Mothers Of Honor

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Abraham Lincoln once said, “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” This time every year we celebrate our mothers. Oh, the power of a mother’s love!

I spoke with the former President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, about his salvation and personal relationship with Christ and prayed with him about that. He looked me in the eyes and said, “I want to tell you, my mother was the most godly person I have ever known.”  He then went on to tell me about her influence in his life.

John and Charles Wesley, out of whose hearts and minds came the Methodist church, had a mother named Susanna, who raised those children for Jesus Christ and gave them a passion for God.

Do you know what children need? A – B – C: Acceptance, belonging, and confidence. Thank God for magnificent mothers!

ACTION POINT:

If your mother is still alive, honor her today. Tell her you love her and appreciate the sacrifices she made for you. If she is no longer with you, the best way you can honor her is to live a life that brings honor to the Lord Jesus Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

A Mother's Power

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him.” 1 Samuel 1:27

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

 There is a war against motherhood today. We are in difficulty—like a ship lost at sea without a compass on a dark night. The anchor is gone. The anchor of every society is the family and home. What anchors the home? Mothers.

The head of the home is the father, but the heart of the home is the mother. A father has influence on a child, but the deepest impression is made by a mother. Mothers are perhaps the most powerful and influential force on the face of the earth. Hannah prayed and was so persuasive she changed the course of history.

Begin to pray for your children before they’re born. There is nothing greater than to raise a baby for Jesus Christ. Augustine, that great theologian, was a renegade boy, but he could not escape the prayers of his mother, Monica. Oh, the power of persuasion.

ACTION POINT:

Let me give you a prayer Joyce and I have prayed for our children. You’ll find it right in the Word of God. It’s an incredible thing to pray out of the Bible because you know your prayer is in the will of God if it comes out of the Word of God.

Ephesians 3:14 -21: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, that He would grant _________ [insert your child’s name] according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Isn’t that a good prayer to pray for your children?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

When the Light Begins to Dim

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.” Luke 11:34

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Are there times in your life when you have sensed yourself growing cold spiritually? Felt the power seeping out of your life and felt that Jesus Christ wasn’t as real as He used to be? In times like this, get alone in a quiet place and begin to give things back to God that you have subtly taken off the altar.

ACTION POINT:

Give Him your physical body and your right to life. Give Him your health, your strength, and your abilities to work and make a living. Give Him your reputation and your children. Give Him your cars, your clothes, your house.

And when you have honestly, earnestly, and sincerely given all to Him, the joy will return to your heart and you will sense your relationship with God restored.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Breathed Out By God, Profitable for Teaching

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Confirmation bias definition:

the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories.

Do you have a mind made up attitude towards the Gospel?

I mean, even before you read and study it? 

Are you open to the study of it, receiving God's truth, then the applying it to your life?

The story of the Herod's:

14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."

15 But others said, "He is Elijah." And others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old."

16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."

17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her.

18 For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not,

20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

22 For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you."

23 And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom."

24 And she went out and said to her mother, "For what should I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist."

25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.

27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison

28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. - Mark 6:14-29

Let's stand for the Truth!

John the Baptist, standing for the Truth, faithfully delivering the gospel.

He speaks openly of the sin of King Herod taking his brother's wife in sin.

He was clear and precise in his teaching of the gospel.

He spoke plainly.

False teaching doesn't address the truth of sin!

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, - Titus 1:1

But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. - 2 Corinthians 4:2

Respond to the Truth!

Herod protects John up to a point because he knows he is a holy man speaking the truth.

Sin is indeed seductive.

Herodias uses her young beautiful daughter to dance seductively for Herod.

In return, he offers her a wish.

She asks her mother who tells her to ask for John's head.

Her daughter does ask but adds that his head be brought on a platter.

Truly evil, there was no repentance in them.

Proclaim the Truth!

Jesus commissions, then the wolves attack.

Depend on Christ.

He will lead.

The Truth applied:

Sin is seductive.

Jesus is stronger than sin.

Don't harden your heart, repent while you can!!

Thanks Pastor Matt!

Out of the Boat and Onto the Water

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

It was terrible at Simon Peter’s funeral. Jesus was there and He said, “It’s a shame that Peter had to die so young. He was just getting the hang of walking on the water. I shouldn’t have told him to get out of the boat.” It was one of the saddest funerals.

Let’s hope you’re saying “Wait a minute!” right now, because we know that Peter didn’t drown when Jesus called him out of the boat (see Matthew 14:22-33). And you will not drown, either, when Jesus calls you to do something humanly impossible.

ACTION POINT:

Peter may not have walked very far on water, but we could venture to say that he walked farther than anyone else has ever walked on water! Don’t worry about getting out of the boat if that is what God calls you to do. It is safer on the waves with Jesus than in the boat without Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Consulting First with God

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, you are going to give Him the first consideration in every decision you make. You will ask, “What is the will of God? What is the purpose of Jesus? What will glorify my Father?”

Have you ever worked for a company and they decided to transfer you? So many people, because of their financial obligations, discuss it a little with family and friends, then make plans for the move. Sometimes the transfer happens so quickly, prayer has sometimes been forgotten.

ACTION POINT:

Friend, if God wants you to go, then go. If God doesn’t want you to go, then you need to stay. But you’ll never know until you get alone with God and let Him tell you what He wants.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

It’s An Inside Job

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” Matthew 23:26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What happens when we try to help others? We start on the outside, thinking if we can change the environment of a man (his home, clothes, food, education), then we can create a new man. It cannot be done. It was in the Garden of Eden that man got into trouble in the first place.

Cleaning up the outside is just reformation. When you clean up the inside, you are regenerated. Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they don’t need another bath, they need a new birth.

ACTION POINT:

It’s not that we ought not to help others. We should do these things. But men need more than soap and soup; they need salvation. They need a birth from above, not merely a boost from below.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers