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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
But I said, “I have labored in
vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due Me is in the
Lord’s hand, and My reward is with my God.”
And now the Lord says—He who formed
Me in the womb to be His servant to bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel
to Himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been My
strength.
Isaiah
49:4-5
This ends today’s
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Yesterday, in the first part of
this brief series titled, “God’s Gifts To Jesus, His Perfect Servant”, we were
told from the scriptures how God blessed His one and only Son with speech as a
weapon, His hand of protection against any danger, and an splendor and
magnificence that would leave no one questioning that He was working on behalf
of His Father.
As we continue through Isaiah 49,
we find more gifts added to the number as Jesus, the coming Messiah, speaks
truths about who He will be and His relation to God well before His arrival.
Look again at verses 4 and 5:
But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for
nothing at all. Yet what is due Me is in the Lord’s hand, and My reward is with
my God.”
And now the Lord says—He who formed Me in the womb to be His servant to
bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel to Himself, for I am honored in the
eyes of the Lord and my God has been My strength. Isaiah 49:4-5
Continuing with our list from
yesterday, here are the blessings we find Jesus acknowledging in these verses:
1. Destiny.
What is due Me is in the Lord’s hand
It had to break the heart of Jesus
during His few precious years of ministry work. He did nothing but speak truth
through His teachings, heal those who were afflicted, miraculously feed the
masses, raise the dead, and love everyone unconditionally, even the sinners,
and yet in the end, He was rejected and falsely accused and convicted of being
a criminal although He had done nothing wrong, crucified to die on a cross just
outside of God’s holiest city, Jerusalem.
Long before this even came to pass,
we can feel the pain in the Savior servant’s words:
“I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all.”
And yet, none of it was in vain or
for nothing because Jesus was destined for the purpose of salvation for all
people, Jew or Gentile, by God, His Father, whose plan is always perfect. Jesus
was in His Father’s hand and so was His destiny. Dying in agony, Jesus was
fully resurrected in glory and majesty to receive the second gift we find in
today’s devotion.
2. Reward.
“My reward is with my God.”
Jesus suffered greatly for the
destiny God, His Father, had for Him but afterwards His reward far exceeded what
He had gone through. For Jesus, after being resurrected from the dead, ascended
to sit at His Father’s right hand in all authority over creation. All things
are under His command and no one can find their way to the Father except
through the Son. Dying in humility, pain, and consternation, Jesus rose
victorious in wondrous brilliance and splendor. Indeed, His reward was with God
as is every other servant who commits themselves to carrying out their Father’s
will and way.
3. Honor.
“I am honored in the eyes of the Lord.”
Perhaps there can be no greater
honor than being invited into the presence of God, the Father, basking in the
glory of His favor. Jesus was raised to the highest place of honor after
fulfilling His destiny and receiving the reward God has set aside for Him.
Because of Jesus, one day all those who placed their faith, belief, and trust
in Him as Savior will also find themselves in the presence of God, their Maker
and Master forever as well as Jesus who is already with Him. As it was for Christ,
there will be no greater honor we receive in this life we have been blessed
with.
4. Strength.
“My God has been My strength.”
Let’s not deceive ourselves and think
that the journey through carrying out God’s destiny will be easy. The road we
travel while carrying out the plans He has for us can be wrought with
difficulty and hardship. Jesus suffered greatly for the cause of His Father and
yet persevered through it all just as we will, not by our own strength but
rather by the strength of God abiding within us. Through Him, there is nothing
we can’t achieve.
And so add to our list from
yesterday, destiny, reward, honor, and strength, all gifts given to Jesus, the
Son and perfect Servant, from God, the Father. These same gifts await us as
well as we go through life in devotion to God’s word, way, and will for our
lives. But there is even more and tomorrow, in the final devotion in this
series, we see even more gifts available to all those who follow Jesus’ lead
and serve God and others. See you then.
Amen.
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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