Daily Devotional
Leaning Your Whole Weight on Jesus
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Romans 10:1-4
March 1, 2023
Ponder This
John Paton was a missionary in the South Sea Islands, and he was with a tribe that did not have a Bible. So, he took on the work of translating the Bible into the language of the tribe. When he got to the word believe he asked, “What is the word for belief?” The people gave him the word for intellectual belief, as in, “I believe that two and two equal four.” He said, “No, that’s not the word I want.” He said, “I want the word for belief that means trust, confidence, reliance upon.” And he kept asking but they couldn’t give him the word.
One day as he was working on this translation, a man came in while Paton was sitting in a chair. Paton put his whole weight on the chair, with his feet off the floor and asked, “What am I doing?” The local gave him a word that means “to lean your whole weight upon,” which he put in the Bible translation for reliance upon the Lord Jesus Christ.[1] When we say, “Lord Jesus, I just cast myself upon You,” that is not just an intellectual belief, it is a deep reliance.
- How has your faith been marked by a deep reliance upon Jesus?
- What is the difference between intellectual belief and deep reliance?
[1] “To Lean Your Whole Weight Upon,” To Lean Your Whole Weight Upon | Bible.org, accessed January 4, 2023, https://bible.org/illustration....
Practice This
Think about an area of your life in which you may be depending more on intellectual belief than deep reliance on Jesus. Pray about those things. Determine to lean your whole weight upon Jesus.
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.’”
