Waiting for Your Sunrise

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

God allows us to have “blue” seasons where there is more weeping than laughing. What we must remember is, it is only for a season. That is crucial. Joy will come in the morning, just as sure as the sunrise.

If you get up tomorrow morning to see the sunrise, let me tell you what not to do. Don’t try to make it hurry up. You can’t do it. You can get a brass band and some cheerleaders, but that sun is not going to come up one second sooner than God intends.

ACTION POINT:

Waiting on the Lord is like waiting on the sun to come up. You can’t hurry it. You also can’t stop it. God is going to bring a sunrise to your soul. Just wait for it. And trust Him while you wait.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Open the Windows—Let in the Light

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If you want victory, you must expose the place of your doubts and fears. Many of us are not willing to do that. The devil has intimidated so many of us that we hide our eyes from the sunshine of God’s light. There is really nothing to be afraid of when it comes to the devil.

Do you know what fear is? False Evidence Appearing Real. You can be fooled by false evidence. Take a bank robber with his hand in his coat pocket pretending it is a gun. His power comes from the power of deception. His power is the power of fear!

ACTION POINT:
Friend, victory’s arrows cannot be shot through closed windows. Is there any area of your life that you have been unwilling to open the window on? Turn your face to the light and give it to God.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Like Father, Like Son?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Of all the reasons I can think of for living a holy life, one of the most important is for us to identify with God. He is the thrice-holy God of Israel. Holy is the Father, holy is the Son, and holy is the Spirit.

What does it mean to be identified with God’s character of holiness? Have you ever heard the expression “like father, like son”? That’s what it means to be identified with God.

I am a Rogers. My father’s name is Arden Duncan Rogers. I have become a partaker of his nature, and you would expect to find his characteristics in me because in the physical realm, he has fathered me.

Because we are God’s children, there ought to be His likeness in our lives and His likeness is holiness.

ACTION POINT:

In prayer today, ask the Lord to point out to you any area in your life that violates His holiness or is holding you back from reflecting His likeness.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

THE GOSPEL: OUR MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Understanding the illustration...
• The competition is our global mission.
• The prize is the soul of the unreached.
• The effort is the sacrifice of our rights.

Applying the illustration...
• We give up our rights because this prize is exclusive. (1 Corinthians 9:24)
• We give up our rights because this prize is eternal. (1 Corinthians 9:25)
• We give up our rights because this prize is essential. (1 Corinthians 9:26-27) 
Thanks Pastor Jim!!!

THE GOSPEL: OUR NEW IDENTITY IN A FALLEN WORLD

1 Peter 2:9-12 
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

God changes people from the inside out, and then He turns us around and shows the world that Christian faith isn’t just talk. 

Gospel-Identity: You belong to God. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
• A major part of God’s program for shaping His
people is that He reminds us of who we are by His grace.
• The first thing our text says about every follower of Jesus is a thing of wonder: you’ve been chosen by God.
• In a sense, according to Peter, it’s not that all the priests are fired so much as it is that the rest of
us have been hired.
Gospel-Purpose: Let the world see it. (1 Peter 2:11-12)
• Gospel-identity informs gospel-purpose: - Chosen so you can proclaim
- Made holy so you can make known - Different to make a difference
• God uses the holy and honorable conduct of His people to silence the world’s skepticism and turn critics
into worshipers.
• Having been given new life/identity, this world immediately, for the Christian, starts to feel less and less
like home.
• My changed life is not itself the gospel. But
if the gospel doesn’t appear to change anything, who cares to listen? 

Thanks Matt!!

THE GOSPEL: OUR COMFORT IN A PAIN-FILLED WORLD

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

Paul’s afflictions, his experience of God’s nearness in seasons of hardship, generated a ministry of comfort to suffering people. 

The Spring of Comfort: “God comforts us in all our affliction.” (1:3-4a)
• If you have experienced any degree of comfort in the face of trial or pain, you have experienced a direct encounter with God Himself.
• The relationship between God the Father and each of His children remains personal at His insistence.

The Streams of Comfort: “So that we may be able to comfort others.” (1:4-7)
• God apparently doesn’t want to reconcile the world while we sit idly by. He appeals through us!
• For all the things that have changed over the years, God has been faithful to keep this grace alive.
How do we lean into this as a church?
1. Cultivate a spirit of humility and of grace.
2. Steward the particular variety of pain you’ve
experienced.
3. Don’t assume that comfort can only come through
commonly held experiences.
4. Look for pain and be proactive.
5. [To the sufferer] We’re learning, so forgive us in advance for
being all thumbs.
• Every act of compassion, done in Christ’s name, is pointing to a deeper mercy that God offers to the world.
• The ultimate mercy from God is that, through faith
in Christ, we are no longer enemies of God, but His children, whom He will never leave or forsake. 

Thanks Matt!!!

Is Trusting God a Challenge for You?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” Psalm 37:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

This word “trust” is an interesting word. Its root is from the word that means “to lie face down on the ground.” 

The idea is that a person is totally helpless. He has been cast down and has nothing to stand upon. Some would say his pins have gone out from underneath him. He has no visible means of support. 

That is the place where God wants to bring us—where we have no physical means of support and all we have is God.

As a matter of fact, did you know that God will sometimes knock your feet out from beneath you so that you might learn to trust Him? At that point, faith is no longer an option or a luxury; it is a necessity. To the world your situation looks hopeless, but that is right where God wants to show Himself powerful in your life.

ACTION POINT:

Is there an area in your life today for which you must trust God completely? Perhaps you need some “face time”. . .face down on the ground before the Lord. Bring that issue before Him in total surrender.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Single-mindedness

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.” 1 Peter 1:13-14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

“Gird up your loins” is a figure of speech mentioned a few times in God’s Word. Here’s a phrase we use today to say the same thing: roll up your sleeves. It means to get serious about what you’re doing. 

We need to get serious about being Christians and living for God. One aspect of that is to have “a single mind.”

Have you ever heard the expression “Don't put all your eggs in one basket”? I believe Peter would tell us to do just that, then label that basket, “Jesus is coming back!” 

We need to be single-minded, living with a passionate, burning focus upon His return.

ACTION POINT:

What are you doing today in anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ? Are you living with the understanding that Christ could return at any moment?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What Will Remain?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:15

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A thousand years from now, some of the things that you think are so important are not going to be so important—your meticulously groomed lawn, who won the Super Bowl, your date for the Senior Prom, the make and model of your car.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with these things, but I want to ask you: What is there about your life that is going to remain when the mountains have crumbled? When the stars have fallen from their sockets?

Wood, hay, and stubble are going up in flames! But “if any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3:14). Things are going to look much different in the light of eternity.

ACTION POINT:

In your day today, ask yourself what are you doing, what are you building upon, that will remain? 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Why Is There Suffering in the World?

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” - John 8:36

“If there is a God, and that God is a good God, then why is there suffering?” “What kind of a God is it that has created evil?”

Ever heard those comments before? Ever made them yourself?

You’re not alone. Many people have thought the same thing. But that’s not straight thinking. Let me tell you the way it truly is.

God did not create evil. God created perfection. God made man perfectly free. The freedom He granted man meant that he had to be free to choose to love.  Then in order to choose to love, we must be able to choose not to love. This freedom of choice gave rise to evil, for man’s freedom meant he could make a wrong choice.

Which kind of love do you want from others? A forced love or a free love? Which sounds better, “I love you” or “I have to love you”?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Holding Back—Nothing!

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint My body to the burying.” Mark 14:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Mary loved Jesus so much that she gave all she had. She didn’t just pour out a little perfume to anoint Him, she gave it all (see Mark 14:3-9). She couldn’t put that perfume back in the bottle. She had broken it! Maybe it was her inheritance or hope chest. She didn’t hold back any for a rainy day or her retirement.

Most of us would have said, “Lord, I would like to give You a little of this perfume. It cost me a year in wages, so I can’t give it all to You. But I want You to have some of it to show You how much I love You.”

ACTION POINT:

Does this speak to your heart as much as it does mine? Confess, “Lord, I’m not willing to break the alabaster box. Forgive me. Enable me to give my all. Here I am. Take all of me.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

What God Wants Most

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If you asked a Christian brother or sister why God made us, they would probably say that we were made to serve God. But don’t you believe it. If God wanted servants, He could do a lot better than mere mortals.

When the scribes asked Jesus what was the first commandment, He said, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:29-30).

The first commandment is not to do something for God, but to love God. He made you and me in the likeness of His image, that He might have fellowship with us and that we would praise Him.

ACTION POINT:
Meditate throughout the day on this wonderful thought: God isn’t asking for your performance. He wants your love.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

No Longer Hungry, But Satisfied

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek Him: your heart shall live for ever.” Ps.22:26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever wondered why people stumble into pornography? Perhaps you even struggle in that area. It’s because they are not feeding on Jesus. They are seeking satisfaction in the evil pleasures of this world, rather than the eternal promises of eternity.

Suppose you just finished a wonderful meal and somebody knocks on your front door. You answer it, and they hold forth a plate full of stale crumbs saying, “Take this. Eat.” You would say, “No thank you, I don’t need that. I’m already satisfied.”

ACTION POINT:
When you feast on the goodness of Jesus, you won’t be down a dark alley eating tin cans with the devil’s billy goats. “And Jesus said unto them, I am the Bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Be Still and Know that He Is God

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” - Psalm 46:10

I read in the newspaper about a fighter plane that fired off a weapon and was moving so fast that it overtook the bullet and shot itself down. Literally! There are a lot of folks I know doing the same thing. They are shooting themselves down.

They don’t take time to slow down and to be still and know that God is God. They don’t take time to experience His serenity and inner quietness. Isaiah 30:15 says, “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”

How much time do we take to be quiet before the Lord? If you don’t have time to do this, you are too busy! You are going to miss life looking for it.

I have a question for you. Are you spending time alone with the Lord every day? If not, let this be your wake-up call.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Value of a Soul

“You were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold...but with the precious blood of Christ.” - 1 Peter 1:18-19

I was talking to a man who sold real estate and asked him, “What determines the worth of a piece of property?”

He said, “What a person is willing to pay for it.”

In other words, it doesn’t matter how much you paid for it yourself. It’s what another person is willing to pay to have it for himself or herself.

That makes me want to shout! You and I must be worth something if Jesus would pay His life to have us for His own. Jesus is the proof of how much we’re worth.

Do you know how much you weigh? Call a jeweler or a bank today and ask how much your weight is worth in gold. Then realize there’s no comparison to your worth in blood…the blood of Jesus Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What You Really Believe, You Will Act Upon

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Fifteen college professors who taught human motivation were asked to write a concise statement on human motivation. After hours of study, they said: “What the mind attends to, it considers. What the mind does not attend to, it dismisses. What the mind attends to continually, it believes. What the mind believes, it eventually does.”

How much of the Bible have you read? More importantly, how much are you applying to your life? 

Many read the Bible like a math book rather than a love story. They get the words, but they don’t get the music.

ACTION POINT:

It is not enough to simply read the Word. You must ask God to teach you. Psalm 119:18 says, “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” Go to Him today and ask for that.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Take This Challenge

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The home is a nice place for the Bible. The hand is a good place, as well. But I tell you, the heart and the head are the best places to store the Bible.

Do you ever ask yourself, “Why do I always cave in when temptation comes? Why can’t I be an overcomer? Where is my breakthrough?” 

Well, let me ask you this question: How much time are you spending reading, meditating, and studying the Word of God?

ACTION POINT:

Take this challenge this week. For each hour you spend watching television, spend that time in the Bible. For every hour you work out at the gym, spend that time in the Bible. Then write me and tell me what a difference this has made in your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Here’s My Heart—O Take and Seal It

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments.” Psalm 119:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In 1758 Robert Robinson wrote a hymn that echoes in my heart from time to time: 

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.”

Do you ever wander from God? Then you know how it feels and how hard it is to return. If you feel far from God today, I implore you with all that I am to return to Him with all your heart.

ACTION POINT:

Make Psalm 86:11-13 your prayer today, “Teach me Thy way, O LORD; I will walk in Thy truth: unite my heart to fear Thy name. I will praise Thee, O LORD my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy name for evermore. For great is Thy mercy toward me: and Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

You Can Have A Clean Heart and Renewed Mind

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to Thee; but his heart is not with Thee.” Prov.27:3
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A teacher asked a little boy to finish this proverb: “Cleanliness is next to...” And he said, “Cleanliness is next to impossible.” Well, friend that little boy wasn’t that far wrong, was he?

It’s amazing what people do to try and purify themselves – fast, pray, kneel, walk, self-flagellate, hibernate, isolate. But sadly, they discover that human efforts aren’t the pathway to purity because they keep doing what Zig Ziglar calls “stinkin‘ thinkin‘.” Before we can hope to have a life of purity, we must have a clean thought life.

God works from the inside out. He knows that you cannot purify the water by painting the pump.

ACTION POINT:
When was the last time you memorized a verse of Scripture? It’s easier to stay away from “stinkin’ thinkin’” when your mind is focused on the Word of God. This is a good time to memorize yesterday’s passage, Psalm 51:10-13: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation and uphold me with Thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.” Start working on memorizing this passage today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Fellowship with Jesus When Our Heart Is Clean

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” Psalm 24:4-50

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

James Nicholson wrote a song which expresses the desire of my heart: 

“Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole; I want Thee forever to live in my soul. Break down every idol, cast out every foe; Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Nothing beats closer to my heart than the yearning to be pure before my Lord. I know that sweet fellowship with Jesus that comes when my heart is clean. And nothing, no nothing, surpasses that in this world.

Are you failing in your Christian life because you are not pure? If you are, you’re not alone. It seems as though a sewer pipe of filth and debauchery has broken and poured out into our world. Someone has well said, “Not since Manhattan Island was sold for 24 dollars has so much dirt been sold so cheaply as it is here in America.”

ACTION POINT:

Take the words of that song and make them your prayer to the Lord right now. Then close with Psalm 51:10-13: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation and uphold me with Thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Pure Heart

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy word.” Psalm 119:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A child delights in what he has. 

A youth delights in what he does. 

An adult delights in what he is. 

The more mature you are, the more you will desire to be something—not just to have something or to do something, but to be something.

What do you desire to be today? Someone who is known for the way they dress? The deals they close? The house they live in? Or do you want others to know that you have a pure heart—a heart that is utterly devoted and surrendered to God.

ACTION POINT:

Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” They will know the unknowable, they will do the impossible, and they will see the invisible. I want to have a heart like that. What about you?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Our Only Answer

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.” Psalm 31:24

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The world wants to know what we should do about the problems of the world. What about the overcrowded prisons? Poverty? Rape? Murder? Do you know why we never solve the problems? Because we don’t see the real problem.

The sociologist says it is just a cultural lag. The psychologist calls it an emotional disturbance. The philosopher calls it irrational behavior. The communist calls it the human class struggle. The humanist calls it human weakness. The criminologist calls it anti-human conduct. The Bible calls it sin.

And the only answer for sin is Jesus, Who executes the will of God, expresses the love of God, and expounds the mind of God.

ACTION POINT:

The problems of our world are beyond solution—apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. God moves in answer to our prayers. Your effectual, fervent prayer “availeth much.” (James 5:16)

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Releasing the Old—Taking Hold of the Best

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I will love Thee, O LORD, my strength.” Psalm 18:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever tried to get a bone away from a dog? It’s not too easy, unless you have something better for him. Try offering a T-bone steak, and that dog will drop his bone like a bad habit.

In the same way, the writer of Hebrews tried to encourage the Jewish Christians, new believers who had a tendency to cling to the old customs of the Old Testament, to leave the dry bones of ceremonies and feast upon the delights of the Lord Jesus Christ.

ACTION POINT:

It’s a lesson we all must appropriate in our lives. It can become comfortable for us to hold to our traditions, rather than try something new. But friend, there is no one and nothing that can compare with Jesus. You may learn to love Jesus better, but you can never love anything better than Jesus. Ask God to begin showing you the delights of a close relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Those Who Went Before You Have Set Your Pace

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2a

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

There are a lot of athletes with natural ability, but what is it that turns a mediocre athlete into a gold medal champion? One athlete is willing to hurt more than the other. When you can’t take another step, your muscles are sore, your body is aching—this is what it means to be running the race with perseverance, as mentioned in Hebrews 12:1. You are bearing up under tremendous pressure. You are running to build endurance. 

ACTION POINT:

Today you may be hurting because a family member, coworker, or classmate has been unfair to you. A spouse has left. A friend walked away. Perhaps you were passed over for a promotion. Run with patience, as others have done before you. These are the ones in that “great crowd of witnesses.” They testify to the fact that no matter how hard, it can be done. Look to Jesus. Building a faith that will go the distance takes both patience and time.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Encouragement for Your Race Today

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” 1 Cor. 9:24
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Heaven is intently interested in what is happening here on earth. There is a grandstand in heaven filled with heroes of the faith. They are watching us and cheering us on. We are the runners; they are the spectators.

If the runners of that day were inspired when they ran their race, how much greater should our effort be today with these saints behind us? Do you feel inspired? I do! It encourages me to know that I am not alone out there in the race and that I have men and women who have run the race knowing the pitfalls that are out there.

ACTION POINT:
Friend, I hope you feel encouraged and inspired to run the unique race God has set for you today. Know that we are praying for you and would be honored to hear how God is fulfilling your every need along the way.

Dr. Adrian Rogers 

His Searchlight Upon Our Hearts

BIBLE MEDITATION:
 “Shall not God search this out? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.” Ps.44:21
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Christian author and speaker S. D. Gordon said, “In every man’s life there is a throne. And when self is on the throne, Christ is on the cross. But when Christ is on the throne, self is on the cross.”

There is something you hold to be the highest good that captivates your attention and controls your life. Your decisions are made in light of whatever this thing is. Is it Christ? Or something else?

God’s plan is not that Christ have “a place” in your life or that He have prominence in your life. Jesus Christ deserves and even demands preeminence in your life. That means there is no rebuttal, no refusal, and no rival.

ACTION POINT:
Ask God to reveal to you if there is anything is your life that is controlling your decisions, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Give Him permission to reveal that today.

Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Misunderstood Principle of Submission

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.” - 1 John 5:3

Submission is a term that has been grievously distorted because there are men who have used the word as a weapon to club their wives rather than as a hammer to build their homes.

When God tells a wife to submit to her husband, He also tells the husband to love his wife “even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:22-25).

When God tells children to obey their parents, He also instructs the fathers to “provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

When God tells you to submit to Him, it is for your good (James 4:7). Jesus is the head of the church, and He leads by love. The same should be true in the home.

Discuss the principle of submission with your family and friends this week. Contrast what the world would say it means to submit with what God desires for us.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Seeing the Unseen—Moving Beyond Your Five Senses

BIBLE MEDITATION:
 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt.6:33

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Many Christians are so materialistic that they never look past the physical world to the transcendent Christ above. They only experience what their five senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing) bring to them.

When a problem arises, it blows out every candle in their souls, knocks the sun out of their sky, and they can’t enjoy the daily bread of life that Jesus promises.

ACTION POINT:
For some reading this, you have a gigantic problem that to the world has “disaster” written all over it. If you are seeking first His righteousness, God will give you all that you need. You have God on your side—the King of kings, the Lord of lords. And don’t you forget it.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

THE GOSPEL: OUR FAVORITE STORY

Romans 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

The gospel is our favorite story

and we’re obligated to tell everybody about it...

• because we’re not ashamed of it.

(Romans 1:16; cf. Mark 8:38; 1 Corinthians 1:18, 23; 2 Timothy 1:8, 12)

• because it’s God’s saving power for everyone who has faith.

(Romans 1:16-17; cf. Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:11)

• because that’s the way He makes us right and gives us life.

(Romans 1:17; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9)

Thanks Pastor Jim!!

It Is Yours, Lord—Everything

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matt.16:24
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Very early in our marriage, Joyce and I got on our knees and made a solemn vow before God that all we had would belong to Jesus Christ. We would not really own title to anything.

Now, we might hold title as far as men were concerned, but everything we owned would belong to the Lord. If He wanted it, He could have it. If He wanted to use it, if He wanted to destroy it, if He wanted to give it away, if He wanted to give more, that was His business.

Have you done that? Have you transferred everything to Christ? It’s not your fame, it’s your faith. It’s not your ability, it’s your availability. It’s not your scholarship, it’s your sacrifice.

ACTION POINT:
Stop now this moment and think about what you have. Are you willing to “transfer the title”? Tell the Lord Jesus Christ that He is the true owner of all you have—including your abilities.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers