Dark Days - Joy In The Midst Of Trouble

As a Christian, can you praise God in the dark days?

Be assured, they will come.

Serve Him with gladness.

Sing His praises from the rooftops.

How can we not serve Him, love Him, and praise Him for His great mercy?

Be passionate about your worship of Almighty God Who is, Who was and will be!!!

Clap your hands and raise them to a Holy God who sent His Son Jesus to save your wicked sinful soul.

When everything falls apart, PRAY and PRAISE!!

17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.

18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,

20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,

25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians."

26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen."

27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea.

28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.

29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

31 Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses. - Exodus 14:17-31

Rejoice in the Lord!

1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. 

2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. 

3 The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.  - Exodus 15:1-3

I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.  - Psalm 35:18

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. - Philippians 4:4

Sickness will come.

Marriages will be in turmoil.

Jobs will be lost.

Children and grand children will try your patience.

And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."  - Exodus 15:21

"Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the LORD I will sing; I will make melody to the LORD, the God of Israel.  - Judges 5:3

"For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.  - 2 Samuel 22:50

Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!  - 1 Chronicles 16:9

Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.  - 1 Chronicles 16:23

I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.  - Psalm 7:17

Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!  - Psalm 9:11

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.  - Psalm 30:4

Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.  - Psalm 33:1

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.  - Psalm 33:3

sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!  - Psalm 66:2

Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!  - Psalm 96:1

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  - Psalm 104:33

Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.  - Isaiah 44:23

Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.  - Jeremiah 20:13

Remember God's Awesomeness!

The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.  - Exodus 15:2

God is a miracle working God!

"Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.  - Exodus 15:4

The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.  - Exodus 15:5

Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.  - Exodus 15:6

Satan magnifies your problems while minimizing your God!

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. - 2 Corinthians 12:9

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, - Ephesians 3:16

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, - 1 Timothy 1:12

Respond with enthusiasm!

For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. - Exodus 15:19

Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. - Exodus 15:20

And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."  - Exodus 15:21

You were designed to worship the Lord Almighty!!!

Praise Him!!

Thanks Pastor Kevin!!

You’ll Be Known by the Master You Follow

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour.” John 12:25-26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

You know, sometimes it’s hard to look at an individual and know whether they’re saved or not saved. One way to illustrate it is, if there is a group of people standing around and there’s a dog in the midst, it’s hard to tell which man that dog belongs to. Let’s say two men are having a conversation and the dog is sitting on the floor. When the two men part, you’re going to find out who the dog belongs to, because the dog will follow his master, is that not right?

Friend, I made up my mind that if a dog can follow his master, I’m going to follow mine. And do you know how you’re going to be known? In high school, some kids are going to go this way and Jesus is going to go that way, and you’re going to go that way, because Jesus is your Master. In business, some men are going to go this way and Jesus is going to go that way. And Mr. Christian Businessman, you’ll go that way.

ACTION POINT:

Make it your purpose to do what Jesus said so long ago: “Follow me.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Rich Man, Poor Man

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Two things have I required of Thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity [falsehood] and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient [needful] for me: Lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Proverbs 30:7-9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

To pass the test of life, one test you may have to pass is the test of poverty. If so, the Lord has some advice for you. See your poverty in the proper perspective. Because in the Lord Jesus Christ you are highly exalted, no matter how poor you are. Having Christ, you are richer than the richest man on earth without the Lord Jesus Christ. As a Christian, you have gone from rags to riches.

Did you know that many of you would do better being poor than being rich? Some people can stand almost anything but prosperity. This is what our passage in Proverbs is saying.

Actually, it’s very hard to be poor and it’s even harder to be rich. The rich man may have an easier time in life, but he has a harder time passing the test.

ACTION POINT:

The Lord does not tell the rich man to renounce his riches….just to properly assess his riches. It’s not wrong to have money. Some of God’s choicest of saints were extremely wealthy. Abraham is an example. But the rich man is to see his riches from a proper perspective. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

No Closet Off Limits

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

God tells us to be filled with His Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit of God means first, repentance, then resistance of the devil, and then renewal. It means there’s not one room in your temple where God is off limits. There’s not one closet He doesn’t have a key to. You are filled with the Spirit in your church life, in your business life, in your sex life, in your political life, and in your social life. In the big things and the little things, in your money, in your exercise, in your sleep, in your eating, in your lying down, and in your waking up. You give Jesus the keys to it all. Then when you are filled with the Spirit, there’s no more room for Satan.

ACTION POINT:

If there’s room for Satan, the Spirit is grieved and I am not filled with the Spirit. Repentance, resistance, renewal! Don’t try to repent until you’re honest and face your sin. Don’t try to resist until you’ve repented. And don’t try to be filled until you resist, until you choose against Satan and yield to God’s blessed Holy Spirit.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

God Puts Things In Proper Order

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord…” 2 Peter 1:2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever noticed how God puts things in sequence in the Bible?  For example, the Bible says, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.”  It never says “peace and grace”—always “grace and peace.”  Why?  You’ll not know peace until you know grace. 

The Bible also says “Believe and be baptized.”  Not “Be baptized and believe.”  If you were immersed or sprinkled before you gave your heart to Jesus and truly believed, you haven’t been “baptized” at all.  True baptism follows true belief. There is another order that God has put in the Bible. Not only grace and peace, not only belief and baptism, but repentance and faith. Always in that order: repentance first, then faith.  If you’re having difficulty with faith, try repentance.

ACTION POINT:

There’s nothing so damning, so debilitating, as sin in the heart. The writer of Hebrews says, “Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Running For The Soul Winner's Crown

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.” 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Here’s what Paul was saying to those in Thessalonica: “When Jesus comes, my crown is going to those that I’ve led to Him.”  Now that’s a crown that doesn’t corrupt.  When you die and go to heaven, are you going to take somebody with you, or are you going to heaven alone?  “Must I go and empty-handed, must I meet my Savior so; without one soul with which to greet Him, must I empty-handed go?” Now I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m concerned because most people in church are not active soul winners. That’s tragic.

You say, “But, Pastor, I give my money.”  I don’t care how much money you give.  If you’re not endeavoring to bring souls to Christ, you’re not right with God.  You say, “Well, I teach.”  I don’t care how eloquently you teach.  If you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus, you’re not right with God.  You say, “Well, I attend faithfully.”  I don’t care how much you attend.  If you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus Christ, you are not right with God. 

Andrew Murray said, “There are two classes of Christians: soul winners and backsliders.”  You are one or the other.  If you don’t have a passion to see people come to the Lord Jesus Christ, I wonder if you know the Jesus I know. 

ACTION POINT:

My dear brother, my dear sister, there is a crown to run for.  It’s the soul winner’s crown.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

A Prize To Possess

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2b

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Jesus is our example.  He is a champion who, when He ran His race, received a crown of joy.  When an athlete runs, he runs to win a trophy. In our verse today, what is “the joy that is set before Him”?  It’s winning the race.  He “endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

That crown gave Him the ability to endure.  If you keep the crown in mind, you can bear the cross.  But you cannot have the crown if you despise the cross.  We are crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have a few trophies that I won back in high school on a championship football team: a gold football, a letterman’s sweater and a silver cup. Do you know what happened to all those trophies?  Someone broke into the house and got the gold football. The moths had a camp meeting in the sweater. It’s gone.  There are no more letters on that letter sweater. What happened to the silver cup, I haven’t the foggiest.

ACTION POINT:

Friend, athletes run “to obtain a corruptible crown; but we for an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:25). Running the race, Jesus had the joy that was set before Him and He endured the cross.  He despised the shame.  There is a prize to possess. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Jesus, Author and Finisher

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2a

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If we will look to Jesus, Jesus will be the author and finisher of our faith. The word “author” in the Greek literally means “example,” “leader,” or “originator.” Jesus is the example of faith, but He’s also the originator of our faith. Faith comes from beholding the Lord Jesus Christ, looking at Him.

You see, all the other heroes of the faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 can cheer us on, but they’re not our chief example.  He is the One who never sinned, who never failed.  His name is Jesus. The more you behold the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re going to find out that He is the author and finisher.

He’s the one who originates the grace. He’s the one who fires the starting gun. He’s the goal toward which we run. He is the coach who runs alongside us and gives us courage and strength to run the race. 

ACTION POINT:

It is Jesus all the way. If you want faith, fix your eyes upon Jesus Christ. Keep “looking unto Jesus.”  Your faith will grow. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Death Claims All

1 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.

2 It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath.

3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. - Ecclesiastes 9:1-3

How true are these verses!

Men are evil, some claim goodness but our intent is slanted toward love of self.

Life is supposed to be slanted toward the love shown to others.

We claim as a race of people, both good and bad, but there is none good except God.

It is true that some strive to do the right thing while others just want to be as evil as possible.

As long as we are in this mortal body there will be a battle raging against the spiritual self and the carnal self.

We must pray for guidance, study God's word, apply that truth and teach the truth.

We will face many trials.

Then death comes.

22 It is all one; therefore I say, 'He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.' 

23 When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.  - Job 9:22-23

14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.

15 Then I said in my heart, "What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?" And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

16 For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! - Ecclesiastes 2:14-16

Repentance is available while you live, after that comes judgment.

26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.'

27 And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house-

28 for I have five brothers-so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.'

29 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'

30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'

31 He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'" - Luke 16:26-31

When The Gospel Isn't Good News

The good news is that Christ came to forgive sinners.

He took your burden of sin and payed your penalty.

The wrath that was yours, He accepted.

This good news comes with another side to it.

Those who don't repent are not forgiven, still in their sin they will perish, forever separated from God and doomed to Hell.

Have no pleasure in unrighteousness!
Pray, repent and share the gospel.

Let this blessed gospel be good news to you and others.

The gospel is an individual gospel.

You are redeemed individually.

We worship corporately but never forget, salvation is for individuals, depending upon individual grace that is given as a gift by Christ through the blood shed on the Cross.
Individual repentance and an individual relationship with Christ.

There must be a realization of sin, knowing you need a Savior, followed by repentance and obedience.

God will indeed set things right in His new kingdom.

Sin and death will be abolished!

Our God does indeed reign!!

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."  - Isaiah 52:7

8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

11 For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

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 10:8-21

5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-

6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels

8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9

9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,

10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,

12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. - 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. - Romans 8:18-25

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us-for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"- - Galatians 3:13

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. - Romans 8:3-4

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.  - Isaiah 53:3-7

22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. - 1 Peter 2:22-25

Thanks Pastor John!!

Our Most “Besetting” Sin

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…and the sin which doth so easily beset us...” Hebrews 12:1b

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In this part of our verse, Paul is no longer talking about good things that might become bad things. Now he’s just talking about bad things.  The word beset means “to tangle you up.”  Can you imagine a person trying to run a race with a long flowing robe entangling him or some rope around his feet?  No, he wants to be free so he can run. 

What is the sin that so easily trips us up? Weights load us down; sin trips us up.  Either one can make you a poor runner and keep you from running the race.

In Hebrews 11 and 12, Paul is talking about faith. The whole race we’re running is the race of faith. Hebrews says we live by faith; therefore, we run by faith.   

Most of us say, “I wish I had better faith, stronger faith.”  Do you know the reason you don’t have more faith than you have?  Sin.  You say, “Now wait a minute, pastor....”  No, friend, the Bible says, “Beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.”

ACTION POINT:

Unbelief is not a mental sin; it is a moral sin.  It doesn’t come out of the head; it comes out of the heart.  “Beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.” 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Take Off That Overcoat!

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us….” Hebrews 12:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If you’re going to run a race, how do you prepare yourself?  First, you’ve got to lay the weights aside.  Notice athletes. They run in very light clothing. The less weight, the better.  One thing you’ll never see is someone in the Olympics, running in an overcoat.  It’s not going to happen.  They get as light as they possibly can.  You have to lay aside every weight.

The Greek word weight does not mean something that’s sinful.  It just means something that burdens you, that holds you down.  There are some things that are not bad in themselves.  Nothing wrong with an overcoat.  You just don’t wear an overcoat when you’re running a race.  Paul said:  “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Friend, it may be some recreational habit you have.  It may be some cottage in the woods.  It may be some acquaintance, some hobby, too much television or sleep. Paul is saying, “Something may be lawful for me, but if it’s not expedient, if it doesn’t speed me on my course, then I need to leave it alone.”

ACTION POINT:

Ask yourself, “Is there something in my life that’s hindering my walk with Christ?  Something that’s holding me back?  Is there something that is excess baggage?  Something keeping me from being all I ought to be for the Lord Jesus Christ?  Whatever it is, if you want to win the race, lay it aside.  Good things become bad things when they keep you from the best things.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Paying An Extra Price

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, that I might finish my course” Acts 20:24

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you pay a price—some extra time in the morning—to get into the Word of God?  Do you pay the price of being ridiculed because you keep your Bible on your desk in the office or bow your head and thank God for His gracious goodness to you when He gives you a meal?  Are you willing to be different?  Will you finish your course?

When you’re running this race, you’re going to find out that you’re running right against the grain. Don’t get the idea that there’s the broad road and the narrow road, and the narrow road runs alongside the broad road, and over there a bunch of people are going this way, and over here you’re going in the same direction.

No, there’s the broad way, and here you are, right in the middle of it, going the other way. Against the grain. What we believe

starts at a different source

follows a different course

ends at a different conclusion

…and there is a price to pay. 

ACTION POINT:

Frankly, today we don’t like that idea of a “price to pay.”  We say, “Well, I’m saved by grace, and so I’m just going to float on into heaven on flowery beds of ease.”  No.  A disciple is one who follows his master, obeys his master, and there is a price to pay.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Are You Looking For An Easy Way To Serve God?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…and run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1c

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The word “patience” here doesn’t mean the ability to thread a needle, but literally means “endurance.”  It means bearing up under some load, some challenge. 

Are you looking for an easy way, a cheap way, a lazy way to serve God?  All honey and no bees? A life of ease?  You just want to say, “O, I’m so happy in Jesus.”  Listen, this business of running this race means that you’re going to be at it with all of your heart. 

You may be on a sick bed or in a wheelchair. But none is excluded. We are to run with endurance.  When you watch someone running, do you notice how intense he is? If you’re in this race, you need to pray over it, you need to weep over it, you need to study over it, you need to work over it. 

ACTION POINT:

This matter of being saved and running the race is a full-time occupation.  God does business with those who mean business. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Never Knowing The Difference

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:11

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When a person dies, his spirit departs. And I’m afraid that’s what has happened to many churches: the Holy Spirit has departed.

The organism has become an organization and the movement has become a monument.

Dr. Carl Bates said years ago something that shook me to my foundation: “If the Holy Spirit were to suddenly die [now, of course, you know that's impossible. He cannot die] but “if the Holy Spirit were to suddenly die, most of our churches would meet next Sunday and go right on and never know the difference.”

I wonder if that’s not true about many churches. The Holy Spirit has not died, but He has departed. I've been in some churches where you’d think that Hallelujahs and Amens cost $100 apiece. You just can't find them. There’s a sort of barren stillness. But I believe there's something contagious about the Holy Spirit of God. 

ACTION POINT:

The Bible says where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  I don't think we have to fry in fanaticism or freeze in formalism, but I believe we ought to have a burning, passionate, blazing, emotional love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Revive Us

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.  - Proverbs 16:20

then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, - 2 Peter 2:9

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.

6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. - 1 John 4:1-6

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 

10 "I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."  - Jeremiah 17:9-10

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. - John 14:26-27

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.  - Isaiah 57:15

19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? 

20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.  - Psalm 71:19-20

The evil one wreaks havoc.

He looks for a tiny opening that he rips into a deep dark hole of despair.

He will knock you off your feet.

He will bring you to your knees. 

He will disturb your peace.

He will take you to places you do not want to go.

These struggles are real.

These struggles cause pain.

These struggles can lead to sin.

We have to cling to Jesus, His promise, His sovereignty and the fact that Satan is defeated.

That battle has been won, hallelujah!

Our hope is in Christ!

Praise Him!

The Father's Wealth

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And I will give him the morning star.” Revelation 2:28

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I remember reading a story about a wealthy Roman who had a lavish estate, and he had a servant named Marcellus. When the wealthy Roman died, he wrote his will and left everything to his slave. The wealthy Roman also had a son, and for some reason he had had a disagreement with him, so in his will he said, “I have left my entire estate to my slave Marcellus. To my son, I leave him only one thing. He can choose any one thing from my estate he wants, but that's all.” The son said, “Very well, I choose Marcellus.”

Here at the end of Revelation 2, our Lord gives another sweet promise to those who overcome (v. 28):  "And I will give him," that is, the overcomer, "the morning star." Jesus is that morning star.  What He's saying is, “You'll receive the greatest reward of all, you'll receive Me, the morning star.”  Do you know what the morning star is? It’s the star that appears just after the darkest hour of the night. 

ACTION POINT:

It's getting very dark. Praise God, it's getting gloriously dark, and before long that morning star is going to appear.  Jesus is the morning star. If you choose Jesus, with Jesus comes all the Father's wealth.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Set Free and Redeemed

The battle is won.

Victory is His.

You are set free by the Lamb of God !

According to the mercy of God and by His power bestowed on His Son to be the only worthy sacrifice to satisfy your sin guilt, you have been redeemed!

So what will you do with this gift?

Will you call on Jesus? 

Declare your sin, ask for mercy and repent! 

But this gift goes far beyond your gift. 

You have a command from Jesus to share this gospel with the world.

God alone is sovereign over all things.

He will accomplish His purpose!

And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,  - Revelation 5:9

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

9 "For my name's sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. 

10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 

11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.  - Isaiah 48:9-11

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.  - Habakkuk 2:14

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. - Ephesians 1:4-6

6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, 

7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."  - Isaiah 43:6-7

7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 

8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power.  - Psalm 106:7-8

15 For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." - Romans 9:15-17

  

Characteristics Of A Godly Troublemaker

1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."

4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."

8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things.

9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. - Acts 17:1-9

Are you turning the world upside for Jesus?

You must have integrity.

Thessalonica was like our present time world.

Full of all matter of sin, including sexual sin, slavery, homosexuality, prostitution, pornography, paganism, idolatry, thievery, murder etc.

The Christians of that time lived among them but were set apart by their integrity. 

They find themselves in the flesh yet not living after the flesh.

Even in the midst of sin, God raised up His people who ran from sin.

Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright.  - Proverbs 29:10

Evil sinful men will seek to destroy you!

They take their road into sin but we run.

We follow Jesus no matter the cost.

For us, there is no turning back.

It is your decision.

God is faithful.

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.  - Proverbs 10:9

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.  - Proverbs 11:3

Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked.  - Proverbs 13:6

We may slip to sin but we repent and God forgives.

Live as if the whole world and God sees you in your darkest moment and you do the right thing.

Living with integrity

Attend church-regularly

Read your bible-regularly

Pray-regularly

Handle your money generously in tithing 

Love your children/grandchildren unconditionally 

Fight for your marriage fiercely 

Live for Jesus aggressively 

Thanks Pastor Kevin!

Those Who Hold Fast Will One Day Rule

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.” Revelation 2:25-27

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In these days there will be more temptation to get away from the Word of God, the blood atonement, and salvation by grace through faith. Churches will be under attack by seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. Here in Jesus’ message to Thyatira He says, “You hold fast till I come.” 

Even though it seems to be tough, remember this, dear friend—the saints are going to have their day.  Look in verse 26.  One of these days Jesus is going to come and rule this world, and we are going to rule with Him. 

If we suffer with Him, we'll also reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12). We are even going to judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). It may not be long before Jesus comes and His millennial reign begins here on this earth. The Bible clearly says that it's going to be a powerful reign (v. 27).

ACTION POINT:

Don't give up, don't let down. Hold fast, stick to it, stay with the Word of God.  Hold fast that old truth. Hold fast to this old Book and don't let go.

LWF Dr . Adrian Rogers

Not Fearful but Faithful

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Revelation 2:10b

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If others in past centuries—and some even today— have reddened the mouths of lions, languished in prisons, and been scorched in the flames, can we not go out today, back to the school, back to the office, and live for Jesus Christ?  God help us that we shall.  In this evil hour, we’ll have revival when there are men and women, Christians with burning hearts, brimming eyes, and bursting lips, who fear nothing but sin and who love nothing but Jesus Christ.

ACTION POINT:

Who among us will be faithful unto death? We’re not to be fearful; we’re to be faithful.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Worthy to Die, Living for Jesus

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried…” Revelation 2:10a

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Polycarp was the pastor of the early church in Smyrna. He was asked to renounce his faith in Christ and offer a pinch of incense to Caesar. He refused and said, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and in nothing hath He wronged me; and how, then, can I blaspheme my King, Who saved me?” When they heard that, they clamored to burn him at the stake. They brought their wood and heaped it around his feet. And then Polycarp prayed, ““I count it a blessedness to be thought worthy of a place among the martyrs of Jesus Christ.” And when that fire was kindled around his feet, he was heard singing and praising the Son of God.

ACTION POINT:

Most of us will not die at the stake, be carried to the wall and shot, or be imprisoned for the Lord Jesus Christ. We may not have a chance to die that way, but can we not die to this vile world?  Can we not die to our plans and our ambitions?  And can we not say that Jesus Christ is Lord?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Sin Salt Judgement Grace Forgiveness Reconciliation

What is sin?

Anything that is against God's teaching.

He gave us a guide, the bible.

He gave us laws or you could say commands to make us aware of our sin.

When we don't obey, we become lawbreakers.

The good news is " while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!"

We start out in sin, then the gospel is spoken and eyes are opened.

They repent, when the salt of the earth (Christians) speak the words of hope found in Christ.

We teach them that judgement will come.

We teach them the pitfalls of sin and how grace and forgiveness were bought with the only acceptable ransom.

Christ death and His resurrection are the ransom.

We teach them that Christ is the only way to be reconciled to a Holy God.

God will not withhold His wrath from those sinners who remain in sin.

So, how can we teach Christ to sinners if we don't engage in conversations with them? 

Did Christ shy away from sinners?

No he did not.

He spoke the words of life to those who are perishing.

Let us speak the words in love, not sparing the truth.

Let Christ bring about the new creation through the power that is The Cross.

Be careful you are truly grounded in His word and His power for sin will stain. 

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. - 1 John 3:4-10

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."

8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.

9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.

10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.

11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.

17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.

22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,

23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. - Romans 7:7-25

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. - Romans 3:19-20

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:23

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. - 1 John 2:1-3

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:48

16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. - John 3:16-17

For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  - 2 Corinthians 6:2

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.

14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. - Revelation 20:11-15

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.

13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;

15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Will you repent?

That’s what Brought Me to Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.” Luke 6:29

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Someone asked an army officer, “Why are you a Christian?” He said, “One day we went out on a march. We slugged through the mud all day long. Our boots were dirty, and our clothes were heavy. When we came into the barracks, we were cross and irritable.”

“There was a young man who had already come in, cleaned up, and was kneeling down by his bed saying his prayers. I became so irritated I took one of my muddy boots and hit him in the head with it.” He said, “The young man paused for a moment and then continued praying. But when I awoke the next morning, my boots were beautifully polished and set by my bed by that young man. That’s what brought me to Christ.”

ACTION POINT:

You know, it is when God’s people suffer as Christians that this world begins to look at us. Now we may not want it.  We may not ask for it. Certainly I’m not asking for it.  But if it comes, let us suffer as Christians, as the Bible says.  Oh dear friend, from the human viewpoint it is misery. From the Satanic viewpoint it is mystery. But from the divine viewpoint it is ministry.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

How to Understand the Bible

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Thy precepts.”

Psalm 119:100

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

People sometimes can’t understand why they don’t understand the Bible. Well, the way to understand the Bible is to obey the Bible. And the way to understand the verses you don't understand is to obey the verses you do understand.

“More than the ancients” is a way of saying the accumulative wisdom of the ages. David is saying, “ I haven't been off to the university perhaps, or I haven't studied abroad, but I keep God's Word and therefore God reveals to me His truth.”

The only way you can really understand the Bible is for God to reveal it to you, and God doesn't reveal it to rebels.

ACTION POINT:

Keep God's Word, and through it God will reveal His truth. Some of you know what God wants you to do, but you're not doing it. And you wonder why you've come up against a roadblock when you try to read the Bible.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Obedience Traditions Sacrifice

The traditions of man are not what the Lord wants from you.

Man places high regards on traditions while God wants a humble obedient heart.

Jesus sacrificed all to bring you hope.

That hope and faith in Christ is all we have.

We can work until we fall dead. 

The works you do help others but do not bring salvation.

You better have the true sweet knowledge that Christ alone brings salvation.

Put your faith in Christ The Living Sacrifice, set traditions aside, and be obedient to God's commands.

He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? - Matthew 15:3

he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. - Matthew 15:6

6 And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 

7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  - Mark 7:6-7

“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it

15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

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 3:14-17

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. - 1 Peter 1:3-5

11 "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 

12 "When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 

13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 

15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 

16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 

17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. 

18 "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 

19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 

20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."  - Isaiah 1:11-20

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,

20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. - 1 Peter 3:18-22

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men."

9 And he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! - Mark 7:8-9

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, - 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

In Whom My Soul Delights

You are His servant!

It's Jesus who you must obey!

God delights in His Son!

We are His hands and feet, right now, this day!

We shine with the light of hope found in Christ and His salvation!

God gives you breath, every single moment!

Let's set the captives free!!!

1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 

2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 

3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 

4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. 

5 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: 

6 "I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 

7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 

8 I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. 

9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them."  - Isaiah 42:1-9

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 

78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."  - Luke 1:77-79

A Gentle Spirit

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“He that is faithful l in that which is least is faithful also in that which is much.” Luke 16:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In order to be a missionary, a man had to appear before the superintendent of missions. His appointment was set for five in the morning. It was a snowy morning, but he was there. He waited until eight o'clock. Finally the superintendent came and asked him two simple questions.

Then he said, “Thank you. You're dismissed.”

The aspiring missionary said, “Thank you for your time.”

In his report, the superintendent wrote, “This man will make an excellent missionary. He came at an early hour without a murmur; that shows self-sacrifice. He was there on time; that shows character. He waited without grumbling; that shows patience. He answered very simple questions in a straightforward manner; that shows humility.” 

ACTION POINT:

When God asks you to do something, it may not make sense or seem important, but let God determine what's important. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

I Don’t Understand, But I’ll Obey

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I read an interesting story about Stephen Grellet, a pioneer evangelist to the lumbermen in the Rocky Mountains. He felt the Spirit of God leading him to a particular lumber camp to preach. When he got there, the place was absolutely deserted. He said, “Lord, I don’t understand, but I'm going to be obedient.” So he opened his Bible without a soul in sight and preached a full-length message. Then he pled for people to come to Christ. He said, “Lord, I don’t know what that was all about but Lord, I was obedient.” Years later, a man walked up to him in England and said, “I was the foreman at a lumber camp. I had come back to the camp to get an ax, and I heard you preaching. I stood behind a pile of lumber and listened. As you preached, my heart was strangely warmed, and I repented of my sin and gave my heart to Jesus Christ. I later witnessed to four other men. Now, all five of us are missionaries preaching around the world.” 

How important it is that we obey completely in small things! Naaman was asked to dip seven times in the river Jordan. At first, he angrily refused. But in 2 Kings 5:13 his servants asked him, “… if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?” 

ACTION POINT:

Do you know why many of us are not obeying God more than we are? Because we're not hearing what God is saying. We're not spending time listening to God. That's the importance of a quiet time, that's the importance of getting somewhere alone with God in a nook with this book and reading and listening.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

For His Glory

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant, and his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline Thine ear, and hear; open Thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by Thy name: for we do not present our supplications before Thee for our righteousnesses, but for Thy great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for Thine own sake, O my God: for Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.” Daniel 9:17-19

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Daniel is saying, “O God, please forgive us.  Remove the guilt.”  He’s also praying for the restoration of glory.  Notice “for the Lord’s sake.” 

Do you know what so many of us are praying for?  For America’s sake.  That won’t get it done. Or for our denomination’s sake, our church’s sake, or even our family’s sake.  But Daniel is praying for not only the removal of guilt but the restoration of glory (v. 18).    When we get concerned for the glory of God, then we’re going to see our prayers answered. So many times we’re just simply trying to get out of difficulty. Do you pray for the glory of God? 

Do you know what most of us want?  We want revival so we can return to our own ways, once God gets us out of the difficulty we’re in. Do you have a burning, yearning in your heart for the glory of God?  Do you want to see God’s glory spread over this land?  I want to see God do something again that cannot be explained by the pundits on television and the news anchors.

ACTION POINT:

When we get concerned for the glory of God, then we’re going to see our prayers answered.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

All Things New

1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.

2 And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." - John 9:1-5

6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud

7 and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. - John 9:6-7

14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."

16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.

17 So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight

19 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"

20 His parents answered, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.

21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself."

22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)

23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner."

25 He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." - John 9:14-25

33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

34 They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

36 He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"

37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you."

38 He said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

39 Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind."

40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?"

41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains. - John 9:33-41

Jesus saw this man as he was and then He saw what he could be.

It's true, that man was a sinner.

Through Christ only, there is forgiveness.

Just as you and I are sinners, Christ sees what we could be.

In the Old Testament sin was brought to all by the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

They were in rebellion just as we are.

We must humbly bow before His throne.

We must turn from sin and follow Him.

We must be yielded and still.

We must study His word to know Him.

We were blind because of sin but through Christ we can see.

Jesus makes all things new.

Thanks Pastor Jamin!