Jesus’s Pursuit of Joy

[Look] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Does the example of Jesus contradict the principle of Christian Hedonism? Namely, that love is the way of joy and that one should choose it for that very reason, lest one be found begrudging obedience to the Almighty or chafing under the privilege of being a channel of grace or belittling the promised reward.

Hebrews 12:2 seems to say fairly clearly that Jesus did not contradict this principle.

The greatest labor of love that ever happened was possible because Jesus pursued the greatest imaginable joy, namely, the joy of being exalted to God’s right hand in the assembly of a redeemed people: “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross!”

In saying this, the writer means to give Jesus as another example, along with the saints of Hebrews 11, of those who are so eager for and confident in the joy God offers that they reject the “fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25) and choose ill-treatment in order to be aligned with God’s will.

It is not unbiblical, therefore, to say that at least part of what sustained Christ in the dark hours of Gethsemane was the hope of joy beyond the cross. This does not diminish the reality and greatness of his love for us, because the joy in which he hoped was the joy of leading many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10).

His joy is in our redemption, which redounds to God’s glory. We share the joy with Jesus and God gets the glory.

John Piper 

September 24

1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. 

2 The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. 

3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 

4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. 

5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. 

6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, 

7 and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth. 

8 The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: "I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink your wine for which you have labored; 

9 but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary." 

10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway; clear it of stones; lift up a signal over the peoples. 

11 Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him." 

12 And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.  - Isaiah 62

1 Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save." 

2 Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? 

3 "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. 

4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come. 

5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. 

6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth." 

7 I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 

8 For he said, "Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely." And he became their Savior. 

9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 

10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. 

11 Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, 

12 who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, 

13 who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. 

14 Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name. 

15 Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. 

16 For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. 

17 O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. 

18 Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary. 

19 We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.  - Isaiah 63

1 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence- 

2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil- to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! 

3 When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 

4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. 

5 You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? 

6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 

7 There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. 

8 But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 

9 Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people. 

10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 

11 Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins. 

12 Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?  - Isaiah 64

1 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out. 

2 Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. 

3 I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. 

4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know! 

5 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 

6 Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 

7 Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: 

8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 

9 lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. 

10 Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 

11 There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers. 

12 There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth. 

13 There are those-how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift! 

14 There are those whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mankind. 

15 The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough": 

16 Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, "Enough." 

17 The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures. 

18 Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: 

19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin. 

20 This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, "I have done no wrong." 

21 Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: 

22 a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food; 

23 an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 

24 Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: 

25 the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; 

26 the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; 

27 the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; 

28 the lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 

29 Three things are stately in their tread; four are stately in their stride: 

30 the lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any; 

31 the strutting rooster, the he-goat, and a king whose army is with him. 

32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth. 

33 For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.  - Proverbs 30

1 Let brotherly love continue.

2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

6 So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" 

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. - Hebrews 13:1-8

36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!"

37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.

38 And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"

42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,

43 and he took it and ate before them.

44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." - Luke 24:36-44

Do You Commit or Surrender?

BIBLE MEDITATION

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Romans 12:1

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

I have a friend named Joseph Tson, a dear man who is like the “Billy Graham” of Romania. Joseph is a man of great faith. I’d been in Romania preaching crusades. One day as we were riding along, I asked him his opinion of American Christians.

Specifically, I asked, “Joseph, tell me about American Christianity.” He answered, “No, Adrian, I’d rather not.” “Joseph, I’m a big boy—tell me.” “Well, Adrian, in America, the big word is commitment.” “That’s good, isn’t it, Joseph?” “No, not necessarily. When you make a commitment, you’re in control, but when you surrender, you’re no longer in control.

The word ‘commitment’ didn’t even really come into vogue in the United States until about the 60s. It’s a very popular word today. People are telling God what they’re committed to: memorizing the Bible, tithing, soul-winning. But if a man pulled out a gun and said, ‘Stick ‘em up,’ you’d lift your hands. You wouldn’t start telling him what you’re committed to. You’d say, ‘What do you want me to do?’ You’d surrender.”

People like to be in control. We like to make commitments, but the true word is surrender. Jesus is Lord. You don’t say, “Lord, I’m committing myself to build a great church, to more Bible study, more this or that. Instead, “I surrender. I am yours, Lord.”

ACTION POINT

Only when you lift your hands in ultimate surrender will you know the power of God at work in you. You will never, ever be over those things God wants under you until you get under those things God has set over you. Start with complete surrender. Study the Word of God. Surrender fully to the lordship of Jesus Christ in your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Hope for the Worst of Sinners

“I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” (Exodus 33:19)

Moses needed hope that God really could have mercy on a stiff-necked people who had just committed idolatry and scorned the God who brought them out of Egypt.

To give Moses the hope and confidence he needed, God said, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, “My choices do not depend on the degree of evil or good in man but solely upon my free, sovereign will. Therefore no one can say he is too evil to be shown grace.” That would imply God is not free, and election is not unconditional.

The doctrine of unconditional election is the great doctrine of hope for the worst of sinners. It means that when it comes to being a candidate for grace, your background has nothing to do with God’s choice. That’s good news.

If you have not been born again and brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ, do not sink into hopelessness thinking that the excessive rottenness or hardness of your past life is an insurmountable obstacle to God’s gracious work in your life. God loves to magnify the freedom of his grace by saving the worst of sinners.

Turn from your sin; call upon the Lord. Even in this daily devotion, that you are reading or hearing, he is being gracious to you, and giving you strong encouragement to come to him for mercy.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

John Piper 

September 23

1 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 

2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. 

3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness. 

4 No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. 

5 They hatch adders' eggs; they weave the spider's web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. 

6 Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands. 

7 Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. 

8 The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. 

9 Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. 

10 We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men. 

11 We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. 

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: 

13 transgressing, and denying the LORD, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words. 

14 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. 

15 Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. 

16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. 

17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. 

18 According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment. 

19 So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives. 

20 "And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression," declares the LORD. 

21 "And as for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring," says the LORD, "from this time forth and forevermore." - Isaiah 59

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 

2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 

3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 

4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. 

5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 

6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD. 

7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house. 

8 Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? 

9 For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful. 

10 Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. 

11 Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut, that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession. 

12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. 

13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. 

14 The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 

15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. 

16 You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 

17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. 

18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. 

19 The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. 

20 Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. 

21 Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. 

22 The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it.  - Isaiah 60

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 

3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. 

4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. 

5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; 

6 but you shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. 

7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. 

8 For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 

9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed. 

10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 

11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.  - Isaiah 61

15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. 

16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. 

17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. 

18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. 

19 By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond. 

20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. 

21 Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir. 

22 A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression. 

23 One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. 

24 The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing. 

25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe. 

26 Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the LORD that a man gets justice. 

27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.  - Proverbs 29:15-27

14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.

17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest

19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.

20 For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned."

21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with fear."

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,

23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."

27 This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken-that is, things that have been made-in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,

29 for our God is a consuming fire. - Hebrews 12:14-29

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther,

29 but they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them.

30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.

31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.

32 They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"

33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,

34 saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"

35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. - Luke 24:28-35

September 22

1 Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. 

2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." 

3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from his people"; and let not the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree." 

4 For thus says the LORD: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, 

5 I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 

6 "And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant- 

7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." 

8 The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, "I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered." 

9 All you beasts of the field, come to devour- all you beasts in the forest. 

10 His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. 

11 The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all. 

12 "Come," they say, "let me get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure."  - Isaiah 56

1 The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity; 

2 he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness. 

3 But you, draw near, sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman. 

4 Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, the offspring of deceit, 

5 you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? 

6 Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I relent for these things? 

7 On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifice. 

8 Behind the door and the doorpost you have set up your memorial; for, deserting me, you have uncovered your bed, you have gone up to it, you have made it wide; and you have made a covenant for yourself with them, you have loved their bed, you have looked on nakedness. 

9 You journeyed to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far off, and sent down even to Sheol. 

10 You were wearied with the length of your way, but you did not say, "It is hopeless"; you found new life for your strength, and so you were not faint. 

11 Whom did you dread and fear, so that you lied, and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you do not fear me? 

12 I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, but they will not profit you. 

13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry them all off, a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy mountain. 

14 And it shall be said, "Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people's way." 

15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. 

16 For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made. 

17 Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart. 

18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, 

19 creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near," says the LORD, "and I will heal him. 

20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. 

21 There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."  - Isaiah 57

1 "Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. 

2 Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. 

3 'Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?' Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. 

4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. 

5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? 

6 "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 

7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 

8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 

9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 

10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 

11 And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 

12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. 

13 "If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; 

14 then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."  - Isaiah 58

1 He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing. 

2 When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. 

3 He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth. 

4 By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down. 

5 A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet. 

6 An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices. 

7 A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge. 

8 Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath. 

9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet. 

10 Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright. 

11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. 

12 If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked. 

13 The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the LORD gives light to the eyes of both. 

14 If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.  - Proverbs 29:1-14

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 

6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." 

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?

10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.

11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,

13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. - Hebrews 12:1-13

13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,

14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.

15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

17 And he said to them, "What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad.

18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?"

19 And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,

23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.

24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."

25 And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"

27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. - Luke 24:13-27

Would You Qualify as a Godly Leader?

BIBLE MEDITATION

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth.”

Proverbs 8:12-16

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Which is more important for a leader—to be smart or be wise? How much better to have someone at the helm who is wise rather than just smart! When God offered Solomon anything he wanted, Solomon knew enough to ask for wisdom. Wisdom is the gift of God. I pray God will give us wise leaders.

What about in your church? Are those in leadership wise? Do you sense they are trusting in the Lord for every decision, devoted to prayer and study of His Word?

Many leaders today are not statesmen. This is true both in the nation and in the church of God. There are politicians making decisions by polls: “If I find out what people want and give it to them, they’ll vote for me.” They lead by what I call “the chapped finger”—find out which way the wind is blowing, then go that way. They’re leading not by godly wisdom but by human opinion.

Former President Harry Truman, commenting on polls versus leadership, said, “I wonder how far Moses would have gone if he’d taken a poll in Egypt?”

What would Jesus Christ have preached, had he taken a poll in Israel? Would the Reformation have happened if Martin Luther had taken a poll? What’s more important, polls of public opinion at the moment or right and wrong and leadership?

ACTION POINT

People with fortitude and honesty, guided by what is right, make history. What about you? You can’t have wisdom from God unless you are under God in service and worship. If you are jockeying for leadership, stop it. Instead, devote yourself to prayer and the study of the Word. Wisdom will be the result.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers