Is Courtesy a Way of Life for You?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.” Psalm 18:35

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you know what our churches could use a little bit more of? Courtesy among the brethren—love in the little things, love that says “please” and “thank you,” love that steps back and gives the other person first place. The gentleness of our Lord.

It never ceases to amaze me how people so quickly lose their religion when they leave church on Sunday morning. They go to their cars in the parking lot, then cut people off in traffic. And don’t ever take someone’s “regular” seat in church. You’re seen as stealing their “rightful” place in the worship service!

ACTION POINT:

May God cleanse our churches of self-righteousness and pride. May He purify us from anything that seeks to elevate self over others.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Welcome to the Priesthood

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Christians are a kingdom of priests, so in order to understand what that means, let’s look at what someone had to do to become a priest in the Old Testament.

The first thing the priest did was bathe from head to toe. This symbolized that he was saved (see Titus 3:5). When we are saved, we are bathed from head to toe in Christ’s cleansing blood.

After his bath, the priest received a linen garment, which symbolized the righteousness that is provided by our Lord.

Then he was anointed with oil, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

How encouraging to discover God’s Word flowing from the Old to the New Testament to describe such essential details of the believer.

ACTION POINT:

Have you been bathed in the cleansing blood? Are you aware you’re wearing a robe (the righteousness of Christ)? The Holy Spirit lives within you. As you go through your day today, be ever mindful: you are a priest—chosen, royal, holy, set apart for Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Will God Be Enough…?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 10:22

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever read God’s Hall of Fame in Hebrews chapter 11? These men and women of faith did miraculous things. “Who through faith subdued kingdoms.” Hallelujah! “Wrought righteousness.” Praise the Lord! “Obtained promises.” Amen! “Stopped the mouths of lions.” Glory!

And how did they do it? Faith.

“And others [men and women of faith] had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder...” (Hebrews 11:36-37). “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise” (Hebrews 11:39).

ACTION POINT:

Some had faith to escape; others had faith to endure. If it is God’s will for you, faith to endure may be the kind of faith God wants you to have. Will God be enough if He lets you walk through the fiery furnace?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Decision Of A Lifetime

19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,
20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, - John 11:25

"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; - Isaiah 55:6

13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. - James 4:13-16

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. - Hebrews 3:13

1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
2 For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. - 2 Corinthians 6:1-2

There is no ignoring!
There is no "I'll wait till later to make the choice."
For the truth is, none of us are assured of a tomorrow!
Indifference is no!!
There is only one of two choices, yes or no!
Will you follow Christ or deny Him?

Standing on the Edge of the Red Sea

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” Isaiah 54:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Sometimes the grandest revelations come through confrontation. Why did God bring the Israelites to the Red Sea? That they might have a confrontation with Him and discover His greatness and deliverance.

Many times the things we think are tragedies and problems are God’s way of drawing us to Himself. God shuts this door; God shuts that door…it seems that there’s no way out.

But we must cling to the fact that God makes Himself known to us in the storm and He plants His footsteps in the sea.

ACTION POINT:

Are you standing at the edge of your “Red Sea”? Have you stopped to consider that this could be your Father drawing you to Himself by the only way He knew He could get your attention? The God who parted the Red Sea and stilled the surface of Galilee is the One Who is your Shepherd.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Finding Joy in All the Right Places

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” Psalm 34:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A Christian should be filled with joy. But we can’t take any credit for it. It is Jesus who gives us joy and satisfaction. We couldn’t have found it had we been searching for it, but by finding, knowing, and growing in Christ, He has filled us with an overflowing joy.

Do you know what the devil will tell you? That holiness and happiness don’t go together. He will tell you that if you make up your mind to live a holy life, then you won’t have any fun. Friend, the devil is a liar.

ACTION POINT:

You’ll never know satisfaction and joy until you find it in the right place. You’ll never enjoy the good things of life until you know Jesus. Oh, how sweet to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Is the hunger of your heart met in Christ?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The God Who Can’t Be Figured Out

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and He weigheth the waters by measure.” Job 28:24-25

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

There are certain things God is not going to reveal. And that is good news. Who wants to believe in a God that they can put in a box and completely understand? Not me.

You can take a bucket down to the ocean and dip out a bucket full of water. Everything in that bucket is ocean, but not all the ocean is in the bucket. Amen? And with our bucket-size minds, we are never going to know all there is about God. I’m not. You’re not. Nobody is.

ACTION POINT:

Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers