When the Light Begins to Dim

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.” Luke 11:34

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Are there times in your life when you have sensed yourself growing cold spiritually? Felt the power seeping out of your life and felt that Jesus Christ wasn’t as real as He used to be? In times like this, get alone in a quiet place and begin to give things back to God that you have subtly taken off the altar.

ACTION POINT:

Give Him your physical body and your right to life. Give Him your health, your strength, and your abilities to work and make a living. Give Him your reputation and your children. Give Him your cars, your clothes, your house.

And when you have honestly, earnestly, and sincerely given all to Him, the joy will return to your heart and you will sense your relationship with God restored.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Out of the Boat and Onto the Water

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

It was terrible at Simon Peter’s funeral. Jesus was there and He said, “It’s a shame that Peter had to die so young. He was just getting the hang of walking on the water. I shouldn’t have told him to get out of the boat.” It was one of the saddest funerals. Let’s hope you’re saying “Wait a minute!” right now, because we know that Peter didn’t drown when Jesus called him out of the boat (see Matthew 14:22-33). And you will not drown, either, when Jesus calls you to do something humanly impossible. 

ACTION POINT:

Peter may not have walked very far on water, but we could venture to say that he walked farther than anyone else has ever walked on water! Don’t worry about getting out of the boat if that is what God calls you to do. It is safer on the waves with Jesus than in the boat without Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Consulting First with God

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acrknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, you are going to give Him the first consideration in every decision you make. You will ask, “What is the will of God? What is the purpose of Jesus? What will glorify my Father?”

Have you ever worked for a company and they decided to transfer you? So many people, because of their financial obligations, discuss it a little with family and friends, then make plans for the move. Sometimes the transfer happens so quickly, prayer has sometimes been forgotten.

ACTION POINT:

Friend, if God wants you to go, then go. If God doesn’t want you to go, then you need to stay. But you’ll never know until you get alone with God and let Him tell you what He wants.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

It’s An Inside Job

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” Matthew 23:26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What happens when we try to help others? We start on the outside, thinking if we can change the environment of a man (his home, clothes, food, education), then we can create a new man. It cannot be done. It was in the Garden of Eden that man got into trouble in the first place. 

Cleaning up the outside is just reformation. When you clean up the inside, you are regenerated. Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they don’t need another bath, they need a new birth.

ACTION POINT:

It’s not that we ought not to help others. We should do these things. But men need more than soap and soup; they need salvation. They need a birth from above, not merely a boost from below.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Insight Comes Through Obedience

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What is the blessing of obedience? Intimacy with God. You will come to know things that you could never know any other way when you become intimate with God. And yet people are still asking, “How do I understand the Bible?” Friend, you will have a knowledge that surpasses anything you could gain from a school of learning when you serve the Lord in obedience.

Jesus said that we become His friends when we become His servants. And a friend knows all things. Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.” 

ACTION POINT:

Have you stopped growing? Perhaps it is because you have stopped obeying. The way to have insight into the heart of God is through obedience.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

There Is No “Free Love”

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:3 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Real love costs. That’s right—there is no “free love,” like you may have thought if you were raised in the ‘60s. Love is a great and grand commitment. Sometimes a young man who seeks his own gratification will say to a young lady, “I love you” as a means of getting something from her. Oh, he loves her all right. He loves her like a man who loves oranges. He takes an orange, cuts a plug out of it, squeezes the sweet juice from it, throws it on the ground like a piece of garbage, wipes his mouth and says, “Man, I love oranges!”

Let me tell you, real love is not that way. Lust lives to get. Real love lives to give.

ACTION POINT:

One of the ways you show the Lord you truly love Him is by keeping His commandments. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

This Road We Travel

This journey is by Devine design. 

We walk where, by God's grace, He has placed us.

Some have deep despair, poverty, and loneliness.

Some have loving families, roofs over their heads, and plenty to eat.

What is the meaning of all this?

Evil people have families they love just as the righteous do? 

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:43-48

This is a hard thing, to love someone who wants to end your life!

But, isn't that what Christ did on the cross?

His sacrifice was the ultimate "love your enemy"!!

He gave His everything to save you!!

And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. - Luke 23:34

Lord, I pray that we are more like You everyday, that we let go of holding grudges, that we let go of hating others who show nothing but hatred for us. Expose Your truth to us! Amen.

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."

20 To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:19-21

32 "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. - Luke 6:32-36

God did not say He would not give justice to those who carry out violence against His people. On the contrary, He says "vengeance is mine, I will repay".