Not by Your Works—Only by Grace!

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

There are some people who think you can lose your salvation once you have it. I have one truth that will dispel that idea. Whether or not you can lose your salvation depends upon how you got it.

If you were saved by your good works, then you can lose your salvation by your bad works. But God’s Word is very clear on this point. Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

How is someone saved? By grace. And if it is by grace, then you’re kept by grace. Salvation is not rooted in the merit of man, but in the mercy of God.

ACTION POINT::

Rest secure today in the knowledge that the Potter has you safe in His hands. He’s not about to drop you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

What Is Earthly In You

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.

8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices

10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. - Colossians 3:5-11

You were once dead in sin but now you live in Christ!!

Put away the things that belong to death.

You are a new creation in Christ!

Cling to the things that belong to those who have eternal life through Christ!!

You are set apart from others and holy!

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:12-17

Be compassionate, be kind, be humble, be meek and have great patience towards your brother!!

Just as Christ forgave you, you also forgive!

The greatest gift you can give is heartfelt compassionate love!!

Be a servant just as Christ came to serve! 

You are loved so love your brother!

Thanks Pastor Uth!!!

Waiting is Hard, But We Must Learn to Do It

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” Psalm 37:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

We don’t like the word “rest,” do we? We’re always running around pulling up our radishes by the roots to see how they’re growing, and then cramming them back into the ground.

Yet Isaiah tells us, “And therefor will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18).

ACTION POINT:

You’re not going to hurry God because He is not interested in time. He’s interested in timing. Lean back, watch, wait, and trust. He knows what He is doing.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Handling Untrue Criticism

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” 1 Peter 3:16

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever been criticized? Maybe blamed for something you didn’t do? Or been unjustly slandered? You are not alone. Jesus was the whipping boy of much criticism and slander in His day. Was He worried? No.

ACTION POINT:

You too must not worry when others speak falsely. Just give that to the Lord.

Author/Pastor Peter Lord told me one day, “When anybody says anything bad about me, I just say, ‘Thank God they don’t know any more.’”  

Jesus tells us, “When they criticize you, just roll that over onto Me. I understand and I am in charge. You just trust in Me.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Surrendering Every Burden

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Many say they have committed their lives to the Lord, but have they really? The psalmist challenges us to commit our way to the Lord. The word “commit” in this passage has the idea of rolling a burden over to the Lord.

Minnie A. Steele wrote a hymn in 1908 that I have often sung, titled “I Remember When My Burdens Rolled Away.” The first verse says,

“I remember when my burdens rolled away;

I had carried them for years, night and day.

When I sought the blessed Lord,

And I took Him at His word,

Then at once all my burdens rolled away.”

Well, she knew what she was talking about!

ACTION POINT:

Read Psalm 55:22 and once again roll over to the Lord your burdens. Surrender everything to Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Compassion For The Broken

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. - Colossians 3:12-15

There are many broken lonely people.

There are many who are dying and in need of a helping hand.

There are many whose marriages are broken and in need of just someone to listen to them.

There are many who are struggling taking care of sick family members.

There are many who have made mistakes and are paying dearly for them by being  trapped in a prison of deep despair.

Why do we hold others accountable for their mistakes but want forgiveness for our own?

Lord, help us to see.

Lord, help us to hear.

The Last Days of Fragile Parents and Their Blessed Caregivers

Parents once so strong now failing as each day passes.

Their children taking on the role of caregivers, sometimes one child taking on way too much of the care as the others offer up excuses.

Lord, give us compassionate hearts!

Let us equally share in care so that the task will not be so heavy.

It is not one persons responsibility.

Let us be sensitive to the needs of those caregivers, asking if we can help.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. - 1 Timothy 5:8

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. - Galatians 6:10

2 "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise),

3 "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." - Ephesians 6:2-3