Psalm 9 Devotion

     Greetings in the name of Jesus!  Classes started today and I am in my LAST first day of classes ever.  I went to my first class at 8 A.M. and was sitting in the front row by my friend.  The professor who also happens to be the provost of campus literally said to me, "Richter, you've made it this far?"  Always a good
way to start fourth year. I have two more classes this afternoon and then work both general labor and dinner tonight.
I only have a short break between chapel and lunch so I am posting an old psalm devotion I typed up awhile ago. Hope you enjoy!

Psalm 9 verse 20
      In America we have this concept of a being a man’s man. There are things I like to do to feel more like a man. I like to let my beard grow out full and long, I like to work hard and get dirty. Whether it is running a chainsaw and being covered in sawdust, working on a motor and being covered in oil and grease, or working on the farm and being covered in dirt, I like it all. I love to use power tools, and I especially love using large equipment. Working at the state and driving the 15 ton front end loader, driving the road grater, or riding in the dump trucks looking down at passing cars were some of the best times of my life. I love to hunt, fish, golf, play tennis, and hike mountains. I enjoy whiskey, straight bourbon, and good cigars. Even if I am not actually doing the activity, I still love to watch mud bogs as the jacked up trucks races through mud, dirt track races as the sprint cars slide sideways around the corners, or lumberjack contests as the big burly men chop huge stumps in half with axes and handsaw through huge logs. OK, so you get the point I am trying to make, but it’s true. I think there is a part of every guy that wants to believe he is a man’s man; the type of tough guy you could drop off in the wilderness and he would come out the other side just fine. Our society has driven this idea and image into our minds. Look at guys favorite movies: Braveheart, Die Hard series, Robin Hood, Gladiator, and any war movie or western. They all portray this idealistic men or heroes who go above and beyond, risking their lives to fight for what they believe in. I have a magnet of John Wayne with the quote, “A man has to do what a man has to do.” These are the kind of slogans that promote men being the manliest men they can be. This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, we see in this psalm King David, who was a pretty manly man, asking God to remind all nations that they are merely men.
      Yes, we built this country on the blood and sweat of men who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. However, we cannot gain or earn our salvation by that same effort. We can do nothing for our salvation or freedom from sin. No matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we work, no matter how dirty we get, we will always be sinners on our own. This is why God sent His Son, the only man who could ever get dirty enough or work hard enough to save us. Christ our Lord did get dirty and He did risk His life and stand up for what He believed in. Christ was covered in His own blood as He was beaten, covered in dirt and spit as the soldiers mocked Him and pushed Him around. Even being beaten He struggled to use all His strength to carrying His own cross up the hill. He laid there as they drove nails through His hands and feet and then gave up His own life to do what He had to do. Talk about the toughest, bravest men of men. And yet Christ did this all for you and me. He did it not only to protect but to save the people He loved. He is the true Hero who won for us our salvation once and for all. This is the Lord we have!
       And yet, we must always remember that it was purely because of what He did that we are saved. No matter how manly we are our salvation only comes from His death and resurrection. Our eternal life is 100 percent a gift from Him. So this is why we need to be reminded that we are merely men and not let our manly egos get the best of us. We must be constantly reminded that we should fear the Lord because He is the judge and the one who died to be our Lord. We must always respect the fact that we can do nothing to earn our salvation. We can though use our manly traits to serve Him and bring the good news to all peoples. We can be tough enough to get outside our own comfort zones, we can be brave enough to tell people about Jesus and His Gospel, and we can get dirty helping our neighbors who are in need. So go ahead, be a man, do your duty, stand up for what you believe in, and work to spread the Gospel. Just do so knowing we are merely men who deserved the punishment Christ took on for us and He freely gives us our salvation and the ability to serve Him through His grace, mercy, and love. Remember you are a man, and He is God. Thanks be to God He did what He had to do!