As 2012 begins, each of us wants to be encouraged and inspired in our daily walk with God, and a wonderful way to do that is with Dr. Rogers’ devotional journal Daybreak: Practicing the Presence of God. We wanted to share a couple of examples of the insights you will find in this book. In fact, the arrangement of these practical daily applications was suggested by Dr. Rogers many years ago in a discussion as to what he would consider a valuable daily devotional.
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15
What is the blessing of obedience? Intimacy with God. You will come to know things that you could never know any other way when you become intimate with God.
And yet people are still asking, “How do I understand the Bible?” Friend, you will have a knowledge that surpasses anything you could gain from a school of learning when you serve the Lord in obedience. Jesus said we become His friends when we become His servants. And a friend knows all things.
Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.” Have you stopped growing? Perhaps it is because you have stopped obeying. The way to have insight into the heart of God is through obedience.
Talk to God about your relationship with Him. Do you feel like His servant? Do you feel like His child? Do you feel like His friend? All of these things are facets of a relationship with God. Ask God to teach you how to strengthen your relationship with Him today.
“For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Leviticus 11:44
Some people think that to be holy means to be odd. No, we’re to be different. We have too many Christians doing unbiblical things who claim to be holy when in reality they are just odd!
Holiness is not achieved by what we have on, where we sleep and eat, or how many spiritual things we do. It is not primarily a matter of dress or style of hair. And we don’t become holy if we live in a commune, monastery, or convent. There is no holiness in a hole.
God makes us holy by the blood of His Son. And in return of this great love, we endeavor to live holy lives because we love Him. Holiness is a state of being, not doing. It is a God-induced, God-developed character trait that grows in us as we grow in our love relationship with God.
Take a snapshot inventory of your life. Where do you need to start making changes to live a more holy lifestyle? Do you know of any area in your life where you are not living in obedience to the call of holy living.
These are only two in a book filled with nuggets of truth and insight from the Word. When you get your copy and open the pages of this devotional journal, practice the presence of God by having your Bible ready with pen in hand and heart open to hear what God has for you. For it is so plainly stated in 1 Chronicles 16:27, “Glory and honour are in His presence; strength and gladness are in His place.” Isn’t that something we all want?
