#DailyDevotion Are You Ready To Leave Your False Gods Yet?

Deu 32:36-39  For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free.  (37)  Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge,  (38)  who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection!  (39)  “‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

It appears that the Lord only saves the lost. He saves the utterly weak, the losers, those who have no resource in themselves or others. Moses wrote the above words before his death. He was recounting how the Israelites would rebel against the Lord in the future as they had in the past. The Lord would abandon them to their gods.  The Israelites would offer the best of their goods to gods who did not deliver them and to those who could not save them. The Lord would send nation after nation upon the Israelites and the Jews who did not trust in him. Eventually in the time of Jesus their power was gone.

It is then, in Jesus, the Lord, the Lord vindicated his people and had compassion on them. When Jesus suffers and dies on the cross the people’s sin and iniquity is paid. But not only for the Jews but indeed for all the nations, all people of the world Jesus makes atonement for sin. But who would accept such a rock, such a savior? Only those who have given up of all other gods, all other resources, people who have reached rock bottom and encounter the Rock.

Paul teaches us as much: 1Co 1:27-29 “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  (28)  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,  (29)  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” When we have lost hope in all our earthly crutches, then perhaps we might be willing to look to a Lord who has been crucified. All of our gods had failed us and some have turned against us. They no longer provide us with comfort and only exact a toll upon our bodies and soul. Then we might put ourselves in the hands of the Lord.

But if we are afraid of putting ourselves in the hands of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can remember this, Rom 5:6-10 “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  (7)  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—  (8)  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (9)  Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.  (10)  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” This is the same God who wounds and heals, who kills and makes alive. You can either continue with trusting your false gods, your false comfort or you can trust the One who died for you when you did not seek him or want him. He has delivered your soul from death and he will deliver you from this world of tears. While you may be dead, weak and powerless now, Jesus will raise you in glory.

Almighty God and Father, we have chosen many false gods to give us comfort, strength and hope but they have all failed. Forgive our hardened hearts and grant us faith in your Son Jesus Christ, that in him we may find the true comfort, strength and hope you have always wanted to give us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.