Your gentleness makes me great…
Filed in General |Journal,
Well, its time to check everything out with our new server. It appears that things are up for go. So let’s begin with a devotion.
A word from the man after God’s heart…
David said, “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great.” (Psalm 28:35 nasb)
As a prophet, David weaves the story of Jesus throughout His Psalms. For instance everything David says in this verse has a Messiah inference. In this one Scripture there are three worthful insights into the safety of the cross for all who belong the Lord. They are:
1. The shield of His salvation. 
For all who turn to Jesus, God takes their lives and hides them in Christ Himself. Jesus therefore is the shield of our salvation.
Paul says, “Set your mind on the things agove, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” - Col 3:3,2
2. The right hand that upholds believers.
The ‘right hand’ is a special Hebraism for power. It is Jesus who upholds and secures all believers for all eternity.
When Caiaphas demanded of Jesus if He set Himself as the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus responds, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” - Cf. Matthew 26:62-68.
This statement sets the motion for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, God’s Lamb. “Then the high priest tore his robes and said, ‘He has blasphemed! What further need to we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy…’”
But had He blasphemed? How blind can blind be? Every testimony from Moses, through the prophets, on to John the Baptist, and thereafter the apostolic witness, declared this Jesus to be the Lamb that was foretold from the foundation of the world.
The apostle Peter wrote, “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:20,21)
3. The gentleness of the Lord brings greatness.
Out of the cross came this gentle Jesus who becomes Savior to all who call upon Him. It is His gentleness that helps us to overcome all our struggles of life. It is His gentle love that heals us, delivers us, and cleanses us from our defilements.
It is His gentleness that can take frailed and troubled human vessels, and turn these vessels into things of worth for His kingdom. It was His gentleness and His love for humankind that brought forth this cry from the cross, “Father, forgive them. For they don’t know what they are doing!”
Is it any wonder that we remain amazed at the cross. There is one song that tells the story well enough. It is called ‘Via Dolorosa’ by Sandy Patti. Listen with your heart. Follow the scenes with your eyes. Perhaps the Lord has something to say to you.
Welcome to the world of a disciple…
I want to congratulate our eleven new graduates from the CCI School for Christian Workers. You are joining the ranks of several hundred graduates who are now investing their lives in the harvest work of the Lord. May the Lord grant you fruitful labor in your journey as a disciple. 
Always keep the cross in view, both the death side and the resurrection side. And remember that both sides belong to the life of a disciple.
Blessings,
Buddy
