Jesus Meets the Heart’s Deepest Need
Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.
BIBLE MEDITATION: "Not that I speak in respect
of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be
content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere,
and in all things, I am instructed both to be hungry and both to abound
to be both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
need.” Philippians 4:11-13DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
When Paul wrote this he was in prison. But he said, “I've learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
The word “content” literally means “self-contained.” We're hearing a lot today about the "r" word, recession. Back in 1929 and 1930 when the stock market crashed, there were men who jumped out of skyscrapers, committing suicide. Why? Because the things they were trying to satisfy their heart with, they lost. That's where their security was. Friend, you’d better have your security, sufficiency and satisfaction in something that can't be tampered with.
ACTION POINT:
Paul continues, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That literally means, I can do all things through Christ who is pouring His life into me. Learn a life of contentment. Have the contentment of His provision—Christ Himself. The deepest need of your heart can be met in the Lord Jesus Christ.
How Great Thou Art
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Chorus
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Chorus
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Daily Smile:
A teacher sees a lad entering the classroom – his hands were dirty.
She stopped him and said, “John, please wash your hands. My goodness, what would you say if I came into the room with hands like that?”
Smiling the boy replied, “I think I’d be too polite to mention it.”
In The News:
Iran May Hang Imprisoned U.S. Pastor
An American-Iranian pastor imprisoned in Tehran since September may face hanging because of his Christian faith, the Washington Free Beacon reports. Saeed Abedini sent a letter to his family Jan. 10 detailing his torture and treatment by Iranian authorities, and the U.S. State Department expressed "serious concerns" about his situation on Friday. Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice said: "This is an extremely critical time for American pastor Saeed and his family. We now know with certainty, from his own words, the brutality and life-threatening danger he faces in Iran's notorious Evin Prison. In a powerful letter from him released to family members in Tehran, Pastor Saeed reveals that he is undergoing beatings and is being told that he 'will hang' for his Christian faith. That treatment combined with the recent news that Pastor Saeed's case has been turned over to one of Iran's 'hanging judges' makes his circumstances more dire than ever." Abedini became an American citizen in 2010 after marrying his American wife, Naghmeh, but the Iranian government does not recognize his American citizenship, though it had enabled him to travel freely between both countries until this past summer. That's when he was pulled off a bus by authorities and placed under house arrest, then imprisoned and charged with several crimes that have not been made public -- but it is widely believed to be because of his Christian faith.
'Transgender' Option Added to Iowa College Application
The University of Iowa has become the first public university in the nation to specifically include optional questions about students' sexual orientation and gender identity in its admissions applications, Baptist Press reports. Elmhurst College, a private liberal arts school, was the first U.S. institution of higher education to do so; now the University of Iowa's application offers "transgender" as an option along with "male" and "female" and asks the optional question, "Do you identify with the LGBTQ Community?" Michael Barron, assistant provost for enrollment management and executive director of admissions, said, "The new LGBT question on our undergraduate application reflects our foundational commitment to inclusion of all students, no matter what their origin or orientation." The University of Iowa said it prided itself on being a place of historic firsts, including the first public university to offer insurance benefits to employees' domestic partners.
Support for Traditional Marriage Growing in New Zealand
Support for traditional marriage is growing in the notoriously liberal New Zealand, according to the pro-family group Family First NZ and the "Protect Marriage" campaign, WORLD News Service reports. A Herald on Sunday poll said support for same-sex "marriage" had fallen from a previous high of 63 percent last May to just 53 percent now. "These results are energizing our campaign to maintain the definition of marriage as is," said Bob McCoskrie, national director of Family First NZ. "We always knew that once we got past the slogan of 'marriage equality' and debated the real impact of redefining marriage, that New Zealanders would understand that there is no need for a 'same-sex marriage' bill."
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