Saturday, December 31, 2016

Moving Forward Into the New Year


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” Hosea 6:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
On this New Year’s Eve, you may be wondering what is going to happen. Years ago, some men were on a leaky old ship in the middle of a rough and stormy sea. One of them asked the captain, “Are we safe?”  He said, “Well, the boilers are weak and may explode at any moment. The ship is taking on water. To be very honest with you, we may go up, or we may go down, but at any rate, we are going on.”

And that’s the way we are as we face this new year. Jesus may come; we may go up. We may die, and go down and then up, but at any rate, we are going on.

ACTION POINT:
Reflecting on this past year, allow the Holy Spirit to invade your heart, convicting and drawing you to Himself. Ask for wisdom, courage, and faith to continue on, whatever happens this next year!


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Friday, December 30, 2016

Eternity . . .


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Your soul, made in the image of God, will exist forever. I think Billy Sunday, the evangelist, said it this way: “Imagine a little bird taking a grain of sand and flying to a distant planet. It would take him a million years to fly to that distant planet. Then he would drop that grain of sand. Then the little bird would fly back to the earth taking another million years. He gets another grain of sand and flies back to the distant planet.

“Back and forth, back and forth it goes. When he will have transplanted every speck of earth to that distant planet, it will only be breakfast time in eternity.”

Your soul will go on, and on, and on.

ACTION POINT:
Where do you plan on spending eternity? Where do your loved ones plan on spending it? If you don’t know, ask them today and get their salvation on the right side of eternity.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Speak A Blessing-Change A Life

22 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
23 "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 
25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 
26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 
27 "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them." - Numbers 6:22-27

You are blessed, so bless others!

This is a wonderful time of the year for most but for some it's the loneliest time of the year.
The season evokes pangs of agony for those who have lost loved ones.
For those who deal with loneliness, this time of year seems to increase that feeling to such a level they just can't cope.
Pray for God to open our eyes to really see those who suffer.
The greatest blessing is to love one another!!

Thursday, December 29, 2016

The Lake of Fire


And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. - Revelation 20:15

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." - Revelation 21:8

31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. - Matthew 12:31-32

28 "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,
29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"- - Mark 3:28-29

"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. - Acts 7:51

How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? - Hebrews 10:29

Definition of blasphemy:
Defiant irreverence 

There are those who believe Christ alone saves man's soul from an eternity in Hell!
There are those who do not believe!
Salvation is open to all but the one whom commits blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the One who prompts you to fall on your knees and beg for forgiveness.
He is the One who is gently convicting you that you are in sin.
It's not your heart or mind that leads to repentance but that sweet small voice.
It might come from the depths of despair.
It might come from your searching for what's right and wrong in your life.
When Christ died, He told of the coming Helper, the Holy Spirit. 
We know of the term the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We know that these refer to God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. 
God is merciful, He sent Christ who brings grace and forgiveness!
Christ is obedient to His Father, even unto death which brought salvation for all who believe in the power of His Resurrection!
Christ died, He sent the Holy Spirit as our helper and our hope!!

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved-
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:4-10

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:5-11

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. - John 14:16-17

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. - John 14:26

"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. - John 15:26

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. - John 16:7-15

Be an Encourager



BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;  Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Someone has well said that discouragement is a darkroom where the negatives of fear and failure are developed.
Some people are encouragers and others are discouragers. Have you ever met a discourager? They’re like a drink of water to a drowning man. They can brighten up a room by leaving it. They leave you drained and depressed.
But an encourager leaves you full and refreshed. God has cornered the market on encouragement. All encouragement comes from God. You’re never more like God than when you’re encouraging people and never more like the devil than when you are discouraging people.
ACTION POINT:
Find a needy person and enrich him; a lonely person and include him; a misunderstood person and affirm him; an undiscovered person and develop him; a failing person and restore him.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Random Acts of Christian Kindness


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great.” Luke 6:35

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I’ve seen bumper stickers that exhort us to “show random acts of kindness.”  I think that’s a good thing. And what is kindness?  It’s love in the little things.

A woman came down the aisle of a church to give her heart to Christ, and the preacher wanted to know what had impacted her life for Christ.
She said, “You did.”
The pastor said, “Well, I’d be interested to know what it was that I said that brought you to Christ.”
She said, “It was nothing you said. It was something you did. I was standing nearby when somebody criticized you very unfairly. I saw the kindness with which you responded, and I knew that your faith was real.”

ACTION POINT:
What random act of kindness can you do today that will demonstrate that your faith is real?


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Investing in Others for God’s Glory


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord.” Isaiah 63:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
One time a man came into a village and asked an old man living there, “Any great men born here?” The old man said, “No, just babies.”

Great men are not born; great men are made, investing in the lives of others, sharing God’s love, and showing His mercies.

There is not a magic formula that instantly makes us sanctified. Sanctification is a process. Our calling is to be poured out into the lives of others for His glory.

ACTION POINT:
How can you show His mercies to a lost co-worker or neighbor today? Pray about it and then watch for how God provides!


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers