An Indispensable Doxology, Pt. 4

Don't be deceived: there is only one God, and you are not Him. What the One True God plans for your life is far better than what you could imagine yourself.

An Indispensable Doxology, Pt. 4

This week's devotions are written by my friend Jessica Hermann, former director of our college ministry at Great Hills Baptist Church.

- Pastor Danny

This week, we are diving deeper into the last two verses of the book of Jude. We are taking our time and slowing down to really consider all of the various truths that are found in these two verses of praise. They are not difficult verses to understand and don't require lots of study to discern their meaning, but they do contain many truths that are worth considering and meditating on. Today we will consider the first part of verse 25. Let's reread yet again the full doxology, and then we will zoom in on the aforementioned section.

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

Today, let's zoom in on the phrase, "to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord".

As we have already discussed, the book of Jude speaks largely of false teachers and warns against their way of life and the lies they promote. These people have decided to pursue their own desires over the Lord's desires for their life. To make matters worse, they have attempted to do so in the name of grace. This is such an affront to the true grace of God. As this verse states, there is only one God. Our God is the only God. The way Jude describes these people is that they have turned from the One True God and decided to worship themselves. By pursuing their own desires and using the idea of the grace of God to fulfill their own desires, they have tried to place themselves in the place of God. They think they know best. What they want to do with their lives is what is best for them in their eyes. They are in charge. By placing their hope and their affections in their own desires and plans for their lives, they have declared themselves to be in control. Or so they think. Don't be deceived: there is only one God, and you are not Him. And what the One True God plans and desires for your life is far higher and better than what you could imagine yourself.

Not only is our God the only God, He is also our Savior. The fact that God sent Jesus to pay the price for sinners speaks so loudly of the love of our Savior. He is so amazing! God didn't just decide to create someone or something to deal with the problem. He didn't appoint some unfortunate person who "drew the short stick" to have to deal with the problem. Indeed, He wouldn't, because nobody could ever be a sufficient sacrifice but God Himself. So God came down! He is the only God, and He came down to us and paid the price for our sin. This is Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Where do you find yourself struggling with sin? May I suggest that we often struggle with sin in an area of our life when we think that we know better than God does. Anything that we look to for direction in our lives besides the Lord can so quickly become an idol. There is only one God, and He is our Savior. I want to invite you to give up control of whatever you are trying to direct in your life and recognize the place of God on His throne. All other gods fall short. We make lousy gods too. There is one true God. Let us worship Him and love Him today.