DEVOTION - MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2012

DEVOTION,   MONDAY,   OCTOBER 15, 2012

Make No Provision for “the Flesh”

BY

ADRIAN ROGERS

“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” - Romans 13:14

One of my favorite stories is about a father who leaves his son at home one Saturday afternoon because his son isn’t feeling well. He tells his son, “Don’t go swimming with your buddies.”

The son says, “Yes sir!”

The dad returns by way of the swimming hole and notices his son frolicking with the other boys. He stops the car, calls his son over and says, “I told you not to go swimming.”

“But I didn’t intend to go swimming. I just came down to watch, and I fell in,” the boy said.

The dad began feeling sorry for his son until he noticed he had his bathing suit on! The son explained, “I brought that along…in case I was tempted.”

Friend, don’t make any provision for the flesh.

DEVOTION - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2012

 DEVOTION,   WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2012

Who made whom?

BY

PASTOR BOB COY

Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods. Psalms 97:7 (NKJV)

Mankind is engaged in an ongoing struggle. It's a struggle that relentlessly battles to fashion a substitute for the Lord, a worthless idol that can be worshipped and given devotion. And the inescapable irony is that while God made man in His image, man goes about trying to make gods in man's image.

Granted, most people don't see it that way. They don't consciously set out to create an idol they can bow down to and devote all they are and have to. And yet that's exactly what happens. These man-made substitutes range from prestigious positions in a corporate setting to the most shameful addictions. They can span the spectrum of virtually every experience in this life. A hobby, a child, a possession, an agenda, a routine, an ideology…all have been made into an idol of worship at one time or another as people have devoted themselves to them.

Again, those are the "carved images" that we create, and the sad truth is that those who worship them are "put to shame." Oh, it may not seem like it at first—or even after many years. But eventually, there's an inescapable emptiness, a shame-filled realization that "I wasted my devotion on something that can't save me."

The only escape is to devote ourselves to the "Him" Psalm 97 speaks of, the King of kings and Lord of lords…Yahweh Elohim, the One who made us in His image and likeness. Only He can save us from ourselves, from our sin, and from the shame that comes from settling for the things we substitute for Him.

Help us, our Maker and Creator, to steer clear of any substitute that we might serve instead of You.

DEVOTION - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

DEVOTION,   TUESDAY,  OCTOBER 9, 2012

“How to Love God”

BY

GREG LAURIE

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” —Matthew 22:37–38

When the Pharisees asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment in the Law, He told them, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37–38).

This is known as the Shema, something that every Jew would have memorized. Jesus was effectively saying that instead of worrying about which commandments were lesser or greater, get back to this: love God with all of your being, and all of these things will be sorted out. It makes complete sense, doesn’t it? Because really if I love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, and mind, then I naturally will want to do what He wants me to do.

Jesus then added, “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (verses 39–40).

The Ten Commandments are divided into two sections. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God. The final six deal with our relationship with others. If I love God with all of my heart, soul, and mind, then I will not want to have another god before Him or worship an idol or take His name in vain. And if I love my neighbor as I love myself, then I will not want to steal from or kill him or covet something that belongs to her. The idea is that if I can fully grasp this basic truth of loving God, then everything else will find its proper place.

So to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind means loving Him with every part of our being.

Summary sentence: Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind means loving Him with every part of our being.

DEVOTION - MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2012

MONDAY,   MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2012

“THE WINNING WAY”

WITH

DR ED YOUNG

… the joy of the LORD is your strength … Sing for joy to God our strength
Nehemiah 8:10; Psalm 81:1

I grew up in the comic book era. There were no cartoons on TV. In fact, there was no TV in the average home. But the comic books brought us Captain Marvel, Superman, and many more characters, all in lavish color. Almost all the comic books carried the same ad. A skinny fellow lay on a beach while a bully kicked sand at him. A year later, the runt has completed the “Charles Atlas” course, and flattens the bully. Satan bullies us constantly, humiliating and harassing us. But in God’s joy, we rise up in new strength, and put the bully to flight.

DEVOTION - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012

DEVOTION,   SATURDAY,   OCTOBER 6, 2012

“The Eighth Commandment of Marriage:  Be a Person of Integrity”

BY

BAYLESS CONLEY

Exodus 20:15 gives us the eighth commandment for marriage,

You shall not steal.

You may be wondering how stealing applies to marriage.  Simple.  Not to steal is to be a person of integrity.

If you are always cheating or cutting corners, it will be hard for your spouse to respect you.  Your uprightness should make your marriage partner feel proud.  Your spouse and your family ought to testify of your integrity.  This is really one of the things at the heart of a good marriage.

If you are married to somebody, and you know they cheat their customers, it is just hard to respect that person.  You cannot respect someone who does not have integrity.

This is a big issue that many people fly right by.  But it is vital to a healthy and vibrant marriage because it is hard to fully give yourself to someone who does not have integrity.

If you find that your spouse is holding back, if you feel like he or she does not respect you, take a look inside and see if you are compromising with your integrity.  Do you cheat on your taxes?  Do you tell that "little white lie" to protect yourself or gain an advantage?

Do you represent yourself one way, when in fact in your heart you believe something totally different?  Are you like the man Solomon speaks of in Proverbs 23:7?

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.  "Eat and drink!" he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

If this is an issue in your life, take it to God today.  He will help you become the person of integrity He desires you to be.  And when you do, you will find your spouse will come to respect you, and your marriage will be strengthened!

DEVOTION - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

DEVOTION,   FRIDAY,   OCTOBER 5, 2012

“God Used Rahab, "the Harlot"”

BY

TONY EVANS

Scripture Reading: Joshua 2

Rahab was a lady of the evening.  She was known as "Rahab, the prostitute," yet her name is included both in the Gospel of Matthew's genealogy of Jesus and the book of Hebrew's "Hall of Faith."  Her story demonstrates the power of faith to transform lives and overcome difficult circumstances.

Rahab lived at the wall of Jericho, and when the two Hebrew spies stayed at her house, she placed her trust in the protection of their God.  She'd heard the stories of the God of Israel, and she chose to appeal to His goodness instead of giving in to the threats of Jericho's ruler.  Because of her faith, she was adopted into the people of God and she became a symbol of remarkable faith.

Not only did Rahab's faith change her life, but it moved God to protect everyone in her family and household when Jericho was destroyed.  One woman's faith changed an entire family's destiny.

DEVOTION - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012

DEVOTION,   THURSDAY,   OCTOBER 4,  2012

“Have to? Need to? Or WANT to?”

BY

ADRIAN ROGERS

“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.” - 1 Corinthians 9:19

There are three reasons for obedience. A slave obeys because he has to.  An employee obeys because he needs to. But a loving son obeys because he wants to.

So many of us live like slaves, when Jesus has said, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:15).

I don’t work for my salvation—that work has been done by my Lord. But I will work like any slave for the love of God. What about you?