November 30Psalms 140:7God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. Larry had to face the fact: His surgery was less than three days away, and he was scared. He’d hardly been sick a day in his life, and now he was preparing to go under the knife for heart surgery. Nothing had ever prepared him for something like this. He lay back and closed his eyes and began to pray. As he did, an image came into his mind. He was dressed as a soldier, and the surgery ahead was a foe to defeat. But, Larry didn’t stand alone. God was with him, and beside the awesome image of God, the foe didn’t look large at all. When Larry ended his prayer, he opened his eyes with a renewed sense of hope and a heart that was strangely calm. The Lord had prepared him for battle, and Larry felt that it was already won. Prayer: Lord, I put my trust in You. As I face the challenges of everyday life, help me to remember that You stand with me, supplying my strength and my courage. Amen.
It’s not that God caused David to do wrong. David was capable of choosing right or wrong. God permitted David to pursue his sinful choices and reap the consequences of his actions. To incite in this case may have meant that God orchestrated the events that led to David’s decision.
To make the question even more confusing, the writer of 1 Chronicles (21:1) says it was not God but Satan that incited David to do wrong. The apparent conflict between the two passages may mean that God sometimes permits Satan to do things that subsequently are viewed as having come from God.
The writer of 2 Samuel reports that God was ultimately behind David’s action, highlighting God’s sovereignty. The writer of 1 Chronicles recognizes Satan as the more immediate temptation behind David’s decision. Both views are correct.
In the end, God used David’s sinful desires to bring judgment for sin upon the nation of Israel. But good also came from these sad events: Because of what happened here, the site was acquired where the temple eventually would be built.
“Whom God placed as a propitiation through faith in his blood, to manifest his justice, because of having ignored, in his patience, past sins, with the aim of manifesting his justice at this time, in order that He is the righteous, and the justifier of the one who is of the faith of Jesus ” (Romans 3: 25-26).
BIBLICAL TREASURE:
As a child, I thought God was like Santa Claus with a long beard sitting in the sky: making a list and double-checking it, trying to figure out if I was good or bad. Then when my life had come to an end and I appeared before Him, He would lift a great weight and weigh my good works against the bad ones to see if I could get into heaven. Do you know what this way of thinking did to me? It made me afraid that at the end of my life God would say to me: “Adrián, I’m sorry, according to my calculations, you didn’t make it.” Afterward, I would have to turn around and walk out embarrassed, passing between family and friends. Friend, maybe you think this, but let me clarify for you: Salvation is not something you can obtain, salvation is the sacrifice of Christ.
ACTION POINT:
Please read Romans 5. In your own words write what this passage teaches about God. Put it in a self-addressed, sealed envelope and ask a friend to send it to you in a month. What better way to start the New Year than by remembering what God taught you about your salvation.
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About The Love That Is Worth
The Dr. Adrian Rogers is a preacher, evangelist and Bible teacher. He presents the Good News of Jesus Christ with firm conviction through his radio and television ministry, THE LOVE THAT IS WORTH.
About Dr. Adrian Rogers
The Dr. Adrian Rogers , preacher and pastor MINISTRY Love Worth , had a zeal and love for Jesus that is evident in each of their messages. His legacy continues to reach the whole world, sharing the Good News that Jesus Christ is the greatest love that is worth. Even though he passed away on November 15, 2005, letters of gratitude continue to come in as testimony of his global impact.
We agree with Dr. Rogers that the most important thing is the believers who have their faith strengthened, and the countless number of people who have come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for the first time. As he so eloquently said, this ministry is not about Adrian Rogers, but about Jesus Christ. It was his wish, and it continues to be our mission, that the truth of God’s great love, which is worth finding, be proclaimed until Jesus returns.
MOST OF US rise to meet adversity with our best character. However, our true character comes out when things go really well. It’s easy to become arrogant, self-sustaining, conceited, greedy, and condescending at such times.
Abram returned to Canaan with greater wealth than when he first arrived from Ur. Genesis 13:2 describes him as “very rich.” The literal Hebrew expression means “heavy.” Today we would say Abram was loaded. He hadn’t responded well to hardship earlier. How would his integrity hold up under the strain of prosperity? What would this divine test reveal about his true character?
When Abram prospered, his nephew Lot benefited as well. But prosperity brought its own challenges. Expanding flocks and herds required increasing amounts of food and water, and at some point the vegetation and water became insufficient to feed both men’s livestock.
Abram could have called Lot to his tent and said, “Look, I’m the adult here, and you’re the nephew. Besides, God gave this land to me, not you. So take your flocks and herds and tents, and find your own land somewhere else!” But Abram didn’t do that.
Abram first affirmed their relationship and expressed his desire to preserve harmony between them. Instead of pulling rank, he became a mentor. In grace, he treated Lot as his equal. He then proposed a solution that put Lot in control of his own fate. This was an unselfish act on Abram’s part. In his growing faith in God, he passed the test of prosperity.
REFLECT
In what or whom do you trust for provision? Do you rely on your own logic and business sense, or do you accept what God chooses to provide?
Greed causes fighting; trusting the LORD leads to prosperity.
