True Peace and Satisfaction

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” Psalm 91:16

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I was witnessing to a man one day in front of his house. He said, “I’ve got a good income. You see that house? It’s paid for. You see that car? It’s paid for. My wife is in that house. She loves me.” He seemed completely satisfied. 

I said, “Sir, I want to ask you a question. Will you be absolutely honest with me? Do you have peace in your heart?” 

His chin started to quiver. His eyes brimmed with tears. He said, “No, I don’t have peace in my heart.  How did you know?”

I said, “Because the Bible says, ‘There is no peace, sayeth my God, to the wicked.’ These things cannot fill the longing of your heart. You need Jesus.”

ACTION POINT:

Pray for an opportunity to share today the peace you have in Jesus with someone who is lost and searching.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Loving Chastisement of the Father

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

As a child, did you ever get a spanking you didn’t deserve? Maybe now and then your dad or mom would just be in a “spanking mood,” and they’d spank everyone they could get their hands on? 

Talk about being indignant! There is nothing worse to a child than to realize “I got spanked, and I didn’t deserve it.” 

You know what’s funny? At that point, we never stop to think about all the times we deserved a spanking and didn’t get one. Our Father is mercifully loving and graciously wise to give us what we need at all times in our lives. Sometimes we need His hand of love in comfort, and sometimes we need His hand of love in discipline.

ACTION POINT:

Thank God that His hand of mercy extends to you when you don’t deserve it and that His hand of discipline extends to you when you do.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

At the End of Your Rope

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of His servant... let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I have always been amazed at the advice worldly people give to someone who is hurting. “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!” Can you see someone dangling over a cliff, holding on to a rope, and trying to tie a knot? It takes two hands to do that!

The first thing we need to remember is “don’t demand to understand.” There are some things in life you and I just will never understand. When God allows darkness to overshadow your life, don’t set about lighting your own fire. That’s a recipe for heartache.

Trust that His light will come and wait for it. He will come. Believe it.

ACTION POINT:

There’s someone out there who is hurting today and needs more than a pat answer of encouragement. Give them the light of Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Thanking God for Godly Mothers

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:

One time I had the privilege of speaking with the 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, about his salvation and personal relationship with Christ and prayed with him about that. He looked me in the eyes and said, “I want to tell you, my mother was the most godly person I have ever known.”  He then went on to tell me about her influence in his life. 

Abraham Lincoln said, “All that I am or ever hope to be I owe to my angel mother.” This time every year we celebrate our mothers. Oh, the power of a mother’s love! 

Do you know what children need? A – B – C: 

Acceptance 

Belonging 

Confidence 

ACTION POINT:

Thank God for magnificent mothers! Thank God for the impact of godly mothers in the lives of children.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

THE CONFESSION OF MAN AND THE COMPASSION OF GOD

 Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 

8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 

9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 

11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 

15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 

16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 

18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; 

19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar. 

• Sin is serious.

It is offensive.

Sin defies God.

Sin destroys man.

It is comprehensive.

It is pervasive.

Sin appears so subtly.

Sin harms so deeply.

Sin controls so quickly.

Sin devastates so painfully.

• God is gracious.

His cleansing is costly.

His forgiveness is free.

• Confession is the connection.

Confession involves honesty. m Confession involves humility.

• Restoration is the result.

God re-creates our heart.

God re-establishes our joy. m We walk with Him.

We witness to Him.

We worship Him

Thanks Pastor David!

Tempted, But Not Beyond What We Can Bear

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A factory mechanic builds a truck. He knows the chassis of that truck and knows the load it can carry. In the same way, God knows your frame and He knows the load you can carry. 

God is faithful; He will not allow you to be tempted above that which you are able. Nothing comes to you but that which comes through God. Even what Satan does, he can only do as God allows it. You can say, “The temptation was so strong I couldn’t overcome it,” but it won’t be true. God will provide a way of escape.

ACTION POINT:

When you are tempted today (notice I didn’t say “if” but “when”), ask God to provide a way of escape. Then trust His way and obey.

 LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Dealing With Doubt in the Midst of Trials

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When something bad happens to us, we may respond with, “What did I do? I must have done something terrible.” Then we proceed down the trail of morbid introspection or what I call “navel gazing.” We look down and into ourselves. We take ourselves apart piece by piece, examining and re-examining ourselves. Then we put ourselves back together trying to figure out what we did wrong. 

It may be that you have done absolutely nothing wrong, but God is simply testing your faith. If we don’t understand this, you see, we may get discouraged. 

The seeds of doubt and discouragement sprout in the soil of ignorance.

ACTION POINT:

Claim the promises of 1 Peter 1:3-9 for strength in the midst of your trial.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers