Do You Know God?

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

JOHN 17:3

 

PONDER THIS

A woman was in her house, and a knock came on the door. When she opened the door, the man standing there asked her, “Do you know God?” She was flustered, taken aback. She stuttered and stammered and was embarrassed; she just stepped back and shut the door. The man bowed his head and walked away.

Later the woman’s husband came home. She said, “Darling, let me tell you what happened today. A man knocked at the door of our house, and he asked me if I knew God. I didn’t know what to say. I shut the door in his face. I wish I could find him and apologize to him.” He said, “Apologize? You should’ve slammed the door in his face. What right did he have to ask you such a question? Why didn’t you tell him we are members of the biggest church in our city? Why didn’t you tell him we’re reputable people, that we have a good reputation?” And she said, “He didn’t ask that. He only asked if I knew God.”

That’s what I want to ask you today. Not if you’re a member of a church. Not whether people think you’re fine. Not if you have manners and culture. Not even whether you have religion. Do you know God? The unsaved person encounters hurt, and he’ll go to some looking for a quick fix and say, “Pray for me for all these areas of hurt in my life; I don’t want this trouble.” More than a quick fix, what that person needs is God. Only through Christ can you know God and truly live satisfied.

Do you know God? How do you grow in your knowledge of Him?

Who are some people around you who do not know God?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a friend who does not know God about how he or she copes during tough times.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

We Belong to God’s Family

PRAY OVER THIS

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

1 John 2:3-6

 

PONDER THIS

We have two vital relationships as Christians. One is as a child when we’re born into the family of God. Sonship or daughtership is established and will never change. In a parallel way, I was born into the Rogers family. When the sun, the moon, and the stars have grown cold, my birth and my identity as a Rogers can never be undone. That’s the way it is when you’re born again.

But there’s another relationship that can change, and that is called fellowship. I am my father’s son, and when I was growing up, I always had relationship with him, but I didn’t always have fellowship. Sometimes when my dad would tell me to do something, and I would not listen, that would cause a rupture in fellowship, and my dad would carry out discipline. He was not abusive, and he did not just discipline out of spite; he did it because he loved me. Likewise, the Bible says, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:6). Sonship or daughtership is established by birth, and fellowship is established by conduct.

What is your fellowship with God like right now? How could it grow?

Why is it important to remember your unchanging status as God’s son or daughter when you are saved?

PRACTICE THIS

Write down as area you would like to grow in your fellowship with God and ask a fellow Christian to keep you accountable in that area.

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 

Are You Rescuing or Shaking Hands?

PRAY OVER THIS

“But others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” Jude 1:23

 

PONDER THIS

Once I heard of a painting of a ship that was sinking. The ship had already gone down, the lifeboats were out on the water, and the people were in the water. One lifeboat had a man leaning over the railing of the boat extending his hand to one of the people in the water.

A man in the water was lifting his hand up. And their hands were about to meet. A little boy came in and he looked at that picture. Of course, the picture was meant to illustrate the rescue of the perishing and care for the dying. The little boy studied that picture for a while and then he asked, “Daddy, is that man trying to save those people or is he just shaking hands with them?”

Every Christian must ask that question of themselves. Are we really endeavoring to bring people to Jesus Christ? Bringing people to Jesus Christ is the principal duty of every Christian. Jesus Christ did not come first as a great teacher or a great healer. The Bible tells us why He came in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

How are you joining the rescue mission of Jesus?

How can you know if you are rescuing people or just shaking their hands?

PRACTICE THIS

Make a list of people God has put on your heart that need to know Him. Spend time praying for them today and take any opportunity to connect with them this week.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Putting Off Salvation?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.”

Isaiah 55:6

 

PONDER THIS

Somebody told a parable of the devil and his demons in the caverns of darkness, as they were planning how to damn the world. One of the demons who was very clever said, “Let’s just tell the people there’s no God. Then they won’t prepare to meet God.” And the devil said, “No, that won’t work. Only fools don’t believe in God. That’ll only damn a few.” Someone else said, “I have an idea. Let’s tell them the Bible is not the Word of God.” The devil said, “Well, some will believe that. But the Bible has such self-authenticity about it, and the fulfilled prophecy reveals the truth of the Bible. It will be hard to get men not to believe the Bible’s the Word of God. That’ll only get a few. Isn’t there a better plan?” Another said, “Let’s deny the deity of Christ. Let’s fill the pulpits with liberal preachers who pretend to preach the Bible, but never preach the blood atonement, the Virgin Birth, and the full deity of Christ.” The devil said, “That’s a good plan, and I’ll see to it that I have some preachers like that. But I need something more.” Finally, a demon stood who was known for his wicked wisdom and malevolence. All the halls of Hell grew quiet to listen to what he had to say. He said, “Here’s my plan. We will admit there’s a God. We will admit that the Bible is the Word of God. And we will tell people that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And, furthermore, we’ll tell them they need to be saved. But not today.” And a cheer went up in the halls of Hell. And Satan said, “With that tool, I will be able to damn the souls of millions.”

Regarding spiritual things, what are you tempted to believe you can put off until tomorrow?

In what way is God giving you a sense of urgency today?

PRACTICE THIS

Consider the things of the faith you may be putting off. Respond to God without delay.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What Gladdens God’s Heart?

PRAY OVER THIS

“‘And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.” Luke 15:23-24

 

PONDER THIS

What brings the Father joy? What makes joy in heaven? What burdens the Father’s heart? A son away from Him. What gladdens the Father’s heart? Listen. Jesus said, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

I used to think that meant the angels rejoiced, and I suppose they do, but that’s not what that verse means. It doesn’t say there’s joy among the angels. It says there’s joy in the presence of the angels. It’s the Lord who rejoices when a sinner comes home. There’s joy in the presence of the angels, just as there was joy when this prodigal son came home. What gives the Father joy? Sinners coming home. What will give you joy? Psalm 126:6 says, “He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Do you want joy? If you want the Father’s joy, you’ve got to share the Father’s concern for those who are lost.

How much would you say you are burdened for those who don’t yet know God?

How does your level of concern for those who are lost influence the way you interact with them each day?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend time today asking God to give you a burden that will lead you to action for someone who does not yet know Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Piercing Power of the Word

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

The word of God is our only hope. The good news of God’s promises and the warnings of his judgment are sharp enough and living enough and active enough to penetrate to the bottom of my heart and show me that the lies of sin are indeed lies.

Abortion will not create a wonderful future for me. Neither will cheating, or dressing provocatively, or throwing away my sexual purity, or keeping quiet about dishonesty at work, or divorce, or vengeance. And what rescues me from this deception is the word of God.

The word of God’s promise is like throwing open a great window of bright morning sunlight on the roaches of sin masquerading as satisfying pleasures in our hearts. God has given you his good news, his promises, his word to protect you from the deep deceptions of sin that try to harden your heart and lure it away from God and lead it to destruction.

Be of good cheer in your battle to believe. Because the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, it will penetrate deeper than any deception of sin has ever gone and reveal what is truly valuable and what is truly worth trusting and loving.

John Piper 

Do you just believe…or do you KNOW?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. Philippians 3:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

One day a friend and I were making a call on a businessman who’d had some sickness in his family. I said, “We’re downtown together—let’s go by and have some coffee with him.” This dear man of God began giving his testimony of how the Lord saved him. But then he said something that really shocked me. I was speechless. He said, “I used to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and that He was buried and rose again. But I don’t believe it anymore.”

I was stopped dead in my tracks. Then with a smile on his face he said, “I don’t believe it anymore. Now I know it!”

Oh, to go from believing to knowing the Savior! What a change of thought. What a change of heart. What a glorious revelation and transformation!

ACTION POINT:

Do you know Him? Really know Him today? Or do you just believe that He died, was buried, and rose again?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Our Soul Desires You Lord

Prayer

25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 

26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 

28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.  - Psalm 73:25-28

Sinner

14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.

17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.

22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,

23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. - Romans 7:14-25

Redemption 

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. - Romans 8:1-4

Give Thanks

1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 

2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble 

3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 

4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; 

5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 

6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 

7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. 

8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 

9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. 

10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, 

11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. 

12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. 

13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. 

15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  - Psalm 107:1-15

Jesus Knows His Sheep

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them.” (John 10:27)

Jesus knows those who are his. What is this knowledge?

John 10:3 is a close parallel to John 10:27. It says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

So, when Jesus says, “I know them,” this means at least that he knows them by name; that is, he knows them individually and intimately. They are not anonymous, lost in the flock.

John 10:14–15 provides another insight: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.”

There is a real similarity between the way Jesus knows his Father in heaven and the way he knows his sheep. Jesus sees himself in the Father, and he sees himself in his disciples.

To some degree Jesus recognizes his own character in his disciples. He sees his own brand mark on the sheep. This endears them to him.

He is like a husband waiting for his wife at the airport, watching as each person disembarks from the plane. When she appears, he knows her, he recognizes her features, he sees in her eyes a happy reflection of his own love. He delights in her. She is the only one he embraces.

The apostle Paul puts it like this: “God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’” (2 Timothy 2:19).

It is hard to overemphasize what a tremendous privilege it is to be known personally, intimately, lovingly by the Son of God. It is a precious gift to all his sheep, and it contains within it profound, personal fellowship and affection and the promise of eternal life.

John Piper

Wholehearted or Halfhearted?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “The light of the body is the eye: Therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.” Luke 11:34

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Joshua chapter fourteen tells us something very interesting about a man named Caleb. Three times the Holy Spirit says Caleb “wholly followed the Lord God” (vv. 8, 9, 14). Every ounce of Caleb was given to the Lord.

This is the kind of heart you and I should have if we call ourselves Christians. The devil is going to intimidate a fainthearted man. And there’s only one way to stand against the devil. That is to give everything to Jesus Christ.  Indeed, God does not accept half-hearted religion.

It would be better for you to say that there is no God than for you to say that He doesn’t mean that much to you, He doesn’t make a difference in your life, He doesn’t stir your heart to love Him.

ACTION POINT:

God is looking for wholeheartedness. “With my whole heart I have sought Thee.” (Psalm 119:10) Can you say this to the Lord today?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

You’ll Be Known by the Master You Follow

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour.” John 12:25-26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

You know, sometimes it’s hard to look at an individual and know whether they’re saved or not saved. One way to illustrate it is, if there is a group of people standing around and there’s a dog in the midst, it’s hard to tell which man that dog belongs to. Let’s say two men are having a conversation and the dog is sitting on the floor. When the two men part, you’re going to find out who the dog belongs to, because the dog will follow his master, is that not right?

Friend, I made up my mind that if a dog can follow his master, I’m going to follow mine. And do you know how you’re going to be known? In high school, some kids are going to go this way and Jesus is going to go that way, and you’re going to go that way, because Jesus is your Master. In business, some men are going to go this way and Jesus is going to go that way. And Mr. Christian Businessman, you’ll go that way.

ACTION POINT:

Make it your purpose to do what Jesus said so long ago: “Follow me.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers