There Are No Degrees of “Deadness”

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” Luke 6:37

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Sometimes Christians look at people who have committed adultery or murder and compare themselves to them. They may even say, “They’re dead in their trespasses and sin.” I want to tell you something.

They are no more dead in trespasses and sin than your sweet daughter or precious parent who has not received Jesus Christ’s gift of salvation. There may be some degree of corruption, but there are no degrees of deadness. All lost people need Jesus Christ.

You may think you don’t have a testimony to share because you didn’t get a Ph.D. in sin before you were saved. Perhaps you were saved as a little child. Well, it took as much of the grace of God to save you as it did to save a murderer on death row. 

Never forget that, precious friend. 

ACTION POINT:

Dead people need to stop comparing themselves with other dead people. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Not “Faith in Faith,” But All by Grace

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The devil is very clever when it comes to our faith. Here is a tactic he may use on you: he will start agreeing with you so he can trip you.

He’ll say, “Sure, you’re saved by faith in Christ. But how do you know that your faith is good enough or strong enough to save you? What if your faith is too weak? What if you don’t make it?” He will try to cause you to put your faith in your faith, rather than your faith in Christ.

ACTION POINT:

Have you ever heard someone mention the phrase “saving faith”? There’s no such thing. You are saved by grace through faith. You’re not saved by faith. Only Jesus saves. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Yes, We Need Each Other

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

To exhort is to comfort and encourage. We need each other. We ought to be exhorting one another by saying, “Isn’t God wonderful? Isn’t Jesus great? Don’t you love Him? Let’s be true to Christ!”

Among fellow believers, we live in a climate that keeps our hearts tender. If we stray away from that climate and get away from the people of God by skipping worship services and fellowship opportunities, our hearts will grow hard.

ACTION POINT:

When we exhort one another, we are sharing Christ. There’s something that happens in our hearts when we tell others about Jesus. It keeps our heart tender.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

What Happens When You’re Backed into a Corner?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Where are the courageous children of God who will speak on their Father’s behalf—speak of His Truth, His mercy, His love? Psalm 119:46 says, “I will speak of Thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.”

They have a saying in the country: “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket.” What happens when you are up against a wall? Do you back down and deny your faith? Or do you stand firm despite the verbal assault on your beliefs?

ACTION POINT:

1 Peter 3:14-17 has the prescription for a fearful heart:

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Holy? Or Just “Holier Than Thou”?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Leviticus 11:44

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Some people think that to be holy means to be odd. No, we’re to be different. We have too many Christians doing unbiblical things who claim to be holy when in reality they are just odd.

Holiness is not achieved by what we wear, where we sleep and eat, or how many spiritual things we do. It is not primarily a matter of dress or style of hair. And we don’t become holy if we live in a commune, monastery, or convent. There is no holiness in a hole.

ACTION POINT:

God makes us holy by the blood of His Son. And in return for this great love, we endeavor to live holy lives because we love Him. “Holy” is a state of being, not doing. It is a God-induced, God-developed character trait that grows in us as we grow in our love relationship with God.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Who Owns You?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people.” Luke 1:68

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Fanny Crosby wrote, “Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child and forever I am.” Do you love to proclaim it? Oh, how I pray you do.

Isaac Watts wrote, “Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small: Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.” Have you given your soul, your life, your all to this Amazing Love?

ACTION POINT:

Jesus did not bathe this planet with His blood to have you serve the world, the flesh, and the devil. He died to make you holy. You are not your own. First Corinthians 6:20 says, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Knowing His Ways

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Wisdom is not gained by seeing the works of God. It is gained in knowing the ways of God. When the Israelites were wandering in the desert, they could only see the works of God. But God allowed Moses to see His ways.

The Israelites were infatuated with God at first. But when troubles came, their love affair with God quickly died out. They began to murmur and complain. Moses saw the wilderness from God’s perspective, however, and approached God in humility and honor. As a result, God taught him to lead His people out of darkness into light.

ACTION POINT:

Do you know the ways of God? Have you learned to see life from His point of view? Or are you still trusting in your view of life to get you through the hard times? Bow before God and ask Him to ignite a vision for His glory, a bold desire to lead the lost to Him, and an unconditional passion to love Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers