January 10, 2017

ON JUDGMENT DAY, WHAT IS CHRIST WORTH?

Psalm 7

Ron Smith
Tuesday's Devo

January 10, 2017

Tuesday's Devo

January 10, 2017

Central Truth

Judgment Day is coming! God will judge all people according to Christ’s righteousness. "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:12)

Key Verse | Psalm 7:8

The Lord judges the peoples;
judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.
(Psalm 7:8)

Psalm 7

In You Do I Take Refuge

A Shiggaion 1 7:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.

O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge;
    save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
    rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.

O LORD my God, if I have done this,
    if there is wrong in my hands,
if I have repaid my friend 2 7:4 Hebrew the one at peace with me with evil
    or plundered my enemy without cause,
let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
    and let him trample my life to the ground
    and lay my glory in the dust. Selah

Arise, O LORD, in your anger;
    lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
    awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
    over it return on high.

The LORD judges the peoples;
    judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness
    and according to the integrity that is in me.
Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
    and may you establish the righteous—
you who test the minds and hearts, 3 7:9 Hebrew the hearts and kidneys
    O righteous God!
10  My shield is with God,
    who saves the upright in heart.
11  God is a righteous judge,
    and a God who feels indignation every day.

12  If a man 4 7:12 Hebrew he does not repent, God 5 7:12 Hebrew he will whet his sword;
    he has bent and readied his bow;
13  he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
    making his arrows fiery shafts.
14  Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
    and is pregnant with mischief
    and gives birth to lies.
15  He makes a pit, digging it out,
    and falls into the hole that he has made.
16  His mischief returns upon his own head,
    and on his own skull his violence descends.

17  I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
    and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.

Footnotes

[1] 7:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[2] 7:4 Hebrew the one at peace with me
[3] 7:9 Hebrew the hearts and kidneys
[4] 7:12 Hebrew he
[5] 7:12 Hebrew he

Dive Deeper | Psalm 7

Recently I was asked, “What were you like twenty years ago?” I replied, “I wasn’t worth knowing!” Back then, when I was living the “American Dream,” my life was madness, because hidden in it were drunkenness, adultery, gambling, a smorgasbord of lies, broken relationships, and self-indulgence. But because an employee lied about me, I lost my prestigious job and subsequently everything I owned. God turned it into the best thing that ever happened to me. He became the center of my life.

Psalm 7 is the prayer David sang to God about the lies Cush told concerning him. David was sure of his own innocence, confident he had not made even the least unintentional mistake. His conscience was clear, and he expected God to judge everyone fairly. He staked his life on his integrity and walked by faith.

I know I have no integrity apart from Christ. I can still be the person I was in the past who walked according to my will. If I live according to my desires now, I stink even worse than I did before Christ became my King, and I reap the same results as before—chaos! But now, when Judgment Day comes, I’ll be white as snow. My sins are forgiven. I am no longer condemned, because God’s grace has saved me through faith in Jesus Christ.

So, let the judging begin, for I am relationally righteous in Christ. Righteousness is given as a gift from God, and I received it. It is my joy to share the good news about Him with those incarcerated in this deceitful world of false prosperity. Overcome by God’s glorious love, I cannot keep from spreading it and infecting the world with the truth that brings freedom. Am I worth knowing now? Um, I’ll get back to you on that! Like David, however, I do know this: Jesus Christ is worth every minute spent with Him, praising His Holy Name and thanking Him for His righteousness. I have staked my eternal life on His integrity.

Discussion Questions

1. How will your integrity stand up to God's righteous standard on Judgment Day? Are you 100% sure you will be accepted into God's presence?

2. Do you pray first before responding to those who falsely accuse you? Check out Matthew 5:11 and 1 Peter 3:9.

3. What is the best way to interact with those who don't like you? Could any part of how they feel be your fault?

4. If indeed you are in error, what is your remedy? Read 1 John 1:9 and Matthew 5:23-24.