, and I got to some of Asaph’s Psalms. I don’t remember if it was this one or one that was similar, as there were a few that had similar themes before Moses’s Psalm. I also think I had similar feelings reading this Psalm as I do now, but now those feelings are amplified a thousand-fold.

Well I should probably do the devotion on the entire Psalm, but the main point I should take away, always, is from v25-28.

I really like this Psalm because of its raw honesty. I feel this guy. When he talks about being jealous of people who have it all in the world, those who are rich and successful (or at least what it seems on Facebook), I just sometimes can’t help but ask God “why does my life suck compared to theirs?” "Why can’t I have prosperity?" Especially when I look at people in the church who have gotten success because they have compromised their faith and their time for their own passions and plans. They don’t sit at the feet of the Cross. They aren’t humble. They have not denied themselves and give everything to follow after Christ. They still put their Self and their success as their chief purpose of life. They do not really know the Gospel, and yet they are there in church with me, and their behavior is considered “okay.” No one can encounter the Living God and still live like the World.

But then the turning point comes when Asaph enters the Sanctuary of God. He saw truth. He saw that their love of Self will lead to their destruction. Their mockery of God will lead them to death. It will be just like what Jesus said. Some people won’t truly die until they see the Kingdom of God for the first time. But still, Asaph’s heart was still hurting. Using words like “pierced” and “bitter” he keeps on walking forward. I don’t know if I would use the word “beast” to describe myself, but maybe I just don’t know how animalistic I truly am. Guess I need more Gospel pumped into me. To be guided by the Holy Spirit. To walk toward God because Christ has taken my hand. To be received into Glory as Christ has been glorified.

Now we get to the utterance of absolute reality. Just pure unadulterated truth coming out of Asaph’s mouth.

We have no one but God, and He is good to me. He is enough. He is my portion and my prize. Everything else is going to fail, like our flesh, but inwardly I am being regenerated and renewed. Everything in this World will perish as Satan will be thrown into the Lake of Fire along with all the sons of destruction. But I who has made Christ my Lord and Savior, I will be able to draw near to God, be able to draw near to the unapproachable light because I have been bought and made a Son. No longer is God unreachable to me, but I can sit at His feet as a child sits at his Father’s feet. God is my refuge, and I will forever speak of His love and glory forever and ever. Praise and Honor be to His Wonderful and Glorious Name!

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