Wednesday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Luke 11:24-26
“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ 25 So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. 26 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”
“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ 25 So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. 26 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
11:24–26 The Return of an Unclean Spirit. Cleansing from sin must be followed by obedience to God’s word, not complacency. unclean spirit. A demon. waterless places. For the desert as a place inhabited by demons, cf. Lev. 16:10; Luke 8:29. the house swept and put in order. The demon has been cast out. seven other spirits. A full contingent of demons (cf. Luke 8:2).
Study Questions:
- What is Jesus saying here? There are two possibilities. One is that Jesus is describing what actually happens when a demon-possessed person is delivered from a demon. If that person does not ask the Lord to come in and take control, they're going to end up worse than they were before. Another possibility is that Jesus was using this metaphorically to speak of the nation of Israel and us. Jesus came knocking on the door of the house of Israel, but they would have nothing to do with Him. They instead chose religion and moralism. We can often be guilty of the very same mentality. Moralism can be defined as the belief that the Gospel can be reduced to improvements in behavior. Moralism and religion can lead us into a false security that all is well with God when it actually isn't. Has there been a time in your life when you thought you were right with God but, looking back, it's clear you weren't? Might that describe you now?
- Theologian, Dr. Mohler, says of moralism, "Moralism promises the favor of God and the satisfaction of God’s righteousness to sinners if they will only behave and commit themselves to moral improvement. We sin against Christ and we misrepresent the Gospel when we suggest to sinners that what God demands of them is moral improvement in accordance with the Law. Moralism produces sinners who are (potentially) better behaved. The Gospel of Christ transforms sinners into the adopted sons and daughters of God”. Morality and mere religion are seductive and deadly. Do you ever find yourself sliding into this religious way of thinking? Do you ever wrongly think that your behaviors, good or bad, somehow affect God's love for or acceptance of you?
Pray:
- That you would never settle for being a good, moral or even religious person.
- That you would follow Jesus with all your heart, trusting only in Him for your standing with God.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
1 Comment
I've struggled w this most of my life. I've never been able to discipline myself enough to account for a perfect attitude or behavior. I've broken most of Gods commandments and honestly my mind is always running a muck. Most of my anxiety comes from performance and I'm a perfectionist anyway