Praying in Secret

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What did our Lord mean when He said, “Enter into your closet to pray?” The word “closet” simply means somewhere where you can shut the door on the world and open the windows to heaven. 

As you study the life of Jesus, you’ll discover that Jesus sought times to be alone. Sometimes He would go on a mountain, sometimes into the wilderness, and sometimes into a garden. It is the secret place that is the sacred place. The mark of your prayer life is not really how well you pray in public, but in private.

ACTION POINT:

When you enter your closet to pray, spend some time in silence. Clear your mind. Then listen for His Words of edification, encouragement, and exhortation.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Biblical Hope, a Firm Certainty

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For Thou art my hope, O Lord God: Thou art my trust from my youth.” Psalm 71:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What does the word “hope” mean in the Bible? It doesn’t mean “maybe.” We may use it that way in modern English, but that’s not what the word “hope” means when used in Scripture.

“Hope” means certainty, but not just any certainty. When the Bible says “hope,” it means a rock-ribbed assurance with anticipation, based on the Word of God. 

When I was a little boy, my dad would take us out for a ride on Sunday afternoon. We kids would be in the back seat, getting into squabbles. If things got too heated, my dad would turn around and say, “When you boys get home, I’m going to whip you.” With my dad, I knew this was a rock-ribbed truth! We could anticipate it, but not with gladness!

Our hope, however, our rock-ribbed assurance, comes with glad anticipation!

ACTION POINT:

Share the hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ with someone today. Maybe there’s someone at the hospital who needs a word of hope. Maybe it’s a member of your family!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Wake-Up Call

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Romans 13:11

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you know what Napoleon said about China? “There lies a sleeping giant, and let him sleep, because if he awakens, he will shake the world.”

I believe the devil says that about the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I believe the church is just that: a sleeping giant. We’re asleep because we have been chloroformed by the spirit of this age. 

We’re bombarded on every side by all kinds of amusement. Do you know what amuse means? It’s a combination of two words. Muse means to think, and the alpha prefix in front of it means “not to.” 

We are a generation that is amusing ourselves into oblivion. And it’s time to wake up!

ACTION POINT:

Are you taking the Christian life seriously? If this were your last day on earth, how would you spend it? In amusement? Or in evangelism?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Making Your Bible Come Alive

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Why is it that sometimes when we read the Bible, we leave our common sense at the door? You don’t just pick up a book, open it at random, and start reading in the middle of a paragraph. The book wouldn’t make any sense! In order to understand and get the full appreciation for the book, we read it sequentially and in paragraphs or units. 

When you read the Bible, read for quality not quantity. Don’t see how much of the Bible you can read. See how much of the Bible you can assimilate and apply! Maybe what you need to do is spend a week studying one verse.

ACTION POINT:

In your Bible reading today, stop and ask yourself, “What is God telling ME?” Not “What does this say?” But “What is God saying to me?” Then seek to put that into practice today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

He Is…

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And God said unto Moses, I AM that I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” Exodus 3:14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever noticed that the title God chose to describe Himself is an incomplete sentence? Now, most people would finish that sentence, “I am… [something].” But not our Lord. He purposefully did not complete the sentence “I AM.” He is.

Are you hungry? He is the bread. Are you in the dark? He is the light. Are you searching? He is the truth. Are you lost? He is the way. Are you in need? He is your Shepherd.

ACTION POINT:

What are you looking to God to meet today? Trust Him right now to meet you there.

 LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Abiding in Christ And Fruitful Christian Living

John 15:1-8

1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

 “Abiding” in John 15 has to do with deriving strength and life from Christ so that you bear fruit in a spiritual climate where the destruction of faith and the distraction of faith are everyday realities.

John 14:30-31; 15:18-21; 16:1; 17:12, 15-17

The Vinedresser is God the Father.

The Vine is Jesus.

The fruitful branches are genuine followers of Jesus.

The fruitless branches are those who appear to be joined to Jesus but in reality only have a superficial attachment to him.

The Proficiency of the vine and vinedresser (v. 1-2)

Jesus begins talking about fruitful Christian living not by pointing to something about the branches, but to something in the Vine and the Vinedresser.

Two implications

There can be no boasting.

There can be no blame-shifting.

“The Vine is the problem.”

“The Vinedresser is the problem.”

The Properties of the branches

Two Kinds of branches

Fruit-Bearing Branches

The abiding branch bears fruit precisely because it is vitally connected to the Vine. (v. 5)

The Father wisely prunes every fruit-bearing branch. (v 2) Fruitless Branches

The fruitless branch lacks fruit precisely because it is not vitally connected to the Vine. (v. 2a, 4a, 6).

The Father, in his timing, cuts off every fruitless branch and casts it into the fire. (v. 2a, 6)

The Process of Pruning/Cleansing two Kinds of Cleansing (v 2-3)

Are we clean “already” (v. 3) or is God continually cleansing us (v. 2)? Yes. (1 Cor. 6:11; 1 John 1:9)

Two Pruning instruments

Scripture (John 17:17; Eph. 5:25-26; Heb. 12:6-8) 

Trials (James 1:2)

God is careful to manage the trials we face so that instead of breaking us off from the Vine, His children cling more closely and bear more fruit.

The Prospect of glory (and Joy)

God gets glory (v. 8)

There’s no way to make the statement God is great when we live in disobedience to Him.

True Christians love to be reminded that their obedience brings glory to God.

We get Assurance (v. 8)

Where is there some measure of fruit-bearing? 

We get Joy (v. 11)

Christians don’t manufacture their own joy. 

They get it from the Vine. 

When Jesus thinks of the most thrilling gift He could give to His disciples and every Christian here, He prays, “Father, can we show them ... the glory I had with you before the world existed?” (John 17:5, 24)

Thanks Matt, you are an incredible teacher!

Are You Too Uncomfortable to Have a Quiet Time?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Psalm 66:18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you know what quiet time is? Fellowship with a holy God. The reason some folks do not have a quiet time is they feel uncomfortable. The reason they feel uncomfortable is that they don’t want to look God in the face. The reason they don’t want to look God in the face is because they have sin in their life. 

What did Adam do after he had sinned and God came walking in the Garden? Adam fled. Before that, Adam had quiet time with God, didn’t he? They had boundless, unending fellowship. But when there was sin in Adam’s life, he did not want to look God in the face.

ACTION POINT:

Are you reluctant to have a quiet time? Maybe it’s because there is sin in your life. Ask God to shine His light into you. Then wait for His answer so you can repent.

 LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers