#DailyDevotion Is The LORD Alone Your Every Good?
Psalm 16 Keep me safe, O God – You are my shelter. 2I told the LORD, “You are my Lord. My well-being is only in You.” 3But as for those on earth who are holy, they are noble ones in whom is my total delight.
Who else are we to turn to? What alone can truly keep us safe? It may seem we can turn to other things but what can man truly do to us? Jesus tells us to, “fear the One who can put both body and soul in hell.” So David and Jesus turn only to the LORD to keep them safe and to be their shelter. You too should take up this theme upon your heart and mind. Then and only then the peace of God which is beyond all understanding keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
David here defines God for us and Martin Luther in his large catechism seems to take his definition of God from here. God is the One whom we turn to for our well-being, our Tov (Hebrew-good). Everyone has a god or gods. Everyone has faith. The question is if our faith is the true faith or a false faith. A true faith has as its object the God of Israel, Yahweh, Jesus Christ. Do you turn to the Father in Jesus’ name alone for every good in your life. Is Adonai (Lord in Hebrew only used for God) your well-being? Jesus turned and trusted only in his Father above for every good and entrusted his whole life to Him. If your faith is in Jesus you should do the same. Those who have this faith are the holy ones of God. They are His saints. Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth are the ones that please God, Jesus and David. They are His delight. They are the apple of His eye.
4Those who buy another god quickly multiply their sorrows. I will not pour out drink offerings of blood for them or take their names on my lips.
So those who do not turn to the Father through Jesus for every good in their lives will ultimately buy and get some idol to look to and receive anything good. Often, that which is good, part of creation that we want, becomes our god. So the LORD our God created food, drink, house, home, wife, husbands, children, work, drugs, sex, music, and the like. Instead of turning to God our Father for these good things, we turn to the good things themselves as the source of every good and happiness. We often call this idolatry today—addictions. We seek our happiness and well-being from all these good things and abuse them. In this process, they end up causing us more harm than good. In ancient times and in some pagan cultures these goods have names which are their gods. When we abandon God for these, He lets them consume our lives to call us to repentance. The question then is, will we hear, listen and repent of these false gods for the One True God who gives us every good.
5The LORD is my measured portion and my cup; You firmly hold my destiny.
David reminds us here then to have the LORD Jesus Christ be your measured portion and your cup. He is your destiny. Jesus is your inheritance. You don’t need these false gods to provide your well-being, your every good. Look to the Father for everything in Jesus. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 6, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” May God alone be your every good and the things we need for daily life will be provided for you. Don’t fear not having enough in life, fear not having God in Christ Jesus. Then you can live in peace.
Heavenly Father, give us faith to trust in you alone for every good so our hearts may rest in peace in You and Your Son Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.