Do you honor Jesus as fully Man and fully God?
26 Apr 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
2 Samuel 15
2 Samuel 16
Luke 20:27-47
The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Psalm 110:1).
Do you honor Jesus as fully Man and fully God?
Jesus asks the following question: “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David?” (Luke 20:41). His question leads them beyond His humanity to His deity. Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1, which refers to the Father (LORD) speaking to His Son (Lord). Although Jesus is the Son of David (emphasizing His humanity), He is also the Son of God (pointing to His deity). Moreover, the Psalm Jesus quotes shows that He’s a King. The Father speaking to the Son says, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies!” (Psalm 110:2). Furthermore, Jesus is an eternal High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4). Finally, the Lord is depicted as a Judge. “He shall judge among the nations” (Psalm 110:6).
Employment Point: Honor Jesus, who is fully Man and fully God.
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Reflections
“But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my Lord the king lives, wherever my Lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.””
2 Samuel 15:21 NIV
- May we be like Ittai, having the faith to follow, trust and obey, regardless of the situation. It is easy to say that we will remain loyal when everything is still going well. Just like that of the twelve disciples at the last supper. Every one said that they will never leave Him but the fact remains that every one scattered.
- We should not be too quick to judge others for the sins they committed and we too should never be complacent on the things that we do.
“But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’ ””
2 Samuel 16:10 NIV
- Ignore people’s comments on you. If the Lord ask them to, what can you do about it? God’s will be done.
- You cannot stop others from gossiping behind your back but you can choose not to react to it.
“Ahithophel answered, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute.””2 Samuel 16:21 NIV
- not sure if this is considered to be good advise as it is defiling his father’s bed. I’m also wondering if this is even inline of Jesus’s teachings
“But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.”
Luke 20:35-36 NIV
- this is no marriage in heaven’s ground but all will be our brothers and sisters. We will all be called children of God. A great reunion and a time for rejoicing!
““Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.”
Luke 20:46 NIV
- we are warned not to behave like the teachers of the law who wanted power, fame and position. Everything that is not set right in the eyes of the Lord. He is never concerned with all these things but it is men who has authority, especially in the councils or leaders who should especially pay more attention as to what they are striving for?
- Not just the teachers of the law, we too at times may fall for the wrong reasons. Wanting something that is beyond us, forgetting that our Lord is the one who provides.
We may all know who Jesus is but do we really treat Him fairly with the due respect, or honour that is meant for Him? Or have we only go to Him when we are troubled or facing challenges? Have we thanked Him enough for all the things that He had done for us? May we be able to fix our eyes upon Jesus and not be strayed to something else.
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Supreme Devotion
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
April 26
Take your son. . . . Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you. — Genesis 22:2
Character determines how a person interprets God’s will. When Abraham received the command to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering, Abraham interpreted it to mean that God wanted Isaac put to death; he was convinced of it. And yet when God sent an angel to stay his hand, Abraham obeyed. This is the great point of Abraham’s faith: he was prepared to do anything for God, even something that went against his own beliefs. If Abraham had placed his beliefs over his devotion to God, he would have slain Isaac, then claimed that the voice of the angel who came to stop him was the voice of the devil (Genesis 22:11). That is the reasoning of a fanatic.
It took the pain of a tremendous ordeal to set Abraham right. God couldn’t purify his faith in any other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere beliefs, God will break us from beliefs that misrepresent him. There are many traditional beliefs that misrepresent God—for instance, the belief that God permits the death of a child because the mother loves the child too much. This is a devil’s lie, and a travesty of the true nature of God.
If we remain true to God, he will lead us straight through every barrier into the inner chamber of knowledge of himself. The devil will always try to hold us back. There will always be a point along the way where we must give up sincere beliefs and traditions. Don’t ask God to test you. Don’t declare that you’ll never fail him. Abraham didn’t make declarations. He simply remained true to God, and God purified his faith.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
God does not further our spiritual life in spite of our circumstances, but in and by our circumstances.
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Reflections
I read the devotional with one main focus in line. To be wholly devoted and true to Him.
Abraham was not a man full of faith in the beginning. If you read the bible you will realised that he too learned to trust the Lord along the way. His continued surrendering, trusting in the Lord’s promises and even with the Lord appearing to Him to reinforce His promises to Abraham are all part of the journey.
We all begin somewhere and we have a goal to meet. That is to be like a man like Abraham, the father of faith. This is a road that we intend to travel and build on our faith as time passed. We too ought to remember each and every personal experience we have with the Lord for it also speaks of His faithfulness towards us. It proves that we can trust Him wholeheartedly and have no fear.
To build this relationship, it requires a lot of letting go, of our own choices, our resources, time and effort and also control. Many are not able to have a close relationship with God because they cannot give up control. However it is exactly what the Lord wants us to surrender to Him. Only when we totally let Him and let be, will we finally be able to experience breakthroughs after breakthroughs. You will find that He hears all your prayers and answers to them all. Not because you are special but because you have grown to understand what to ask for according to His will, and He hears us.
Be also highly aware what may be drawing us away from God. Every tiny thing is important because if we allow a tiny bit, we will eventually allow a greater bit and it will slowly eat into our life and journey with the Lord.
Let’s pray:
Father help us to be as shrewd as snakes but also as gentle as doves. May the happenings in this world not affect our discernment or focus and yet bring us even closer to You. Help us to learn to trust even when there are loads of unknown ahead of us for we have a Lord who is omniscient and omnipotent. We surrender ourselves to You Lord. May You use us mightily for Your name’s sake. I pray all these in the name of Jesus. Amen 🙏🏻
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