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11/04/2024

“Addicted to Pleasure”

He who loves pleasure will become a poor man.

–Proverbs 21:17

The famous playwright Oscar Wilde made it his goal in life to pursue pleasure. But his desire for pleasure became his downfall. He wrote, “The gods had given me almost everything. . . . But I let myself be lured into long spells of senseless and sensual ease. . . . Tired of being on the heights, I deliberately went to the depths in the search for new sensation. . . . I grew careless of the lives of other people. I took pleasure where it pleased me, and passed on. I forgot that every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and that therefore what one has done in the secret chamber one has some day to cry aloud on the housetops. I ceased to be lord over myself. I was no longer the captain of my soul, and did not know it. I allowed pleasure to dominate me. I ended in horrible disgrace.”

Unfortunately, that same trajectory is true in the lives of many Christians. They have allowed pleasure to dominate them, lure them away from God, and bring them into horrible disgrace.

For the past two weeks, we’ve been using the story of the prodigal son as a metaphor for how we, as Christians, wander away from our heavenly Father and find ourselves in the far country. Luke 15:11–13 says, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.”

What caused the younger son to leave the security of his father’s home? The same temptations that Satan uses today to lure Christians away from God: a preoccupation with money, a thirst for pleasure, and a drive for success.

Money in and of itself isn’t wrong, but the love of money can lead to “many foolish and harmful desires” and sever our relationship with God (1 Timothy 6:9). In the same way, pleasure isn’t wrong. But if we’re not careful, a preoccupation with pleasure can easily become an idol and a source of sin in our lives. This week, we’re going to discover what the Bible says about pleasure and how we can prevent a preoccupation with pleasure from severing our relationship with God and leading to disgrace.

***

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Addicted to Pleasure” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2009.

Oscar Wilde, De Profundis (London: Methuen & Co, 1915), 33–35.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.



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10/31/2024

NO ONE and I mean NO ONE! is better than anyone else, and my heart is sad for those who THINK THEY ARE. No matter how BIG your house is, how NEW your car is, or how much MONEY sits in your bank account - we all bleed red and will eventually fade from this earth. ALL the grave plots in the cemetery are the same size…Death has no discrimination, and neither should your life. Be kind to others. We are all here to serve. STOP the power tripping. Your oversized ego won’t get you anywhere. ALWAYS Be humble and kind! Very few will read this far, but if you’re genuine, I challenge you to copy. Most won’t because they’re the type of people I’m talking about.**....These are the Universal facts!.I Don't expect too many Amens 🙌🏾

10/31/2024

Amen and Amen 🙏🏽

10/29/2024

“Money Mania”

You cannot serve God and wealth.

–Matthew 6:24

Financial expert Howard Dayton told the story of a man named Roger Morgan, who emerged from the Appalachian Mountains with one desire in life: to amass a fortune. And he did. Morgan managed to accumulate millions of dollars, only to lose it all in the stock market crash of 1929. Without a dime to his name, Morgan began traveling the country, trying to eke out a living with no success. One day, a friend found Morgan standing on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, staring into the icy water below. The friend suggested they move away from the bridge. Morgan said, “Leave me alone. I’m trying to think. There is something more important than money, but I’ve forgotten what it is.”

That’s the power of money–whether you have a little of it or a lot of it. Money has the power to consume all our attention and affection in life. You can probably think of somebody whose preoccupation with money caused them to neglect their family, engage in a dishonest business deal, or lose it all in a get-rich-quick scheme.

But I think the greatest danger of money is the power it has to lure us away from our relationship with God. I believe that’s why Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Notice that Jesus did not say, “You cannot serve God and sports,” or, “You cannot serve God and your job,” or, “You cannot serve God and sex.” He said, “You cannot serve God and wealth.” Yes, those other things can certainly become idols in our lives. But there’s something unique about money and its ability to sap our attention and affection. Perhaps when Jesus spoke those words, He thought about the rich young ruler who would be willing to give up eternal life in order to hold on to his fortune (Matthew 19:16–22). Or perhaps He was thinking of Judas Iscariot, who would eventually trade thirty pieces of silver for his eternal soul (26:14–16).

Money has a way of becoming the all-consuming passion in our lives. We see this truth in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. We’re using this story as an analogy of how we as believers wander away from our heavenly Father. A love of money caused the prodigal son to leave his father, and a love of money has a way of stealing our relationship with God as well.

***

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Money Mania” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2009.

Howard Dayton, Your Money Counts (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1997), 141.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.



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10/26/2024

‘…“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.15.12.NIV…’

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

10/23/2024

Out of respect for the spirit of revival that is taking place around the world, I humbly ask if everyone on my timeline who believes in the power of prayer would stop what you're doing, just take a moment, and post this... I know all won't, but I hope some will.
II Chronicles 7:14
Lord we need you !!!!!! Please sweep across this nation and heal this land. Restore our strength, renew our minds, and banish everything that is not of You.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen! 🙏🏻

10/22/2024

“Coming Home to the Father Who Loves You”

The younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country.

–Luke 15:13

I’m not a mind reader, but I imagine one or more of the following is true about you:

You can point to a time in your life when you were closer to God than you are right now.
You know that you ought to read your Bible more and pray more, but frankly, you don’t have the desire to do so.
You feel guilty for thinking about money so much and thinking about God so little.
You find it easy to become obsessed with your work.
You can look back to at least one mistake in your life that you wonder if God can ever forgive you for.
You genuinely desire to have a closer relationship with God than you now experience.
We just finished a study of Colossians, and in the final chapter, Paul said one test of our Christlikeness is our relationship with God. Jesus enjoyed perfect fellowship with His heavenly Father. But if we’re honest, I think most of us can point to a time in our lives when we were closer to God than we are at the present. For some of us, our departure from God can be traced to a specific event–a bitter divorce, the death of a loved one, a prolonged illness, or the loss of a job. But for most of us, our departure from God is a gradual one. We move away from God step by step, choice by choice, until one day we awaken in a place we never thought we would be, separated from our heavenly Father.

In Luke 15, Jesus told a story about a young man who enjoyed a good relationship with his father, but he allowed his desire for money, his thirst for pleasure, and his drive toward significance to cause him to leave his father and move to the far country. Only because of a dramatic crisis in his life did he return to the security of his father’s home.

Many people use the story of the prodigal son to illustrate God’s attitude toward non-Christians, and I think that certainly fits the context in which Jesus told the story. But I also believe the story of the prodigal son illustrates our relationship with our heavenly Father. Specifically, the story demonstrates why we who love God wander away from God–it’s easier than you think. The story also illustrates what life apart from God is like–it’s different than you’ve been led to believe. And most importantly, the story of the prodigal son tells us how we can return to a right relationship with a Father who loves us–it’s simpler than you imagine.

***

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Coming Home to the Father Who Loves You” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2009.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.



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10/20/2024

“Any and Every Opportunity”

I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

–Acts 20:24

We ought to live and speak in such a way that we create interest in the gospel of Jesus Christ–and we have to be ready to share the gospel clearly when we have the opportunity to do so. That’s what Paul said in Colossians 4:5–6: “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

Let me share three applications from this passage. First of all, if Christ is central in your life, then your life will be driven by a single purpose: attracting other people to Christ. Dwight L. Moody said, “I look on this world as a wrecked vessel. God has given me a life-boat, and said to me, ‘Moody, save all you can.’” If Christ is central in your life, then Moody’s perspective on the world is going to be yours as well, and the purpose of sharing the gospel is going to drive every area of your life, including your speech, your conduct, and how you invest your time and money.

Second, if Christ is central in your life, then you will live in a way that’s consistent with your faith. That means the guiding principle of your behavior every day will be this: Does this behavior attract people to the gospel or repel people from the gospel?

Third, if Christ is central in your life, then you will constantly look for opportunities to share your faith. You won’t just sit there waiting for somebody to say, “Could you please tell me how I can go to heaven?” No, if you’re going to make sharing the gospel your purpose, you have to be proactive. For example, let’s say somebody shares with you that they’re having difficulty in their marriage. You should be genuinely empathetic, but then you can share the lasting solution to their problem–a relationship with Christ. Or let’s say somebody is bemoaning the state of our country. You can say, “I’m concerned about our country, but I’m not that upset. Could I share with you why no political leader can ever solve our deepest problems and why I’m looking at another Leader to solve our problems?” Use that opportunity to point to the hope of Jesus Christ.

If you’re making Christ central in your life, you’ll look for any and every opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

***

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Shake and Shine” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2012.

D. L. Moody, “The Second Coming of Christ” (sermon), in The Best of D. L. Moody: Sixteen Sermons by the Great Evangelist, ed. Wilbur M. Smith (Chicago: Moody, 1971), 194.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.



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10/18/2024

”Seasoning Our Speech”

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

–Colossians 4:6

Our conduct is one way we attract people to the gospel. But it’s not the only way. In fact, it’s impossible to lead somebody to Christ by our conduct alone. I’ve mentioned before the popular saying “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” A lot of Christians use that saying as a cop-out because they’re too cowardly to share the gospel. They don’t want to risk offending somebody, so they think, I’ll just share Christ through my conduct. Then I don’t have to say anything. No, words are always necessary. If our priority in life is sharing the gospel, then we have to do so not only through our conduct but also through our speech.

In Colossians 4:6, Paul wrote, “Let your speech always be with grace.” I think Paul was talking about both the content and the manner of our speech. When we share the gospel, we need to talk about sin and God’s judgment, but we also need to tell people about the forgiveness God offers through faith in Jesus Christ. And we need to speak those words graciously. D. T. Niles defined evangelism as “one beggar telling another beggar where to get food.” There’s no reason to be arrogant, brash, or belligerent. Think about Jesus–He never watered down the truth, but Luke 4:22 says that “gracious words . . . were falling from His lips.” Even though the gospel message may be offensive to some people, we never have to be offensive in sharing it with others.

Paul also said our speech should be “seasoned with salt, so that [we] will know how [we] should respond to each person” (Colossians 4:6). Salt makes bland food delicious, and it also creates thirst. When we share the gospel, we ought to speak in such a way that we create interest and spiritual thirst in our audience.

Did you know that Jesus never presented the gospel the same way twice? He tailor-made His approach to His audience. In John 3, when Jesus was talking to a member of the Jewish ruling council, He used the Old Testament story of Moses and the bronze serpent as an illustration of faith. In John 4, Jesus took a different approach with a Samaritan woman. She wasn’t a learned Jew, and she had come to draw water from a well. So Jesus said, in essence, “If you drink the water I can give you, you’ll never thirst again.” In the same way, our words ought to create interest and spiritual thirst–and they should always be pregnant with grace.

***

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Shake and Shine” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2012.

D. T. Niles, as quoted in Classic Texts in Mission and World Christianity, ed. Norman E. Thomas (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1995), 158.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.



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10/16/2024

“Making Outsiders into Insiders”

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

–Colossians 4:5

As our world becomes increasingly hostile to Christianity, we don’t have to become despondent; instead, we have to be ready to share the gospel of Christ. How do we share our faith?

One way we share the gospel is through our conduct. In Colossians 4:5, Paul said, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.” He was talking about the way we live our lives. He was saying, “Conduct your relationships, your work, and your own moral life in wisdom when it comes to outsiders.”

“Outsiders” are unbelievers. The Bible says we’re not all God’s children. We’re not all going to the same place when we die. Jesus made that clear: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13–14). There are two roads that lead to two very different destinations, and most people in the world are on the road that leads to hell.

For those of us who are on the narrow road leading to heaven, what’s to be our attitude toward those who are on the other road? Are we to be prideful and say, “You’re on the outside–too bad for you”? That was the Jewish attitude in Paul’s day. They thought they were on the inside because they were physically related to Abraham, and everybody else was on the outside because they weren’t related to Abraham. But Paul said what matters is not our physical relationship to Abraham but our spiritual relationship to Abraham through faith in Christ. Instead of being prideful, we should have a desire to make as many outsiders into insiders as possible. In Colossians 4:5, Paul was saying, “When you live your life, think about the outsiders.” Is your lifestyle attracting people to the gospel or repelling people from the gospel?

As Christians, we ought to conduct our relationships in a way that makes people say, “I want what you have.” We ought to be the best employees we can be, working with the highest degree of integrity and diligence, so that our employer or fellow employees are attracted to the gospel. We ought to live our lives in such a way that when people see the joy we have in keeping God’s laws, they want to know more about faith in Christ. We share the gospel through our conduct.

***

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Shake and Shine” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2012.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.



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Bold. Biblical. Refreshingly Practical. The 10 Get your copy today with our thanks for your generous gift. Get Yours America is a Christian Nation Request yours today with a generous gift. Get Yours Connect with Pathway to Victory Receive the Daily Devotional and Ministry Updates from Dr. Robert Jef...