Friday, May 29, 2015

Will You Receive the Blessing God Sets Before You?


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day.” Deuteronomy 11:26-28

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
God is setting before you this day a blessing and a curse. What determines whether you receive the blessing? If you obey. What determines whether or not you are going to receive the curse? If you disobey.

There are six blessings God wants to give you today in exchange for your obedience: plenty (Isaiah 1:19-20), peace (Jeremiah 26:13), protection (Exodus 23:22), power (Acts 5:32), purity (1 Peter 1:22), and perception (Psalm 119:100).

ACTION POINT:
Do you want Jesus to be real to you so that He’s not just someone that you know or read about? Maybe you want to do more than just “pray” to Him; perhaps you want to talk to Him, and you want to relate to Him. Then read John 14:23 and obey Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Returning to Your First Love

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent.” Revelation 2:5a

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
When my wife Joyce and I were on our honeymoon, we were driving south of Daytona Beach back to West Palm Beach. I was so in love that I had two eyes on her and no eyes on the road.

A policeman hailed me over and told me I had broken the speed limit of 35 mph. I was surprised because I hadn’t seen a sign that changed the limit from 55 to 35. He said, “All right young man, here’s what I want you to do. Turn around and drive back about three blocks. Look at the sign and go on.” That was my punishment.

The officer made me go back before I could go on. 

ACTION POINT:
That’s exactly what our Lord is saying to us when He tells us to return to our first love, a passionate love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Loving What Jesus Loves

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And I [Jesus] say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are many people who say, “I believe in Jesus, but I just don’t believe in the church.” That is like saying, “I believe in football, but I just don’t believe in stadiums, the gridiron, goal posts, and shoulder pads.”

Jesus loves the church. He gave His life for the church. If you are ever going to be victorious in the spiritual battles of life, you must realize that Christianity is not a “Lone Ranger” religion. The church is here to bind together and win the battle together. Sabine Baring-Gould wrote the famous hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers.” One stanza really stands out in this regard: “Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, But the church of Jesus constant will remain. Gates of hell can never against that church prevail; We have Christ’s own promise, and that cannot fail.”

ACTION POINT:
Jesus loves the Church, which is His body. If we love Jesus, we will love what He loves. 

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Can We Know His Ways?


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters, and Thy footsteps are not known.” Psalm 77:19

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Visiting the Sea of Galilee is an unforgettable experience. The Lord Jesus walked on the water there, but you cannot see His footsteps. When a boat goes through the ocean, it doesn’t leave a trail does it? When a wagon goes across land, it does leave a trail, but a boat doesn’t. 

In this passage in Psalms, what is God saying? That we will never know Him just by studying history—by simply studying what He has done. His ways are mysterious. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” 

But we can know His ways, for He says in Psalm 103:7, “He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel.” And in Micah 4:2 we find, “And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.”

ACTION POINT:
You can try to make sense of God with all your ingenuity, creativity, and intelligence, but God says we will never know Him that way. We have to lay our intellect in the dust and say to God, “Show me Your ways.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Monday, May 25, 2015

Unrepentant Sinner Beware


God is a merciful God, showing forgiveness to those who turn from sin. 
However, He will not forgive those who deny Him, the ones who live to sin and entice others to do the same. Sinner, beware! 

2 Peter 2:
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked
8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,
10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 
11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.
12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction,
13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.
14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!
15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.
18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.
19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire."

What God wants for man:
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9

The Authentic Thirst-Quencher


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever been outside working in your garden or bicycling or playing football and become very thirsty? You go inside and perhaps grab a soda. It tastes great and seems to hit the spot. You return to your activity and you get thirsty and go for another soda. It is satisfying at first, but just doesn’t seem to keep you quenched. Finally you fill a tall glass with water and you’re satisfied.

Why? If you look at the ingredients on the soda container, it says it is artificially colored and/or flavored and/or sweetened. It doesn’t have that touch of authenticity.

ACTION POINT:
There are many who are trying to satisfy their thirst with things that are artificial when what we need is the water of life! When was the last time you quenched your spiritual thirst with the sparkling refreshment of time spent with God?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Freedom and Liberty in Worship

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Formalism and worship are two separate things. When you are worshiping the Lord, there needs to be freedom and order. Worship is not real quiet music and everyone sitting still and not smiling. That’s not worship. Some people say, “Well that’s a dignified service.” Perhaps they don’t know the difference between reverence and rigor mortis.

If you study worship in the Bible, you’ll find out that worship was marked with brightness, spontaneity, and joy. The early Christians had something that fire could not burn, that swords could not kill, that water could not drown, that jails could not hold. They knew the holiness, the loveliness, and the glory of God in a life-changing way.

ACTION POINT:
Read Psalm 5:7 and 29:2 and take some time today to worship God in joy and truth.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Saturday, May 23, 2015

“Authority Over” Comes from “Under Authority”



BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.” Philippians 2:8-9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Sometimes we underplay Jesus’ humanity to prove that Jesus was God. But if you think of Jesus masquerading as a man instead of truly being a man, then you’ve missed out on a blessing. You see, it is the humanity of Jesus Christ that teaches us how we are to live as Christians in this world.

And how did He live? He said, “He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him” (John 8:29). He lived in subjection to His Father. And because He chose to submit, God gave Him authority.

ACTION POINT:
Here is the principle to live by: We will never be “over” until we are willing to be “under.” Authority does not develop on its own. It always comes from a higher source of power.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Friday, May 22, 2015

Someone Loves You Perfectly

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Are you gripped with fear about something? Do not give in to despair. There is hope. Love is the answer to overcoming your fear because love is the Christian’s security blanket.

When you were a child, did you have a teddy bear or a blanket that gave you a sense of security—something you wanted to hold close to you and get wrapped up in? Well, dear friend, the Holy Spirit of God is the believer’s warm, loving security blanket. Have you read the verse, “Perfect love casteth out fear”? It may not have rung true to you because you are thinking, “I can never manage to achieve “perfect love.” But this is not the way to look at this verse. Listen to it in The Living Bible, which says, “We have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly.” God’s perfect love can eliminate all dread. It is not our love for Him, but His perfect love for us that will cast out our fears. 

ACTION POINT:
The question isn’t “Am I brave enough?” The question is “Do I trust His love enough?”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Thursday, May 21, 2015

What Is Outside His Control?



BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:11

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The fourth and fifth chapters of Mark give us marvelous illustrations of all the things God has placed under the authority of our Lord Jesus. You’ll find Jesus stilling the storm (vv. 4:35-41); He is the Master over disaster. You’ll find Him healing a demon-possessed man (vv. 5:1-20); He has authority over demons. Next, Jesus heals a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years; even disease is under His domain (vv. 5:24-34). Finally in these chapters He raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead; Jesus has authority over death (vv. 5:38-43). 

Whatever befall—disaster, demons, disease, or even death—Jesus Christ is Lord! 

ACTION POINT:
“These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He [the Father] put all things in subjection under His [Jesus’] feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:19b-22 NASV). Friend, meditate upon this passage and rest in Him today, for He has it all under His control.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

The LORD of the Angel Armies

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.” Haggai 1:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What does “the Lord of hosts” mean? It literally means the Lord Almighty, and it speaks of the greatness of God. One translation puts it, “the LORD of the angel armies.”

In his hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” Martin Luther uses the Greek word for “the Lord of hosts” when he writes, “Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, And He must win the battle.”

When David faced Goliath, he used the same name for God. “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts” (1 Samuel 17:45). Though Goliath was a huge man, David said he wasn’t too big to hit if God was on his side.

ACTION POINT:
What does it do for your spirit today to know that you have with you the LORD of hosts? This same Lord, the Lord Almighty, says, “And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15).

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The God of the Second Chance

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever felt like you have used up God’s reservoir of forgiveness? Perhaps you’ve thought, “I don’t have a right to come and ask Him to forgive me again.” Friend, it doesn’t matter how many times we have sinned.

Suppose you came back to God the 5,000th time with the same sin. Will He forgive you? Yes indeed, He will. As far as He is concerned, it is the first time you have come to Him. Why? Because He has forgotten all the other times.

Our God doesn’t hold grudges. He does punish sin, but He doesn’t hold grudges. The God of Jonah, David, Mark, Peter, and Jacob is your God and my God. I have come to Him so many times and asked Him for a second chance. And guess what? He has given it.

ACTION POINT:
If He can give Jonah, David, Jacob, etc., a second chance, He will certainly give you another chance. Failure is not final. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Monday, May 18, 2015

The Dwelling Place


You are the dwelling place of Christ. 
We no longer need a priest to intercede for us.
We no longer need a prophet, we have direct access to God's holy marvelous word!!!
We must share the hope we have found in Christ!!

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. - Romans 12:1

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? - 1 Corinthians 3:16

18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. - Ephesians 2:18-22

Revealed In the Last Time


He must be coming soon.
I see the signs.
Terror on every front.
Earthquakes, disasters of all sorts, trying to warn people they must be ready!
Make that choice, you know the one that is eternal, your soul's place of rest or torment.
Christ is our ONLY hope!!!

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. - 1 Peter 1:3-5

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, - 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

CONFESSIONS OF THE PRIESTHOOD


1 Peter 2:4-10
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." 
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," 
8 and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 
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. 


As a kingdom of priests...

1. We are united with Christ.

2. We serve our God.
• We host His presence. (1 Peter 2:5; cf. Acts 7:48; 17:24; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 3:6)

• We offer Him sacrifices. (1 Peter 2:5; cf. Psalms 51:16-17; Romans 12:1; Philippians 2:17; 4:18; Hebrews 13:15-16)
Examples of sacrifices:
A yielded heart
A pure life
Being a servant
Giving the tithe
Praising God
Sharing God

• We proclaim His praises. (1 Peter 2:9)

3. We believe the gospel.
• Jesus is the only way of salvation. (1 Peter 2:6; cf. Isaiah 28:16; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5)
• Faith is the only way to Jesus. (1 Peter 2:7; cf. Psalm 118:22; John 3:16, 36; Romans 9:30-33; 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 1:21-23)
• Unbelief is the only criteria for judgment. (1 Peter 2:8;
cf. Isaiah 8:14; Matthew 21:42-45; John 3:16-20, 36; Acts 4:5-12; 1 Pet. 1:22-25)

4. We receive God’s grace.
• He called us out of darkness into His light.
(1 Peter 2:9; cf. Is. 9:1-2; 42:6-7; Mt. 4:15-16; Lk. 1:79; 2:32; Eph. 5:8; Col. 1:13)
• He made us His people when we weren’t. (1 Peter 2:10; cf. Hosea 1:4-9; 2:23-25)
• He gave us His mercy when we didn’t deserve it. (1 Peter 2:10)


CHRIST

“living stone” (4)
“rejected by men” (4)
“chosen” (4)
“precious” (4)


BELIEVERS

“living stones” (5)
rejected by the world
“chosen race” (5)
“people for his own possession” (5)

Thanks Pastor Jim!!






Serve Him and Let Him Take Care of It


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:17-18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A certain minister served a church for many years, then one day the church asked him to leave. He was talking to another preacher friend and said, “What they did to me was dirty. After all I did for them, and they treat me this way.” The preacher friend listening to him thought to himself, “It’s a shame he didn’t do it for God.”

If you’re serving God in any way, don’t do it for people; do it for the Lord. Serve Him. If you’re doing right, people may mistreat you, but what difference does it make if you are serving the Lord? God will prove Himself faithful and will reward you for your obedience.

ACTION POINT:
Don’t bow to bitterness. Tell God what has happened. Let Him deal with it in His time. He’ll take care of it.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

In a Nook with the Book

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Speaking about the Bible a saint once said, “I have no greater pleasure than to be in a nook with the Book.” Do you think that way?

The Bible is the book that the martyrs held to their bosoms as the flames crept closer and closer. This is the book that the saints put their head upon as they went from this world into the next. This is the book that gives bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, life to the wayfarer, strength to the weak, and a weapon to the warrior.

God’s book rejoices the heart. It is completely trustworthy. There are over 6,000 promises in the Bible and not one has ever been broken.

ACTION POINT:
What would happen in the life of the church—and in your life—if you spent as many minutes in your Bible as in the newspaper? The television? Your cell phone? 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Sunday, May 17, 2015

A Prescription for Loneliness

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in Thee.” Ps. 25:20

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
You may be saved today and yet feel incredibly lonely. Here is a practical pointer for overcoming your loneliness: Quit dwelling on it. Reach out and try to help someone who is lonely.

Luke 6:38 promises that when we give, it shall be given to us. There is a locked-in likeness to what we give. It is the law of the harvest. If you want friendship, you must show yourself friendly (see Proverbs 18:24).

ACTION POINT:
Why don’t you keep a stack of cards and a pen handy to write a little note of encouragement to a shut-in? Get a prayer list and intercede for others. Travel around the world by means of prayer. Jack Hyles, a great preacher, said, “There is no life so empty as a self-centered life, and there is no life so centered as a self-emptied life.” As you pour out yourself to others, the Holy Spirit will continually pour Himself into you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Friday, May 15, 2015

Your “Mission Possible”

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19


DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Many of us talk a good religion. We’re like the young man who called his girlfriend and said, “Sweetheart, you are so precious to me. I love you so much I’d fight wild beasts to be by your side. I’d tread on broken glass to hold your hand….And if it doesn’t rain, I’m going to come over and see you tomorrow night.

Many believers are high on sentiment and low on sacrifice. We don’t know what it is to fight for the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’re looking for an easy way to serve the Lord, you can forget it.

ACTION POINT:
We’re called upon to endure hardness as a good soldier of the cross. How much hardness would you endure?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

High on Sentiment, Low on Sacrifice

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” 2 Timothy 2:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Many of us talk a good religion. We’re like the young man who called his girlfriend and said, “Sweetheart, you are so precious to me. I love you so much I’d fight wild beasts to be by your side. I’d tread on broken glass to hold your hand….And if it doesn’t rain, I’m going to come over and see you tomorrow night.

Many believers are high on sentiment and low on sacrifice. We don’t know what it is to fight for the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’re looking for an easy way to serve the Lord, you can forget it.

ACTION POINT:
We’re called upon to endure hardness as a good soldier of the cross. How much hardness would you endure?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Sojourning Here—Citizen There

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 25:13

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Oftentimes in college, students cram for final exams. This isn’t the best way, but sometimes it’s all they can do with the busy schedule they carry. If they don’t stay up, it’s almost impossible to keep up, so the have to cram. Have you ever done that? Jesus tells us to be ready for His return because it may happen at any time. Are you ready? If you read the writings of the Apostle Paul, you will learn that he wanted always to be ready for Christ’s return.

Paul was not a citizen of earth trying to get to heaven. He was a citizen of heaven only sojourning here on earth. And he was ready to go whenever God called.

ACTION POINT:
As you pray for His return, pray also: “Father, make me ready. Prepare my heart for the place You have prepared for me.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Strengthening Your Wings

“How that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.” - 2 Corinthians 8:2

A man watched a butterfly trying to emerge from a cocoon. Thinking that he would help, the man took his penknife and slit the side of the cocoon, and the butterfly flopped out. It lay there for a while, feebly beating its wings, then collapsed and died.
“How tragic,” you say, and you are right, because God had a plan for that butterfly. The struggle to break free built the strength he would need to fly. God doesn’t want you to live weakly and die feebly. He wants you to grow and mature.
Find the wings in your trial today.
Strengthen them by the promises in God’s Word.
Venture on new heights of freedom in Christ today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

When the Light Begins to Dim

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.” Luke 11:34

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Are there times in your life when you have sensed yourself growing cold spiritually? Felt the power seeping out of your life and felt that Jesus Christ wasn’t as real as He used to be? In times like this, get alone in a quiet place and begin to give things back to God that you have subtly taken off the altar.

ACTION POINT:
Give Him your physical body and your right to life. Give Him your health, your strength, and your abilities to work and make a living. Give Him your reputation and your children. Give Him your cars, your clothes, your house.

And when you have honestly, earnestly, and sincerely given all to Him, the joy will return to your heart and you will sense your relationship with God restored.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Monday, May 11, 2015

Out of the Boat and Onto the Water

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
It was terrible at Simon Peter’s funeral. Jesus was there and He said, “It’s a shame that Peter had to die so young. He was just getting the hang of walking on the water. I shouldn’t have told him to get out of the boat.” It was one of the saddest funerals. Let’s hope you’re saying “Wait a minute!” right now, because we know that Peter didn’t drown when Jesus called him out of the boat (see Matthew 14:22-33). And you will not drown, either, when Jesus calls you to do something humanly impossible. 

ACTION POINT:
Peter may not have walked very far on water, but we could venture to say that he walked farther than anyone else has ever walked on water! Don’t worry about getting out of the boat if that is what God calls you to do. It is safer on the waves with Jesus than in the boat without Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Consulting First with God

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acrknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, you are going to give Him the first consideration in every decision you make. You will ask, “What is the will of God? What is the purpose of Jesus? What will glorify my Father?”

Have you ever worked for a company and they decided to transfer you? So many people, because of their financial obligations, discuss it a little with family and friends, then make plans for the move. Sometimes the transfer happens so quickly, prayer has sometimes been forgotten.

ACTION POINT:
Friend, if God wants you to go, then go. If God doesn’t want you to go, then you need to stay. But you’ll never know until you get alone with God and let Him tell you what He wants.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Saturday, May 9, 2015

It’s An Inside Job

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” Matthew 23:26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What happens when we try to help others? We start on the outside, thinking if we can change the environment of a man (his home, clothes, food, education), then we can create a new man. It cannot be done. It was in the Garden of Eden that man got into trouble in the first place. 

Cleaning up the outside is just reformation. When you clean up the inside, you are regenerated. Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they don’t need another bath, they need a new birth.

ACTION POINT:
It’s not that we ought not to help others. We should do these things. But men need more than soap and soup; they need salvation. They need a birth from above, not merely a boost from below.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Friday, May 8, 2015

Insight Comes Through Obedience


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What is the blessing of obedience? Intimacy with God. You will come to know things that you could never know any other way when you become intimate with God. And yet people are still asking, “How do I understand the Bible?” Friend, you will have a knowledge that surpasses anything you could gain from a school of learning when you serve the Lord in obedience.

Jesus said that we become His friends when we become His servants. And a friend knows all things. Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.” 

ACTION POINT:
Have you stopped growing? Perhaps it is because you have stopped obeying. The way to have insight into the heart of God is through obedience.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Thursday, May 7, 2015

There Is No “Free Love”



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

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Real love costs. That’s right—there is no “free love,” like you may have thought if you were raised in the ‘60s. Love is a great and grand commitment. Sometimes a young man who seeks his own gratification will say to a young lady, “I love you” as a means of getting something from her. Oh, he loves her all right. He loves her like a man who loves oranges. He takes an orange, cuts a plug out of it, squeezes the sweet juice from it, throws it on the ground like a piece of garbage, wipes his mouth and says, “Man, I love oranges!”

Let me tell you, real love is not that way. Lust lives to get. Real love lives to give.

ACTION POINT:
One of the ways you show the Lord you truly love Him is by keeping His commandments. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

This Road We Travel

This journey is by Devine design. 
We walk where, by God's grace, He has placed us.
Some have deep despair, poverty, and loneliness.
Some have loving families, roofs over their heads, and plenty to eat.
What is the meaning of all this?
Evil people have families they love just as the righteous do? 


43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:43-48


This is a hard thing, to love someone who wants to end your life!
But, isn't that what Christ did on the cross?
His sacrifice was the ultimate "love your enemy"!!
He gave His everything to save you!!


And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. - Luke 23:34


Lord, I pray that we are more like You everyday, that we let go of holding grudges, that we let go of hating others who show nothing but hatred for us. Expose Your truth to us! Amen.


19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
20 To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:19-21



32 "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.
35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. - Luke 6:32-36


God did not say He would not give justice to those who carry out violence against His people. On the contrary, He says "vengeance is mine, I will repay".

The Significance of the Inner Place Behind The Curtain


19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. - Hebrews 6:19-20

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. - Hebrews 9:24

Your appointment with eternity:
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, - Hebrews 9:27

Significance definition:
the quality of being important : the quality of having notable worth or influence

This very moment, if you are covered by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus is interceding on your behalf before God! 
It is our sanctuary after the Cross! 
Will it be a place of mercy or judgment?
This has eternal implications, a battle rages for your precious soul!
Christ alone is our mediator!
There is no other way man escapes eternal vengeance! 
Once you are in hell, there is no escape. 
Will you stand before God condemned or will you be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb?

He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.'  - Job 33:28


3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. - 1 Timothy 2:3-6


2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; - Titus 1:2-3


A place of no return:
19 "There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,
23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
24 And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'
25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.'
27 And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house-
28 for I have five brothers-so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.'
29 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'
30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
31 He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'" - Luke 16:19-31


Forgiveness:
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. - Hebrews 9:22

I think God's redeemed has plenty to shout about!!! 
We are covered!
We are forgiven!!
By grace from Christ, Who alone is able!!!

There Are No Degrees of “Deadness”

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” Luke 6:37

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Sometimes Christians look at people who have committed adultery or murder and compare themselves to them. They may even say, “They’re dead in their trespasses and sin.” I want to tell you something.

They are no more dead in trespasses and sin than your sweet daughter or precious parent who has not received Jesus Christ’s gift of salvation. There may be some degree of corruption, but there are no degrees of deadness. All lost people need Jesus Christ.

You may think you don’t have a testimony to share because you didn’t get a Ph.D. in sin before you were saved. Perhaps you were saved as a little child. Well, it took as much of the grace of God to save you as it did to save a murderer on death row. 

Never forget that, precious friend. 

ACTION POINT:
Dead people need to stop comparing themselves with other dead people. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Not “Faith in Faith,” But All by Grace


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The devil is very clever when it comes to our faith. Here is a tactic he may use on you: he will start agreeing with you so he can trip you.

He’ll say, “Sure, you’re saved by faith in Christ. But how do you know that your faith is good enough or strong enough to save you? What if your faith is too weak? What if you don’t make it?” He will try to cause you to put your faith in your faith, rather than your faith in Christ.

ACTION POINT:
Have you ever heard someone mention the phrase “saving faith”? There’s no such thing. You are saved by grace through faith. You’re not saved by faith. Only Jesus saves. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Monday, May 4, 2015

Yes, We Need Each Other


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
To exhort is to comfort and encourage. We need each other. We ought to be exhorting one another by saying, “Isn’t God wonderful? Isn’t Jesus great? Don’t you love Him? Let’s be true to Christ!”

Among fellow believers, we live in a climate that keeps our hearts tender. If we stray away from that climate and get away from the people of God by skipping worship services and fellowship opportunities, our hearts will grow hard.

ACTION POINT:
When we exhort one another, we are sharing Christ. There’s something that happens in our hearts when we tell others about Jesus. It keeps our heart tender.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Sunday, May 3, 2015

What Happens When You’re Backed into a Corner?


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Where are the courageous children of God who will speak on their Father’s behalf—speak of His Truth, His mercy, His love? Psalm 119:46 says, “I will speak of Thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.”

They have a saying in the country: “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket.” What happens when you are up against a wall? Do you back down and deny your faith? Or do you stand firm despite the verbal assault on your beliefs?

ACTION POINT:

1 Peter 3:14-17 has the prescription for a fearful heart:

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers