Jesus Christ: Wholly Devoted to Us

December 28, 2024

1 Kings 8:61

Your hearts therefore shall be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.

Solomon was a great and wise King of Isreal, and the son of King David—the same David who defeated the giant Goliath from a single slingshot with God’s help. One of Solomon’s great achievements as King of Isreal was building the very first temple for God, and King Solomon constructed the temple out of the most magnificent and high-quality materials available at the time. On the day that the temple construction was finished, King Solomon dedicated the temple to God Almighty, prayed to God for His favor and protection over Isreal, and encouraged the people of Isreal to stay wholly devoted to God (1 King 8:61.)

Wholly devoted means being fully and completely committed. It means with your whole heart and your whole soul and your whole mind and in all of your actions to the utter end. Jesus Christ demonstrated being wholly devoted to us when He secured our salvation. Despite being the Son of God and being fully God, He was born as a mortal man on earth and went through the excruciating torture of crucifixion to die for our sins. He even encountered temptation in all things as a man, just as we do, but He was not tainted and corrupted by sin (Hebrews 4:7.)

Hebrews 4:7

For we do not have a great high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.”

Unfortunately, neither King Solomon nor the people of Isreal were able to stay wholly devoted to God because of their sinful nature, and as a result of their sin and waywardness, God divided the kingdom of Isreal in two and allowed the very first temple built for Him, as magnificent as it was, to be destroyed. In fact, the entire history of Isreal that is recounted throughout the Old Testament of the Bible is one long string of repeated cycles in which the people of Isreal break God’s commandments and then God applies consequences to the nation of Isreal, His chosen people, as a result of their sin.

1 Kings 8:46

When they sin against You (for there is no person who does not sin) and You are angry with them and turn them over to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy distant or near …

Though it is troubling for us to face directly, we share the exact same sinful human nature as King Solomon and the people of Isreal. We are unable, in our human weakness, to stay wholly devoted to God, and we are unable to always keep His statutes and commandments. Unlike Jesus Christ, who was the fullness of God in man and perfectly sinless, we are only human, and as such, we are tainted by sin. Even King Solomon, in the great wisdom he was blessed with by God, very clearly described the inherently sinful nature of humankind and that no person is unable to fully refrain from sin (1 Kings 8:46; Ecclesiastes 7:29.) Only God Almighty is righteous and sinless.

Ecclesiastes 7:29

Behold, I have found only this, that God made people upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Our sin is why God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. The just punishment for sin is death, but in His overwhelming love for us, God longs for us to be reconciled to Him despite our sin and despite His hatred of our sin. And so, after three days, wholly devoted to us, Jesus Christ rose from the grave, fully securing our salvation and our eternal life with God in heaven when we believe in Him. Jesus’ lack of sin when He died for us is what allows His blood that He shed on the cross to replace our sinful blood on judgment day, if and when we believe in Him as the Son of God.

Jesus Christ is our Savior and the promised Messiah, and His blood is the gift of salvation God has promised us that saves us from our sins (Romans 3:23-24.) Praise God Almighty for His mercy and His infinite love for us, and praise Him for the greatest blessing He has given us—salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ, wholly devoted to us!

Whenever being wholly devoted to God feels tough, remember that Jesus is wholly devoted to you, and out of His devotion to you, He provides you with His grace, and His grace is fully sufficient for you. So, today, and every day, praise God Almighty for his steadfast love and mercy, and thank Him for sending His Son, Jesus Christ, wholly devoted to us, to provide salvation from your sins, and the sins of every person on earth!

Romans 3:23-24

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.