Thankful In Trials

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people.” 1 Chronicles 16:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If you are a child of God, you ought to be able to thank God every moment of every day no matter what happens to you.

Have you ever stopped to thank God for the water that you drink? Did you know that in some countries in the world, the majority of the population doesn’t have reasonably pure drinking water? Millions of people die annually just from water-related diseases.

If you wear a hearing aid, do you ever thank God for that? Some people wish they had a hearing aid.

If you are a student in the midst of final exams, do you thank God that you have an exam to take? There are many who wish they could afford college.

Do you thank God for your next breath?

ACTION POINT:

Take whatever it is that looks like a trial in your life today and thank God for it! Thank Him every time the thought enters your mind to grumble or complain.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

A "Know-So" or a "Hope-So" Salvation?

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:

If you think you’re going to get to heaven by your good works, I guarantee you will always wonder if you’ve done enough. You will not have a “know-so” salvation. You will have a “hope-so” salvation. Rather than standing up straight in confidence like an exclamation point, you will be bent over and wondering like a question mark. That is, until you understand that it’s all by grace.

Suppose everybody who wanted to be saved had to run around the block. Some can’t run. What if you had to read a chapter in the Bible to be saved? Some can’t read. But there is one thing that can make the promise sure, and that is grace.

ACTION POINT:

Who can you share this Good News with today? Think of at least one person, and ask God to give you a bold love and a divine opportunity to do just that. We also invite you to read “You Can Be Sure” for more insights on the eternal security of the believer. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Inclining Our Ears To Hear

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James 1:22

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Several years ago, the investment firm of E. F. Hutton had a slogan: “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.” If only people had this respect and reverence for God and His Word! That is the kind of ear we ought to have for the matchless Word of the living God. 

If you do not incline your ear, you might miss something! It has been said that God will not only hold us accountable for what we hear but also for what we would have heard if we had listened.

ACTION POINT:

Do you take notes when your pastor teaches? Maybe it’s time you started. It’s a great tool for those teachable moments during the week with your friends and family. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Taming the Tongue

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” Proverbs 10:19

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Your tongue can get you into a lot of trouble. There is nothing that can do more damage to your relationships than your words.

 

Proverbs 17:27 says, “He that hath knowledge spareth his words.” That is, if you’re smart, you won’t talk so much. When you do talk, keep your words warm and sweet because you may have to eat them later.

 

There’s an old saying I heard a Rabbi use once that reminds us:

 “The ears are open and out. They’re unguarded, but the tongue is behind ivory bars.”

When you’re talking, you’re not learning.

When you’re not learning, you’re not communicating.

When you’re not communicating, there will be no intimacy in your relationships.

ACTION POINT:

In what ways has your mouth gotten you into trouble this week? Confess those times before the Lord and ask for strength and wisdom to be a better communicator.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

God's Plan For The Man

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Gen. 2:15

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
God gave women a nurturing instinct, but God gave men a different gift and task—to dress the garden. God equipped men with a hard exterior to be the providers and protectors, and because of this, men want to be admired by women. I want to be admired by my wife. I get more blessing when she admires me and says, “You are wonderful,” and she gets a blessing when I am romantic, loving, and tender toward her. 

1 Peter 3:7 says, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [your wives] according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

ACTION POINT:
How can you show your wife a little tender loving care today? Now that you’ve thought of something, go do it! 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

True Beauty

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“. . . even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” 1 Peter 3:4b

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Are you a woman struggling with the way you look? We all know that women want to be beautiful, especially to their husbands and boyfriends, but so often women think that beauty is found at a cosmetics counter, on a dress rack, or in a jewelry box. Those things are corruptible, and what’s in vogue today is out of fashion when next year’s supermodels hit the runway.

 

The only thing that will make you more beautiful, day after day, is what you nurture within yourself - serenity.

 

The ornament of a meek and a quiet spirit is worth far more than even the most expensive jewel you can wear around your neck.

 

ACTION POINT:

Stand in front of the mirror today. Imagine Jesus by your side, and ask Him to create in you a gentle and quiet spirit of love.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Let Patience Have Its Perfect Work in You

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:3-4

  

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The trying of your faith is going to develop patience in you. And the Amplified Bible says, “Let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed in your faith, lacking in nothing.” When was the last time you asked God to make you perfect? Maybe you should have asked for patience as well, because it is only through patient, abiding faith and trust in the Lord that we become “perfect.”

 

Now, a lot of people confuse this word “perfect” with “sinless.” The Greek word for perfect in James 1:4 is teleios—it refers to a maturing growth. For example, an oak tree is the teleios of an acorn. It is the “perfection” of an acorn, which has now come to maturity.

 

So when you are discouraged and feeling a little blue,

Take a look at a mighty oak and see what a nut can do.

  

ACTION POINT:

Take a walk this week enjoying the beauty of God’s creation and ask Him to give you the patience and faith that can turn a little acorn into a mighty oak.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers