I Peter 1:20-21 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

At the end of the television phenomenon, Breaking Bad (yes, there will be spoilers in this devotion), there is a poignant scene between the two of the main characters: Walter and his wife Skylar. In the first season, Walter discovers he has cancer and fears that, if he dies, his family will suffer financially. To solve the problem, he begins to cook meth (a logical decision, I’m sure). As the show progresses, his lust for power takes over and he refuses to leave the business, even after he is cured. He justifies it to his wife saying, “I’m doing this for the family.” It is obvious this is not true and she begins to lose trust in him. Well, in the last season, they are face to face, and she says, “If you tell me you are doing this for the family one more time, I will…” and Walter cuts her off, “I did it for me. I liked it. And I was good at it. I did it all for me.” His self-serving greed ruined his family and his life.

Our God operates in exactly the opposite way. When the Father chose to send Jesus before the foundation of the world, when Jesus was born of a virgin, suffered, died, and rose again on the third day, when He ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit into the mouth of the church to proclaim our salvation; when He gathers His church to forgives her sins, and when He promises a resurrection on the last day, it is all for your sake, and for mine! God is a God of love, not of self-service. To be sure, He gets all the glory for such acts of mercy, but God is most glorified in giving His gifts! Giving His gifts, I should say, to you!

He has revealed all of this to us in His Son Jesus Christ. Because of His great mercy and love, because of His work for our sakes, we can trust in him. Skylar could never trust Walter, he was too self-interested. But God is interested in saving you, loving you, forgiving you, and raising you up on the last day. He alone can be trusted. He proved that to us by giving Christ for us and for our salvation!

Heavenly Father, through the resurrection of your Son you have proven yourself worthy of our faith. Through the preaching of your Word, your Holy Spirit has put faith in my heart. Forgive me for my doubts. Continue to give me Jesus so that my faith in you is strengthened. AMEN!

*The symbol on the top of this devotional stands for “Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum.” It is a Latin phrase which means “The Word of the Lord endures forever.” This phrase, based on I Peter 1:24-25, served as the battle cry of the Lutheran reformers as it reminded them that God’s Word alone was sufficient to teach them God’s will. The symbol was on flags, banners, uniforms, and even swords as a sign of unity among those who suffered for confessing their faith in Christ alone. *
Pastor Bob

Labels: word-remains-forever