Wednesday, December 24, 2014

What Remains


It's Christmas Eve! A family and friends time! A time if sharing love through gifts! 
I will share with you the greatest gift possible, a gift freely given to all whosoever will obey Him.
The gift of eternal life through Christ, the birth of the One we will celebrate tomorrow as we exchange gifts. 
This wicked world denies Christ, ever see Xmas in any advertisements or other written material this time of year?
What remains? When you die, what will remain of you? Will it be your legacy of sharing the hope we have in Christ and your servant's heart to the lost?

1 Corinthians 3:
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-
13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"
20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future-all are yours,
23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Good Tidings of Great Joy

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” - Luke 2:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The angel said that we have received “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” God wants this message known around the world.

Now I know that you may not be a preacher, but you can be a “reach-er”! What would happen if every believer went out into their neighborhood and said, “Jesus is Lord!” How will the world know if we don’t tell them? Oh, we need to be bold for Jesus.

The skies are going to split open, and the trumpet is going to sound. The dead in Christ will rise, and the angels will once again be heard! “He’s returned!” The Savior born in a manger will return as a Monarch to rule and to reign!

ACTION POINT:

Are you joyfully sharing the Good News of Christ this Christmas? Will you be bold and share His Good News with someone today?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Held in His Hand



BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.” - 1 John 3:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

You are rich! Jesus became the Son of Man that we might become sons of God. We are saved because of the grace of Christmas. That is not rhetoric—that is reality!

A little boy was talking about eternal security and said, “I am held in His hand.”

A cynic responded, “What if you slip through His hands?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” the boy replied, “I’m one of His fingers.”

You are rich, my friend.

ACTION POINT:

Amidst all the materialism that sometimes chokes out the true meaning of Christmas, take some time to share this Good News with someone today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Monday, December 22, 2014

But He Made Himself of No Reputation



BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” - Philippians 2:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Jesus came in a manger for you and for me. He willingly left the glories and riches of heaven to be born in a stable.

Jesus became poor so that we might become rich. He lived a life of such abject poverty that when He had to pay taxes, He had to look for a coin in a fish’s mouth. When He sent out His disciples, He told them to take nothing but a staff and the power of the Holy Spirit (Mark 6:7-9). He was put to death like a common criminal so that we could wear a royal robe!

Child of God, you are rich! I am rich! Praise God!

ACTION POINT:

Read Philippians 2:6-11 with your family or friends today as a Christmas devotional. Spend time praising God for His Son.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Loneliness During the Holidays


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.” Ps.116:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I believe that the holidays are the loneliest time of the year. Everywhere you look, people are told they’re supposed to be happy and they realize they’re not. They see everybody else acting happy, and they feel so lonely. Just walking down the mall can make you feel lonely.
But Jesus has said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). When I’m discouraged, His presence sees me through. When I’m lonely His presence cheers me up.  When I’m worried, His presence calms me down. And when I am tempted, His presence will help me out.

ACTION POINT:
Write down the last portion of this devotional thought and personalize it. Now use it as a prayer of faith and trust.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

God’s Provision, A Living Testimony


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:19

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What is it about your life that you cannot explain apart from God? Do you know that’s the only part of you that is believable? Let me illustrate. If your neighbor can explain you, then you are just like him—only you’re religious.
Friend, your life as a religious person is not going to convince him of the power of God. But when he sees God supernaturally meeting your needs, then, you’re going to be believable.

ACTION POINT:
How is your life radiating the light of our Lord in your neighborhood? Invite your neighbors over for a night of fellowship and share with them the Good News of the divine birth of Jesus.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Friday, December 19, 2014

Jireh, Our Provider

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick.” - Matthew 14:14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
It is the unbelievable, supernatural replenishment that awakens the world to see the mighty power of God. Jesus demonstrated, once with a crowd of 5,000 and again with a crowd of 4,000, that He is the God who provides (see Matthew 14:14-21, 15:32-38).
When the most “responsible” thing to do, in human terms, was to ask the multitudes to find their own food, Jesus turned to the supernatural power of God. Moved with compassion, He confidently told the disciples to begin feeding the multitudes.
Jesus never wavered in His complete and utter trust in Jehovah Jireh.

ACTION POINT:
Read the accounts of these miracles in Matthew with your family today, then ask God to fill your family with an utter and complete trust in Jehovah Jireh.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers