OIL AND WATER
Today's Devotional is written by Pastor Roy Summers
Like oil and water, Meekness and Majesty are not ordinarily found together in our lost world. Those who find themselves 'majestic' by birth, by natural gifting or by wealth are rarely meek. Instead their titles, given, earned or pretended, turn their heads to pride.
In fact the world, by definition, writes the apostle John, is characterised by men and women who are not meek, but instead "boast about what they have and do." (1 John 2:16)
But in this A-Z of salvation words we find, at the very centre of God's saving plans, One who is both Majestic in the highest degree and Meek to the lowest rank.
Meekness
The meekness of the Lord Jesus is revealed in circumstance and character. He was born in a small town in virtual obscurity. He lived in "can anything good come out of" Nazareth. He had no where to lay his head. He was despised and rejected by men - even by his own nation he came to minister among and to save. He hid his divine glory from the world and never used his power for his own use. There is an ancient tale about Jesus breathing life into clay pigeons when he was a child. So obviously a fable because Jesus only began to use his mighty power during his ministry and never used it to perform tricks to impress friends.
The greatest act of meekness came, not when the Son of God humbled himself to become a human being. Nor when as a man he was found in the form of a servant. No Jesus humbled himself most of all when he suffered the shameful death of a common criminal on a Roman cross, bearing away all our sins.
A little remembered verse is Isaiah 52:14, "his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man..." reminds us just how low Jesus came to accomplish his joyful mission of saving us.
Majesty
Because his divinity was largely hidden from view the whole of his life, we must seek to view his majesty before and after his earthly ministry.
It is not that his divinity was invisible while in the world. His miracles, he once said, speak for him. No-one has ever performed such miracles as Jesus did. Water into wine, a legion of demons exorcised, people raised from the dead - one after decomposing for four days, a feast for thousands from the lunch box of a lad, defying the law of gravity by walking on water, healing the sick and renewing the bodies of the lame, deaf and blind. If those remarkable miracles are insufficient proof of divine otherworldliness, what proof could someone ask for?
Before he came to earth he reigned in heaven with the Father, in glorious union, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There in glory he was worshipped and served by angel throngs. When he returned to heaven he was exalted to the highest place and given a name above all names. And one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
Summing it all Up
We do not presently see everything subject to the sovereign Son of God, "but we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." (Hebrews 2:9)
May the Lord teach us to be meek, never to boast except in Jesus and never to judge one another for we are so frail ourselves.
May the Lord teach us to worship the only One who combined in One, Meekness and Majesty.
A SONG FOR THE DAY
It would be hard to find a better song which summarises the meekness and majesty of Jesus than this one by Graham Kendrick:
Meekness and majesty,
Manhood and Deity,
In perfect harmony,
The Man who is God.
Lord of eternity
Dwells in humanity,
Kneels in humility
And washes our feet.
O what a mystery,
Meekness and majesty.
Bow down and worship
For this is your God,
This is your God.
Father's pure radiance,
Perfect in innocence,
Yet learns obedience
To death on a cross.
Suffering to give us life,
Conquering through sacrifice,
And as they crucify
Prays: 'Father forgive.'
Wisdom unsearchable,
God the invisible,
Love indestructible
In frailty appears.
Lord of infinity,
Stooping so tenderly,
Lifts our humanity
To the heights of His throne.
Worship HERE.
A PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Our loving Father in heaven,
We thank you for this new day. We worship you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the work of salvation in which each Person gave. Father we thank you that you gave your Son, Holy Spirit that you were poured out upon the church and Son that you willing came into this world of sorrow for our sakes.
We pray that we may be renewed in our worship of the Son of God as we have contemplated both his lowly meekness and his high majesty.
Teach us to be humble. Forgive our many sins and lead us in paths of righteousness.
We ask these things in the majestic Name of Jesus,
Amen
Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
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