Listen to Devotion

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.

Psalm 146: 1-2, 7-8.

When shopping for a car, my mom always said, “I want to buy one that will last”! This car, of course, does not exist. There is no car that will never need repairs. There is no make and model that will withstand all weather. There is no car that can stand the test of time. In fact, nothing in this world will last forever. Except Jesus!

When Jesus was on earth, he helped many people. Jesus had power over the earth when he calmed the sea and loaded the disciples’ boats down with fish. He healed the blind, cured diseases, and fed thousands and thousands of people with a small lunch. Jesus had power over sickness when he healed the ill and the lame, and he had power over death when he raised people from the dead.

But these miraculous, all-powerful acts of kindness were not the most important part of Jesus’ ministry. Providing for physical needs was generous and kind, and it showed that he is the all-powerful God, but it was not why Jesus came to earth.

The devil wants us to believe that our treasures here on earth are most important. And sometimes we fall into the trap of believing that money and all that it can buy will give us lasting pleasure. And even worse—these treasures can become more important to us than our faith. These treasures can ultimately separate us from our God.
Food, health, shelter, and other worldly gifts are not the greatest gifts that God can give us. Greater than these are the heavenly gifts that Jesus provides: his undeserved love, forgiveness from our sins, and an eternal home in heaven. He set us free by dying on the cross for our sins and coming back to life. How thankful we are for this lasting gift of forgiveness and salvation!

People might not want to hear what God’s Word tells us. During our personal ministry, we might meet people that simply do not want to hear what we have to say. We might feel laughed at or rejected for our beliefs. We might feel as though we have failed at the most important job God gave us to do—to proclaim his message. But God’s forgiveness is lasting, even when people reject God’s Word. We must continue to pray that God will soften the hearts of those rejecting his promises so that they may join us in our joy and peace.

Let us boldly continue to spread the message. How thankful we are that God provided for our greatest need when he sent Jesus to save the world. God’s Word will last forever! God’s love endures forever!