Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Putting Down the Weights


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are certain weights that an athlete must choose to lay aside. They are not bad for other people, but they are bad for the athlete. In the spiritual realm, it is the same for Christians.


Paul tells us, “all things are not expedient.” The word “expedient” is similar to the word “expedition.” You see, Christians are going somewhere, and if something doesn’t speed us along the way, then it is excess baggage and we need to get rid of it.


ACTION POINT:
Ask God today, “Are there legitimate, lawful things in my life that are keeping me from running the race?” It might be a hobby, friendship, recreational sport, or a cabin in the mountains. It is not bad; it just keeps you from maximizing your life for the Lord Jesus Christ. You must lay it aside.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

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

Beauty in Brokenness

Often the only way to freedom is war.
Falling to your knees in total despair.
War between good things and evil things.
Becoming aware of the sin that is taking away your freedom.
Freedom comes from obedience that is found in following Christ.
Be yielded.
Be still.
Repent.
The truth shall set you free!

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:31-32

17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. - Romans 6:17-18

22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ.
23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. - 1 Corinthians 7:22-23

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. - Galatians 5:1

25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. - James 1:25-27

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. - 1 Peter 2:16

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. - Matthew 6:33

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one-to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 
9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 
10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.  - Isaiah 53:3-11

Monday, May 29, 2017

Why Don't More People Attend Church?

God has called the Church to share the gospel!
God is the head of all things.
Jesus is the head of the church.

 Remember your accountability to God!

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: - 2 Timothy 4:1

We all struggle with accountability because we are not humble or disciplined.

We live for ourselves, our wants, and our sin is damming us to hell.

 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. - 2 Corinthians 5:10

Raise your children to respect authority, to be in fear of God's judgement and to know actions have consequences.

Emphasize the Word of God!
Humble yourself before the Lord.

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. - 2 Timothy 4:2-4

Speak the truth of God.
Obey the word of God and be blessed or ignore it and be cursed.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.  - Isaiah 40:8

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. - Matthew 24:35

Preacher preach the Word!
Disciple preach the Word!
Preach it like you believe it!!
Be bold in the Lord!
Preaching the Word of God is not popular with sinners.

Focus on the call of God!

5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. - 2 Timothy 4:5-8

Don't overreact!
Keep your mind in all situations. 

Don't give up!
Endure hardships!
If God is for you who can be against you.

Don't stop!
Keep on keeping on!
Find a church who shares the true gospel!!

Thanks Pastor Kevin!!

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

Sunday, May 28, 2017

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.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Saturday, May 27, 2017

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

Friday, May 26, 2017

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

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?


“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Genesis 18:14


A little boy was trying to roll a rock as his father watched from a distance. The boy was heaving and sighing, but he couldn’t turn the stone over.
His dad with a smile said, “Son, are you using all of your strength?” He said, “Yes, Daddy, I’m using all my strength.” And the father said, “No, you’re not, because you haven’t asked me to help you. My strength is your strength.”


Sometimes we wrestle with problems and say, “I don’t know what to do.” Our Father wants us to say, “I’ve run out of my strength,” and run to His. He is there.


There is no problem too big for Jesus to solve.


Do you believe that? I hope so.

Is there a problem too big for you to solve? Give it to Jesus. He can handle it.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

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

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

“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

Monday, May 22, 2017

A Life Left To Remember


Jesus lived!
Sinless, blameless, obedient Son!
Jesus died!
Sinless, spotless Lamb, obedient unto death so that others might live!
Jesus was raised from death to eternally live with God!
A life left to remember, but a death even more memorable, bringing eternal life to those who would believe. 
He is the only Son of God!
So what could our life left to remember possibly be?
To take the truth of salvation to the lost dying world.

13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." 
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry." 
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me." 
21 But of Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." - Romans 10:13-21

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. - Matthew 24:14

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 
2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 
3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 
8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 
9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.  - Psalm 19:1-9
15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. - Mark 16:15-16

8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.
9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. - 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10

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

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Healthy Churches

The purpose of the church, the body of Christ is to make disciples!

Are we busy doing God's command to go and make disciples?

What is a disciple?
A committed follower of Jesus who is growing in grace and holiness.
You should be becoming more Christ like!
You should be in continual state of repentance!

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'
23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' - Matthew 7:21-23

Salvation
Admit your sin and repent.
Believe that Jesus is the Son of the one true living God and that Christ alone has the power to save you.
Call on Christ to save you believing that He alone has the power through His death and resurrection to save your soul from Hell.

Characteristics of a disciple
Intensity
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you."
23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. - Matthew 16:21-24

Loyalty 
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. - Matthew 16:25

Priority
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? - Matthew 16:26

What is really important?
Relationships
With Jesus
With people
19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. - Matthew 6:19-20

Life is fleeting!
What is driving you?

Lord, let us be broken for the lost. Let us just love people with the love that You have shown us. Amen


Thanks Pastor Kevin!!

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

Saturday, May 20, 2017

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

Friday, May 19, 2017

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

Thursday, May 18, 2017

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

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

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

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

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.” Psalm 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

Monday, May 15, 2017

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:
Have you ever thought about the Great Commission as being a “mission impossible”?  But it isn’t, because of what comes with the mission.


You see, Jesus said that all power, authority, and dominion is given unto Him in heaven and earth (see Matthew 28:18-20). Dominion was first given to man, but man gave it over to the devil in the Garden of Eden. Jesus receivedD it back from the Father and gave that authority to each of us.


ACTION POINT:
Does Jesus have authority over the devil? Yes! Then so do you. Does Jesus have the victory? Yes! Then you have the victory. Is Jesus Christ enthroned? Yes! (See Ephesians 1:20) Then you are enthroned. “We are seated with Him in heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6). The victory is yours through Jesus Christ.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Sunday, May 14, 2017

His Own Purpose and Grace

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, - 2 Timothy 1:8-9

Christ, our hope:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, - 1 Timothy 1:1

Christ, our mercy:
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. - Titus 3:4-7

Jesus, faithful high priest:
1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,
2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house.
3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses-as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.
4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) - Hebrews 3:1-4

All things working together:
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

Faith:
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. - Romans 3:27

The promise:
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

Through Jesus Christ:
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith-
27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. - Romans 16:25-27

Death abolished:
and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, - 2 Timothy 1:10

Holy Spirit:
13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. - 2 Timothy 1:13-14

Life in the Spirit:
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. - Romans 8:1-11

Mothers Of Honor

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Abraham Lincoln once said, “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” This time every year we celebrate our mothers. Oh, the power of a mother’s love!

I spoke with the former President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, about his salvation and personal relationship with Christ and prayed with him about that. He looked me in the eyes and said, “I want to tell you, my mother was the most godly person I have ever known.”  He then went on to tell me about her influence in his life.

John and Charles Wesley, out of whose hearts and minds came the Methodist church, had a mother named Susanna, who raised those children for Jesus Christ and gave them a passion for God.

Do you know what children need? A – B – C: Acceptance, belonging, and confidence. Thank God for magnificent mothers!

ACTION POINT:
If your mother is still alive, honor her today. Tell her you love her and appreciate the sacrifices she made for you. If she is no longer with you, the best way you can honor her is to live a life that brings honor to the Lord Jesus Christ.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

A Mother's Power


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him.” 1 Samuel 1:27

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
 There is a war against motherhood today. We are in difficulty—like a ship lost at sea without a compass on a dark night. The anchor is gone. The anchor of every society is the family and home. What anchors the home? Mothers.

The head of the home is the father, but the heart of the home is the mother. A father has influence on a child, but the deepest impression is made by a mother. Mothers are perhaps the most powerful and influential force on the face of the earth. Hannah prayed and was so persuasive she changed the course of history.

Begin to pray for your children before they’re born. There is nothing greater than to raise a baby for Jesus Christ. Augustine, that great theologian, was a renegade boy, but he could not escape the prayers of his mother, Monica. Oh, the power of persuasion.

ACTION POINT:
Let me give you a prayer Joyce and I have prayed for our children. You’ll find it right in the Word of God. It’s an incredible thing to pray out of the Bible because you know your prayer is in the will of God if it comes out of the Word of God.


Ephesians 3:14 -21: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, that He would grant _________ [insert your child’s name] according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”


Isn’t that a good prayer to pray for your children?


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Saturday, May 13, 2017

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

Friday, May 12, 2017

Breathed Out By God, Profitable for Teaching


16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Confirmation bias definition:
the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories.

Do you have a mind made up attitude towards the Gospel?
I mean, even before you read and study it? 
Are you open to the study of it, receiving God's truth, then the applying it to your life?

The story of the Herod's:

14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."
15 But others said, "He is Elijah." And others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old."
16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."
17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her.
18 For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not,
20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
22 For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you."
23 And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom."
24 And she went out and said to her mother, "For what should I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist."
25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."
26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.
27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison
28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. - Mark 6:14-29

Let's stand for the Truth!
John the Baptist, standing for the Truth, faithfully delivering the gospel.
He speaks openly of the sin of King Herod taking his brother's wife in sin.
He was clear and precise in his teaching of the gospel.
He spoke plainly.
False teaching doesn't address the truth of sin!

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, - Titus 1:1

But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. - 2 Corinthians 4:2


Respond to the Truth!
Herod protects John up to a point because he knows he is a holy man speaking the truth.
Sin is indeed seductive.
Herodias uses her young beautiful daughter to dance seductively for Herod.
In return, he offers her a wish.
She asks her mother who tells her to ask for John's head.
Her daughter does ask but adds that his head be brought on a platter.
Truly evil, there was no repentance in them.

Proclaim the Truth!
Jesus commissions, then the wolves attack.
Depend on Christ.
He will lead.

The Truth applied:
Sin is seductive.
Jesus is stronger than sin.
Don't harden your heart, repent while you can!!

Thanks Pastor Matt!

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

Thursday, May 11, 2017

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 acknowledge 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

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

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

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

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

Monday, May 8, 2017

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

Contemplating Saving Grace Through Faith


What is faith?
The bible says " 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. - Hebrews 11:1-3

The dictionary says " complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

God, in His infinite wisdom, gave man the simplest statement on salvation which involves grace through faith "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

What is Grace?
Unmerited favor, mercy from God

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved-
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:4-7

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. - Titus 3:4-7

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,
13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. - 1 Timothy 1:12-16


This verse encompasses faith in its purest and simple form. 
God sent His Son, God accepted His Son as payment for your sin, and God raised His Son from death thus conquering it.
God is offering you a chance to believe in this miraculous resurrection and all the power it holds.
Your belief will deliver you or if you refuse to believe, condemn you!!
There is no other way to salvation!
Jesus intercedes on your behalf!

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 2:5-6

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." 
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:31-3

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'")
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. - John 1:1-18

God-Jesus-Holy Spirit 

yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. - 1 Corinthians 8:6

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. - Colossians 2:6-14

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. - John 14:16-17


You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe-and shudder! - James 2:19

6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 
7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 
8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any."  - Isaiah 44:6-8

I and the Father are one." - John 10:30

Works

24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. - James 2:24-26

8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof
9 and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. - Joshua 2:8-11

Sunday, May 7, 2017

My Rock



The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation-  - Psalm 18:46

Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.  - Psalm 71:3

2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 and all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. - 1 Corinthians 10:2-6

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.
14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. - Luke 8:11-15

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.  - Isaiah 51:1

You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.  - Deuteronomy 32:18

35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. 
36 But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. 
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant. 
38 Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. 
39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.  - Psalm 78:35-39

"'See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.  - Deuteronomy 32:39

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

Saturday, May 6, 2017

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

Friday, May 5, 2017

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

Thursday, May 4, 2017

You Are Called By the Name of the Lord


And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. - Deuteronomy 28:10

Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.  - Isaiah 61:9

24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 
25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 
26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.  - Numbers 6:24-26

14 It is not with you alone that I am making this sworn covenant,
15 but with whoever is standing here with us today before the LORD our God, and with whoever is not here with us today. - Deuteronomy 29:14-15

38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." - Acts 2:38-39

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. - Ephesians 2:13-16 

Everything Under Sin


But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. - Galatians 3:22

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,
31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.
32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! - Romans 11:29-33

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; 
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." 
13 "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips."  - Romans 3:9-13

16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring-not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
17 as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations"-in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. - Romans 4:16-17

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,
40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,
41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." - Acts 10:38-43

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

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Holy? Or Just “Holier Than Thou”?


BIBLE MEDITATION:
For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Leviticus 11:44
  

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Some people think that to be holy means to be odd. No, we’re to be different. We have too many Christians doing unbiblical things who claim to be holy when in reality they are just odd.


Holiness is not achieved by what we wear, where we sleep and eat, or how many spiritual things we do. It is not primarily a matter of dress or style of hair. And we don’t become holy if we live in a commune, monastery, or convent. There is no holiness in a hole.


ACTION POINT:
God makes us holy by the blood of His Son. And in return for this great love, we endeavor to live holy lives because we love Him. “Holy” is a state of being, not doing. It is a God-induced, God-developed character trait that grows in us as we grow in our love relationship with God.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Who Owns You?


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people.” Luke 1:68

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Fanny Crosby wrote, “Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child and forever I am.” Do you love to proclaim it? Oh, how I pray you do.


Isaac Watts wrote, “Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small: Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.” Have you given your soul, your life, your all to this Amazing Love?


ACTION POINT:
Jesus did not bathe this planet with His blood to have you serve the world, the flesh, and the devil. He died to make you holy. You are not your own. First Corinthians 6:20 says, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Age Of "Anything Goes"


We live in a world of "anything goes" but are still empty, still searching for that thing that would bring us happiness.
When man denies God, he can never have peace.
Man's emptiness can not be filled with the things of this world.

The expression of our moral decline.
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. - Matthew 24:37
5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
7 So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them." - Genesis 6:5-7

Where is our foundation of truth?
Porn is rampant.
The depravity of our mind is endless.

Depravity of our marriages.
The Supreme Court took it upon themselves to redefine marriage.
God has already defined marriage in the bible.

6 But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.'
7 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,
8 and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh.
9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." - Mark 10:6-9
God ordained marriage as being between one man and one woman.

Depravity in our military.
Men and women of Faith are being told to be "politically correct". 
They are not to express Christian values.

Depravity in our medicine.
Doctors warn of same sex dangers and are fired.
Abortions are the norm.
Abortions are done a million times a year.

The explanation of our moral decline.
The historical explanation.
We have lost site of the truth.
We have lost knowing right from wrong.
God is irrelevant has become today's thought.
We have become our own god.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. - Romans 1:18-20
1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. 
2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.  - Psalm 14:1-3
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  - Psalm 19:1

God is in charge.
God will send you to hell for your sin.

Ingratitude
Idolatry
Immorality 

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. - Romans 1:21-32

Decency has left us.
We are not all right without God.
We need His grace to cover our sin.

Thank you Pastor David Jeremiah!