Worship Devotional CXI

Feb 26

Originally posted to the Facebook group on 2/26/2022.

His Love Is Our Reward — A Portion For Eternity

Worship Devotional for 2/27/22

The flesh is easily seduced by temptation from the evil that has corrupted the world. We have been redeemed and made new inside, but we still dwell in these bodies of flesh during our temporary time on this earth. So even though we have died to our fleshly desires and have been crucified with Christ that we might also be raised with Christ into a new and holy life, we find ourselves caught up in a war between good and evil desires in our own hearts. As believers who are in this world but no longer of it, we must stand in God's truth and fight against the deception of the enemy.

One such deception that is rampant in the world and especially in our Western culture is the lie that the things of the world are able to satisfy the deep inner longings of our hearts. We search and exhaust ourselves trying to find something to satisfy our deepest desires. Guided by the great wisdom that God had bestowed upon him, King Solomon also searched for answers to the ultimate questions of life and soul, looking for something that would satisfy among all the things that are under the sun. He considered and weighed the value of pleasure, work, accomplishment, skill, relationships, righteousness and wickedness, and even wisdom and folly. In Ecclesiastes 1:13-14, he wrote:

"I applied my mind to seek and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied. I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind."

In this journey of life, people are looking for identity, purpose, and fulfillment. We hope to discover our portion or lot in life — our place in the world where we fit and our lives have meaning, where we know who we are and why we are here and what we were made to do. Some people believe they already know what their portion is and never really consider whether it has any eternal value, while others are constantly searching for something to satisfy, but never finding. Under the deception of the enemy, people accept this world as their final reality, and they come to believe that somehow their worldly pursuits are enough, never minding the reality that death will render it all futile.

The lure to live our lives like this is strong, because our flesh is prone to pursuing the promise of pleasure. We cannot fight these urges by our own strength. As Jesus said in Matthew 26:41b:

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

We need the Holy Spirit to help us, to strengthen us, and to guide us as we fight in faith for what is real and eternal. We find the command to live in this way in 1 Timothy 6:11-12, where Paul instructed Timothy:

"But you, man of God, run from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the faith; take hold of eternal life that you were called to and have made a good confession about in the presence of many witnesses."

We are surrounded and bombarded every day in our culture with worldly things vying for our devotion. We are told that we need this or that, and that if only we added more worldly possessions or pursuits to our collection, then we would have enough. The truth is, it will never be enough. There is only one thing we really need: the love of God, or the presence of God, who is love.

Psalm 17:14-15 expresses the need we have for God to save us from the path of worldly pursuit, and give us what is eternal:

"With Your hand, Lord, save me from men, from men of the world whose portion is in this life: You fill their bellies with what You have in store; their sons are satisfied, and they leave their surplus to their children.
But I will see Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence."

There are times in this life when it may seem like those who are of the world, who revel in their wickedness and take pleasure in deception, are prospering greatly while we who believe in Christ are struggling. It can be very trying for our faith when we believe in the God who gives all creatures life and who holds all power to heal and deliver and who has all authority over the "world and everything in it" (Ps. 50:12), yet we struggle with affliction and sickness and need while some who completely reject and deny God walk around in seemingly perfect health and prosperity. The psalmist Asaph struggled with this as well, and out of that struggle wrote Psalm 73. In verses 13-20, we see how God guides His thinking. Note the turning point (verse 17):

"Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing? For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning. If I had decided to say these things aloud, I would have betrayed Your people. When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless until I entered God's sanctuary. Then I understood their destiny. Indeed, You put them in slippery places; You make them fall into ruin. How suddenly they become a desolation! Like one waking from a dream, Lord, when arising, You will despise their image."

We must not focus on the way things appear in our present circumstances, but rather keep in mind what is in store for us at the end, the reward that God will give us for our faith and endurance. Listen to what Asaph concluded in verses 21-28:

"When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded, I was stupid and didn't understand; I was an unthinking animal toward You. Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me up in glory. Who do I have in heaven but You? And I desire nothing on earth but You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. Those far from You will certainly perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, God's presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all You do."

Our portion as believers is not in this life, nor does it consist of worldly things. We know from Jesus' prayer for His disciples in John 17:14-17 that we as believers are no longer of this world, though we are still here in it:

"I have given them Your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world. I am not praying that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth."

Our portion in this life and the reward of our faith, our portion in the age to come, is spiritual and eternal. We know from Ephesians 1:13:

"When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit."

And in 2 Corinthians 4:18:

"So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

And in Colossians 3:1-4:

"So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."

Therefore let us heed the warning in 1 John 2:15-17:

"Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's lifestyle — is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God's will remains forever."

And let us live according to Hebrews 12:1-2:

"Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne."

And let us pray in agreement with Psalm 90:14:

"Satisfy us in the morning with Your faithful love so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days."

This week as we gather to sing and pray and have fellowship with each other, let's praise and thank God for the eternal portion, reward, and inheritance He graciously gives to each of us! May we live our lives in a way that is worthy of receiving such gifts of grace, that God may be glorified as we are satisfied and fulfilled in Him.

Lamentations 3:22-24:

"Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him."

1 Peter 1:3-5:

"Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being protected by God's power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."

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