How Will You Be Remembered?

“When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.” 

PSALM 128:2-4

 

PONDER THIS

There is nothing more important for a father than integrity. Now you might fail in a lot of different ways, but oh, if you just simply fear God and live with integrity! You cannot teach what you do not know. And you cannot come from where you’ve not been. You cannot give what you do not have. You must fear God. You must walk in integrity.

What do you want to be remembered for? Do you know what I want my kids to remember me for? I want them to say, my dad feared God. My dad walked in the ways of God. We can be sure that our children will remember our character, whether good or bad. If we walk in the fear of the Lord, we can be sure that we will live with integrity and display character worth remembering.

What do you remember most about your father?

What showed you that he lived with high character or a lack thereof?

PRACTICE THIS

What would those closest to you say about your integrity? What needs to change for you to live with godly character?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Those With Honorable Conduct

PRAY OVER THIS

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” 1 Peter 2:11-12

 

PONDER THIS

This passage teaches us that to be a citizen of Heaven is to have a certain standard of character. We are to live a righteous, godly life. There is to be in our hearts and our lives none of what the Bible calls fleshly lust. A child of God ought to be pure and clean as the driven snow.

There are certain things that war against the soul. The word for war here speaks of a strategy or a conspiracy. There is a conspiracy, born in Hell, that wars against your soul, the soul of your family, the soul of your church, and the soul of this nation. We are at war with unseen forces from the very pit of Hell. There is a battle, and to be prepared for the battle, we must be absolutely and totally clean. We must renounce and abstain from everything that is wrong and embrace everything that is right. This passage calls us to live such a pure, godly, clean, righteous, honest forthright life that, even grudgingly, those that hate you will have to admit that there is a difference.

Why is it important that Christ-followers have a high standard for character?

What things of the world that would draw you away from Christ do you need to renounce?

PRACTICE THIS

Resolve to pursue godly character, and then take practical steps to live in accordance with God’s will and eliminate ungodly things from your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Character Makes You Free

BIBLE MEDITATION

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him, they will ask the more” Luke 12:48

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

As Christian citizens, we must abstain from all that’s wrong and approve all that is right. It is character that produces liberty. Don’t let that go past you. It is character that produces liberty. The reason Americans have been free is that they began as people of character.

Responsibility and character are two ways of saying the same thing. Responsibility and character are inseparably linked together with liberty. For example, a little baby has no responsibilities. He doesn’t have to worry about anything. Everybody takes care of him. But he has no liberties. He does what he’s told to do. He eats that pabulum and those strained beets. He is bathed and put to bed. No responsibilities, but no liberties.

As he grows in responsibility, he gets more and more liberty. There comes a time when his father will give him the car keys. But if he takes that car and acts irresponsibly, the father takes the keys and his privilege away. If he acts really irresponsibly, he may wind up in jail and all his liberties are taken away. Liberty is responsibility assumed.

ACTION POINT

A republic is a government for people with character, and only people with character can maintain it. If we lose our character as a nation, we are going to lose our liberty. And always, when there is a loss of character, there’s a growth of government. If you want to remain free, you must be men and women of character, and you must raise young men and women of character.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Christian Citizenship Demands Character

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

As Christian citizens, we must abstain from all that’s wrong and approve all that is right.

It is character that produces liberty. The reason Americans have been free is because they began as people of character. Don’t let that go past you.

Responsibility and character are two ways of saying the same thing. Responsibility and character are inseparably linked together with liberty. For example, a little baby has no responsibilities. He doesn’t have to worry about anything. Everybody takes care of him. But he has no liberties. He does what he’s told to do. He eats that pabulum and those strained beets. He is bathed and put to bed. No responsibilities, but no liberties.

As he grows in responsibility, he gets more and more liberty. There comes a time when his father will give him the car keys. But if he takes that car and acts irresponsibly, the father takes the keys and his privilege away. If he acts really irresponsibly, he may wind up in jail and all his liberties are taken away. Liberty is responsibility assumed.

ACTION POINT:

A republic is a government for a people with character, and only people with character can maintain it. If we lose our character as a nation, we are going to lose our liberty. If we want to remain free, we must be men and women of character, and raise young men and women of character.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers