Saturday, February 27, 2016

The Seed


The word, by the power of God and through the death and the raising of Christ from the dead, brings life to all who believe and are obedient to God.

There are no other ways for our justification, salvation and forgiveness!!



10 he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.
14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. - Luke 8:10-15


14 The sower sows the word.
15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.
16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word,
19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." - Mark 4:14-20


21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. - James 1:21-25

The Lord Will Sustain You



"Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.  - Job 14:1

It starts almost the day we’re born. We’re born crying, and from there it just goes on and on. We have burdens. If you don’t have burdens, the problem is you’re probably not a thinking person. But I want to tell you today what to do with your burdens.

David wrote, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” David was a king; he was wealthy. What do we learn from this? That burdens come to the high as well as to the low. They come to saints as well as sinners. They come to the old as well as the young. What do we do with our burdens? We have to cast them upon the Lord,

Do you have a broken heart?  Has one of your children ripped your heart out? Is there a husband who has forsaken you? A physical malady gnawing away at your body? Is there a problem perplexing you? The Bible says you are to cast your burden upon the Lord (Psalm 55:22). He will sustain you.


Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.  - Psalm 55:22


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Friday, February 26, 2016

The Emptiness Found In Greed


For many, money has become their God!
Their every waking moment is spent on how to "close the deal"!
Money gets them things!
But, do things really make you happy?
I'm not speaking of food, clothes, and shelter!
These are necessities!
Big difference between a want and a need, have you learned it?
When life is almost done and you are about to face God, will it be things you think of?
Will you want to go on one last shopping trip?
Will you want to close the last deal?
Will you want to drive your sporty car one more time?
The things we so often strive for simply will not matter!!!


But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah  - Psalm 49:15


17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. 
18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed -and though you get praise when you do well for yourself- 
19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. 
20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.  - Psalm 49:17-20



10 For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. 
11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. 
12 Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. 
13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah 
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.  - Psalm 49:10-14

What Is Success?


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
You’ve heard it said, “The one who dies with the most toys wins.” Is that success? Having your dreams come true? Getting all you want? Earning enough money so that you never have to work again? 

May I tell you what success is? And I say this without equivocation. Success is the progressive realization of the will of God for your life. That’s what it is. 

It’s not how much money you have. It’s not how famous you are. It’s not how healthy you are. It’s not how many friends you have or how many toys you have acquired. Success is nothing more, nothing less, than the progressive realization of the will of God for your life. 

ACTION POINT:
Do you want to know God’s will? Do you want your heart’s desire to come true?
Read Micah 6:8. What does God require of you? 
Read Psalm 37:4. What is God calling you to do?


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Living by Promises Not Explanations



BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.” Matthew 6:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
According to an article, Henry Ford asked some engineers to box the transmissions for his Model-T Fords in certain sized boxes. He gave meticulous dimensions and material instructions for these boxes. The builders were confused, but they did as they were told. 

When the transmissions were delivered, the factory workers took apart the boxes and used them for the floorboards! Mr. Ford was thinking ahead! 

That’s what God does. He knows what we need even before we ask Him. We may not understand all of His ways, just like those workers who were boxing up the transmissions did not understand. 

We do not live by our understanding; we live by His promises. 

ACTION POINT:
Is there something happening in your life right now that you don’t understand? Read Proverbs 3:5-6 and trust in the promise that He will direct your path.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Who Do We Think We Are?



It really only matters that we know we were created by a holy God who has great mercy toward us. 
We really need to know that apart from God, we can do nothing!
He alone gives us our knowledge.
We really need to know that we are doomed to Hell without the salvation offered to man by God through Christ!!


6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:6-8

God's Sorrow
5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. - Genesis 6:5-6


Merciful God
20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?"
21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?
22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory-
24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? - Romans 9:20-24

God's will
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!
15 For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. - Romans 9:14-18


Ungrateful Man
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. - James 3:7-10


The Right Additude
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." - Luke 18:13-14

The Master’s Feet


“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” - 1 Peter 5:7

I read about a man whose dog was swimming. The man called the dog to go home. The dog was having such a great time, he wouldn’t come. So the man picked up a stick and threw it in the water. When the dog saw the stick, he instinctively swam to the stick, put it in his mouth, came back, and laid it at his master’s feet.

I wonder if the burden you have has been given to you by God to cause you to come to His feet. Maybe He’s called you other ways, but you wouldn’t come. Maybe the burden is what God is using to bring you to your Master’s feet. But thank God we can cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us.

What burden weighs upon your heart today? Did you know that we have a high priest, the Lord Jesus, who, the Bible says, is not high and mighty and aloof, but one who can relate to our sufferings and understand them, for He Himself knew the greatest pain, suffering—and loss. Read Hebrews 4:15, then cast your cares upon Him today.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers