Daily Devotional
Is Your Heart Far from God?
“He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.”
John 6:71
March 20, 2024
Ponder This
Judas had the right stuff. If you had looked at Judas, you would’ve said, “What a great guy this man Judas is.” He had the right associations. He was close with Jesus. Jesus called him a friend. He spent three and a half years in the best seminary in the world, studying with the Lord Jesus Christ, learning, and hearing Jesus teach.
Not only did he have the right associations, but he also had the right reputation. When Jesus was at the last supper and said, “One of you will betray Me” (John 13:21), the others didn’t say, “Oh I know, it must be Judas.” Do you know what job Judas had? Judas was the treasurer. He was the man that had the money bag. Who do you make treasurer? The person who has the most integrity; the person you respect the most. He was a worker. He went out with the others when they went out to teach, to preach, and to do good. He was right in it with the group.
We have people like that in church all the time. You’re a Bible-believing person; you’ve got good associations. You’ve got a good reputation: everybody thinks you’re a wonderful person, and you may be outwardly. You do a lot of good things: you may be singing in the choir; you may be taking the offering; you may be teaching a Sunday school class; you may be doing something wonderful. But your heart is far from God. The external things mean nothing if you are just going through the motions.
- If you are honest with yourself, what is your relationship like with God right now? Are you devoted to Him or is your heart far from Him?
- Why are we easily tempted to do external things to impress others instead of actually being right with God?
Practice This
Pray for your fellow Christians, asking God to keep their hearts devoted to Him.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
