#DailyDevotion There Is No God Like Our Lord Jesus Christ
Introit (Psalm 89:6,14–16,18; Antiphon: Zech. 9:9b)
Behold, your king is com- | ing to you;* righteous and having salva- | tion is he.
For who in the skies can be compared | to the Lord?* Who among the heavenly beings is | like the Lord, Righteousness and justice are the foundation | of your throne;* steadfast love and faithfulness go be- | fore you. Blessed are the people who know the | festal shout,* who walk, O Lord, in the light | of your face, Who exult in your name | all the day* and in your righteousness are ex- | alted. For our shield belongs | to the Lord,* our king to the Holy One of | Israel.
Our introit starts with Zechariah’s prophecy of Jesus entering the temple. He is the king of glory who brings righteousness and salvation to all who would believe in him. As an Advent introit we are looking forward to the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns in glory to give us his righteousness and show us our salvation.
Perhaps we Christians in American still and should only think that the God of the Old and New Testaments, Jesus Christ, is the only God, paganism is rapidly becoming a belief system here. The true and living God has competition with pagan gods making a revival among us. And so this psalm is perhaps a good question to ask our new pagan neighbors. Who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? There is no other God who has claimed all creation, seen an unseen as our God. Most of the gods have creation and the things they are responsible for divvied up among them. The pagan gods didn’t even create the world, some are the world, most others just have some superhuman power. Seriously, none compare the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are no gods like the Lord Jesus Christ. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne. What gods have any sort of moral system they keep? All the pagan gods are morally corrupt. They do not keep their own standards among themselves. Which of them even judge mankind? Which of the gods dispenses justice like our God? If there any that judge not one of them has demonstrated the righteousness and justice of Jesus Christ, who knowing we would all be judged lacking the righteousness and holiness necessary to enter into eternal life becomes one of us and in our own flesh suffers the consequences for all our failings, mistakes, immorality, and sins. Which of the gods suffers and dies for humanity and creation and rises again never to die again—none save our Lord Jesus Christ. Sure, some may die and rise again but it is never for us. They are merely metaphors for the changing of the seasons at best. These would happen whether or not we even existed. But our God, our Lord Jesus Christ did this for you.
Therefore we are called to bless the Lord and give him thanks. We praise Jesus by telling each other and others what Jesus has done for us. We walk in the light of the Lord Jesus’ face by believing all that he has done for us. We exult Jesus’ name above all other names because all other names are a shame. The other gods are posers. Walking in the light of his truth, he exalts us with his righteousness, guards us with his shield, calls us his children and gives us an everlasting kingdom.
O Lord our Lord, what gods can compare themselves with you? We praise you and give you honor and glory for your great sacrifice on the cross for us. Grant us faith always to believe this and live lives according to your will that the Father will receive praise and honor on behalf of our works. In your name Jesus Christ do we pray. Amen.