Your Daily Devotional for April 20, 2006

April 20, 2006

 

Steps of Reliance

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, He threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously."

1 Peter 2:23

 

The steps of Jesus were steps of righteousness. They were steps of perfection—an example for you and me. We see that Jesus’ steps were steps of reliance on his Heavenly Father. The Bible says that Jesus Christ committed Himself to God who judgeth righteously. The term "committed Himself” means to hand over control. It is similar to people who commit themselves to a detoxification center. They relinquish control to an organization that will help them rid drugs and alcohol from their lives. The center takes control of their car keys, their driver's license, and their agenda.

 

Jesus Christ was sinless, yet He committed Himself to the God of Heaven as an example for us to follow. Philippians 2:6 that Jesus Christ, “being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” The Bible says that He is equal with the Father—the Creator and the Sustainer of the world. Yet, Jesus voluntarily laid aside His prerogatives of deity and committed Himself to God. While He hung on the cross, Jesus could have called ten thousand angels, destroyed every Roman soldier, and declared Himself free. Yet, He committed the Roman soldiers’ judgment to God the Heavenly Father, so that you and I, when we are wrongfully persecuted, will also commit ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. We may feel someone has judged us wrong at times. Do we put that wrong behind us? We must let it stay in the past and commit ourselves in reliance to God.

 

Jesus relied upon the judgment of the Father. Some rely on intuition, company strength, financial investments, or friends; but Jesus Christ, our example, relied on God the Heavenly Father to make all things right before Him. The Bible tells us Jesus relied on God for justice. Notice in verse twenty-three, He “Committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." We had better rely on God for justice. If we think that because we are good men and good women we are going to see justice in the world, we are sadly mistaken. I never thought I would see, as we have seen in recent years, the crimes of mayhem and attempted murder being reduced to misdemeanors in the state of California, but it's happened. If we think we can trust in the judicial system of the world to give us justice, we will be disappointed. We live in a world where right is wrong and wrong is right. We live in a world where values have been totally twisted around. It’s a time now where many of us, if we're not careful, will become disillusioned and dissatisfied.

 

We must trust in God and commit all judgment to Him knowing that He will take care of the record. You may have an ex-spouse, a rebellious son or daughter, or an unfair employer. You can strike, you can picket, you can write dirty letters, and you can become bitter; or you can give it to God. Jesus Christ walked in steps of total reliance upon God, and that's a great way to walk. He relied on God for His justice, His honor, and His glory. In John 12:26 Jesus said, "If any man serve me, let him follow me." And then He said, "If any man serve me, him will My Father honor." As we rely upon God, He'll take care of the judgment and He’ll honor us too. No one else may notice, but God the Father will lift us up in His due time and in His way. Jesus realized He would be exalted as He followed the steps of His Father.

 

As we follow Jesus’ steps along God’s proven pathway, there will be those who will come along and will try to pull us away, tempting us with honor and recognition. If we want real honor, we must get it the Bible way. We must humble ourselves and submit ourselves completely to the Lord. It is a paradox, but with God we descend into greatness. The way up is down. Walk in His paths of reliance. Rely on your Heavenly Father today.

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