Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Telling the Next Generation


“Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: ‘I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, “I will never break My covenant with you. And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.” But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?’” JUDGES 2:1-2

 

PONDER THIS


The angel said to the people, “Why have you done this?” God said, “I gave you everything. I brought you out of Egypt. I went with you to give you victory. I said not to make any league with the people who live in this land, and yet you’ve disobeyed me.”


The later verses answer this question for us. Judges 2:7 says, “So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.” If they saw God working, they served Him. Joshua, the people with Joshua, and Joshua's descendants served the Lord.


But then “another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). Time passed and the faith had not been shared. The generation speculated. The people had grown so distant from the memory of God’s provision that they stopped depending on Him. They took matters into their own hands. Are you depending on God’s provision just as firmly as you did from the beginning? Are you passing down your faith to the next generation, or have they missed how important this is to you?


What makes it easy to forget the way of God?

How are you clinging to God right now? How are you passing on your faith to the next generation?


PRACTICE THIS


Write down some ways God has worked in your life and share that with someone in the next generation.



LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

God’s Pleasure to Do You Good


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


Jesus will not sit by and let us disbelieve without a fight. He takes up the weapon of the word and speaks it with power for all who struggle to believe.


His aim is to defeat the fear that God is not the kind of God who really wants to be good to us — that he is not really generous and helpful and kind and tender, but is basically irked with us — ill-disposed and angry.


Sometimes, even if we believe in our heads that God is good to us, we may feel in our hearts that his goodness is somehow forced or constrained, perhaps like a judge who has been maneuvered by a clever attorney into a corner on some technicality of court proceeding, so he has to dismiss the charges against the prisoner whom he really would rather send to jail.


But Jesus is at pains to help us not feel that way about God. He is striving in Luke 12:32 to describe for us the indescribable worth and excellency of God’s soul by showing the unbridled pleasure he takes in giving us the kingdom.


“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Every little word of this stunning sentence is intended to help take away the fear that Jesus knows we struggle with; namely, that God begrudges his benefits; that he is constrained and out of character when he does nice things; that at bottom he is angry and loves to vent his anger.


Luke 12:32 is a sentence about the nature of God. It’s about the kind of heart God has. It’s a verse about what makes God glad — not merely about what God will do or what he has to do, but what he delights to do, what he loves to do and takes pleasure in doing. Every word counts. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”



John Piper 

July 1


Luke 7:11-17


[11] Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. [12] As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. [13] And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” [14] Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” [15] And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. [16] Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” [17] And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.


Colossians 1:1-14


[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,


[2] To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: 


Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 


[3] We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, [4] since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, [5] because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, [6] which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, [7] just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf [8] and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.


[9] And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, [10] so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. [13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.


Psalm 123


A Song of Ascents.


    [1] To you I lift up my eyes,

        O you who are enthroned in the heavens! 

    [2] Behold, as the eyes of servants

        look to the hand of their master,

    as the eyes of a maidservant

        to the hand of her mistress,

    so our eyes look to the LORD our God,

        till he has mercy upon us.


    [3] Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us,

        for we have had more than enough of contempt. 

    [4] Our soul has had more than enough

        of the scorn of those who are at ease,

        of the contempt of the proud.


Psalm 124


A Song of Ascents. Of David.


    [1] If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—

        let Israel now say—

    [2] if it had not been the LORD who was on our side

        when people rose up against us, 

    [3] then they would have swallowed us up alive,

        when their anger was kindled against us; 

    [4] then the flood would have swept us away,

        the torrent would have gone over us; 

    [5] then over us would have gone

        the raging waters.


    [6] Blessed be the LORD,

        who has not given us

        as prey to their teeth! 

    [7] We have escaped like a bird

        from the snare of the fowlers;

    the snare is broken,

        and we have escaped!


    [8] Our help is in the name of the LORD,

        who made heaven and earth.



1 Chronicles 1


[1]  Adam, Seth, Enosh; [2] Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared; [3] Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech; [4] Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.


[5] The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. [6] The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. [7] The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.


[8] The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. [9] The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. [10] Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty man.


[11] Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, [12] Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.


[13] Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, [14] and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, [15] the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, [16] the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.


[17] The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. [18] Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. [19] To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg (for in his days the earth was divided), and his brother’s name was Joktan. [20] Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, [21] Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, [22] Obal, Abimael, Sheba, [23] Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.


[24] Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah; [25] Eber, Peleg, Reu; [26] Serug, Nahor, Terah; [27] Abram, that is, Abraham.


[28] The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. [29] These are their genealogies: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, [30] Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, [31] Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael. [32] The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan. [33] The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the descendants of Keturah.


[34] Abraham fathered Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel. [35] The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. [36] The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, and of Timna, Amalek. [37] The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.


[38] The sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. [39] The sons of Lotan: Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna. [40] The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. [41] The son of Anah: Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. [42] The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.


[43] These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the people of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, the name of his city being Dinhabah. [44] Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. [45] Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. [46] Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith. [47] Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. [48] Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place. [49] Shaul died, and Baal-hanan, the son of Achbor, reigned in his place. [50] Baal-hanan died, and Hadad reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pai; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. [51] And Hadad died. 


The chiefs of Edom were: chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,  [52] Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, [53] Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, [54] Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom.


1 Chronicles 2


[1] These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, [2] Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. [3] The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death. [4] His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.


[5] The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. [6] The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. [7] The son of Carmi: Achan, the troubler of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing; [8] and Ethan’s son was Azariah.


[9] The sons of Hezron that were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. [10] Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah. [11] Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, [12] Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse. [13] Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, [14] Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, [15] Ozem the sixth, David the seventh. [16] And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three. [17] Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.


[18] Caleb the son of Hezron fathered children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. [19] When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. [20] Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel.


[21] Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub. [22] And Segub fathered Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. [23] But Geshur and Aram took from them Havvoth-jair, Kenath, and its villages, sixty towns. All these were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead. [24] After the death of Hezron, Caleb went in to Ephrathah, the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa.


[25] The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. [26] Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. [27] The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. [28] The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. [29] The name of Abishur’s wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. [30] The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; and Seled died childless. [31] The son of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. [32] The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died childless. [33] The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel. [34] Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, but Sheshan had an Egyptian slave whose name was Jarha. [35] So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha his slave, and she bore him Attai. [36] Attai fathered Nathan, and Nathan fathered Zabad. [37] Zabad fathered Ephlal, and Ephlal fathered Obed. [38] Obed fathered Jehu, and Jehu fathered Azariah. [39] Azariah fathered Helez, and Helez fathered Eleasah. [40] Eleasah fathered Sismai, and Sismai fathered Shallum. [41] Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered Elishama.


[42] The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mareshah his firstborn, who fathered Ziph. The son of Mareshah: Hebron. [43] The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema. [44] Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem fathered Shammai. [45] The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon fathered Beth-zur. [46] Ephah also, Caleb’s concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez.

[47] The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. [48] Maacah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. [49] She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. [50] These were the descendants of Caleb. 


The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim,  [51] Salma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader. [52] Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. [53] And the clans of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. [54] The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. [55] The clans also of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.

Monday, June 30, 2025

God Runs Faster


“For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” ROMANS 11:36

 

PONDER THIS


The only reason we know God is because He sought us. We love Him because He first loved us. By nature, we are all running from God. If God couldn’t run faster than us, none of us would be saved.


This is salvation: He first loves us. He takes the initiative. He brings us to Himself. We have nothing to boast. We live the Christian life through the power He gives, and one day we are going back to Him. For of Him, by Him, through Him, and to Him are all things.


It is the same thing in sanctification. It all begins with Him. I used to think as a young Christian that if I could just be good enough, clean enough, and pure enough, then maybe God would fill me with the Holy Spirit. That was foolish. There is no way to live the Christian life apart from the fullness of the Holy Spirit. That doesn’t mean I can cling to sin and have God fill me. But it does mean holiness is not the way to God; God is the way to holiness.


When we need to borrow a loan, we go to the bank to show we can cover our debt. That’s not how God works. We come to Him empty-handed and say, “Lord, I am in a mess.” And God says, “I am the One who put that desire in your heart, and I am going to fill you with the Holy Spirit.”


What are some ways you have tried to grow in your faith in your own strength? What happened?

What are some ways you can remind yourself to depend on God daily?


PRACTICE THIS


Set up practical reminders around your home to help you depend on God daily.



LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Heaven’s Relief in the Coming Wrath


God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted . . . when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 1:6–8)


There will come a time when the patience of God is over. When God has seen his people suffer for the allotted time, and the appointed number of martyrs is complete (Revelation 6:11), then a just and holy vengeance will come from heaven.


Notice that God’s vengeance on those who have afflicted his people is experienced by us as “relief.” “God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted.” In other words, the judgment on “those who afflict” us is a form of grace toward us.


Perhaps the most remarkable picture of judgment as grace is the picture of Babylon’s destruction in Revelation 18. At her destruction, a great voice from heaven cries, “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!” (Revelation 18:20). Then a great multitude is heard saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants” (Revelation 19:1–2).


When God’s patience has run its long-suffering course, and this age is over, and judgment comes on the enemies of God’s people, the saints will not disapprove of God’s justice.


This means that the final destruction of the unrepentant will not be experienced as a misery for God’s people.


The unwillingness of others to repent will not hold the affections of the saints hostage. Hell will not be able to blackmail heaven into misery. God’s judgment will be approved, and the saints will experience the vindication of truth as a great grace.



John Piper 

Bible Study


1 Corinthians 8:6


[6] yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.


Revelation 5:13


[13] And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 


    “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

    be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”


Jude 1:25


[25] to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.


Colossians 1:16


[16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Sunday, June 29, 2025

The Morning Star of Hope


“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” 2 PETER 1:19

 

PONDER THIS


Remember the resource of revelation. If we’re to know God, God is going to have to reveal Himself to us. The finite can never understand the infinite unless the infinite explains and reveals Himself to the finite. Even if the Scriptures are perfect—and they are—we must be able to understand them.


And God knows that. This Scripture that is inspired also illuminates. It shines into our hearts and gives light. The word dark in this verse doesn’t mean dark like you turn out the lights; it means being squalid, murky, dirty, or filthy. When Peter says, “until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart,” he’s not talking about the Second Coming of Jesus; he’s talking about the sunrise of the soul.


You have that dark, squalid, murky, filthy place in your heart, but the inspired Word of God shines into your heart, into that dark place, and reveals the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit takes the curtain of your skepticism, pulls it aside, pins it with a star of hope, and floods your heart with Gospel light. He did that for me and for you. You have the inspiration of the Word of God and the illumination of the Word of God.


What are some ways God has shined His light on the dark places in your heart?

Who around you is struggling with doubts and problems? What can you do to point them to God’s illuminating Word?


PRACTICE THIS


Encourage someone else with God’s Word today.



LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers