Hammers and Chisels at Work

BIBLE MEDITATION: 

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the Husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” John 15:1-2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: 

When Solomon built his temple, he employed eighty thousand stonecutters. They chipped and shaped those stones in the quarry before bringing them to the temple mount.

Why? Because Solomon didn’t want the sound of the hammers and chisels heard on the temple mount.

In the same way, you are part of the living stones of His temple and God is shaping you here in the “quarry” of earth. Part of your shaping is in the form of persecution. So don’t look at your persecutors as enemies, but as God’s stonecutters.

ACTION POINT: 

Next time someone reviles you, say “Thank God, another stonecutter.” God is shaping you to be what you ought to be.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Submission and Humility

BIBLE MEDITATION: 

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: 

To be “clothed” in 1 Peter 5:5 means to tie a knot or put on a servant’s apron. Basically this verse tells us to tie on the apron of a slave and be humble.

Why do you think Peter used that figure of speech? I think it was because Jesus laid aside His garments, girded Himself with a towel, and washed their feet. Peter would never forget that moment. The Scripture records, “Peter saith unto Him, ‘Thou shalt never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me,’ ” (John 13:8).

ACTION POINT: 

There are two lessons here:

1. We must be clothed in humility. You can’t look down on somebody when you’re washing their feet.  

2. Even though we are saved, we walk in a dirty world. We need to come to Jesus daily to cleanse us from our sins, restore and refresh us.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

“So Teach Us How to Number Our Days. . .”

BIBLE MEDITATION: 

“And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: 

The difference between people is not that one has more time than the other. The difference is whether they use their time wisely.

You say, “Well, I’m just killing time.” To kill time is to commit suicide by degrees. You are just killing yourself because you + time = life.

Now that doesn’t mean you are going to be busy every moment.There needs to be balance in your life – checking in with God first before you make plans and add things to your agenda.

ACTION POINT: 

Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do. Jesus came to the end of His life and do you know what He said? “I have glorified Thee on earth: I have finished the work that Thou gavest Me to do” (John 17:4).

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Resting Tomorrow or Borrowing Trouble?

BIBLE MEDITATION: 

“Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.” Psalm 116:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: 

I heard of a woman who woke up her husband because she thought she heard a burglar downstairs. He went down with a flashlight and was shining it around. Sure enough, there was a burglar in their home. He said, “Hold it right there. I’ve got a gun on you.”

He picked up the phone and dialed the police. “And another thing,” he said, “Before you go, I want my wife to come down here and meet you. She’s been looking for you for 24 years.”

A lot of people are that way. They borrow trouble by anticipating or worrying about what may happen. What you need to do is stop looking to yesterday in guilt or anticipating tomorrow with anxiety.

ACTION POINT: 

Simply rest in the day the Lord has given you today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Love Draws the Curtain of Mercy

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” Proverbs 10:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

There are people in every fellowship who take joy in finding something bad about somebody else. When they hear something ugly, they take great delight in exposing it.

Love does not rejoice in iniquity. Love wishes that it never happened. Love tries to cover it up. That doesn’t mean we condone sin, we cover it. Not “cover-up,” but cover. Let me illustrate.

Noah had three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Ham came and saw his father’s nakedness and was quick to tell others. Shem and Japheth walked backward into the tent and covered their father to help him cover his shame – not to condone what he had done, but to cover it.

ACTION POINT:

Wouldn’t the world be a lot better place if we had that spirit? When the enemy tempts you to “stir the pot,” remember that love rejoices not in iniquity.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Living Each Day Like It’s THAT Day

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” 1 Peter 4:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Years ago, G. Campbell Morgan was a great expositor of the Word of God. He said, “I never lay my head on the pillow without thinking that perhaps before I awake the final morning may have dawned. I never begin work without thinking that He may interrupt it to begin His own.”

Every night before we go to sleep, we ought to say, “Jesus may come tonight.” And every day when we get our tools and go to work, this may be the last day of work that we do. We are to be looking for His return. We are also to be longing for His return.

ACTION POINT:

Are you praying for Jesus to return? If you love Him, you ought to be longing for His return. I have Him in my heart, but I long to lay my eyes upon Him and walk with Him and talk with Him. “Even so, come Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

God's Will For Your Life

Read John 21

Jesus is the Son of God.

He died for your sin.

God raised Him from the dead.

He is not in the tomb!

He has risen!!

His command, "feed my lambs".

His command, "tend my sheep".

His command, "feed my sheep".

His command, "follow me".

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." - Mark 8:31-33

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.

36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?

38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." - Mark 8:34-38

Follow Jesus regardless of your past.

Your sin is buried with Christ.

He took it on that cross!

Your sin qualifies you to follow Christ.
When you realize you are a sinner saved by grace and that only Christ takes away sin!!

Satan is your accuser but Jesus is your Savior!!

Follow Jesus regardless of the cost.

You will be persecuted!

67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?"

68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,

69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil." - John 6:67-70

Follow Jesus regardless of what others may do or say.

Look to Calvary to see God's approval.

Though none go with me, I still will follow. 

He made you in His image!

His Son purchased you back from sin and death through His blood sacrifice.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." - John 6:51

53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.

58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." - John 6:53-58

Thanks you Pastor Richter!!!