God-Centered Encouragement

When we read the Bible, we must never forget that Jesus also became the Son of Man…

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

While I don’t want to overstate this with every Bible verse, we must never forget that Jesus became the Son of Man, walked this earth as the last Adam, and fulfilled all righteousness on our behalf. He fully delighted Himself in His Father: “I always do the things that are pleasing to him” (John 8:29).

If that’s the case, will the Father not give Him all the desires of His heart? Even now, as the Son of Man at the Father’s right hand, He will receive the desires of His heart. Isn’t that exciting? Or are we so wrapped up in ourselves that we can only think about our desires?

What are some of His desires? In John we read: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).

“Is there no relation to me,” one may ask. What if I delight myself in the Lord, will He not also give me the desires of my heart? There’s only one Biblical answer: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Any delight in God comes from Jesus. He’s the Source: “All my springs are in you” (Ps. 87:7).

When we understand God’s eternal purpose—that He wants His Son to be “all, and in all” (Col. 3:11)—everything is seen in a different light, including today’s verse. The good news is that God has called us “into the fellowship of his Son” (1 Cor. 1:9). When we’re in Him, we share in His delight and receive accordingly.

Jan

P.S. This devotional is from It’s All about Jesus (a one-year devotional – January 6), which is used as the book for Jesus’ collective birthday gift. Wouldn’t it be great if Christians unite for a collective birthday gift for Jesus, to be used through 100 reputable ministries?

Wouldn’t it be great if every Christian were to join Jesus’ collective birthday gift with just $9.99 in order to raise $1,000,000 for 100 reputable ministries? Is that a far-fetched idea or a real possibility? For more info, please visit The Cause of Christ.

The book used for this fundraiser is “It’s All about Jesus,” a one-year devotional about who He is and what He has accomplished, obtained, and promised to do for you.” Here is the one from May 19.

But I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.

Psalm 89:33

In the three previous verses we read: “If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules, if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness” (Ps. 89:30-33).

It was in Charles Spurgeon’s The Treasury of David that I read this change of pronouns—from plural to singular. In order to give full credit to whom full credit is due, here is the full comment by Capel Molyneux:

“I will not utterly take from him. Why ‘from him?’ Because all God’s lovingkindness to his people is centered in Christ. Does God love you? It is because he loves Christ; you are one with Christ. Your transgressions are your own; they are separate from Christ; but God’s love is not your own; it is Christ’s: you receive it because you are one with him. How beautifully that is distinguished here—‘If they transgress, I will punish them; but my lovingkindness will I not take from him’—in whom alone they find it; and in union with whom alone they enjoy it.”

At first, the pronouns are all plural—children, they, and their. Then it changes to a singular pronoun—him. We are eternally safe because God deals with us according to His Son. That is certainly good news, especially when we’ve fallen into sin. The Father will always be faithful to His Son as our Representative.

In Christ,

Jan

P.S. Here’s a promo video about Jesus’ collective birthday gift. Will you join His birthday gift?