The Testing of Your Faith

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” 1 Peter 4:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Has something bad happened to you and you said, “Oh me. What did I do? I must have done something terrible. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened!”

And before you knew it, you fell headlong into a pity party of morbid introspection—taking yourself apart piece by piece to see where you went wrong. If you’re like most people, you have. 

But have you ever thought that maybe you’ve done absolutely nothing wrong, but God is simply testing your faith? This is an important truth for you to understand, because if you don’t, you may get discouraged. The seeds of doubt and discouragement sprout in the soil of ignorance.

ACTION POINT:

Read Exodus 16 about the testing of the Lord in the lives of the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert. What applications can you give to your life? 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Facing Temptation

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When you face temptation, remember it is not a sin to be tempted. Temptation to sin is not sin. 

If temptation were a sin, then Jesus would be a sinner, because Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” 

Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Jesus felt what you feel. He was just as much a man as though He were not God at all, and He was as much God as though He were not man at all. He was the God-Man, and praise God, Jesus never sinned though He knew those temptations.

ACTION POINT:

Are you facing a temptation today that you feel no one has ever faced? Turn to Jesus and He will meet you there. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Comfort of the Holy Spirit

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Jesus called the Holy Spirit “the Comforter.”

Whenever peace enters your heart in the midst of grief...

Whenever joy enters your heart in the midst of a trial...

Whenever you see evidence of His life in yours…                  

…..you can be sure the Holy Spirit is flowing through your life. 

Can He forget you? Never. The seal of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is on your life if you are His child. Whenever you pass through a room or walk through a crowd, His oil of gladness sends a sweet aroma of Christ through the air!

ACTION POINT:

Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. How can you show the comfort of Christ to someone who is hurting? 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

It All Ends The Same

Death comes to all!!!

No one escapes!

Wicked or righteous!

Free or slave!

Man, woman or child!!

Death is everyone's destiny!!

2 Cor.4:

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;

9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

The death of the saved is filled with anticipation of seeing Christ with the sweet expectation of spending eternity in His precious company!!

The death of the lost is a horrible expectation of eternity spent separated from God!

2 Cor.4:

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

At least 2 billion people have never heard of Jesus!

They have knowledge of God because of creation!

They stand condemned without a Savior!

One Savior, Christ The Lord!

They worship false gods because they have never heard who Jesus is!

They do not know that God has granted Jesus the power to save!

They do not know that Christ alone took the wrath God!

Wrath we deserved, wiped away by a sinless Jesus!

They have rejected God!

How will they hear?

The Gospel Word has the power of eternal life through Christ alone!

Not Ashamed of the Lordship of Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“O my God, I trust in Thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.” Psalm 25:2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever noticed that some people get a little embarrassed in a restaurant if you bow your head and mention Jesus as you ask His blessing? They rub their eyebrows or forehead when you pray. Have you ever asked yourself why they’re ashamed? I think it is because they don’t know what they’re missing in Jesus. You see, salvation is a wonderful gift. God sent His Son to die for us. He rose from the grave for us. He ascended into heaven for us. He’s coming again for us! How can we be ashamed of this?

ACTION POINT:

Next time you go to a restaurant, let your prayer of blessing turn into an evangelistic opportunity with your unsaved friend. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Fully Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

John G. Patton was a Bible translator in the South Sea Islands. While translating, he came to the word “believe” and searched for a word that the native people could truly understand. He wanted something that meant commitment and trust, but he couldn’t think of a word. Then one day, a messenger rushed into Mr. Patton’s room out of breath. Needing to rest, he flung himself into a big chair and leaned back in complete relaxation. Patton asked the native for a word to describe what he did when he sat down and completely trusted in the chair to hold him so he could relax. That’s the word he used for “believe.” 

When a person quits trying and begins to trust the Lord Jesus, that’s “belief.”

ACTION POINT:

Who have you been sharing Christ with that hasn’t yet been saved? Ask God to give you a word that will break through the barriers and bring salvation to this person. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Law and the Gospel of God's Grace

BIBLE MEDITATION:
"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.” Romans 4:16
LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:There are more than six billion people on the face of this earth. If you extracted from each one the very best character traits and put those things into one man, that one man would still have to bow before God and cry out for mercy to be saved.

We’ve got to quit trying to be saved by doing good things or being a moral person or even by keeping the Ten Commandments.

The law says “if.” The gospel says “therefore.”
The law says you must earn salvation.  The gospel says salvation is a gift.
The law demands holiness. The gospel provides holiness.
The law says run, but it doesn’t give us legs.
The gospel says fly, and it gives us wings of grace.

ACTION POINT:Read Romans 10. What application can you gain for your life from this chapter?