Devotions

People who are ungodly find their pleasure in the things of this world, which change! I recently read about how Elon Musk went from the richest man in the world to number two. The richest man is now some guy in France. Musk lost something like 20 or 30 billion dollars. If your world is just money — whew! You’re in for a roller-coaster ride, but that’s how the ungodly live.

The ungodly not only live for the wrong things, they sneer at God. Sometimes there are ungodly people who storm out while I’m preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. They don’t pray; that’s one of the signs. The Bible talks a lot about the ungodly. God is going to judge the ungodly. They don’t just not care about spiritual things, they mock those who do.

One of the signs of godly people is they run to prayer and the throne of grace. Their priorities are God and the things of God. Yeah, they have a life, a job, vacations, raising kids, all of those things; but they’re also dedicated to worshiping with others, reading the Bible, serving God. They love what God loves; they hate what God hates. They are devoted to God. It’s a heart thing, not necessarily all of these actions. You can be a preacher and not devoted to God. You can do it for the money or attention or just to make a living.

‘Godly’ isn’t a word we use much anymore. When you read books from a hundred or two hundred years ago, they would say things like “Oh, that brother, he’s godly; that sister, she’s godly.” We should want that. Scripture says, “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. …But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:9,11, ESV).

If you’re saying, “I promise to be more godly this year!” Stop. Instead, ask God for the grace of consecration to a godly life. Constantly be asking God to rearrange your priorities. It’s a daily thing. 

_{Jim Cymbala began the Brooklyn Tabernacle with less than twenty members in a small, rundown building in a difficult part of the city. A native of Brooklyn, he is a longtime friend of both David and Gary Wilkerson.}

God blesses those who walk in faithfulness, and he shows favor to those who favor him. How do people lose the blessing and favor of God? The prophet Haggai speaks to this, and the first reason he lists is that self-interests begin to replace God’s interests.

Haggai recounts that the Israelites gave up building the Lord’s house to build their own homes. This was sixty-eight years after Solomon’s temple was destroyed. A remnant had returned to Jerusalem out of Babylonian captivity specifically to rebuild the temple. Indeed, they laid the foundation with zeal and excitement.

At that point, they ran into some difficulties and discouragements. Slowly, they lost interest in the work of God, saying, “This just isn’t the time. We are having too many problems. Besides, we’re spending so much time here that we’re neglecting our families and businesses.” They said, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built” (Haggai 1:2, NKJV).

One by one they walked away. God’s interests, which were for with their own well-being, became secondary. They began building their own houses, and they used the lumber that had been stored up for building the temple.

How do believers today lose the blessing and favor of God? We lose it when we stop praying and seeking God and stop building up his spiritual body, his “temple.”

Haggai recounts that when the people put God’s interests first, he took care of them in every way. Their vineyards grew; their grapes were heavy; they slept peacefully at night, and their children danced in the streets. None of their enemies prevailed against them. It was a marvelous time of God’s blessing. The blessings stopped when the people became absorbed in themselves.

This is what is happening today. Our world is consumed with pride, personal ambition and self-will. No wonder so many are drunk and dazed with drugs, wandering in darkness and confusion.

God’s response to Israel’s neglect was “I called for a drought on the land . . . and on all the labor of your hands” (Haggai 1:11). He was saying, “If you begin to neglect your souls and turn to material things, you will end up joyless, dissatisfied, empty and dry. I want you to put my interests first so I can again bless and favor you.”

How it must break the Lord’s heart when we question his ability and desire to care for us. The Bible tells us how the Lord took meticulous care of Ruth. She pledged her love to Jehovah God and told Naomi, her mother-in-law, “Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16, NKJV).

God loved Ruth and opened up every door for her. She was poor and had to gather wheat in the fields, but scripture says, “She happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz . . .” (Ruth 2:3). Now, there’s not a chance in the world that this just “happened.” It was God’s doing, and he knew what was best for Ruth.

Ruth simply loved and fully trusted the Lord; and he had a godly man prepared for her as a husband. Boaz saw Ruth in the fields and immediately discerned, “She’s different, really different.” His heart was captured, and Ruth and Boaz were married.

What a love story, guided by God’s own hand! If he would do that for Ruth, will he not do right by his own bride in every circumstance?

We have someone who is richer and mightier than Boaz. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He knows all and can do all, and he loves his bride. Yes, the Lord works everything in your life for your absolute best, and he takes great pleasure in doing so. Sadly, we often don’t rest in that. We doubt that he is on the job at all times, working out everything for our good.

Beloved, nothing breaks his heart more. Paul describes the bride of Christ as “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27). “Wrinkle” here means “fold,” as on one’s face, a wrinkled brow. This speaks of worry and fretting, and Paul is saying that Jesus’s bride will have no “worry lines” on her face.

The bride of Christ rests in his love. She is confident he knows where she is, how she feels, what she is going through, and what is best for her. His love brings her peace and calm. She knows he will not allow anything that will cut her off from him or hurt her. He is going to preserve her because he said, “You are mine!”