Intro: During this Lenten season, every devotional will begin with a quote from C.S. Lewis (author and theologian), followed by two readings: 1) A passage from the Psalter and 2) a writing from one of the Old Testament prophets or New Testament authors. We will look at both passages as a whole through the fulfilling work and wisdom of Christ—Truth.
God is calling us into perfection by renewing us and making us like Christ.
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
(C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory)
When it comes to this passage from Psalm, it got me thinking about how our world is right now. It’s chaotic, crazy, and people are believing in the fact that they are the judge, jury, and executioner. This idea is absolutely absurd and false. That’s not our responsibility. God is the one who is in control of all things (Psalm 24:1, Romans 8:28). This passage reminds us that while the world is changing around us, God is the one who be the judge. Don’t give up because life gets hard. Just know that He is for you and is with you always (Deuteronomy 31:6 and 8, Joshua 24:15, Psalm 23:4, Isaiah 41:10, etc).
Psalm 50
A psalm of Asaph.
1 The Lord, the Mighty One, is God,
and he has spoken;
he has summoned all humanity
from where the sun rises to where it sets.
2 From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines in glorious radiance.
3 Our God approaches,
and he is not silent.
Fire devours everything in his way,
and a great storm rages around him.
4 He calls on the heavens above and earth below
to witness the judgment of his people.
5 “Bring my faithful people to me—
those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.”
6 Then let the heavens proclaim his justice,
for God himself will be the judge. Interlude
When it comes to this passage from Ephesians, Paul is reminding us about who we are in Christ. When we become followers of Christ, we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). When we did the study on “Same God, New You,” I mentioned the fact that we can be physically alive but be spiritually dead. Paul reminds us that we are His masterpiece. Other translations would say we are His workmanship. We need to remember that God created us more valuable than the earthly possessions and worldly things. In other words, we are unique in His eyes.
Ephesians 2:1-10 NLT
Made Alive with Christ
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Prayer: Jesus, You are the Mighty One Who deserves our faithful obedience. As believers, we understand what it means to be disobedient, because Your Word helps us to know that we have participated in dead living. As Your masterpieces, we no longer want to live in those dead places anymore. Rather, we want to be alive and live in You, Jesus. We call on the Holy Spirit to freely move and have His holy way within us and to guide our hearts to be more and more like You, Jesus, every single day. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.