Happiness, the Byproduct of Righteousness

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Happiness is something you stumble over on your way to serving Jesus. 

When you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ, happiness is the byproduct of righteousness. People who are trying to be happy are focusing their energy at the wrong target. If you will seek after righteousness, then you will be happy. 

What you need is to drink of the Spirit. 

What you need is to feed on the Word of God. 

The deepest need of your heart will be met only in Jesus. 

ACTION POINT:

Ask the Lord to fill you with His presence, to fulfill the deepest need of your heart in Him and Him alone. Now trust Him to do it.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Reason You Are Stressed

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Matthew 6:30

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you know the reason we’re stressed? Because we think our needs are not going to be met. We say, “Oh my goodness, I’m not going to have what I need!” 

Jesus tells us not to worry about what you are going to eat. And don’t worry about what you are going to wear. He’s saying only one thing is important His righteousness. These things don’t even take significance until your deepest needs are met. You are to find your satisfaction in Him. If you don’t find your satisfaction in Him, you’re going to be stressed. 

ACTION POINT:

Are you stressed out about something today? Turn it over to Jesus and turn your focus to Him. Let Jesus meet your needs and transform your heart today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

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