Daily devotion – and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
Col 2: 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Have you ever been cheated? You maybe purchased something online but when it was delivered it was nothing like the picture on the web site. Visit one of the popular fast food hamburger stores. Look at the photos on the menu bar, place your order, but when you unwrap yours meal it sadly looks like something you have been sitting on, after an 8-hour bus ride.
I hate being cheated and God our Father doesn’t like us being cheated either. The world and false teachers promise you so much. But at the end of the day or over a period of time the reality of what they have espoused will not ring true.
Paul warns us as did Jesus to not let anyone cheat us or deceive us.
“If Jesus Christ is not true God, how could He help us? If he is not true man, how could He help us?” So wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer. So are posed the great questions concerning the nature of the God-man, Jesus the Christ.
We all need help. The problems we face through life and into eternity are pervasive and terrifying. We seek higher purpose and live a lower purpose. We know we all fall short of the glory of God.
Our salvation depends on Jesus Christ being true God. He must inhabit the fullness of the Deity. And His Resurrection tells us that He does!
Jesus must also be a true mediator, an authentic go-between, a real human being just like us. He came to show us what God is like and He came to save us from our sins.
This is why He came. God became a man that He could die, but He also was sinless, otherwise His death would just be another sinful man dying.
I love Psalm 23 so much that I read it at every funeral service I have ever done. But it is the last few words of David’s psalm that when I read them bring such a peace and blessed assurance to my soul, that only God’s Word can.
The words…. Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
These words tell me that God is always with me, has always been with me throughout my whole time here on this planet. From day one and He promises to be with me when it is time for me to be called home to glory.
The words following… And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever…tell me of God’s great promise that I am going home to be with Him at the end of days and that my being with Him is an absolute, therefore with great comfort I can face death with when it finally comes. At last, I will be at rest, finally from all my days and will be in His presence face to face forever!
In a world where various ideologies and influences vie for our attention, staying rooted in Christ’s teachings and His truth is crucial. As we guard against deception and anchor our faith in Him, we can experience the fullness of life and the hope of eternity that He offers.