BIBLE MEDITATION
Investing in
Others for God's Glory
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Isaiah 63:7 -
"I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord, and
the praises of the Lord."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
One time a man came into a village and asked an old man living
there, “Any great men born here?” The old man said, “No, just babies.” Great men
are not born; great men are made, investing in the lives of others, sharing
God’s love, and showing His mercies. There is not a
magic formula that instantly makes us sanctified.
Sanctification is a
process. Our calling is to be poured out into the lives of others for His glory.
Random Acts of Kindness
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Luke 6:35 -
"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I've seen bumper stickers that exhort us to "show random acts
of kindness." I think that’s a good thing. And what is kindness? It's love in
the little things. A woman came down the aisle of a church to give her heart to
Christ, and the preacher wanted to know what had impacted her life for Christ.
She said, "You did." The pastor said, "Well, I'd be interested to know what it
was that I said that brought you to Christ." She said, "It was nothing you said.
It was something you did. I was standing nearby when somebody criticized you
very unfairly. I saw the kindness with which you responded, and I knew that your
faith was real."
The
Cross of Jesus Bridges the
Great Divide
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Ephesians 2:16 -
"And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body
by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Up in heaven is the holy God; down below is the sinful man. And
sin is the dividing rod that separates. Man has an empty void, so man is
constantly trying to reach God. But he keeps rebounding off the sin barrier.
Then God, moved in mercy by the pitiful plight of sinful man, said, “I will do
something.” God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to make a way. And upon the rough
hewn timbers of a cross, Jesus gave His life so you and I could live forever and
live forgiven. Jesus built a bridge between man and God. It’s a bridge man could
never build and a bridge that man can never take away. God made a way that we
couldn’t make — for you and for me.
Be an
Encourager
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
- "Blessed
be God, even the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforts us in all our
tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by
the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Someone has well said that discouragement is a dark room where
the negatives of fear and failure are developed. There are some who are
encouragers and others who are discouragers. Have you ever met a discourager?
They’re like a drink of water to a drowning man. They can brighten up a room by
leaving it. They leave you drained and depressed. But an encourager leaves you
full and refreshed. God has cornered the market on encouragement. All
encouragement comes from God. You’re never more like God than when you’re
encouraging people and never more like the devil than when you are discouraging
people.
Letting God Work In and
Through You
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Philippians 2:13 -
"For it is God which works in you both to will and to
do of His good pleasure."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
One of the greatest secrets I have ever learned is this: God
doesn’t want me to do anything for Him. He wants to do something through me.
People say, “Well, I just serve God in my poor, little, old weak way.” I feel
like saying, “Well, quit it.” He doesn’t want you to serve Him in your poor,
little, old weak way. He wants you out of the way, so He can flow through you!
We need to make ourselves available to God and say, “God, I’m tired of being
inhibited. I want to be inhabited by You. I want You to live Your life through
me.”
God Will
Always Answer
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Jeremiah 33:3 -
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty
things, which thou knowest not."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I read about some children in a
Sunday School class who
wrote a missionary to let him know that they were praying for him. The teacher
of the class said, "Now children, the missionary is a very busy person, so don't
expect him to write you back." One little girl's letter read, “Dear
Brother Brown, We're praying for you. We don't expect an answer.” Sadly,
this is how we pray! We don't really expect an answer. But God has promised He
will answer us when we call upon His name.
Psalm 91:15
says, "He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in
trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him."
No Offense, No
Effect
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Matthew 10:34 -
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came
not to send peace, but a sword."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A pulpit committee approached me one time and said, "We need a
pastor for our church." I said, "I know just the guy. He is a fantastic preacher
and has a fiery evangelistic spirit, but he has health problems and he's kind of
old." I continued, "He's also been in jail several times." They began to shake
their heads, and one said, "Well, we don't know whether he's the man we want or
not." I said, "Well, don't worry; you couldn't get him. He's already in heaven,
and his name is Paul." You don't want a guy who can rub shoulders with the
people of this world and not rub any salt in their wounds. Where there is no
offense, there is no effect.
Off the Defense and Onto the Offense
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Mark 16:15 -
"And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If I had to identify a major problem with believers today, it
would be that they spend too much time getting out of trouble with God instead
of getting into righteousness! We are living on the defensive instead of the
offensive. We need to move beyond the defensive line of Christianity and move on
to the offense – advancing the Kingdom, fulfilling the
Great Commission, and telling others about Jesus. Our Shepherd will never
lead us where His strength cannot keep us. He will never lead us down a path
that He hasn’t first walked down Himself.
Burdens and
Trials a Necessity?
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
James 1:3 -
"Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A man had a
grandfather clock. One day he felt sorry for the grandfather clock
because it had a weight on it, and that weight was always pulling on the clock.
The man said, “Oh, Mr. Clock, you’ve held this weight so long; I’m going to
remove it and let you rest.” The clock protested, saying, “Don’t take that
weight from me. That’s what keeps me going.” In the same way, the trials and
tests of life are there for your endurance. They’re to keep you going, keep you
trusting, keep you praying, and keep you depending upon God.
Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Genesis 18:14 -
"Is anything too hard for the Lord?"
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A little boy was trying to roll a rock as his father watched
from a distance. The boy was heaving and sighing, but he couldn’t turn the stone
over. His dad with a smile said, “Son, are you using all of your strength?” He
said, “Yes, Daddy, I’m using all my strength.” And the father said, “No, you’re
not because you haven’t asked me to help you. My strength is your strength.”
Sometimes we wrestle with problems and say, “I don’t know what to do.” Our
Father wants us to say, “I’ve run out of my strength,” and run into His. He is
there. There is no problem too big for Jesus to solve. Do you believe that? I
hope so.
Investing in
Others for God's Glory
from the messages of
Adrian Rogers
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Isaiah 63:7 -
"I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and
the praises of the Lord."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
One time a man came into a village and asked an old man living
there, “Any great men born here?” The old man said, “No, just babies.” Great men
are not born; great men are made, investing in the lives of others, sharing
God’s love, and showing His mercies. There is not a
magic formula that instantly makes us sanctified.
Sanctification is a
process. Our calling is to be poured out into the lives of others for His glory.