Born Again, Saved For All Time

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” John 3:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever known anyone who was physically born twice?

Have you ever known someone who was spiritually born twice?

Nowhere in the Bible will you find a passage that describes anyone being saved twice. Once you come into the family, you’re in the family. 

Now there were times when I disappointed my parents. There were times when my father had to chastise me, but I am a Rogers. I will be a Rogers for all eternity. It’s the same way with your spiritual life. When you are born into the family of God, your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. It is fixed. It is done.

ACTION POINT:

Do you know a brother or sister in Christ who is doubting his/her salvation?

Encourage him/her with this Good News today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Faith In Our Great God

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

How do you have faith? You look to Jesus, and faith is produced in your heart.

You don’t have to work up faith.

Suppose I needed to cross the Mississippi River and I wasn’t sure whether the bridge could hold me up or not. I could do one of two things. I could stand on the banks of the Mississippi and try to work up enough courage to make myself believe in that bridge, then timorously walk over that bridge. Or I could look at the semi-trucks traveling across the mighty steel and concrete of that bridge, believe, and boldly walk across in faith! In this case, faith is the by-product of seeing the strength of the bridge itself. In the same way, it’s not great faith in God that you need; it is faith in a great God!

ACTION POINT:

Attempt something so great in your life today that it is doomed to failure unless God is in it.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Clean Before The Lord

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I heard of a missionary whose wife was very fastidious. They moved into a small hut, and soon she noticed that the floor was filthy. The first thing the wife wanted to do was to scrub that floor, so she scrubbed and scrubbed but to no avail. She began to wonder if she would ever get the floor clean. Finally, somebody told her the problem. It was a dirt floor! The more she scrubbed the more dirt she scrubbed up.

In the same way, we can never scrub off our sinful nature. All we do is reveal more of what is there.

I hate to tell you this, but we’re rotten to the core.

Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

ACTION POINT:

How dirty are you this morning? How clean must you be before you can talk with your heavenly Father? Claim the blood of Jesus and commune freely with your Father who loves you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Emptiness of Loss / The Fullness of Being Spirit Filled

That horrible ache that can't be fixed!!

That deep hole of emptiness that can't be filled!!!

Deep yearning, searching out why, wanting that suffering just to end!

Loss is inevitable!

You can't escape it!

It's effects start down deep in your soul and tears out your heart until you have no rest!

We must mourn, it helps release our pain.

We must mourn with God, letting Him carry our burden.

He alone has the remedy for heartache!

Abundant peace will come!

There is no time period attached to its arrival.

Waiting is the hard part.

Search the scriptures for your peace.

But we can never loose sight of the fact that death came to us because of sin!

In the garden where the first man and woman were placed, they broke fellowship with God, our maker, in that place He prepared for us. 

Forever changing the beauty of God's plan and making God sad he created His beings.

A place of beauty prepared by a loving God for His creation, that has been forever distorted by our own actions.

All is not lost!

God made the way of escape from a doomed life of sin. 

A most miraculous way to be forgiven, your slate wiped clean, making you a new creation by the most humble gift ever possible.

Death of a spotless Lamb, humbly, willingly, graciously and with an obedience unmatched by another.

Christ, on a cross, wholly taking your sin, being briefly separated from His Father God, but rising  the third day to His everlasting kingdom.

This is why we search for good coming out of tragedy. 

This is why we know that God uses tragedy to reach the coldest heart.

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. - Colossians 2:9-10

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. - Colossians 2:13-14

Grace Chosen Remnant

Definition of grace:

Free unmerited favor of God

Definition of chosen:

One who is the object of divine favor

5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. - Romans 11:5-6

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me." 

21 But of Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." - Romans 10:20-21

8 In the whole land, declares the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. 

9 And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people'; and they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"  - Zechariah 13:8-9

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. - Romans 11:11

Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen." - Acts 28:28

19 Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."

20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.

21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. - Romans 11:19-21

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.  - Isaiah 66:2

And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. - Romans 11:23

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. - 2 Corinthians 3:16

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. - Romans 11:25

14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.

15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.

16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:14-18

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,

31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.

32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! - Romans 11:29-33

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. - Romans 11:36

The Miracle Of The New Birth

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Nicodemus was so impressed with the miracles Jesus had done that he wanted to find out more. He asked Jesus about miracles, and Jesus began to talk to him about births. It’s as if Jesus were saying, “Nicodemus, if you want to understand miracles, you’re going to have to become a miracle.”

Now Nicodemus was an intelligent man. He was a ruler of the Jews and a member of the Sanhedrin. Yet with all of his learning, he heard Jesus say to him, “Except you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.” People simply can’t understand spiritual things until the Holy Spirit of God turns the light on in their souls.

ACTION POINT:

Do you know someone who has a lot of education but no salvation? I challenge you to share this same Good News with him or her today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Made White As Snow

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow . . .” Isaiah 1:18a

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I heard of a man giving his testimony at a Salvation Army meeting. There was a heckler in the crowd shouting, “Would you shut up? You’re just dreaming!” 

The heckler felt a tug at his coattail and a little girl said, “That’s my daddy up there. He used to be a drunkard and beat up my mommy. We didn’t have enough food to eat. But then he got saved, and my daddy’s life is changed. See that woman over there? See how happy she is? That’s my mommy. Mister, if my daddy’s dreaming, don’t wake him up!”

What a Savior who can take a poor lost sinner and wash him, save him, and make him new. Hallelujah!

ACTION POINT:

When was the last time you shared Christ with a homeless person? Avail yourself and allow God to use you to shine His light in that direction.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers