To Tell the Truth

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When I was in college, I pastored a little church 130 miles away. One night as I was driving back home, I realized one of my headlights was out. I was hoping I wouldn’t get stopped when a highway patrolman pulled me over. 

He said, “Son, did you know one of your headlights is out?” I replied, “One of my headlights is out?” He said, “Son, you’d better get that fixed.” I said, “Yes, sir.” 

When I got back in the car, the Holy Spirit said, “Adrian, you lied.” I said, “No, I didn’t lie. I told the truth.” He said, “You lied.” 

If there is any area in your heart that is not based on truth, you’ve made the devil a home.

ACTION POINT:

I want you to play a game of catch today, but this will only involve one person – you! When temptation urges you to lie, catch yourself and tell the truth.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What Is Your Top Priority?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation.” Psalm 35:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do your children believe that the most important thing to you is God? We must celebrate God in front of our children. 

Let me tell you what my children think and what they know.

They know that their Daddy’s imperfect. They know that I love God. I wouldn’t be ashamed for you to ask them that. You can ask any one of them, “What’s the most important thing to your Dad and Mom?” They would say, “The most important thing to our parents is their relationship with God.”

ACTION POINT:

Are you a parent? Then ask your children what they think the most important thing is to you. If they say anything other than your relationship with the Lord, make some changes in your life to reflect your top priority.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

A Legacy of Love

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.” Psalm 112:2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A woman came to her pastor and said, “When should I start the religious training of my child? When will he be old enough? Is it too early to start at six years of age?” The pastor said, “No, that’s too late.” She said, “Well how about six months?” He said, “That’s too late.” She said, “Then when should I start?” He said, “With his grandparents.” 

We can live for our grandchildren; we can live for our great-grandchildren. The greatest gift you can give your children is to teach them to worship the Lord, to love the Lord, and to serve the Lord at any age.

ACTION POINT:

If you are a grandparent, share what God has taught you about His grace and faithfulness in your life. And share what God has taught you about worshipping Him and serving others.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Who You Are in Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The key to living a victorious Christian life is to discover who you are in Christ. Many Christians have never discovered this. They remind me of the man who had an identity problem and an energy crisis at the same time. He didn’t know who he was and he was too tired to find out. 

God doesn’t work from the outside in. He works from the inside out. God doesn’t modify our behavior in order to change us. He changes us in order to modify our behavior. 

You’re never going to purify the water by painting the pump. That’s legalism, and that’s a dead end to discovering who you are in Christ.

ACTION POINT:

As you study God’s Word, start a list: begin to write down those phrases that apply to you, like the phrase “in Christ.” Now that you are “in Christ,” the phrase “no condemnation” is one you should write down!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Theology for Unexpected Storms

Mark 4:35-41
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."
36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"
41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"


Two problems...
Physical: A raging storm (Mark 4:37) l Spiritual: A resting Savior (Mark 4:38)
One reaction...
lFrustration with Jesus (Mark 4:38)
JESUS DOES WHAT ONLY GOD CAN DO!
(Mark 4:39; cf. Mark 2:1-12; Job 38:8-11; Psalm 65:5-7; 104:5-7; 107:29-30)
Two questions...
Why are you so afraid?” (Mark 4:40) l “Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40)
One response...
lJesus is God and, therefore, worthy of your trust, obedience and worship. (Mark 4:41)
p – Praise Jesus as the God of the universe, Lord over all creation.
r – Repent of any failure to believe who Jesus is or what He has said.
A – Ask Jesus to help you in a current crisis, acknowledging His deity.
y – Yield yourself afresh to Jesus’ lordship over your current crisis. 
Thanks Pastor Jim!

Ministers of Deception

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.” 2 Timothy 4:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Did you know Satan has put his ministers all across America? On Sunday, people will come down and sit in a service, and the man in the pulpit will look like a minister, but he will be a minister of Satan. Isn’t that frightening? You need to understand that Satan is not against religion. He’s always wanted to be like God. His temptation to you is not to be ungodly, but to try to be like God, but in Satan’s way. Satan is the master of deception. 

Matthew 24:24 says, if it were possible, he would deceive the very elect. That’s the reason we have to be discerners of truth.

ACTION POINT:

This Sunday, don’t just sit and soak in the service. Test the message against the Word of God and apply it to your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Misunderstood Principle of Submission

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Submission is a term that has been grievously distorted because there are men who have used the word as a weapon to club their wives rather than as a hammer to build their homes. 

When God tells a wife to submit to her husband, He also tells the husband to love his wife “even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:22-25). 

When God tells children to obey their parents, He also instructs the fathers to “provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). 

When God tells you to submit to Him, it is for your good (James 4:7). Jesus is the head of the church, and He leads by love. The same should be true in the home.

ACTION POINT:

Discuss the principle of submission with your family and friends this week. Contrast what the world would say it means to submit with what God desires for us.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers