Daily Devotional
Is Jesus Your Lord?
“…And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. “This is the first commandment.”
Mark 12:30
September 17, 2020
Ponder This
Jesus called for a decision from the rich young ruler, but he made a disastrous decision.
Jesus didn’t lower the standards of the Kingdom of God in order to get him. He didn't say, “Well, that's all right, come on back. We’ll talk it over—let’s negotiate this thing.” No, Jesus let him go. The young man had another god in his life. His god was gold. He worshipped money more than the Master.
There's nothing wrong with having money, but his money had him. It meant more to him than Jesus Christ.
We’re not saved by keeping the Ten Commandments or supporting the poor, as good as those things are. As believers in Christ, we should do them. But good works or not, if you love anything or anybody more than Jesus Christ, you're not saved. “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’” (Matthew 22:37; Deuteronomy 6:5).
Is Jesus truly Lord of your life? God will never be a moonlighting deity with a duplex for a throne. He must be Lord of all if He's to be Lord at all. Jesus knew this man had enthroned an idol in his heart and wasn’t even aware of it. He was thinking, “When the Bible says ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me,’ I've never had any!” But he did.
Practice This
Do you sit in church on Sunday morning, listen to a sermon, and think you've done God a favor? Examine your own heart. Make certain there are no other gods sitting on the throne there.
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.’”
