“Nothing in all of life is as great a reward as God himself.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – March 5, 2023
Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3
No man wants to share his bride’s lips with his best friend and no woman wants to share her husband’s heart with her neighbor. A man who says he loves his wife more than anyone, but also loves his secretary does not truly love. Pure love is devoted love.
Is it so unusual that God wants to be your grandest love? It’s not that he is selfish or demanding. It’s that he knows what is best for you and he knows he is it. Your heart was created for his heart.
God wants to purge every other competing affection from your heart until he is your greatest love. Like a man who loves his wife, He wants to get your heart alone.
Isaiah 43:1 says, “But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; ‘Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; You are Mine.’”
Just as the Lord set apart Jacob and Israel for himself, he has set you and I apart for himself too.
Don’t you just love that he didn’t set you apart to give you into the hands of someone lesser? He didn’t exercise his authority to have someone babysit you. He set you apart for himself! God says to you today, “You are mine!” If we could only understand the magnificence of Who we are being set apart to, all other loves would pale in comparison.
When speaking to Abram in Genesis 15:1, God calls himself, “Your very great reward.”
Nothing in all of life is as great a reward as God himself. God knows this, so he will do whatever it takes—even using trials and troubles—to get your heart alone with his and purify your affections.
There are times when I drive in the car or sing in the shower and I experience the reward that Christ is. His presence envelopes me. His love bolsters me, and I know He is the best gift I can experience in this life.
I sensed this after I watched the movie, The Passion. As I drove home in silence, I thought, “If that is how much God loves me, all is well with the world.” In that moment I was reminded that he is my greatest prize and my greatest reward. I love these defining moments when it’s clear that the Lord is showering His love on me to draw me to himself and remind me that He alone is enough.
When has the Lord revealed to you that He is your very great reward and that He is the greatest love you can know?
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).
Prayer
Lord, I give up my idols and the competing loves that prevent me from loving you most. You are my very great reward! Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Application
Share what you learned through this devotional with someone today.
Related Reading
Psalm 119:114; Lamentations 3:24; Deuteronomy 6:5
Worship Resource
Hillsong Worship: My Greatest Love is You
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