Never Alone

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”John 14:18
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The late Dr. Paul Tournier, great Christian psychiatrist from Switzerland, wrote that loneliness is the most devastating malady of this age.

What is loneliness? Many confuse it with being alone. But you can be alone and not lonely. Your loneliness does not have to overwhelm you. After all is said and done, truly your only solace is found in Jesus. Why? He understands. John 1:10-11 tells us that the world neither received Him, nor knew Him. In many respects He lived a life of loneliness. “But I need somebody real.” Jesus is real. He is closer to you than anyone else can be or ever will be. What a friend we have in Jesus! We will never be separated from Him!

ACTION POINT:
Are you lonely? Chances are someone you know is, too. Why don’t you give someone a call right now and invite them to do something.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Release from the Ghosts of Guilt

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 1:21
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Guilt dogs the footsteps of mankind. It gnaws. It growls. It eats away at the joy God intends for us. Is there no peace from guilt? Will the ghosts of our guilt always lurk nearby? Not with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and the healing power of our Lord in us! The devil is the prosecuting attorney who is going to point his bony finger of accusation at you. But the Holy Spirit is not the accuser. He is the Convictor. In love, He convicts to lead us to confession. Then we can confidently come to God and ask for cleansing. No psychologist or psychiatrist can take away guilt. Only Christ Jesus can.

ACTION POINT:
Read the story of the adulterous woman in John 8:1-11. Praise God for His lovingkindness and generous mercy! 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

People God Chooses to Do His Work

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The people God chooses to do His work are plain, simple folks. All you have to do is look at the twelve men Jesus chose to be His disciples. Fishermen, a tax collector, a “zealot.” What a ragtag bunch! But they ended up “turning the world upside down.” And those who watched them exclaimed, “Why, these are ignorant and unlearned men!” (Acts 4:13). Maybe you didn’t make the “Who’s Who,” or worse, the “Who’s Not”! That’s all right. God has a plan for you. God knows what He is doing. He turns the table on the world’s idea of success. Wealth, fame, acclaim. None of these are necessary for you to be used of God.

ACTION POINT:
What a glorious truth for you to share with someone today who may be feeling like they’re not worth much. Ask God to lead you to that someone right now.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

God Is In Control

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” Is.41:13
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Once I had the rare opportunity of visiting with Corrie Ten Boom. I drank in her words. I listened and kept my mouth shut. One of her statements went straight to my heart: “There is no panic in heaven, only plans.” That is how God operates — no panic. Did you know the Holy Trinity never meets in an emergency session? God has never stepped down from His throne. Jesus has not left His right hand, and the Holy Spirit has not stopped interceding for you, His child. Refuse to listen to Satan’s lies of fear, discouragement, and despair. You are a victor. And God is in control!

ACTION POINT:
Repeat the following throughout the day today, “God is in control of my life. He will not leave me. His right hand will sustain me all the length of my days.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

HOW TO BUILD GOD’S CHURCH

2 Kings 22-25

God uses means to build and strengthen His Church, and there are ways to lean into this strengthening work of God.

Eagerness: Seek the Lord (2 Kings 22:1-2)

• In Scripture, if you find someone who has genuine faith in God, you are finding someone who seeks after God.

• When the Old Testament prophets see people running to idols for satisfaction, they don’t correct the impulse of searching. They point to the true

Source of life.

Purity: Clean the House (2 Kings 22:3-6)

• In the Old Testament era, the truths about God’s rule and blessing were often packed into things that were highly visible (temple, land, priestly

garments, anointing the king with oil).

• New Testament believers pursue real reform not by destroying the worship sites of false gods but by striving after purity and holiness before God.

Revelation: Find the Book (2 Kings 22:11-13; 23:1-27)

• As soon as Josiah gets his hands on the Book, he wants it read before all the people and he wants the people to make a covenant to live under this Word.

• Our sole confidence as a church as we face the future is this: God builds His Church by His Spirit through His Word!

The End of 2 Kings: Tragedy and Hope (2 Kings 25)

• It would seem that God’s promise to claim a people for His own possession had failed, but there’s a ray of hope: a living king in the

line of David.

• Jesus alone is able to bring more than temporary reform. He is able to build His Church.

Thanks Matt!

The Will of God

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother.” Mark 3:35

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Major Ian Thomas, English author and founder of a worldwide missionary fellowship, once wrote, “Which of these things in the life of Jesus is more spiritual? When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount? When He raised Lazarus from the dead? When He washed His disciples’ feet? Or when He spat on the ground and made clay to anoint the blind man’s eyes? None was more spiritual than the other. Jesus did not divide His life up into little segments of spirituality. He was simply available to do whatever His Father willed.” The will of God is not a road map. It is a relationship! You just simply set yourself apart to do the will of God.

ACTION POINT:
Are you segregating your life into activities that are more spiritual than others? Surrender all you are to Him and make yourself available for whatever He calls you to do today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Bridging the Stress Gap

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Is. 40:31

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Stress is nothing new. Noah had it when he was building the ark with no rain in sight. Martha had it when she was preparing a meal for our Lord. Stress is the gap between the demands placed on us and the strength we have in meeting those demands. It is not a sin to be stressed, nor a sin to be weary. It is a sin, though, not to seek a lessening of that stress which tears down the temple of the Holy Spirit, your body. Where is your answer? In waiting upon the Lord — waiting in the midst of demands. When you learn to wait on Him, God steps in to bridge the stress gap with His mighty strength.

ACTION POINT:
Ask God to equip you to be a stress-buster today. Perhaps it will be your boss or your spouse that is “stressed out.” Rejoice in the opportunity you have to share God’s love.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers