Graced by His Prayers

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you ever feel you are all alone when a struggle hits your life? 

Tell yourself, “I am graced by His prayers.” 

Jesus is watching over you, and He is praying for you. The Savior. The Shepherd. The King. The Prince. He is praying for you! Do you feel encouraged? I do! 

Just to know that the One who died for me “ever liveth to make intercession” for me is enough. He lives to stand in the gap for you and for me. What a mighty God we serve! What mercy we don’t deserve! You are on Jesus’ prayer list! 

You. 

He knows you. And He is praying you through the eye of the storm. 

ACTION POINT:

Do you have a prayer list? Go through that list today and pray for someone you haven’t prayed for in awhile and trust God to answer, even today!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Your Life Is But A Breath

What really matters?

God given time!

How you use that time!

Loving and serving others, sharing the hope found in Christ and teaching people Christ is the only way for salvation!

4 "O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! 

5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah 

6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! 

7 "And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. - Psalm 39:4-7

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.  - Psalm 90:12

A Ransom For His Life To The Lord

Jesus-the ransom

Me and you-sin filled people in need of Savior

The Cross-where Christ paid your debt

Eternity-Jesus has yours secured by the power of His blood
Repent-You must repent

"When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. - Exodus 30:12

7 Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, 

8 for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,  - Psalm 49:7-8

26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." - Matthew 16:26-28 


45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
46 and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

48 You are witnesses of these things. - Luke 24:45-48

18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. - Acts 3:18-21

20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'

21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." - Luke 12:20-21

Holy through Hardship

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? ... hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him.” Psalm 42:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Here’s an anchor for your soul in the storms of life: “I am growing by His plan.”

What is God’s plan for you? He wants to enlarge you, not indulge you. God is not so interested in making you happy and healthy as He is in making you holy. And so God will allow troubles to make you more like Christ.

Think about the times when you have grown the most. It is when your friend “Trouble” came along. I have grown the most in my own life in times of deepest despair.

ACTION POINT:

Can you look at the troubles in your life not as adversaries, but as friends? Take a second look and get a godly perspective of it. See how you can become holy through hardship.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Governed by His Providence

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But He saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.” John 6:20

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When storms come into your life, I want you to remember this truth: “I am governed by His providence.”

The storm did not take the wave walker, the Lord Jesus, by surprise. As a matter of fact, the Bible says He’s the one that “commandeth and raiseth stormy seas” (Psalm 107:25).

Perhaps you’re in the eye of a storm right now. It looks like your boat is sinking. Maybe it’s so dark you cannot see your hand before your face. I want you to know there is nothing that comes to you that He does not cause or allow. Whether I can see it, whether I can understand it or not, it is a fact that God has not relinquished His rule upon His universe.

ACTION POINT:

Read Matthew 8:23-27. Does Jesus see the storm in your life? Bow before the One, the only One, who can calm your storm. Trust His ways. He’s in control.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

He Knows My Name

Yes, Jesus knows your name!!!

But more than that, He sees your heart!!

You are chosen!!

You are loved!!

He is perusing you with His salvation!!!

In Him alone, there is hope!!

Satan wants to destroy you!

Satan wants you in bondage, buried under the weight of sin!

He leads you down the path of destruction through drug addiction, alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, the feeling of unworthiness, the party mentality, love of material things, and a host of other sin that leads to bondage.

Is this what you want? 

Freedom is found in Christ!

Freedom came with a price, the death of Christ!

Christ died for your sin and He has risen so that you may be free in Him!!!

What a gift!!!

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  - Isaiah 43:1

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,  - Isaiah 44:24

everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."  - Isaiah 43:7

10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. 

11 I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.  - Isaiah 43:10-11

If you repent:

"I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.  - Isaiah 43:25

1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 

3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 

4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. 

5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 

9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 

10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night," 

12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. 

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 

15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.  - Psalm 139:1-16

I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, "Here I am, here I am," to a nation that was not called by my name.  - Isaiah 65:1

True Friendship

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

True friends will put an edge on your life. They will make you a sharper person. Not all my friends do that for me, but my best friends do. Have you ever had a friend who loved you so much that he would even hurt you in order to help you?

Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” What truer words of love can be spoken than from the heart of a friend who is going to spend an eternity with you? Even if those words hurt, they are words that will heal.

ACTION POINT:

Do you have a friend who sharpens you as iron? It will only take you a moment to send that friend an encouraging note or postcard. Do it today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Moving His Son Into King’s Row

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” Psalm 2:6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The kingdoms of this world are being moved around like checkers, but soon God is going to move His Son into King’s Row and say, “Crown Him King of kings!”

How many times have you prayed, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”?

Do you think God’s will is being done on earth as it is in heaven? Look around at the crime, rape, murder, child abuse, and blasphemy. Do you think that’s God’s will? Of course not.

Do you think Jesus Christ would have taught us to pray a prayer that will not be answered? God is going to move Jesus into King’s Row and say, “Crown Him King!”

ACTION POINT:

Read Psalm 2. What does the Psalmist tell the kings of this world to do? Pray now that God will work in the hearts of the world leaders.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Life-Giving Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” John 20:31

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The same Jesus who turned water into wine can transform your home, your life, your family, and your future. This same Jesus is still in the miracle working business. His business is the business of transformation.

And when we believe that Jesus is the Christ, we will receive life through His name. Someone has well said that nature forms us, sin deforms us, penitentiary reforms us, education informs us, the world conforms us, but only Jesus transforms us.

ACTION POINT:

What are you asking Christ for today? A miracle? Or for more of Him? Your very next breath is a miracle. Thank God for the miracle of life He has given you today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Standing for Peace and Righteousness

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

One of the strangest verses that ever fell from the lips of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is this: “Think not that I have come to send peace on the earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword.” That’s incredible, because the Bible calls Him “the Prince of Peace.” What is He talking about, then?

He is saying, “I came with a sword to put a line of demarcation between truth and error, between light and dark, between sin and righteousness.”

When God’s standard of righteousness is set, there will always be division. Without righteousness there can be no peace. Peace can never come where sin remains. God will never make a peace treaty with sin, never!

ACTION POINT:

Some people think when others act righteously that they are acting religiously, and sometimes not very peacefully. How can you stand in the gap for peace AND righteousness?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Trusting His Love to Provide

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee.” Psalm 9:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

After World War II, a group of humanitarians placed orphan boys in tent cities to care for them. But the boys would wake up in the night from nightmares. A psychiatrist surmised that their fear was because they had such an uncertain future.

He decided to feed the boys a big meal each night, then give them each a piece of bread. He instructed them to hold the bread in their hands so it could be their breakfast. Somehow just holding in their hand a piece of bread helped them to sleep all night.

When you go to bed tonight, I want you to have bread—not in your hand, but in your heart. He is the Bread of Heaven and His name is Jesus!

ACTION POINT:

Take a walk with the Lord today. Tell Him your fears. Confidently place them before the Lord. Trust in His love to provide.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Incomparable Word of God

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The Bible is the incontestable, incorruptible, indestructible, and indispensable Word of God. No one can argue with it. Nothing can corrupt it. Nothing can destroy it. Nothing can replace it as the source and wellspring of life.

The late Dr. Robert G. Lee, a great preacher of the last generation, said this about the Bible:

“All of its enemies have not torn one hole in its holy vesture, or stolen one flower from its wonderful garden, nor diluted one drop of honey from its abundant hive, nor broken one string of its thousand-stringed harp, nor drowned one sweet word in infidel ink.”

ACTION POINT:

Tell God how much your life has changed because of His Word. Meet together with a group of friends or your family and discuss the ways God has ministered to you through His Word.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

No Third Choice In God's Creation

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  - Genesis 1:27

Sin abounds in God's creation!

Man has set himself up as Creator.

Satan has perverted what was clean and has tried to change creation in man's mind to pure wickedness!

There is only what God has created, nothing else!

Sure, through surgical means, man can be altered.

It still does not change God's will of only male and female!!

Satan destroys through any means possible.

He will mold a mind into believing all manner of perversion. 

In the end, you must bow to God or to Satan!

Judgement is clear!!
It's not what you think but what God's says!!
Are you being obedient?

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

There is forgiveness for those who repent!!

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. - 1 Corinthians 6:11

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. - Revelation 22:14

There is judgement for those who refuse!!

7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." - Revelation 21:7-8

Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. - Revelation 22:15

Lord, I pray for those who need You. Open blind eyes to Your truth. Amen

Playing on the Offense

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you know what’s wrong with many of us? We’re trying to get out of trouble rather than get into righteousness.

We’re so focused on the defensive side of Christianity that we forget about the offensive, positive approach.

Wouldn’t you like to get up and stay up? Wouldn’t you like to experience the abundant life our Lord talks about? Jesus came to give us eternal life. He came to give us the abundant life. We need to do like the old song says, “Accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative.”

ACTION POINT:

Why don’t you determine today that you are going to get right with God and stay right with God? That you’re going to take steps to lead a life of obedience.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Recipe for Misery

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“...remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Unhappiness comes from mirrors. Happiness comes from windows.

If you want to be miserable, then think about yourself first...what you want, what people are saying about you, what you ought to have done for you, how down you feel, how good you feel. Just focus on yourself.

Feeling good yet? If you are, then something is wrong. Selfishness and happiness just don’t go hand in hand. If you are thinking it is better to receive than to give, you’ll never be happy. You’ll never experience the blessing of giving that Jesus taught.

ACTION POINT:

Hold out your hand and make a fist for at least one minute. Now, relax. Which feels better? Now imagine if your spirit is tight and how that will quench His work in your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Your Sweetheart for Life

BIBLE MEDITATION: “For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh.” Matthew 19:5  DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Today’s message is for the men...If you don’t love your wife more now than you loved her when you got married, you probably love her a lot less. Sir, I want you to learn to flirt—but not with any other woman. Just the girl you married! Keep that flirtation going through all of your life. Never call the waitress “sweetheart.”  She’s not your sweetheart. You have only one sweetheart. Never call someone else “dear.” She’s not your dear. There is one who needs to know beyond a shadow of any doubt that she is your sweetheart, she is your darling, and she is number one. Develop that love and keep it growing. ACTION POINT:When was the last time you brought your wife flowers or her favorite perfume? Stop right now and think of how you’re going to show your wife that she’s the only sweetheart in your life! LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Making a Covenant with Your Eyes

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” Psalm 57:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When I was in college, I kept a motto on my desk that said, “He who would not fall down ought not to walk in slippery places. Keep yourself clean. Keep yourself pure. Watch what you set before your eyes.” There needs to be discipline.

Job said, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look upon a maid” (Job 31:1). If we are to have a walk of purity in obedience to God, we must determine ahead of time what our course of action will be. One big decision will take care of a lot of little ones.

ACTION POINT:

Are you going on a trip alone any time soon? If so, make the decision right now to keep your walk pure and holy for God’s glory.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Satisfies The Longing Soul

For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.  - Psalm 107:9

Are you satisfied? 

When you are alone, I mean really alone, are you at peace?

You may have many earthly possessions, things you have pursued with all your being!!

These things you possess have, by satan's cunningness, led you into thinking they are your reason for peace and happiness! 

You may have a job that many would want, seemingly with much security!

But security only comes from faith in Christ!

This is the only security that is forever!!!

Christ bought this for YOU!!

He paid the ultimate price, His life for your forgiveness before Almighty God!

Repent!

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12

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

and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. - Ecclesiastes 12:7

What life really is, who God really is!!!

He alone deserves your praise and obedience!!

1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 

2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 

3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 

4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. 

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 

6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; 

7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; 

8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. 

9 The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.  - Psalm 146:1-9

For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." - Romans 10:13

You Supply the Will, God Supplies the Power

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” James 4:17

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Are you one of those people who believes “Put off until tomorrow what you could be doing today”? This is one of those times when the fingers pointing back at me outnumber the one that’s pointing to you! What am I talking about? Procrastination.

Did you know that procrastination is a sin? I say that because sin is not merely doing wrong, it is failing to do what you ought to do. Procrastination and disobedience are just different shades of the same sin. I heard a quote once that said it well: 

               “When you have a job to do,

               Begin this very hour.

               You supply the will,

               God supplies the power.”

That is the will power we need to instantly obey!

ACTION POINT:

Has a certain task been hounding you? Confess your procrastination as sin. And act now. Don’t hesitate. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow may never come. Today is the day!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Jesus Was Perfect

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What an amazing life the Lord Jesus lived. Do you realize that Jesus never corrected, withdrew, or amended any statement He ever made? I wish I could say that! Jesus Christ never apologized for anything He ever did or said. Jesus Christ never sought advice from anyone, never had to ask for forgiveness.

Jesus Christ doesn’t have any strong points. For Him to have strong points, He would have to have weak points. Robert Clark has rightly given this assessment of his character:

“There was meekness without weakness, tenderness without feebleness, firmness without coarseness, love without sentimentality, holiness without sanctimoniousness, lowliness without lowness, truth without error, enthusiasm without fanaticism, passion without prejudice, heavenly‑mindedness without forgetfulness, carefreeness without carelessness, service without servility, self‑exaltation without egotism, judgment without harshness, seriousness without somberness, mercy without softness.”

What a person was the Lord Jesus Christ!

ACTION POINT:

The greatest question that can be asked was the question Pontius Pilate asked the crowd when Jesus stood before him:  "Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ?"  Now I'm going to ask that question of you.  What will you do with Jesus?  No greater question could be asked.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

By The Will Of God

20 "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. - John 17:20-21

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. - 1 Corinthians 1:9

9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

10 and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. - Deuteronomy 7:9-10

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. - 1 Corinthians 1:17

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. - 1 Corinthians 2:2

so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 2:5

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. - 1 Corinthians 2:14-15

Surprising Qualities of a Peacemaker

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I remember reading about a preacher boy who was in a class in a liberal college, and the professor said, “Christians ought never to have any enemies. We ought never to be controversial.” Then he said, “What we need to do is to follow the example of Jesus.”

The boy lifted his hand and asked, “If Jesus Christ was so beautifully tactful and diplomatic, how did He manage to get Himself crucified?”

Peace is not appeasement. It is a right relationship with God that leads to a right relationship with self and guides us into right relationships with others. Literally, peace is a fruit of righteousness. It is the righteousness of God ruling and reigning in your heart.

ACTION POINT:

Read Hebrews 12:14. Are there conflicts which you can resolve by becoming a peacemaker? If so, confidently place your hand in His and bring peace.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Difficulties Suffering and Thanksgiving

What?

Are you nuts?

How can you have thanksgiving while suffering or going through difficult times?

Well, let's see!

Immediately, I know when I suffer, I am humbled.

Suffering causes us to call on God for help!!

Brokenness brings humility, driving you straight to your knees!

Suffering reminds us that our time is limited.

We immediately praise God when we are delivered.

We can relate to others that we've been through that struggle.

A 90 year old family member of mine died recently.

He was a kind and caring man of God. 

He was a Pastor, teacher, friend and servant.

As I sat at his funeral, I saw brief sadness, but most of all, I saw extreme joy that he had gone to be with Jesus!!!

For months he suffered, frail in body, bedridden and not lucid a lot of the time. 

This was never God's plan for man!

Sin changed everything.

It caused us to have a temporary body, one that will decay!

But God rich in His mercy, created us with a part that will not decay.

It is our eternal soul!

That's is why salvation in Christ is urgent!

The reality of eternity is Heaven or Hell!

Faith, in Christ alone, will change that!!

He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.  - Psalm 78:39

Seeing Him Who is Invisible

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Let me tell you how to experience God: Get your heart pure, and you will see God with the eyes of faith.

You see, Jesus is not talking about your physical body. You get your spiritual heart right and your spiritual eyes will see.

Hebrews 11:27 says that Moses “endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” You get your heart right and you’ll see the invisible God…

...in circumstances

...in nature

...in the face of your spouse, your child, your grandchild.

You’ll see Him in the Scriptures. God will become a bright, living reality to you.

ACTION POINT:

Put on the eyes of faith today and find God creating and sustaining life. Maybe there is a garden newly abloom with spring flowers. Do you see the hand of God?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Mourning with Purpose

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

We’ve done all  we can do to keep ourselves from feeling any pain. We have psychologists who numb our neurosis. Counselors who absolve us of guilt. Doctors to sedate our pain. Insurance agents to take away our worries. And even at death we have the mortuary to try to beautify death for us.

But Jesus was a man of sorrows. He saw the sin around Him and it broke His heart. In Matthew 23:34-39, we read how Jesus’ heart ached for Jerusalem and the destruction sin had wrought in the hearts of men.

ACTION POINT:

Do the things that break the heart of Jesus, break yours? Do you have a dry eye in a hell-bent world? It’s time to be like Jesus.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

What Is Meekness?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. " Matthew 5:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What does it mean to be meek? First, let me tell you what it is not before I tell you what it is.

Meekness is not weakness. The word “meek” means yielded. It literally has the idea of strength under control. When an animal, especially a horse, is domesticated, it is trained so a rider can sit on its back or so it can pull a plow. The proper term for this process is that the animal has been ”meeked.” It has been broken. Now it yields to the rider or the yoke. Now the animal exhibits strength under control. That’s what meekness is.

ACTION POINT:

Read Matthew 11:29 and 21:5. What does Jesus say about Himself and how can you emulate Him?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Poor in Spirit – What Does It Mean?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt.5:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What does it mean to be “poor in spirit”? Jesus is talking about being a beggar. He is saying, “Blessed are the beggars.” He’s not talking about finances here. He’s talking about a person being poor spiritually.

Before a person can enter into the kingdom of heaven, he must first admit that no matter how much he may have in the material realm or psychological realm, he is absolutely and totally spiritually bankrupt and a beggar before God.  If he doesn’t see that, he will never, ever get into the kingdom of heaven.

ACTION POINT:
I’ve often said that I am just one beggar showing another beggar where to find food. Do you see yourself as a beggar in need of the Bread of Heaven?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Blessed Is the Man Who Trusts in the Lord

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” Ps.34:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The Lord Jesus Christ gives us beatitudes—attitudes that ought to be. They are not platitudes. They are attitudes that deal with Christian character.

Your reputation is what others think about you, but character is what God knows about you.

The beatitudes do not say, “Blessed are what you have,” or “Blessed are what you do,” but “Blessed are what you are.” Most of the people in the world are doing what? They are seeking happiness. If you seek happiness you’ll never find it. But if you get right with God, blessedness will find you.

ACTION POINT:
Have you been finding your self-worth in what you have or what you do? Confess it before the Lord and meditate on the attitudes you ought to have in Matthew 5:3-11.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Letting Your Shepherd Set Your Pace

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.” Ps. 23:2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Sometimes I hear folks tell young people, “Make all the money you can, just so you make it honestly.” That’s not good advice.

If you make all the money you can, you are going to be making money when you should be doing something else. You are going to be making money when you ought to be alone with God.

I’m not against making money. I’m simply saying that we need to stop and prioritize our lives. Do you know what I think God does with some of us? He makes us to lie down. We won’t do it unless He makes us.

ACTION POINT:

Why not stop right now and pray, “Lord Jesus, You don’t have to make me lie down. I’d rather slow down. I want to be still and know that You are GOD! Show me how.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Happiness, the Byproduct of Righteousness

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Happiness is something you stumble over on your way to serving Jesus.

 

When you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ, happiness is the byproduct of righteousness. People who are trying to be happy are focusing their energy at the wrong target. If you will seek after righteousness, then you will be happy.

 

What you need is to drink of the Spirit.

What you need is to feed on the Word of God.

The deepest need of your heart will be met only in Jesus.

 

ACTION POINT:

Ask the Lord to fill you with His presence, to fulfill the deepest need of your heart in Him and Him alone. Now trust Him to do it.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Praying in Secret

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What did our Lord mean when He said, “Enter into your closet to pray?” The word “closet” simply means somewhere where you can shut the door on the world and open the windows to heaven.

As you study the life of Jesus, you’ll discover that Jesus sought times to be alone. Sometimes He would go on a mountain, sometimes into the wilderness, and sometimes into a garden. It is the secret place that is the sacred place. The mark of your prayer life is not really how well you pray in public, but in private.

ACTION POINT:

When you enter your closet to pray, spend some time in silence. Clear your mind. Then listen for His Words of edification, encouragement, and exhortation.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Biblical Hope, a Firm Certainty

BIBLE MEDITATION: “For Thou art my hope, O Lord God: Thou art my trust from my youth.” Ps.71:5 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: What does the word “hope” mean in the Bible?  It doesn’t mean “maybe.” We may use it that way in modern English, but that’s not what the word “hope” means when used in Scripture.  “Hope” means certainty, but not just any certainty. When the Bible says “hope,” it means a rock-ribbed assurance with anticipation, based on the Word of God. When I was a little boy, my dad would take us out for a ride on Sunday afternoon. We kids would be in the back seat, getting into squabbles. If things got too heated, my dad would turn around and say, “When you boys get home, I’m going to whip you.” With my dad, I knew this was a rock-ribbed truth! We could anticipate it, but not with gladness! Our hope, however, our rock-ribbed assurance, comes with glad anticipation! ACTION POINT: Share the hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ with someone today. Maybe there’s someone at the hospital who needs a word of hope. Maybe it’s a member of your family! LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Wake-Up Call

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Ron.13:11
 
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Do you know what Napoleon said about China? “There lies a sleeping giant, and let him sleep, because if he awakens, he will shake the world.”

I believe the devil says that about the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I believe the church is just that: a sleeping giant. We’re asleep because we have been chloroformed by the spirit of this age.

We’re bombarded on every side by all kinds of amusement. Do you know what amuse means? It’s a combination of two words. Muse means to think, and the alpha prefix in front of it means “not to.” We are a generation that is amusing ourselves into oblivion. And it’s time to wake up!

ACTION POINT:
Are you taking the Christian life seriously? If this were your last day on earth, how would you spend it? In amusement? Or in evangelism?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

He Is...

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And God said unto Moses, I AM that I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” Exodus 3:14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever noticed that the title God chose to describe Himself is an incomplete sentence? Now, most people would finish that sentence, “I am… [something].” But not our Lord. He purposefully did not complete the sentence “I AM.” He is.

Are you hungry? He is the bread. Are you in the dark? He is the light. Are you searching? He is the truth. Are you lost? He is the way. Are you in need? He is your Shepherd.

ACTION POINT:
What are you looking to God to meet today? Trust Him right now to meet you there.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Making Your Bible Come Alive

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Why is it that sometimes when we read the Bible, we leave our common sense at the door? You don’t just pick up a book, open it at random, and start reading in the middle of a paragraph. The book wouldn’t make any sense! In order to understand and get the full appreciation for the book, we read it sequentially and in paragraphs or units.

When you read the Bible, read for quality not quantity. Don’t see how much of the Bible you can read. See how much of the Bible you can assimilate and apply! Maybe what you need to do is spend a week studying one verse.

ACTION POINT:
In your Bible reading today, stop and ask yourself, “What is God telling ME?” Not “What does this say?” But “What is God saying to me?” Then seek to put that into practice today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

He Has Overcome the World

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. His power is ever-present in your life as His child.

If I could have been there in the days of His flesh, I would have wanted to see Him walk across the sea and calm the waves. I can just see that kingly form with the wind in His hair, putting His footsteps on the sea, His garments billowing back. Smiling at the storm.

When the disciples saw Him walking on the water what was their biggest problem? The water. Jesus, in essence, was saying, “What looks like is going to be over your head, is already under My feet.”

ACTION POINT:

What are some problems that are drowning you in fear, in discouragement, in sadness today? Give them to Jesus. Remember what is over your head is under His feet.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Are You Too Uncomfortable to Have a Quiet Time?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Psalm 66:18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you know what quiet time is? Fellowship with a holy God. The reason some folks do not have a quiet time is they feel uncomfortable. The reason they feel uncomfortable is that they don’t want to look God in the face. The reason they don’t want to look God in the face is because they have sin in their life.

What did Adam do after he had sinned and God came walking in the Garden? Adam fled. Before that, Adam had quiet time with God, didn’t he? They had boundless, unending fellowship. But when there was sin in Adam’s life, he did not want to look God in the face.

ACTION POINT:

Are you reluctant to have a quiet time? Maybe it’s because there is sin in your life. Ask God to shine His light into you. Then wait for His answer so you can repent.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers