Happy Tuesday

What God Would Rather Do

  Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.” Jeremiah 18:7-8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
In this passage, God is not just talking about the nation Israel. He’s talking about nations in general. God says, “When I get ready to judge a nation, if that nation will repent, then I will turn from the judgment that I had determined to send upon that nation.”

Let me tell you something about the great heart of our God: God is a God of righteousness, judgment, and justice, but God had rather show mercy than send judgment.

America is ripe for judgment. God says, “When I get ready to judge a nation, if that nation will repent, then I will turn from the judgment that I had determined to send upon that nation.” We are in the eleventh hour, the clock is about to strike midnight, and we need to pray, “Oh God, hold back Your hand of judgment upon America.”

“If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

ACTION POINT:
A church steeple is something that is supposed to point us to God. Have you ever noticed that the closer the steeple gets to the top, the smaller it gets? The closer we get to God, the more we realize how insignificant and sinful we are. This is not a time for finger-pointing in America. This is a time for repentance of personal sin. I’m talking about the people in the pew. The Bible says the time has come that judgment begin at the house of God.

Daily Smile:
Notice on the bulletin board at the wrestling arena: 

 “There will be a rehearsal for tonight’s bout.”


In The News:

Half of Adults Say Religious 'Nones' are Bad for America As more Americans identify as religiously unaffiliated, almost half of all adults say the so-called rise of the "nones" is a bad thing for society, Christianity Today reports. According to new data from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 48 percent of adults consider the decline in religious commitment to be bad for America. Another 39 percent said it "doesn't make much difference," and only 11 percent of people said the decline is good. Among white evangelical Protestants, 78 percent say the trend is harmful. Only 4 percent see it as a good thing. The data do not specify what "bad" entails, but Pew highlights a surprising finding in its analysis: Even among adults who do not identify with any religion, only 24 percent say the trend is good, while 19 percent say it is bad; a majority of the unaffiliated (55 percent) say it does not make much difference for society. Atheist blogger Hemant Mehta says that means "even some nones think it's a bad thing that more people are nones. ... I don't know what's weirder, that there are evangelical Christians out there who are happy that more people are becoming non-religious ... or that there are a lot of unaffiliated people who are upset by it." Ohio Terminates Planned Parenthood Funding With Pro-Life Budget At first glance, it's a budget bill: Ohio's Republican Gov. John Kasich signed a two-year, $62 billion state budget on June 30 that reduces state income tax by $2.6 billion. But the new budget also eliminates funding from Planned Parenthood, blocks public hospitals from arranging transfer agreements with abortion clinics and requires abortion providers to provide ultrasounds on women seeking abortions, WORLD reports. Ohio has 12 abortion facilities, and NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio said the new budget could force many clinics to close. "Today Governor Kasich enacted measures that prescribe medically unnecessary procedures, force doctors to mislead their patients and will force quality medical centers to close," said Kellie Copeland, executive director of the group. Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, praised Kasich, saying it will protect women and save babies' lives. The budget went into effect July 3. Abortion Supporters Chant 'Hail Satan' in Texas Capitol as Pro-Lifers Sing 'Amazing Grace' For several hours between Tuesday and Wednesday, the phrase "Hail Satan" trended on Twitter as word spread that abortion supporters had chanted it at pro-life Christians singing "Amazing Grace" amid mounting tensions over the pending passage of strict abortion laws in the Texas Capitol, the Christian Post reports. This week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry convened a second special session in the Texas Senate after Democratic activism botched the passage of legislation that would have banned abortions in the state after 20 weeks. The legislation would also require that abortions be performed at ambulatory surgical centers and mandate that doctors obtain admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their practice. Opponents of the proposal argue that the proposal would virtually shut down abortion clinics in Texas -- and pro-life supporters have no problem with that. Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth and her colleagues attempted to kill the abortion legislation with a 13-hour filibuster on the last day of the first special session last Tuesday. Republicans, however, rallied using a parliamentary technicality to shut down Davis' attempt before the midnight deadline to vote on the bill kicked in. Once that happened, however, unruly abortion-rights advocates erupted in a loud protest in the public gallery of the Senate, which prevented the senators on the floor from hearing sufficiently to vote on the bill.