Daily Devotional
Stop the Thief Before He Robs You Again
“…Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.”
Psalm 51:7-8
October 5, 2020
Ponder This
Sin stings the conscience and saddens the heart. In the first century A.D., the Roman poet Juvenal wrote:
"Trust me, no tortures which the poets feign
Can match the fierce, unutterable pain
He feels, who, night and day, devoid of rest,
Carries his own accuser within his breast."
Only one thing can take the joy that Jesus gives—and it’s not your circumstances—it’s your sin. Not someone else’s sin, but your own. A disobedient child, an unfaithful husband, an ungodly government—these can’t take your joy. They didn't give it to you. Jesus gives it. It’s joy in the Lord.
When David wrote Psalm 51, he wasn’t lost, looking to be saved. He was a saved but miserable child of God, praying, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (v. 12).
The most miserable man on earth is not a lost man but a saved man out of fellowship with God. Many unsaved people are having a ball, living high, wide, and handsome. Never tell anyone they can't have pleasure if they're not saved. That’s a lie. The Bible speaks of “the pleasures of sin.” They last only for a season, but for that moment, they’re pleasurable.
Practice This
When God saves you, God doesn't fix you where you can't sin anymore. He just fixes you where you can't sin and enjoy it anymore. If your joy is gone, you’ve been looking for it in the wrong places. You need to confess your sin and lay it down. Pray with David, “Lord, restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”
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.’”
