Take a Look Inside

“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

MATTHEW 7:3-5

 

PONDER THIS

Many times, the hypocrite does not know he’s a hypocrite. As I considered this passage, I had to do some genuine heart-searching. I had to ask, “Is there some hypocrisy in me? Is there a little Pharisee in me?” We all need this type of self-examination.

Here are some questions to consider: Have you ever failed to obey God because you wondered what other people would think about it? Have you ever failed to praise God because you were wondering what others would think? Is your private life consistent with your public image? Are you defeated and discouraged by the hypocrisy of another? Jesus knew there were hypocrites. One of the twelve apostles was a hypocrite. There will always be hypocrites. Our focus is to remain on God, who is never false, and on our love for Him. This is the way we avoid hypocrisy.

How have you struggled with hypocrisy? Are there any parts of your life that are not consistent with the Gospel you share? Explain.

How do you respond to other people’s hypocrisy? How can you trust God in those times?

PRACTICE THIS

Search your heart for any ways you may be struggling with hypocrisy and repent.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Energy for Today’s To-Dos

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)

God is the decisive worker here. Work out your own salvation . . . for it is God who works in you, the willing and the working. God wills and he works for his good pleasure. But believing this does not make Christians passive. It makes them hopeful and energetic and courageous.

Each day there is a work to be done in our special ministry. Paul commands us to work at doing it. But he tells us how to do it in the power that God supplies: believe him! Believe the promise that in this day God will be at work in you to will and work for his good pleasure.

It is God himself, graciously at work each moment, that brings the promise of future grace into our present experience. It is not the gratitude for past grace that Paul focuses on when explaining how we work out our salvation. I mention this simply because so many Christians, when asked what the motive is for obedience, will say gratitude. But that is not what Paul emphasizes when he talks about motive and power for our working. He focuses on faith in what God is yet to do, not just what he has done. Work out your salvation! Why? How? For there is fresh grace for every moment from God. He is at work in your willing and doing every time you will and do. Believe that for the challenges of the next hour and the next thousand years.

The power of future grace is the power of the living Christ — always there to work for us at every future moment that we enter. So when Paul describes the effect of the grace of God that was with him, he says, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience — by word and deed” (Romans 15:18).

Therefore, since he would not dare to speak of anything but what Christ accomplished through his ministry, and yet he did, in fact, speak of what grace accomplished through his ministry (1 Corinthians 15:10), this must mean that the power of grace is the power of Christ.

Which means that the power we need for the next five minutes and the next five decades of ministry is the future grace of the omnipotent Christ, who will always be there for us — ready to will and ready to work for his good pleasure.

John Piper 

The Root of Ingratitude

Although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21)

When gratitude springs up in the human heart toward God, he is magnified as the wealthy source of our blessing. He is acknowledged as giver and benefactor and therefore as glorious.

But when gratitude does not spring up in our hearts at God’s great goodness to us, it probably means that we don’t want to pay him a compliment; we don’t want to magnify him as our benefactor.

And there is a very good reason that human beings by nature do not want to magnify God with thanksgiving or glorify him as their benefactor. The reason is that it detracts from our own glory, and all people by nature love their own glory more than the glory of God.

At the root of all ingratitude is the love of one’s own greatness. For genuine gratitude admits that we are beneficiaries of an unearned bequest. We are cripples leaning on the cross-shaped crutch of Jesus Christ. We are paralytics living minute by minute in the iron lung of God’s mercy. We are children asleep in heaven’s stroller.

The natural person, apart from saving grace, hates to think of himself in these images: unworthy beneficiary, cripple, paralytic, child. They rob him of his glory by giving it all to God.

Therefore, while a man loves his own glory, and prizes his self-sufficiency, and hates to think of himself as sin-sick and helpless, he will never feel genuine gratitude to the true God and so will never magnify God as he ought, but only himself.

Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

Jesus did not come to minister to those who insist they are well. He demands something great: that we admit we are not great. This is bad news to the arrogant, but words of honey to those who have given up their charade of self-sufficiency and are seeking God.

John Piper 

Selfishness Does Not Foster Unity

PRAY OVER THIS

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4

 

PONDER THIS

One of the many reasons we experience failure to communicate is self-centeredness. What is the biggest problem in relationships? Selfishness. We want to be the king or queen on the throne of our own lives.

We say we have our rights, but Jesus, the Lord of glory, “did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation” (Philippians 2:6-7). He laid down His life for the Church, which is His bride. Self-centeredness is a hindrance to good communication. Most arguments are not over problems—they’re about ego. There are no problems too big to solve, just people too small to solve them. The problem is, we’re full of rotten pride. Rather than attacking the problem, we attack one another because we are selfish by nature, and we’re so full of pride, we want to be right. But if both husband and wife would center on the problem rather than trying to prove who’s right or wrong, then we would have communication.

When has selfishness gotten in the way of your communication?

What would it look like to look to the interest of others?

PRACTICE THIS

Intentionally serve another person in relationship this week.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Root of Ingratitude

Although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21)

When gratitude springs up in the human heart toward God, he is magnified as the wealthy source of our blessing. He is acknowledged as giver and benefactor and therefore as glorious.

But when gratitude does not spring up in our hearts at God’s great goodness to us, it probably means that we don’t want to pay him a compliment; we don’t want to magnify him as our benefactor.

And there is a very good reason that human beings by nature do not want to magnify God with thanksgiving or glorify him as their benefactor. The reason is that it detracts from our own glory, and all people by nature love their own glory more than the glory of God.

At the root of all ingratitude is the love of one’s own greatness. For genuine gratitude admits that we are beneficiaries of an unearned bequest. We are cripples leaning on the cross-shaped crutch of Jesus Christ. We are paralytics living minute by minute in the iron lung of God’s mercy. We are children asleep in heaven’s stroller.

The natural person, apart from saving grace, hates to think of himself in these images: unworthy beneficiary, cripple, paralytic, child. They rob him of his glory by giving it all to God.

Therefore, while a man loves his own glory, and prizes his self-sufficiency, and hates to think of himself as sin-sick and helpless, he will never feel genuine gratitude to the true God and so will never magnify God as he ought, but only himself.

Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

Jesus did not come to minister to those who insist they are well. He demands something great: that we admit we are not great. This is bad news to the arrogant, but words of honey to those who have given up their charade of self-sufficiency and are seeking God.

John Piper 

Are You Wallowing in Self-Pity?

PRAY OVER THIS

“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!’” 1 Kings 19:4

 

PONDER THIS

Elijah had taken his eyes off the Lord. He said, “I’m no better than other people.” Somehow, evidently, he had thought for a while that he was better than other people. It seems he believed he would be immune from difficulty and persecution. As a result of these wrong expectations, he drank from the intoxicating cup of self-pity. Jezebel had just made a promise to him. Jezebel was a wicked queen of Israel who was married to the wicked king Ahab. Jezebel had determined to behead Elijah. In this moment, he was on the run expecting the worst.

We may question if Elijah really wanted to die. Had he really been set on ending his life, all that he needed to do was stay near Jezebel and let her fulfill her threat against him. Whatever his true intention, we see that he was wallowing in self-pity. What Elijah needed at that moment was not encouragement in himself or his situation, but encouragement and trust in the Lord.

What connection is there in your life between self-pity and losing focus on the Lord?

In what area do you need a reminder of who God is?

PRACTICE THIS

Go for a prayer walk today. Focus on ways you can praise the Lord. Seek to pour out worship to Him without making requests during this time.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Hollywood Star Who Was a “Cardboard Christian”

BIBLE MEDITATION

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

Matthew 23:27

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

I read an article one time about Art Linkletter. Everyone in America knew and would recognize Art Linkletter, a man who for 40 years on stage, screen and television had entertained millions. Art Linkletter said he was a professing Christian. But one day he had a great tragedy—his daughter took her life. He really needed help.

In a hotel lobby in San Francisco, he met with some young people who were on-fire Christians. There was no pretense with them, no holds barred. It came time to pray, and those young people got down on their knees in that hotel lobby. And Art Linkletter got down on his knees with them in this public place. He said,

I looked around and hoped no one would recognize me. But I was on my knees only a second when I no longer cared what anyone else thought. Until that time, I was self-sufficient. I thought I didn’t need anybody. I thought of myself as being a good person. But I was a cardboard Christian. I humbled myself before God, got on my knees, broke through to God, and met reality.

Our world is sick and tired of make-believe, cardboard Christians. It hungers for reality, not hypocrisy. The greatest argument for Christ—and the greatest argument against Christ—is the life of a Christian!

ACTION POINT

There have always been hypocrites. There always will be. But how wonderful to know Jesus Christ—to serve and love Him with reality in your heart. Jesus devoted the 6th chapter of Matthew to the problem of hypocrites. Examine your heart. Would you have knelt and prayed in that hotel lobby?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers