Trusting God with Your Reputation

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Thy works.” Psalm 73:28

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

We can be so protective of our reputations, can’t we? I know of preachers who have lost their children because they were more concerned about what people thought than what God taught.

Maybe some of you are raising teenagers, and they dress in a way that isn’t your style. Maybe your church friends are saying some unpleasant things. Let them criticize! God knows your heart. Those children are yours, not theirs. You need to love them with everything that God gives you. Stand by their side.

ACTION POINT:

Never sacrifice your son or daughter on the altar of your reputation. Trust your children to the Lord. Ask God to give you His wisdom so you can see how He is fulfilling His promise of Romans 8:28 in every situation.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Happiness vs. Joy

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” - Philippians 4:4

Happiness comes from outside circumstances. Joy comes from within. So it’s cruel to say to people who are in sorrow, “Smile and be happy.” Better to come alongside and mourn with them than to try to force the square peg of happiness into a round hole of sorrow.

The human life is a life of tragedy, sorrow, heartache, and pain. Yet in every difficulty, you can find joy. Happiness is an outside job. Joy is an inside job.

There is someone in a nursing home that longs for that joy. Find some time this week to bring the joy of the Lord to them.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Prayer Lets the Arrow Fly!

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.” Psalm 37:40

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In Old Testament days, when a tribe commenced war, they would sometimes hurl a spear into enemy territory. It made no difference whether the enemy was there or not. It really wasn’t for the enemy to see. It was an attitude of faith that was a declaration of war. Some would call it a throwing down of the gauntlet.

You may be reading this, wanting the victory in something today, and yet you haven’t let your arrow of faith fly into the enemy’s territory. Faith that acts will bring the enemy to his knees.

ACTION POINT:

We don’t fight our enemy with actual bows and arrows, instead we fight him with the weapons of prayer and the Word. When we pray, we face the foe. By letting the arrow of prayer fly, God moves in, and our prayer becomes the Lord’s deliverance. God does business with those who mean business. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Blessed and Eternal Covenant Ransom

The Call

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. - Revelation 22:17

"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  - Isaiah 55:1

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" - John 7:37-38

New Blood Covenant

22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body."

23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.

24 And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." - Mark 14:22-25

The Ransom

26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,

28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. - Matthew 20:26-29

The Only Worthy Mediator

3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. - 1 Timothy 2:3-6

God's Provision

And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,  - Revelation 5:9

It’s Time to Get Serious

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor.3:18
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
We are changed from glory to glory by the power of the Holy Spirit. That doesn’t mean it happens overnight. But one step at a time.

Today you ought to have a little more glory than yesterday. Today you ought to be a little bit more like Jesus than you were yesterday. And tomorrow, you ought to be even more like Jesus. Are you becoming like Jesus? Not if you’re not in the Word. Don’t you think it’s time for this generation to get serious about the Word of God?

ACTION POINT:
Set aside a time and a place to get alone with Him every day and pray, “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law” (Psalm 119:18). 
LWF Adrian Rogers

The Gnat vs. the Bee

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:25
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
James 1:23-24 paints a picture of a man in a hurry. He has a lot on his mind. He takes a casual glance at himself and rushes on. If the Bible is like a mirror, then this man is simply getting a glimpse into the Word and not really applying it to his life.

Most Christians I know today are this kind of Bible student. They are like a gnat bouncing here and there instead of being like a bee and diving in and staying long enough to extract the sweetness.

Contrastingly, the man in verse 25 gazes into the Word. This is someone who delights in God’s Word, who applies God’s Word, who cherishes God’s Word. Are you like that? Or do you take a passing glance at God’s Word and move on to the next thing on your TO DO list?

ACTION POINT:
Which sounds more like you…the passing glance or the careful gaze?

LWf Dr. Adrian Rogers

Are You One of the Elect?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Rev.22:17
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
“...And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely...” You don’t have to pay one blessed cent for it. It’s there. Take it and drink it. You will never have your heart’s deepest thirst satisfied until you’re satisfied with Jesus. And if you are thirsty, come and drink. He will save you, I promise on the authority of the Word of God.

You say, “But Pastor Rogers, what if I’m not one of the elect?” Well, would it help? Could I be more sure if He said, “If Adrian Rogers will come and drink.” I could say, “Now wait a minute. There’s more than one Adrian Rogers in the world today.” What if Revelation 22:17 said, “Adrian Pierce Rogers”? There might be another Adrian Pierce Rogers. It might not refer to me.

What if it said, “Adrian Pierce Rogers, born in West Palm Beach, Florida”? Well, there could be another Adrian Pierce Rogers born in West Palm Beach, Florida. What if it said, “Adrian Pierce Rogers, born in West Palm Beach, Florida, who now lives in Shelby County, Tennessee? There might be another one born in West Palm Beach, Adrian. By now you’re saying, “You’re getting ridiculous.”

Let me just solve this thing. Let’s forget all that and just put one word in there: “whosoever.” Whosoever! That’s better than anybody’s name spelled out. Who are the elect? I can settle that in 30 seconds. The elect are the “whosoever wills.”

ACTION POINT:
If you want to be saved, come. Come to Jesus. He’s reaching out His nail-pierced hands to you and saying, “Come, come, come.” Jesus says come. The Spirit says come. The bride says come. The individual says come. You can come and drink.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers