The Mission of the Church

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 13:34

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A man and his wife were walking through a wheat field in Alberta, Canada, early one evening with their young son. They forgot for a moment that their son was with them, and then suddenly they realized he wasn’t there.

They searched to no avail, and then ran back to the village to get help. Many people returned with the couple to search through the night. Then one man said, “Let’s lock arms and we’ll sweep across the field.” Then there was a cry: “I found him!” And everyone rushed together to the lifeless form of the little fellow who had died of exposure. 

I wonder if there are people who are going to slip into a Christless eternity because we, as a church, haven’t joined hands soon enough.

ACTION POINT:

What are you doing in your church to welcome newcomers, disciple younger believers, or minister to the needs of others? Ask God to give you opportunities to redeem the 168 hours He has given you this week in selfless acts of love for others.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Hold On with Both Hands

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?” James 2:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Are you facing a struggle in your life today? Perhaps there is a decision that you need to make, but don’t know what to do. Friend, let me tell you the way to find what God wants for you.Take hold of the Lord with both hands and in faith tell Him, “Sink or swim, live or die, once and for all, now and forever, I’m going for You, God.”

John Dryden, the famous English poet, said, “Reason saw not, till faith sprung the light.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “Faith goes up the stairs that love has made and looks out the window which hope has opened.” 

ACTION POINT:

You don’t know what God can do through you until you step out in faith. Take that step today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What Separates You from the Love of God?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A historian tells us that after the Spanish Inquisition, Napoleon’s soldiers uncovered a dungeon. They went down into the dungeon and found a skeleton with chains still on it. To their surprise, they looked on the wall and saw a cross. At the apex of the cross, was the word “height.” At the foot of the cross, was the word “depth.” And on either side of the cross were the words “breadth” and “length.” To this prisoner, the cross was a picture of the dimensions of God’s love. God’s love is expansive and everlasting.

ACTION POINT:
Jesus Christ went to the Cross to demonstrate the depth and height, length and breadth of the love of God. God went to extremes to show His love for you. What are you doing today to lead others to Jesus Christ?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Upheld by HIS Hand

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.” Psalm 18:35

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In World War II, General Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright led a gallant but vain fight that led him to become a prisoner of war. For months, the Japanese mocked him and beat him. Then one day, the news arrived that the Allied Forces had won. The prison guards thought Wainwright hadn’t heard the news, so they approached him to inflict their daily habit of abuse. Though Wainwright had grown frail and weak, he stood up straight and tall and said, “From now on, I’m giving the orders around here.” 

The devil doesn’t want you to know the Good News that Jesus has won the victory, either. But you must resist him and claim the power of God in your life.

ACTION POINT:

Where do you think you’d be if Psalm 18:35 said, “I have saved myself. My hand has held me up. My gentleness has made me great”? Praise God that your salvation is from Him. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Chosen Before Time Began

Chosen Before Time Began

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Ephesians 1:4

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Did you know that God chose you before He laid the foundations of the earth? You talk about “old time religion”!  Well, friend, you can’t get much older than that! Before there were any trees, mountains, birds, and bees, God chose you to be one of His children. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “God certainly must have chosen me before I came into this world because He never would have chosen me afterward.” 

That means you and I cannot take credit for our salvation. First John 4:19 says, “We love Him, because He first loved us.” Somebody asked a little boy, “Have you found the Lord?” And the little boy said, “I didn’t know He was lost.” How miraculous that God has chosen us. When left alone to ourselves, we would never have chosen Him.

ACTION POINT:

Though election is a divine mystery, it can bring great assurance to a believer’s heart. Allow God’s Word to teach you further what it means to be chosen. Read Matthew 20:16, 24:22; Luke 10:20; John 6:37-39; Romans 8:28-39; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Ephesians 1:9-11; 2 Timothy 1:9.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Shadow

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” 1Cor.15:55

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There was a great preacher once whose wife died. Their little girl didn’t fully understand all that had happened. But one day while she was in the car with her father, she saw the shadow of a truck passing by. The setting sun made the shadow huge, much bigger than the truck. The little girl said, “Daddy, look at the big shadow.”

He said, “Sweetheart, would you rather be hit by the shadow of the truck or by the truck?”

“That's easy,” she said, “I'd much rather be hit by the shadow.”

He said, “That's right, darling. And it was only the shadow that hit Mama. The truck hit Jesus two thousand years ago at Calvary.”

That’s why David calls it “the valley of the shadow of death.” Jesus has taken the sting out of death, the dread out of the grave! He has become our victor! 

ACTION POINT:
Many people fear death— a shadow looming over each of us, representing the unknown. Yet Jesus disarmed death and took away its power. The believer in Christ can have this assurance: beyond that shadow is the sunlight of the eternal morning. Speak with the Lord right now and share with Him something you fear. He already knows about it anyway. Picture yourself giving that fear over to Him. Place it in the nail-scarred Hand. It is a risen, victorious Hand!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Perfect Sacrifice

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Heb.9:14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The Lord Jesus lived an amazing life. Do you realize that Jesus never corrected, withdrew, or amended any statement He ever made? I wish I could say that! Jesus Christ never apologized for anything He ever did or said. He never sought advice from anyone, nor ever needed to ask for forgiveness.

Jesus Christ doesn’t have any strong points. For Him to have strong points, He would have to have weak points. Robert Clark has rightly given this assessment of the character of Jesus: “There was meekness without weakness, tenderness without feebleness, firmness without coarseness, love without sentimentality, holiness without sanctimoniousness, lowliness without lowness, truth without error, enthusiasm without fanaticism, passion without prejudice, heavenly mindedness without forgetfulness, carefreeness without carelessness, service without servility, self exaltation without egotism, judgment without harshness, seriousness without somberness, mercy without softness.” 

ACTION POINT:
What a person was the Lord Jesus Christ! Today, embrace the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior with this renewed sense of Who He was—His matchless character. This is the One Who laid down His life for you. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers