Devotional Thoughts

About Devotional Thoughts

Pastor Dave Rogers expounds on the Word of God making it relevant to our lives today.

Publisher

WhyMilbank

Category

religion & spirituality · religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Nov 2020

Latest episode

10 Jun 2021

Latest episodes

28 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Jun 2021

   Devotional Thoughts | James Pt. 15

   Meeting Specific Needs Today we conclude our devotional study of the Epistle of James. I pray this has been insightful for you, and applicable to your daily life. As I said last week, I have greatly enjoyed the preparation and sharing of these studies over the course of the last few months. As we conclude this study we find James sharing practical words of instruction for the recipients of the letter. As is often the case, there are some portions of the Scripture which need little explanation. The simplicity of the instruction, the directness of the teaching is so clear there is no need for further detail being used as illustrative material. Such is the case with most of the remainder of this epistle. There are a couple of points I do wish to comment on as we read the remainder of James chapter 5. James 5:12-19 [NASB] 12 But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned. 13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. 19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. I want to thank Craig Weinberg for producing the podcast, and for hosting it on the Why Milbank Podcast Network. I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together in the recording studio. However, due to health concerns for my mother as well as travel plans and family commitments, we are not going to be doing the podcast this summer. I pray you have a blessed summer and hope to join you again in the Fall.

2. 

   3 Jun 2021

   Devotional Thoughts | James Pt. 14

   Patience and Perseverance We are nearing the end of our devotional study of the Book of James, and I hope it has been beneficial to those who have tuned in to the podcast over the course of the last few months. On a personal level, it has been beneficial for me to reflect on these truths and to see how they have been evidenced in my life and in those I have had the privilege of serving over the course of the last forty plus years. It has been a reminder of the timelessness of the Word of God to our lives as we remember this letter was written to the early church in the first century AD. James 5:7 – 11 [NASB] 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. As James begins to close the letter to the early church, he reminds them of the importance of patience as they await the coming of the Lord. This of course has been the hope of the church since the ascension of Jesus as recorded in Acts 1:9 – 11 [NASB] 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” Patience is necessary as we make our spiritual journey through life. In fact, as we remember in the first few verses of this letter James reminded the early church of the importance of patience which was produced in their lives as a result of the tests and trials they endured along the way. For patience and faith were produced in the crucible of adversity. James 1:2 – 4 [NKJV] 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [a (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1&version=NKJV#fen-NKJV-30270a)]patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be [b (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1&version=NKJV#fen-NKJV-30271b)]perfect and complete, lacking nothing. To illustrate the importance of patience, James points us to the farmers, who plant their seed, then wait patiently for the rains to come. A lot is happening in the unseen realm before the shoot pushes its way through the soil and grows to maturity. So too, a lot is happening in the unseen realm of the spirit. Patience is essential as we wait for the coming of the Lord. In the process of waiting James exhorts the listener not to become distracted by their circumstances. We remember how the Children of Israel became distracted by their circumstances as they exited Egypt and began to grumble against Moses. This is a picture of the loss of perspective as they forgot God’s miraculous intervention in their hopeless circumstance, and the raising up of a deliverer to free them from the bondage of slavery. Once delivered they began to grumble against the deliverer and to evidence impatience. While we may think how foolish the Children of Israel were to grumble against Moses, is not the same dynamic evidenced in the lives of some who having been delivered from the slavery and bondage of sin by Jesus Christ, the Deliverer. In the process of waiting, they have turned on him and, on their brothers, and sisters in Christ with grumbling and judgement. Listen to what the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 6:7 – 10 [NASB] 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary. 10 So then, [c (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%206&version=NASB#fen-NASB-29186c)]while we have opportunity, let’s do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. James points to the prophets of old as examples of patient endurance. The Lord allowed them, by faith, to see what was coming. Unfortunately, they often suffered persecution, and death as they waited for the fulfillment of the prophecies. I close today with a reading of 2 Peter 3 where the Apostle Peter reminded the early church of the same things James is sharing here. Listen and be encouraged. 2 Peter 3 [NLT] This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. 2 I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles. 3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” 5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. 7 And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. 8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.[a] 11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. 14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. 15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— 16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. 17 You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.

3. 

   27 May 2021

   Devotional Thoughts | James Pt. 13

   Rich Oppressors Beware We have heard a lot the past few years about the growing gap between the rich and poor in society. Much has been written regarding the ever-widening gap, and possible solutions to the situation. It is not my intention to side with anyone on this matter, rather to simply listen to the Holy Spirit as He speaks these truths to my heart. Money is a neutral vehicle; it can be used for good or evil. It is the love of money which is the root of evil. What James exposes in our reading today is the exploitation of the poor by the rich and the warning to them of the fleeting nature of riches, and the impending judgement which awaits. James 5:1 – 6 [NASB] Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! 4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. The history of humanity is full of the tragic stories of those who had vast fortunes, but lived hollow, empty lives. Who built a fortune on the backs of underpaid workers, or who failed to pay their workers for their labor. Individuals who saw their vast fortunes devoured by foolish investments and who died broken and alone abandoned by the crowds and adoring fans. Make no mistake about believing the scriptural warning about riches. 1 Timothy 6:9-11 [NASB] 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Jesus told the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus to illustrate this point as well in Luke 16:19 – 31 [NASB] The Rich Man and Lazarus 19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20 And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 And [r]besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” In summary, Jesus said, “To whom much is given, much is required.” Therefore, instead of loving money, let’s put to practice what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:11 [NASB] But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

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