The Most Powerful People on Earth

“God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.” PSALM 68:6

 

PONDER THIS

The most powerful and influential people on Earth do not occupy the houses of elected office, run industry, or handle the business of Wall Street. The most powerful and influential people on Earth are parents of faith. Amram and Jochebed’s claim to fame is that they raised a child whose name was Moses, who literally changed the world. I cannot overestimate the importance of family. We’ve been told that it takes a village to raise a child. That’s backward. It takes a family to raise a child, and families change the village. It begins with parents. Family is the primary classroom. The Bible says in Psalm 68:6 that God sets the solitary in families. It’s no wonder the devil has unleashed all the artillery of Hell against the family.

What are some things you learned about faith from your family?

How are you seeking to encourage others in the faith in your family?

PRACTICE THIS

If there are ways your family members encouraged you in the faith, reach out and share that with them today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Godly Parenting Starts with Surrender

“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.” PSALM 112:1-2

 

PONDER THIS

When my first son was born and I first laid eyes on him, something changed in my heart. I thought, “Oh, God, I am a daddy, and I’ve got a son to raise!” Joyce and I were going through college, and we were living in a little twenty-five-foot house trailer. I went home, sat on that flowered couch in that little house trailer, and then got on my knees. I said, “Oh God, if I never do anything else, I want to be a godly daddy.” I said, “God, I give You my son, and I give You myself.” And I have claimed the promise of today’s verse many times.

Don’t you want your children to be mighty on this earth for God? Don’t you want your generation to be blessed? It is a joy, a privilege, and a responsibility to raise your children for God. But you must have this vision first, you must surrender first, and they will learn from seeing how you live.

What does it look like to devote something to God? How does that change the way you treat that thing?

Who is someone devoted to God who impacted you? What was different about that person’s life?

PRACTICE THIS

Consider what needs to change for you to live your life devoted to God, then take that next step of faith.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Tending Gardens

““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

DEUTERONOMY 6:4-7

 

PONDER THIS

Do you have a garden? I don’t have a garden. I don’t like gardens. There’s too much weeding, too much fertilizing, too much watering, and too much care. It’s tough to have a garden. Regardless of your interest in gardening, you’ve got another kind of garden. You’ve got some olive plants. And caring for those plants takes weeding, it takes watering, it takes fertilizing, it takes cultivating, it takes discipline, it takes instruction, and it takes demonstration. Most of all, it takes time.

I read the other day that if a father does not spend quality time with his daughter, he greatly hinders her journey in life. She can become distant or look for attention from someone else. She’s looking for a father figure. She might become vulnerable or may have a negative view of men in general. Investing in the next generation takes time, but it is worth it. Be intentional about the moments you have with the next generation. Children and young people need to know your love and that you have taken the time to care.

How have you been shown love from someone spending time with you?

What is hard about taking time to love others? What is beneficial about it?

PRACTICE THIS

Think about who you need to pour into in the next generation and reach out to set up dedicated time with them.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Consistent Godly Parenting

“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

EPHESIANS 6:4

 

PONDER THIS

Joyce and I haven’t been perfect parents, but we’ve got four wonderful kids. And one thing we’ve tried to do is to be consistent in our discipline. Sometimes parents under-discipline, and other times they over-discipline and lash out or scream at their children. When you scream at your child, you are the one who is out of control.

Some make it their aim to control their children. If you show me a father who is a leader but not tender, I’ll show you a family that still has problems. Some tough dads are just bullies. A child can tell the difference between man-centered control and godly discipline. If you have all rules and no relationships, you’re going to have rebellion. If you have all relationship and no rules, you’re going to have chaos. Follow Christ and He will lead you in that balance.

If you are a parent, are you more likely to over-discipline or under-discipline? What are some ways you need God to grow you in this area?

What would it look like to discipline your children in a godly manner?

PRACTICE THIS

Confess to God where you are passive or overbearing. Ask Him to change your heart.

 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How Does Respecting Parents Affect Our World?

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”

EXODUS 20:12

 

PONDER THIS

The Ten Commandments address a vertical and a horizontal relationship. They start with our relationship with God; that’s the vertical relationship.

Then the last six commands talk about our horizontal relationships—our relationships with others. Only ten commandments and one is given to the important subject of honoring father and mother. It is also the first commandment with a promise. God says there's a reason you honor your parents: that your days may be long in the land God gives you.

Society cannot long endure when children fail to honor their parents. Our parents are the first people we meet. And if we're not right with our parents, if we cannot love and respect our parents, how can we expect to love and respect others? The home is the foundation, the basis of expressing the love we have for God first and foremost. The very next step is to love and honor our parents.

What is challenging about following this command to honor one’s parents?

How can we do this, even if we have broken relationships with our parents or even if they are no longer living?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray that God would equip Christian parents and strengthen them as they raise up the next generation. Pray also for children to honor their parents and the ways of the Lord.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

God Calls Us to Honor Our Parents

PRAY OVER THIS

“Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.”

Colossians 3:20

 

PONDER THIS

I can honor my parents by the life that I live. My life will either honor or dishonor my parents. When we’re children, we are to obey our parents. Even when we’re grown, we learn to take their advice. But children are to obey. Today’s verse makes this clear: “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). Do you want to please God? You cannot please God by displeasing your parents. Obey your parents in all things. There’s a blessing in obedience. And not only is there a blessing in obedience, but there’s also great danger in disobedience.

What are some practical ways young children honor their parents?

How can you honor your parents as an adult? How can you do this even if you have a strained relationship with your parents or if they are no longer living?

PRACTICE THIS

Practice one way of honoring your parents today as a means of worship to the Lord.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do You Honor Your Parents?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’”

Ephesians 6:1-3

 

PONDER THIS

The Bible says in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother.” What does the word honor mean? It means your parents are not to be taken lightly. They are to be given weight in your life.

One of the main ways you can honor them is by showing respect. Leviticus 19:3 says, “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father.” That does not mean to tremble in their sight; it means to have respect and never speak disrespectfully to your parents. Leviticus 20:9 says, “For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him.” In the Old Testament, under the theocracy, if a child were to curse his father or his mother, it was a capital crime. The Bible is clear. You may say, “Well, my parents are not worthy of respect.” But only perfect children can demand perfect parents. Adolescence and middle age are both difficult times. Parents go through stages too, but you’re to respect and honor your parents as God has commanded.

When has it been most difficult for you to honor your parents?

What does it look like to show someone respect even when you don’t agree with that person (or may even have to keep your distance for reasons of safety and well-being)?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask God for forgiveness for the times you have not treated your parents with honor. Seek to honor them today in the way you speak to them and the way you speak about them to others.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Be a Faithful Parent | Part II

PRAY OVER THIS

…and they were not afraid of the king’s command. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Hebrews 11:23b-24

 

READ THIS

Hebrews 11 tells us the story of the Prophet Moses, who was kept alive for the Lord’s service through the faith of his parents, Amram and Jochebed. There are four principles to learn from the indispensable faith of these parents. Yesterday, we looked at the first two, faith’s vision and valor, and today we will look at principles three and four.

Third, we see faith’s venture; Moses’ parents did not have a spirit of fatalism, rather, they did their part to protect their son, trusting God to do the rest. When facing challenges, we must do all we can do with a spirit of optimism. If it is God’s will, we can trust that He will move Heaven and Earth for our children.

Finally, Amram and Jochebed displayed faith’s victory.

Hebrews 11 notes that because Moses’ values were established in him by his parents, he valued his faith more than all the riches of Egypt. Moses embraced the virtues of knowing Christ eternally and rejected the vices of this world, refusing to be called Pharaoh’s son. (See Hebrews 11:24.)

CONSIDER THIS

What makes it difficult to entrust those in our lives to God’s care and not our own? Why is this worth it?

Where do you need to renew your trust in Christ and reject the things of the world as Moses did?

DO THIS

Take time to write out ways you might be following the world instead of God. Pray over this list, asking God to help you renew your trust and commitment to Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Be a Faithful Parent | Part I

PRAY OVER THIS

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child. Hebrews 11:23a

 

READ THIS

It takes a family to raise a child, and it takes faith to make a family. The most powerful and influential people on Earth are mothers and fathers of faith.

Hebrews 11 tells us the story of the Prophet Moses, who was kept alive for the Lord’s service through the faith of his parents, Amram and Jochebed. There are four principles to learn from the indispensable faith of these parents. Today, we are looking at the first two of these principles.

First, we note faith’s vision; Moses’s parents recognized that he was the special handiwork of God. It is our responsibility to see our children as specific, individual creations of God, and raise them accordingly.

Second, we recognize faith’s valor. Amram and Jochebed hid Moses for three months because the King had commanded that baby boys be killed. By faith, they recognized this physical conflict as a spiritual conflict between the gods of Egypt and Almighty God, and “they were not afraid” (Hebrews 11:23b). In these treacherous days, raising children is a spiritual battle, and our only hope is a solid faith in Jesus Christ.

CONSIDER THIS

Who are the spiritual children God has given you—whether biological or otherwise?

How might God use you to encourage those with whom you have spiritual influence? How does the idea of spiritual parenthood connect to the reality of the Body of Christ being a family?

DO THIS

Encourage the children in your life today—whether biological or spiritual—by affirming the unique gifts God has given them.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Parents, you can’t be cowards

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Thou shalt keep therefore His statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, forever. Deuteronomy 4:40

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

We’re constantly told that the truths, warnings and commandments revealed in the Bible are old-fashioned—they no longer apply. The result? Young people sucked into the sewers of sin. Homes coming apart at the seams. The slaughter of millions of precious unborn babies. Nations in chaos.

May God give us wisdom to help our young people. Surrounded by this culture, they may as well be standing in tall, dry grass with a box of matches. We’re pushing young people into situations they’re neither emotionally nor mentally prepared to handle.  

Whatever happened to letting children be children? God have mercy on us who stand by while boys and girls date at the age of ten, get married by seventeen, and divorced before they’re old enough to vote.

As parents we should be consistently pointing our children to the eternal truth of the Word of God—not what culture around them says. As Dr. James Dobson has written, “Parenting Isn’t for Cowards.”

ACTION POINT:

Are you a parent? I challenge you today to get back to the Word of God. Stand up to the pressures of society. Draw your teens into your home with love. Form a prayer group of parents and teens. Do whatever it takes to rescue your children before it’s too late.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What if my parents aren’t worthy of respect?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Honor 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:

Whether you are young or old, you can honor your parents. How? By showing respect. Leviticus 19:3 says, “Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.” The word “fear” doesn’t mean to quake in the presence of your parents, but to have a holy respect for your father and mother.

“Honor” literally means to add weight to. To take our parents seriously; to reverence and respect them.

You may say, “But my parents aren’t worthy of respect.” With all due respect, you aren’t either. None of us are worthy. Only perfect children can demand perfect parents. They are imperfect; we are imperfect. But God is holy, and He says we are to respect our parents.

Their life blood flows in us. Their very life is in us. They would give their life for us. I believe the closest, greatest illustration on earth to the love of God is the love of parents for their children.

ACTION POINT:

What’s your relationship like with your parents? If you’ve been showing less than the biblical respect God requires, then begin today to turn that around for His glory. If your parents are still alive, show that love, show that honor, and do it now. Dead noses smell no roses. I urge you: write that letter now, pay that visit now, send that gift now, do that chore now, give that kiss of affection now. Whatever you’re going to do, do it, and do it now.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are you parenting or just coasting?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A little boy was riding around and around the block. A man asked him, “What are you doing?” 

“I’m running away from home,” he said.

“But you’re just going around and around the block,” said the man. 

The little boy responded, “That’s because my mom won’t let me cross the street!”

Even in the earliest ages, there can be restraint in the heart of a child because of godly training by his or her parents. The only way I ever learned to play football was on the training field. The classroom wasn’t enough. Parents must provide training and education for the lessons of life to be ingrained in their children.

ACTION POINT:

Has God given you the divine responsibility of parenthood? Then spend time this week training your child in one area of godly living. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Parenting Isn’t for Cowards!

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Thou shalt keep therefore His statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.” Deuteronomy 4:40

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What happened to letting children be children? May God have mercy on us who stand by while boys and girls date at the age of ten, go steady by the time they’re thirteen, get married by the age of seventeen, and get divorced before they’re old enough to vote. As Dr. James Dobson has written, “Parenting isn’t for Cowards.” May God give us wisdom to help young people who are standing in tall dry grass with boxes of matches!

ACTION POINT:

Are you a parent? I challenge you today to get back to the Word of God. Stand up to the pressures of society. Corral your teens into your home with love. Form a prayer group of parents and teens. Do whatever it takes to rescue your children before it’s too late.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Honoring Our Parents Always

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:

Whether you are young or old, you can honor your parents. How? By showing respect. Leviticus 19:3 says, “Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.” Now that word “fear” doesn’t mean to quake in the presence of your parents. That is, you are to have a holy respect for your father and your mother.

You may say, “But my parents are not worthy of respect.” With all due respect, you aren’t either. None of us are worthy. Only perfect children can demand perfect parents, and no children are perfect. Our parents are imperfect. We are imperfect. But God is holy, and He says that we are to respect our parents.

ACTION POINT:

What’s your relationship like with your parents? If you’ve been showing less than the type of biblical respect God requires, then begin today to turn that around for His glory!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Exercise Discernment with Entertainment

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The most dangerous thing on television in my estimation today is the sitcom. Do you know what they’re doing? They’re getting you to laugh at sin. In fact, a Christian television and film writer attended a producers’ workshop one day. One of the keynote speakers was one of TV’s most successful producers of sitcoms. In his address, he stated that in order to have a commercially successful production, the characters in a sitcom must violate at least three of the Ten Commandments. How tragic. But what an opportunity for people like you and me to take a stand for the truth and for the glory of God in the film and television industry.

ACTION POINT:

Pray Joshua 1:7 for those who are in the television and movie industries—that they will be strong and courageous.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Bringing Up Godly Children in an Ungodly World

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works.” Psalm 71:17

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Satan is on a killing spree—he wants to kill our memory and set us awash in the sea of forgetfulness without any recollection of our Christian heritage as a nation.

Tragically, he’s aiming his artillery at our children, and particularly in the place where they used to grow in the knowledge of good things—the public school. Prayer is out. Police are in. Bibles are out. Values clarification is in. The Ten Commandments are out. Social engineering is in. Creation is out. Evolution is in. History is out. Revisionism is in. God says we need to remember the generation to come.

ACTION POINT:

You have an important job—to influence the lives of those who will come after you. Teach them to walk in the ways of the Lord and against the tide of the world.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers