LBW #294, "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less"
Devotion
This hymn gets to the heart of Matthew 7:24-26. Hymn writer Edward Mote tells us what makes the best foundation for a person’s life—a foundation constructed of “Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Mote refers to the blood shed by Jesus when He was crucified on Good Friday.
Mote also writes about Jesus’ righteousness. These “materials” are closely related. Jesus was (and still is) truly human, so that He could experience our life and die as we do. Jesus is also God, so that His death could accomplish what no other human death could do. His death has given us the unmistakable assurance that our God really forgives us and cares for us. This is the solid rock on which we can stand even though, as the Gospel tells us, the rain falls, the floods come, and the winds blow against us.
Prayer
Lord, we have often been disappointed when we have used shoddy material on which to build our hope and our joy. Keep reminding us that the unchanging grace that comes to us in and through Christ will never fail us. In His Name we pray, Amen.