Do You Pay Attention to God’s Boundaries?

PRAY OVER THIS

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”

Colossians 2:6-7

 

PONDER THIS

If I said to you, “Walk in this building,” where are you to walk? In this building. The parameters of this building are to contain your walk. This building would be the boundaries, the circumference, of your walk. Now, in this passage, you’re told to walk in the Spirit.

Now the natural person says, “I don’t like that. I don’t want to be hemmed in. Are you telling me that’s all I can do, just walk in the Spirit? I want more.” You are to walk in the Lord Jesus Christ. What I’m trying to say is, nothing outside of Jesus is worth having. You say, “Well, what about my car?” No, you can have a house, you can have a car, you can have your clothes, and you can have all these things, but all these things are a subset of knowing the Lord Jesus. That is, if Jesus allows you to have them, they’re gifts He gives to you. But if you must go outside of Jesus to get any of these things, if you must transgress the law of God to have something else, then you don’t need it. He will supply everything you need, “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Jesus is the circumference of your walk.

When have you been dissatisfied to walk in the Spirit?

Where do you struggle to trust that God will supply all you need?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend some time in prayer asking God to help you walk in His Spirit.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Forgiven for Jesus’s Sake

For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. (Psalm 25:11)

In knowing what is right, God does not consult any authority higher than himself. His own worth is the ultimate value in the universe. Therefore, for God to do what is right means acting in a way that accords with this ultimate value.

The righteousness of God is the infinite zeal and joy and pleasure that he has in what is supremely valuable, namely, his own perfection and worth. And if he were ever to act contrary to this eternal passion for his own perfections, he would be unrighteous — he would be an idolater.

How shall such a righteous God ever set his affection on sinners like us who have scorned his perfections? But the wonder of the gospel is that in his divine righteousness lies also the very foundation of our salvation.

The infinite regard that the Father has for the Son makes it possible for me, a wicked sinner, to be loved and accepted in the Son, because in his death he vindicated the worth and glory of his Father.

Because of Christ, we can pray with new understanding the prayer of the psalmist, “For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great” (Psalm 25:11). The new understanding is that, because of Christ, instead of only praying, “For your name’s sake, pardon my guilt,” we now pray, “For Jesus’s name’s sake, O God, pardon my guilt.”

First John 2:12 says, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake,” referring to Jesus. Jesus has now atoned for sin and vindicated the Father’s honor so that our “sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.”

God is righteous. He does not sweep sin under the rug. If a sinner goes free, someone dies to vindicate the infinite worth of God’s glory that the sinner defamed. That is what Christ did. Therefore, “For your name’s sake, O Lord” and “For Jesus’s name’s sake” are the same. And that is why we pray with confidence for forgiveness.

John Piper 

Bible Study

Romans 5:19-21

[19] For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. [20] Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, [21] so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 23:3

        [3]     He restores my soul.

    He leads me in paths of righteousness

        for his name’s sake.

Psalm 143:10-11

    [10] Teach me to do your will,

        for you are my God!

    Let your good Spirit lead me

        on level ground!

    [11] For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life!

        In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!

Psalm 79:9

    [9] Help us, O God of our salvation,

        for the glory of your name;

    deliver us, and atone for our sins,

        for your name’s sake!

Do You See Evidence of Godly Growth?

PRAY OVER THIS

“To godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 1:7-8

 

PONDER THIS

When people see you, they should be reminded of Jesus. They should also see brotherly kindness. This passage is interesting because Simon Peter by nature was not given to brotherly kindness. He was a debater and an arguer. One of the great pieces of evidence of the new birth is that you are kind. A little girl once said, “God, make all the bad people good and all the good people nice.”

You can’t imitate kindness and love, and you can’t manufacture them. These are the fruit of the Spirit. Throughout your walk in faith, you can use these things as a checklist to say, “Am I growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?”

We need a faith that knows intimately. Then we need a faith that grows: Add to your faith, virtue. Add to your faith, knowledge. Add to your faith these things. Don’t be satisfied. Are you a growing Christian? Remember, to cease to be better is to cease to be good. We all need to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior at all stages in our lives.

When is the last time you grew significantly in your faith? How can you measure this?

How has God worked in your life to show familial love and kindness to others?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask another believer to honestly assess how you are growing in your faith.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Jesus Will Trample All Our Enemies

Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:24)

How far does the reign of Christ extend?

The next verse, 1 Corinthians 15:25 says, “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” The word all tells us the extent.

So does the word every in verse 24: “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.”

There is no disease, no addiction, no demon, no bad habit, no fault, no vice, no weakness, no temper, no moodiness, no pride, no self-pity, no strife, no jealousy, no perversion, no greed, no laziness that Christ will not overcome as the enemy of his honor.

And the encouragement in that promise is that when you set yourself to do battle with the enemies of your faith and your holiness, you will not fight alone.

Jesus Christ is now, in this age, putting all his enemies under his feet. Every rule and every authority and every power will be conquered.

So, remember that the extent of Christ’s reign reaches to the smallest and biggest enemy of his glory in your life, and in this universe. It will be defeated.

John Piper 

Bible Study

Daniel 7:13-14

The Son of Man Is Given Dominion

[13] “I saw in the night visions, 

    and behold, with the clouds of heaven

        there came one like a son of man,

    and he came to the Ancient of Days

        and was presented before him. 

    [14] And to him was given dominion

        and glory and a kingdom,

    that all peoples, nations, and languages

        should serve him;

    his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

        which shall not pass away,

    and his kingdom one

        that shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:27

    [27] And the kingdom and the dominion

        and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven

        shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;

    his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,

        and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’

Ephesians 1:21-23

[21] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. [22] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Colossians 2:10

[10] and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

How Are You Growing to Godliness?

PRAY OVER THIS

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness.” 2 Peter 1:5-6

 

PONDER THIS

When you observe babies, you can see they are often out of control. They often struggle with tantrums. If you have young children, you know that is true. Paul taught the importance of self-control. Are you under control? How about your sexual desires? How about your appetite for food? How about your sleep? How about your recreation? How about your quiet time?

Paul also mentioned patience or perseverance. That means steadfastness. Are you a patient person? Traffic jams, losing your keys, long lines, late airplanes, flat tires, interruptions, why do these things happen? I spilled something the other day. It went all over my stuff on my desk, ran all over into my papers that I had stacked up neatly and everything. I asked “Why God? What is the purpose of all of that? Why would that happen?” Then I thought, “Thank you Lord for that—if for no other reason than just to help develop my patience.” Things happen to us that we can’t explain. If we can just praise God for the unexplainable, we know and understand what real patience is.

What is more difficult for you: self-control or patience? Why?

How can small frustrating moments become opportunities to practice patience and self-control?

PRACTICE THIS

The next time you feel tested in your patience or self-control, turn to the Lord in prayer and use the moment as an opportunity to grow in your faith in Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers