Faith for the Future

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

If “all the promises of God find their Yes in [Jesus],” then to trust him now in the present is to believe that his promises will come true.

Those are not two separate faiths — trusting him, and believing in his promises. Trusting Jesus — believing in Jesus for salvation — means believing that he keeps his word. Being satisfied in the crucified and risen Jesus includes the belief that at every future moment, to all eternity, nothing will separate us from his love, or keep him from working all things together for our good. And that “good” is ultimately seeing and savoring the beauty and worth of God in Christ as our supreme Treasure.

The confidence that this all-satisfying good will be there for us forever is based on all the glorious grace of the past, especially the grace that God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32).

We need to taste now the spiritual beauty of God in all his past achievements — especially the death and resurrection of Christ for our sins — and in all his promises. Rooted in this past grace, our confidence and trust lay hold on all that God himself will be for us in the next moment, and in the next month, and in the endless ages of eternity.

It is he and he alone who will satisfy the soul in the future. And we must be sure of this future, if we are to live the radical Christian lives that Christ calls us to live here and now.

If our present enjoyment of Christ now — our present faith — does not have in it the Yes to all God’s promises, it will not embrace the power for radical service in the strength that God (in every future moment) will supply (1 Peter 4:11).

My prayer is that reflecting like this on the nature of faith in future grace will help us avoid superficial, oversimplified statements about believing the promises of God. It is a deep and wonderful thing.

John Piper 

Hope for the New Year and Eternity

“. . . knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

1 PETER 1:18-21

 

PONDER THIS

Jesus came to Earth that we might go to Heaven. He was born of a virgin that we might be born again. He was made the Son of Man that you and I might become sons and daughters of God. He died for us. He was a special Lamb. He was a slain Lamb. He was a saving Lamb. In this Christmas season, have you been to Jesus for His cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?

In just a few days we’ll have a new year. Most will be thinking about plans for a new year—what you’re going to be doing, thinking, and your ambitions and goals. He alone is worthy of your love. He alone is worthy of your life. He alone is worthy of your deepest loyalty.

How does Christ the lamb give you hope? What are some other things you have tried to put your hope in?

What does it look like to fully trust in the grace of Jesus? What are some things that hold you back?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray for the coming year and make spiritual goals for how you want to prioritize growth in your faith in the year to come.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Authentic vs. Phony Faith

Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)

The question before us all is: Are we included in the “many” whose sins Christ bore? And will we be saved at his second coming?

The answer of Hebrews 9:28 is, “Yes,” if we are “eagerly waiting for him.” We can know that our sins are taken away and that we will be safe in the judgment, if we trust Christ in such a way that it makes us eager for his coming.

There is a phony faith that claims to believe in Christ, but is only a fire insurance policy. Phony faith “believes” only to escape hell. It has no real desire for Christ. In fact, it would prefer if he did not come, so that we can have as much of this world’s pleasures as possible. This shows that a heart is not with Christ, but with the world.

So, the issue for us is: Do we eagerly long for the coming of Christ? Or do we want him to stay away, while our love affair with the world runs its course? That is the question that tests the authenticity of faith.

Let us be like the Corinthians as we “wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7), and like the Philippians whose “citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

That’s the issue for us. Do we love his appearing? Or do we love the world and hope that his appearing will not interrupt our plans? Eternity hangs on this question.

John Piper 

You Don’t Have to Figure It All Out

“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.” 2 PETER 3:13-14

 

PONDER THIS

Prophesies often lead us to get caught up in wanting to know all the answers or understand how the future will happen. But the truth of what God calls us to do does not change regardless of the timing of End Times events. We need to get our heads out of the clouds of prophecy and our feet on the soul-winning pavement, seeking to bring others to Jesus Christ.

A new world order is coming, and Peter reminds us that in this ending age, we need not be motivated to figure it all out but to live life in Christ with urgency. One of these days the King will be on His throne, the criminal will be in jail, and the Bride (the Church) will be with the Groom (Jesus). I can hardly wait till Jesus comes, and I want to get as many to come with me as possible. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

How do you typically respond to passages that speak about the End Times? What are some fears you have or things you long to understand?

What would it look like to live life in Christ with urgency? Who can you share your hope with?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray for opportunities and boldness to share your faith with others and then be obedient to God’s prompting.

 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are Your Investments Temporary?

“And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.’” LUKE 21:1-4

 

PONDER THIS

I have visited Pompeii—the ruins of a magnificent civilization. Pompeii was buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted back in biblical times. The scenery truly captures the moment: You can see how people lived in that culture by examining the buildings, but you can also see the bodies of people who lived in this place and were caught by this devastating eruption. You can even see the remains of a man and woman on the floor of their home who died surrounded by and clutching gold coins and expensive jewelry. In seeking to hold worldly treasures, they lost their lives.

Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). The truth is, that thing you’re holding onto instead of God will not get you far; it is temporary. I want you to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. And once you know Him, you start a new investment in eternity with riches that will never fade or spoil.

What is something you are holding onto instead of God?

What would it look like for you to make eternal investments?

PRACTICE THIS

Surrender to God the worldly treasures or frivolous spending habits you’re holding onto and seek to store up treasure in Heaven instead.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

You Are Called to Invest in Eternal Treasure

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” MATTHEW 6:19-21

 

PONDER THIS

Growing up, I played football. I put a lot of expense into football—and I’m not talking about money. I’m talking about blood, sweat, and tears I left on the football field. We won some championships; I got to be the team captain; and we won some awards. But that effort, that sacrifice, only brought rewards that faded or were lost over time.

Here's the treasure that will never fade: souls that come to know Jesus. Let Congress make the laws. Let the president try to run the nation. Let the Hollywood stars have the fame. Let those guys play football. But if you are wise, you will win souls. When you get to the bottom line, Jesus came to Earth because “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). You can have that same purpose because you follow Him. His way is your way, and His calling is your calling. Come to Jesus and then go tell others. Invest in an eternal treasure.

What are some things you are investing in right now? Do they have eternal value?

Who can you share the gospel with or show the love of Christ to this week?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray for people you know who do not know Christ; do something for them to show God’s love.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Best Passage Ever

God put [Jesus] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:25–26)

Romans 3:25–26 may be the most important verses in the Bible.

God is wholly just! And he justifies the ungodly! Really? A just judge acquitting the guilty!

Not either/or! Both! He acquits the guilty, but is not guilty in doing so. This is the greatest news in the world!

“[God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He takes our sin. We take his righteousness.

“By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). Whose flesh? Christ’s. Whose sin condemned in that flesh? Ours. For us then? No condemnation!

“[Christ] bore our sins in his body on the tree.” (1 Peter 2:24)

“Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)

“If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:5)

If the most terrifying news in the world is that we have fallen under the condemnation of our Creator and that he is bound by his own righteous character to preserve the worth of his glory by pouring out his wrath on our sin . . .

. . . Then the best news in all the world (the gospel!) is that God has decreed and enacted a way of salvation that also upholds the worth of his glory, the honor of his Son, and the eternal salvation of his elect. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.

John Piper 

Are You Making Eternal Investments?

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.”

1 CORINTHIANS 3:10-14

 

PONDER THIS

I am a “has-been” athlete, but I did play some football. I was the captain of a championship team, and our award was a little gold football. We also got a letterman jacket, which was just a sweater with a letter on it. Our letters were PB, for Palm Beach High School. Over time I added some more trophies to my collection, but one day, thieves came into our house and took the golden football. And moths got to the sweater. I have no idea where my other trophies are. These things fade so quickly. But when you win souls for Jesus Christ, you don’t receive a corruptible crown: you receive a crown of glory that will never fade away.

If you are a Sunday morning benchwarmer, listen to this: “each one’s work will become clear” (v. 13). One of these days, the way you lived will be made clear, “for the Day will declare it” (v. 13). God is looking for quality, not quantity. He is looking for your heart of surrender, for your trust in Him that changes how you look at others and affects the hope you share with them. When you share that hope, when you surrender, you have hope that is eternal. When you invest in things that will perish, always keeping control of your life, you will only be filled with regret.

According to Scripture, what is an eternal investment? What is a temporary investment?

What are the things you invest your time, money, and resources into? Are they eternal or temporary?

Practice This

Make an eternal investment today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Let Goods and Kindred Go

Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. (Hebrews 10:32–35)

The Christians in Hebrews 10:32–35 have earned the right to teach us about costly love.

The situation appears to be this: In the early days of their conversion, some of them were imprisoned for their faith. The others were confronted with a difficult choice: Shall we go underground and stay “safe,” or shall we visit our brothers and sisters in prison and risk our lives and property? They chose the way of love and accepted the cost.

“For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property.”

But were they losers? No. They lost property and gained joy! They joyfully accepted the loss.

In one sense, they denied themselves. It was real and costly. But in another sense, they did not. They chose the way of joy. Evidently, these Christians were motivated for prison ministry the same way the Macedonians (of 2 Corinthians 8:1–9) were motivated to relieve the poor. Their joy in God overflowed in love for others.

They looked at their own lives and said, “The steadfast love of the Lord is better than life” (see Psalm 63:3).

They looked at all their possessions and said, “We have a possession in heaven that is better and lasts longer than any of this” (see Hebrews 10:34).

Then they looked at each other and said — perhaps sang — something like Martin Luther’s great hymn:

Let goods and kindred go

This mortal life also

The body they may kill

God’s truth abideth still

His kingdom is forever

John Piper

The Soul’s Final Feast

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

God is not unresponsive to the contrite longing of the soul. He comes and lifts the load of sin and fills our heart with gladness and gratitude. “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” (Psalm 30:11–12).

But our joy does not just rise from the backward glance in gratitude. It also rises from the forward glance in hope: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:5–6).

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope” (Psalm 130:5).

In the end, the heart longs not for any of God’s good gifts, but for God himself. To see him and know him and be in his presence is the soul’s final feast. Beyond this there is no quest. Words fail. We call it pleasure, joy, delight. But these are weak pointers to the unspeakable experience:

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

“Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4).

John Piper 

Do You View Christmas with Eternal Perspective?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’” Luke 2:34-35

 

PONDER THIS

A man went down to the train station and people were getting off the train and meeting loved ones. And there was embracing and kissing and great joy. But he saw some men walk up, they had a man in handcuffs, and they were leading him away on the train. Evidently, he was going to jail. His wife and children were weeping and wailing as the man was being led away. That’s a picture of the coming of Jesus. What joy it will be to those of us who know Him. What joy it will be when we have that grand reunion, when we meet our loved ones when Jesus comes. But how sad it will be for some, who’ll be bound and cast into outer darkness.

Jesus is dividing, and He will divide for all eternity. At the judgment, He will divide between the sheep and the goats, the saved and the lost. And His decision will not be based on finances or the opinion of society, but the Lamb’s book of life. We divide people by social status. We say upper class, middle class, and lower class. But God divides right and left, saved or lost. He is the Christ with the sword in His hand. The baby in Bethlehem changed the playing field. Will you share in the joy when He comes?

On what basis do you most often judge people? What does God judge by?

Why is it important at Christmas to remember the coming return of Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Share the hope of Jesus with others as you tell the story of the first Christmas.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Living with Temporary or Eternal Purpose?

PRAY OVER THIS

“The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.” Matthew 12:42

 

PONDER THIS

I’m so happy in Jesus. It may sound corny, but I love Him with all of my heart, and I want to love Him more. I am His worker. You’re His worker. Solomon’s workers were happy, but Jesus gives more. Jesus gives joy unspeakable and full of glory. Jesus gives joy that is conspicuous, continuous, and contagious. Solomon’s workers eventually had to give up all the things that brought them happiness. The palace was gone. The tables were gone. The robes were gone. Solomon was gone.

But the source of my joy does not diminish because my joy does not depend on what happens; it depends on the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank God for the joy of serving Jesus. I am incredibly blessed that God has let me serve Him these years and be a pastor. You are not living for a temporary purpose; your joy is lasting because of Jesus. First Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” That is because the work of the Lord has an eternal purpose. Jesus pleases His workers; Jesus rewards His workers; and Jesus is far greater than Solomon.

How does serving Jesus bring you joy?

How does it encourage you to know that when you live for Jesus you live for an eternal purpose with eternal joy?

PRACTICE THIS

Serve your church in some way today with joy, whether by volunteering to help somewhere or by sending an encouraging note to your pastor.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

We Are Made to Know God

PRAY OVER THIS

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.”

Psalm 42:1

 

PONDER THIS

There are many differences between man and animals. One main difference is man has a concern for destiny. No animal knows he’s going to die. He doesn’t think about dying. God gave animals instincts that He didn’t give to human beings, but He gave human beings spiritual insight and revelation that He didn’t give to animals.

A bee can build a six-sided cell in the honeycomb. Beavers can build dams. Spiders can build webs. But the spider cannot build a six-sided cell, and the bee cannot build a beaver’s dam. They have instinct; they don’t have knowledge. They don’t have logic. A man may not have instincts like this, but he knows that he is here for more. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God has set eternity in the hearts of humans. We are not mere animals. We don’t believe in immortality because we prove it; we prove it because we believe in it. Immortality is instinctive in us.

Augustine, a church father, said our hearts are restless until they rest in God. You’re made in the image of God. You are made to know Him and to rest in Him.

How would your life change if you lived like you were made for God?

What are some areas in life where you need to rest in God?

PRACTICE THIS

Take some time to rest in God today by reading Scripture and meeting with Him in prayer.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

We Will Rule All Things

“The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

What does Jesus mean when he says this to the church in Laodicea?

Sit with Jesus on his throne? Really?

This is a promise to everyone who conquers, that is, who presses on in faith to the end (1 John 5:4), in spite of every threatening pain and luring, sinful pleasure. So if you are a true believer in Jesus, you will sit on the throne of the Son of God who sits on the throne of God the Father.

I take “throne of God” to signify the right and authority to rule the universe. That’s where Jesus sits. “He must reign,” Paul said, “until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25). So when Jesus says, “I will grant him to sit with me on my throne,” he promises us a share in the rule of all things.

Is this what Paul has in mind in Ephesians 1:22–23? “He put all things under [Christ’s] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

We, the church, are “the fullness of him who fills all.” What does that mean? I take it to mean that the universe will be filled with the glory of the Lord (Numbers 14:21). And one dimension of that glory will be the complete and unopposed extension of his rule everywhere.

Therefore, Ephesians 1:23 would mean: Jesus fills the universe with his own glorious rule through us. Sharing in his rule, we are the fullness of his rule. We rule on his behalf, by his power, under his authority. In that sense, we sit with him on his throne.

None of us feels this as we should. It is too much — too good, too amazing. That’s why Paul prays for God’s help that “the eyes of your hearts [would be] enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you” (Ephesians 1:18).

Without omnipotent help now, we cannot feel the wonder of what we are destined to become. But if we are granted to feel it, as it really is, all our emotional reactions to this world will change. The strange and radical commands of the New Testament will not be as strange as they once seemed.

John Piper 

What Will Be Your Eternal Reward?

Pray Over This

“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” Luke 16:19-23

Ponder This

We’re going to die. In this verse, you see what we call the glories of Heaven. When the beggar died, an angel convoy took him to a place called, “Abraham’s bosom.” What does that mean? Abraham was the father of the faithful, the most revered of the Jewish leaders, and the brightest star in the heavenly kingdom for these Jews. To be with Abraham would be a place of incredible honor.

What does it mean to be in, “Abraham’s bosom?” When people had a banquet in that day, they would not sit around the table as we sit around the table. They would recline. And the best place to recline would be where your head would be near the chest, the bosom, of the host. 

This man, who’d been feeding on crumbs, was now at a banquet. And not only was he at a banquet, but he was at the very highest place of honor. What Jesus was showing is the great radical change that took place: this man, a beggar, an outcast on Earth, was carried by the angels to Heaven to a place of honor.

Death is not the end. I’m not inviting you to a funeral; I’m inviting you to a feast. That’s what our Lord is talking about.

Have you ever felt rejected by the world? 

How does it feel to know Jesus has a place of honor for His followers?

Do you ever look for the approval of people? 

How does this passage show the things that are most important?

Practice This

Share with someone the joys of Heaven you are looking forward to.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Prepared to Face Eternity?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.” Psalm 39:4

 

PONDER THIS

Death is a very real subject but one we often don’t take seriously. Man is the only creature who knows he’s going to die, and he is desperately trying to forget it. If you mention death in some contexts, people will change the subject like they change the channels with their remote controls. They don’t want to talk about death. They don’t want to face death. Even though it’s something we avoid, reason tells us we’re going to die, experience tells us we’re going to die, and if you’re not prepared to die, you’re not prepared to live. No man is ever ready to live until he is no longer afraid to die.

Jesus is the master teacher. He taught that there are three great issues all of us must face. Those issues are life, death, and eternity. Everything else is a subset of those things.

How does being prepared to die change the way you live?

Why is it dangerous to avoid the subject of death?

PRACTICE THIS

Share with someone a testimony about how being prepared to die has changed the way you live.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Death Rehearsal

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. . . . So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:5–6, 12)

For me, the end of a year is like the end of my life. And 11:59 pm on December 31 is like the moment of my death.

The 365 days of the year are like a miniature lifetime. And these final hours are like the last days in the hospital after the doctor has told me that the end is very near. And in these last hours, the lifetime of this year passes before my eyes, and I face the inevitable question: Did I live it well? Will Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge, say “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21)?

I feel very fortunate that this is the way my year ends. And I pray that the year’s end might have the same significance for you.

The reason I feel fortunate is that it is a great advantage to have a trial run at my own dying. It is a great benefit to rehearse once a year in preparation for the last scene of your life. It is a great benefit because the morning of January 1 will find most of us still alive, at the brink of a whole new lifetime, able to start fresh all over again.

The great thing about rehearsals is that they show you where your weaknesses are, where your preparation was faulty; and they leave you time to change before the real play in front of a real audience.

I suppose for some of you the thought of dying is so morbid, so gloomy, so fraught with grief and pain that you do your best to keep it out of your minds, especially during holidays. I think that is unwise and that you do yourself a great disservice. I have found that there are few things more revolutionizing for my life than a periodic pondering of my own death.

How do you get a heart of wisdom so as to know how best to live? The psalmist answers:

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. . . . So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:5–6, 12)

Numbering your days simply means remembering that your life is short and your dying will be soon. Great wisdom — great, life-revolutionizing wisdom — comes from periodically pondering these things.

The criterion of success, that Paul used to measure his life, was whether he had kept the faith. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7–8). Let this be our test at year’s end.

And if we discover that we did not keep the faith this past year, then we can be glad, as I am, that this year-end death is (probably) only a rehearsal, and a whole life of potential faith-keeping lies before us in the next year.

John Piper 

Do You Believe What You Can’t Understand?

PRAY OVER THIS

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16

 

PONDER THIS

Don’t ever cast out matters of faith because you can’t understand them. How are you going to understand Almighty God, with you being finite and He being infinite? It may sound contradictory to you and outside the realm of logic, but I want to remind you that there are many things you must believe that are contradictory and outside the realm of logic. Here are a couple of examples.

Infinity. Which of you understands infinity—that things go on and on and on? Have you ever thought about that? Even though your mind cannot begin to conceive of infinity; you believe it.

Eternity. Everything we know has a beginning and an end. But we know that time cannot cease to exist. You can’t totally grasp that eternity never had a beginning and never has an ending, yet you believe it.

You also don’t understand that God is everywhere at the same time. It is contrary to human logic. But God is a presence whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. We don’t have to understand it. Likewise, the idea of the Trinity does not rise or fall on logic, but by divine revelation. It is a sacred mystery.

How do you react when it comes to matters of faith you don’t fully understand?

How do God’s vastness and mysteries grow your awe of Him?

PRACTICE THIS

Write out some of the questions of faith you wrestle with. Ask God to help you trust Him even in the things you won’t ever fully understand in this life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Life and Death at Christmas

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

As I was about to begin this devotional, I received word that Marion Newstrum had just died. Marion and her husband Elmer had been part of our church longer than most of our members had been alive at the time. She was 87. They had been married 64 years.

When I spoke to Elmer and told him I wanted him to be strong in the Lord and not give up on life, he said, “He has been a true friend.” I pray that all Christians will be able to say at the end of life, “Christ has been a true friend.”

Each Advent I mark the anniversary of my mother’s death. She was cut off in her 56th year in a bus accident in Israel. It was December 16, 1974. Those events are incredibly real to me even today. If I allow myself, I can easily come to tears — for example, thinking that my sons never knew her. We buried her the day after Christmas. What a precious Christmas it was!

Many of you will feel your loss this Christmas more pointedly than before. Don’t block it out. Let it come. Feel it. What is love for, if not to intensify our affections — both in life and death? But oh, do not be bitter. It is tragically self-destructive to be bitter.

Jesus came at Christmas that we might have eternal life. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Elmer and Marion had discussed where they would spend their final years. Elmer said, “Marion and I agreed that our final home would be with the Lord.”

Do you feel restless for home? I have family coming home for the holidays. It feels good. I think the bottom-line reason for why it feels good is that they and I are destined in the depths of our being for an ultimate Homecoming. All other homecomings are foretastes. And foretastes are good.

Unless they become substitutes. Oh, don’t let all the sweet things of this season become substitutes of the final, great, all-satisfying Sweetness. Let every loss and every delight send your hearts a-homing after heaven.

Christmas. What is it but this: I came that they may have life? Marion Newstrum, Ruth Piper, and you and I — that we might have Life, now and forever.

Make your Now the richer and deeper this Christmas by drinking at the fountain of Forever. It is so near.

John Piper 

We’re on a Journey to Eternity

PRAY OVER THIS

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32

 

PONDER THIS

Sheep are nomadic. They always wander. If they’re not wandering, they’re being led by the shepherd. Beside the still waters, in the green pastures, through the dark valley, over hill, and beyond—they’re led (see Psalm 23). They don’t settle down and stay in one place. God doesn’t intend for us to settle down here because this world is not our home. We’re just passing through. Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” He didn’t have to know. By faith, he sojourned in the land of promise.

Hebrews 11:10 says, “For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” I feel the same way. One of these days I’m going to settle down. All of us are just pilgrims right now. Heaven, our true destination, is going to be a place of constancy: a place of constant joy, a place of constant service, and a place of constant praise.

What are some things you long for in Heaven?

What would it look like to treat Earth like a temporary home without neglecting the things God has called you to while you are here?

PRACTICE THIS

Set up a daily reminder to keep sight of Heaven as your true destination. Consider an index card, a reminder on your phone, or a strategically placed sticky note.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers