Bible Reading for: September 5
Psalms 106
When God wants to show off His trophies, He goes to His trophy case, opens the door, and points to you and me. Did you realize you are God’s trophy?
Why did God save you – assuming you have indeed been saved? Do you deserve to be saved? Did you do something worthy of being saved? Of course not; no one can earn salvation; we are too filthy before a holy God. No, God saved you for the reason expressed in Psalm 106.
Psalms 106:8 ESV
“Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power.”
As Pastor Jim Cross, likes to say, you are God’s trophy. When asked “what kind of God are you” God opens his infinite trophy case and shows off His trophies, you and me and countless others. We are not only His creation, we are also reflections of His glory. God’s glory is revealed in the lives of those He has saved. The problem for you and I is that we don’t always shine as we should. Reading through the 106th Psalm we see that the Israelites were saved, and yet they still stumbled and wandered away from Him. Still, time and again, you see God call His own back to Him. He lets them suffer the natural consequences of their choices, but He never truly gives up on them; just as He never truly gives up on you and me.
The story of Israel is the story of Christians, called by God, saved by God, but struggling to remain focused and faithful. The thing is, the Israelites didn’t have the Holy Spirit, whereas Christians do. Where Israelites struggled under the Law, we are free from the Law. Where it was impossible for the Israelites to be who God created them to be, you and I are eminently capable of being so, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. You, as a Christian, may continue to struggle against your fleshly nature, but don’t kid yourself into thinking you can’t help yourself. With the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You just have to truly surrender to His will, give up control of your life, deny yourself, and follow Him. Claim the power that is yours and obey! He won’t give up on you, so don’t you give up on Him. Remember, you are God’s trophy designed to reflect His glory.
Victorem Vivere! (Live Victorious!)
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Alternate Reading Plans
Bible Order: Ezekiel 22-23
Chronological Order: Ezekiel 24-27
New Testament Only: 1 Corinthians 7:25–8:13
