The Comfort of the Holy Spirit

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Jesus called the Holy Spirit “the Comforter.”

Whenever peace enters your heart in the midst of grief...

Whenever joy enters your heart in the midst of a trial...

Whenever you see evidence of His life in yours…                  

…..you can be sure the Holy Spirit is flowing through your life. 

Can He forget you? Never. The seal of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is on your life if you are His child. Whenever you pass through a room or walk through a crowd, His oil of gladness sends a sweet aroma of Christ through the air!

ACTION POINT:

Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. How can you show the comfort of Christ to someone who is hurting? 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

It All Ends The Same

Death comes to all!!!

No one escapes!

Wicked or righteous!

Free or slave!

Man, woman or child!!

Death is everyone's destiny!!

2 Cor.4:

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;

9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

The death of the saved is filled with anticipation of seeing Christ with the sweet expectation of spending eternity in His precious company!!

The death of the lost is a horrible expectation of eternity spent separated from God!

2 Cor.4:

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

At least 2 billion people have never heard of Jesus!

They have knowledge of God because of creation!

They stand condemned without a Savior!

One Savior, Christ The Lord!

They worship false gods because they have never heard who Jesus is!

They do not know that God has granted Jesus the power to save!

They do not know that Christ alone took the wrath God!

Wrath we deserved, wiped away by a sinless Jesus!

They have rejected God!

How will they hear?

The Gospel Word has the power of eternal life through Christ alone!

Not Ashamed of the Lordship of Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“O my God, I trust in Thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.” Psalm 25:2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever noticed that some people get a little embarrassed in a restaurant if you bow your head and mention Jesus as you ask His blessing? They rub their eyebrows or forehead when you pray. Have you ever asked yourself why they’re ashamed? I think it is because they don’t know what they’re missing in Jesus. You see, salvation is a wonderful gift. God sent His Son to die for us. He rose from the grave for us. He ascended into heaven for us. He’s coming again for us! How can we be ashamed of this?

ACTION POINT:

Next time you go to a restaurant, let your prayer of blessing turn into an evangelistic opportunity with your unsaved friend. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Fully Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

John G. Patton was a Bible translator in the South Sea Islands. While translating, he came to the word “believe” and searched for a word that the native people could truly understand. He wanted something that meant commitment and trust, but he couldn’t think of a word. Then one day, a messenger rushed into Mr. Patton’s room out of breath. Needing to rest, he flung himself into a big chair and leaned back in complete relaxation. Patton asked the native for a word to describe what he did when he sat down and completely trusted in the chair to hold him so he could relax. That’s the word he used for “believe.” 

When a person quits trying and begins to trust the Lord Jesus, that’s “belief.”

ACTION POINT:

Who have you been sharing Christ with that hasn’t yet been saved? Ask God to give you a word that will break through the barriers and bring salvation to this person. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Law and the Gospel of God's Grace

BIBLE MEDITATION:
"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.” Romans 4:16
LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:There are more than six billion people on the face of this earth. If you extracted from each one the very best character traits and put those things into one man, that one man would still have to bow before God and cry out for mercy to be saved.

We’ve got to quit trying to be saved by doing good things or being a moral person or even by keeping the Ten Commandments.

The law says “if.” The gospel says “therefore.”
The law says you must earn salvation.  The gospel says salvation is a gift.
The law demands holiness. The gospel provides holiness.
The law says run, but it doesn’t give us legs.
The gospel says fly, and it gives us wings of grace.

ACTION POINT:Read Romans 10. What application can you gain for your life from this chapter?

Driven to the Heart of Our Lord

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Psalm 32:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The worst thing that could happen to sinful people would be to live in a perfect environment.

If God had left Adam in the Garden of Eden, Adam would not have known that he had the fatal infection of sin, and he would not have sought the remedy for sin, which he found in the shedding of blood. 

Problems are designed not to crush us, but to crowd us to Christ who provided the remedy for sin by shedding His blood on the cross. The problem of sin is real and terrible, but it brings with it the possibility that we can be forgiven and clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

ACTION POINT:

When was the last time you thanked God for the problems in your life? Think of them as vehicles that drive you to the heart of your Lord. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Is It Time to Refresh and Renew?

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.” - Psalm 51:10-12

So many people have the idea that being a Christian is like taking foul-tasting medicine—it tastes awful, but you know you’ll feel better one day.

They’re like the young man who prayed at a prayer meeting with few in attendance: “Oh God, be with us now, and help us while the rest of the people are out there having a good time.”

Do you ever feel that going to church or having a quiet time is like going to the dentist? Then you’re getting your satisfaction in life outside of a relationship with God. It’s time to spend some time in prayer and ask God to renew your spirit.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers