Why Is There Suffering in the World?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

“If there is a God, and that God is a good God, then why is there suffering?” 

“What kind of a God is it that has created evil?” 

Ever heard those comments before? Ever made them yourself? 

You’re not alone. Many people have thought the same thing. But that’s not straight thinking. Let me tell you the way it truly is. 

God did not create evil. God created perfection. God made man perfectly free. The freedom He granted man meant that he had to be free to choose to love.  Then in order to choose to love, we must be able to choose not to love. This freedom of choice gave rise to evil, for man’s freedom meant he could make a wrong choice.

ACTION POINT:

Which kind of love do you want from others? A forced love or a free love? Which sounds better, “I love you” or “I have to love you”?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Dead To Sin, Alive To Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:11

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A woman woke up one morning and noticed that she felt like she had just gone to sleep. She said, “It can’t be six o’clock in the morning!” 

But the radio said it was six. The clock said it was six. The sunrise said it was six. Now, I submit to you: it really didn’t matter how she felt, did it? 

Sometimes we respond the same way when it comes to our salvation. We need to get our salvation out of the realm of fickle emotions and begin to “reckon” (count on) God’s facts. 

Each morning when you wake up, begin by saying, “I am dead to sin. I am alive in Christ. I know it’s a fact. He died for me. Now I reckon it!”

ACTION POINT:

Look up the word “reckon” in the dictionary. Are you “reckoning” yourself dead to sin and alive to Christ? If not, begin to do so today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Be Still and Know that He Is God

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I read in the newspaper about a fighter plane that fired off a weapon and was moving so fast that it overtook the bullet and shot itself down. Literally! There are a lot of folks I know doing the same thing. They are shooting themselves down. 

They don’t take time to slow down and to be still and know that God is God. They don’t take time to experience His serenity and inner quietness.
Isaiah 30:15 says, “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” 

How much time do we take to be quiet before the Lord? If you don’t have time to do this, you are too busy! You are going to miss life looking for it.

ACTION POINT:

I have a question for you. Are you spending time alone with the Lord every day? If not, let this be your wake-up call.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Value of a Soul

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold...but with the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:18-19

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I was talking to a man who sold real estate and asked him, “What determines the worth of a piece of property?” 

He said, “What a person is willing to pay for it.” 

In other words, it doesn’t matter how much you paid for it yourself. It’s what another person is willing to pay to have it for himself or herself. 

That makes me want to shout! You and I must be worth something if Jesus would pay His life to have us for His own. Jesus is the proof of how much we’re worth.

ACTION POINT:

Do you know how much you weigh? Call a jeweler or a bank today and ask how much your weight is worth in gold. Then realize there’s no comparison to your worth in blood…the blood of Jesus Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

When in Doubt, Let Jesus Be Your Peace

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.” Matthew 14:31-32

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A man was in the back bedroom of his home getting dressed while his wife was in the living room talking to a friend. He called out to his wife, “Darling, is this shirt clean enough for me to wear?” 

Without hesitation she said, “No.” 

He said, “How did you know it wasn’t clean enough to wear? You didn’t even come back to look at it.” 

She answered, “If you had to ask, it wasn’t clean enough!” 

When it comes to the question of whether you should do something or not, if it’s doubtful, it’s dirty. Don’t. Unfortunately, most of us don’t give God the benefit of the doubt. We just go ahead and do it.

ACTION POINT:

Are you in doubt about something today? If you have even the smallest doubt in your heart that it might be sin or lead to sin, be strong and choose to say “No.” He will be your peace.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Saints in God’s Sight through Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Galatians 4:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Are you saved? If you are, then you are a saint. 

Now you’re probably saying, “But I can’t say that. Christ wants me to be humble.”

But let me tell you what real humility is. It is accepting what God says about you, and God says you’re a saint. Now, that doesn’t make you sinless; it makes you blameless. In God’s sight (and that’s the only sight that counts) you are a saint. God sees you as perfect because He sees you draped in the righteousness of His Son. Glory to God for His indescribable love to us!

ACTION POINT:

Stand in front of the mirror and say out loud, “I am a saint.” Spread the Good News to your family and friends who are saved—that they are saints, too!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Most Important Thing Money Can't Buy

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

1Timothy 3:2-3

2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

1 Timothy 6:7-10

7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Phil.4:11-13

11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

This world is driven by money and the things which it can buy! 

Money is a good thing when kept in its proper place!

But the love of money is evil! 

It will separate you from God! 

It will give you many things that will divert your attention from seeking God and His will.

These things can't bring you peace! 

When you close your eyes at night, not knowing if tomorrow will be granted you, will it be money that is your last thought?

Or will that thought be on the mercy of Christ on which you stand in all things? 

We need money to secure the necessities of life, those being food, clothes and shelter.

But do we really need the excess stuff we all collect? 

We need a car because most of us live far from our jobs, shops, churches etc.

Do we really need some of our other collections? 

Many types of electronics, too many shoes, over abundance of clothes, homes that several families could live in etc.

Are we taking these things with us into eternity?