Dr. Roger D. Duke

Joy and happiness are more than a Happy Face! It only comes through faith towards God and placing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! Happiness: Do You Have It? Do You Want It? Where Can You Acquire It? O LORD, Help me never to expect any happiness from the world, but only in thee. Let me not think that I shall be more happy by living to myself, for I can only be happy if employed for thee, and if I desire to live in this world only to do and suffer what thou dost allot me.

Chosen by God! Devotional for Tuesday February 10, 2026 From the pen of John Bunyan, author The Pilgrim's Progress "I Believe God Chooses" Says Bunyan, inmate of the Bedford (England) Jail for years for preaching the Gospel. “And when the Gentiles heard this saying, they began rejoicing and glorifying the Word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” Acts 13: 48. I believe that the faith that [saves] is not to be found with any but those in whom

The Day A House Fire Almost Took John Wesley's Life A sketch of John Wesley's home as it burned and his rescue. [On the left; Wesley rescued from fire, from Hyde, A. B. Story of Methodism . Greenfield, Mass: Willey and co. 1887, public domain] JOHN WESLEY’S FATHER Samuel was a Church of England rector at Epworth. Few people attended the town’s only church. For the most part, the parish consisted of rough folk, and Samuel was not popular with them. Parishioners mutilated his a

Our God and His Christ IS THE God of All Comforts! Comforts GIVER OF ALL GOOD, Streams upon streams of love overflow my path. Thou hast made me out of nothing, hast recalled me from a far country, hast translated me from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light, from death to life, from misery to peace, from folly to wisdom, from error to truth, from sin to victory. Thanks be to thee for my high and holy calling. I bless thee for ministering angels, for the comfort of t

Portrait of John Calvin, theologian of the Reformation, author of the devotional for today. Thine Is My Heart: Devotional Readings from the Writings of John Calvin John Calvin (compiled by John H. Kromminga) Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; —I Corinthians 3:21, 22 Devotional: But believers should accustom themselves to such a

Judgment when all shall stand before Christ and give account of their lives, for he alone is worthy to judge in righteousness.   “Who is Worthy?” Please check out The Gospel  as found in ”The Leather Journal” of Dr. Phil Newton. He is former pastor of the South Woods Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. His speaking and writing can be experienced at https://www.southwoodsbc.org/sermons/ “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the book and to

The Eternal God touching Adam to give him life! A Devotional for the Third Day Morning: God Creator and Controller MOST HIGH GOD, The universe with all its myriad creatures is thine, made by thy word, upheld by thy power, governed by thy will. But thou art also the Father of mercies, the God of all grace, the bestower of all comfort, the protector of the saved. Thou hast been mindful of us, hast visited us, preserved us, given us a goodly heritage —the Holy Scriptures, the jo

This one is listening to hear the Voice of the LORD? Are you listening for His Voice? The Compelling Force of the Call By Oswald Chambers Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! — 1 Corinthians 9:16 Beware of refusing to hear the call of God. Everyone who is saved is called to testify to the fact of his salvation. That, however, is not the same as the call to preach, but is merely an illustration which can be used in preaching. In this verse, Paul was referring to the sting

A daily devotional from the "Leather Journal" of Dr. Phil Newton. Read and enjoy. Is Your Soul at Rest?   Please enjoy the Gospel as found in the “Leather Journal” of former Pastor Phil Newton of the South Woods Baptist Church Memphis, TN. You can find other church ministries at https://www.southwoodsbc.org/leadership     Rest Quietly “The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over

You are not the center of your own little universe! God is the Center of The Universe--you and I are only His small creations! A Devotional Prayer For the Seventh Day Morning: God’s Good Pleasure SOVEREIGN LORD, Thy will is supreme in heaven and earth, and all beings are creatures of thy power. Thou art the Father of our spirits; thy inspiration gives us understanding, thy providence governs our lives. But, O God, we are sinners in thy sight; thou hast judged us so, and if we

Here is one who is literally "between a rock and a hard place." Is this a description of you? A Meditation for Friday January 30, 2026 From the Pen of John Bunyan author of The Pilgrim's Progress Between a Rock and a Hard Place “In the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him” Job 20: 22. If you would be faithful to do the work that God has appointed, you to do in this wor

The Unmistakable Voice of God By Oswald Chambers One who is talking to God and listening for and to God's Voice. Who are you, Lord? — Acts 26:15 Has the voice of God come to you directly? If it has, you cannot mistake the intimate insistence with which it has spoken. It comes to you in the language you know best, not through your ears but through your circumstances. When we have gone astray, when we have grown too sure of ourselves, God has to come in and set us right. He has

Isaiah sees God, hears God's voice, and answers God's call to be a prophet! A Devotional Thought for Wednesday January 28, 2026 From the pen of John Bunyan author of The Pilgrim's Progress The Author’s Call to the Ministry  “Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” Isaiah 8: 6 And now I am speaking my experience, I will in this place thrust in a word or two concerning my preaching the Word and God’s dealing with me. For after I had been about five or six years awakened [converted,

Are you worried about what you will eat or what you will wear or if you have enough money to live? The disciples and followers of Christ are to trust Him day by day! Is that you? Look Again and Think By Oswald Chambers Do not worry about your life… — Matthew 6:25 A warning which needs to be repeated is that “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us ( Matthew 13:22 ). We are never free from t

Jesus calling His disciples unto Him to be "Fishers of Men" as their new vocation. Vocation HEAVENLY FATHER, Thou hast placed me in the church which thy Son purchased by his own blood. Add grace to grace that I may live worthy of my vocation. I am a voyager across life’s ocean; Safe in heaven’s ark, may I pass through a troubled world into the harbour of eternal rest. I am a tree of the vineyard thou hast planted. Grant me not to be barren, with worthless leaves and wild grap

Leave Room for God By Oswald Chambers Make room for God while you are still able! He is a big God who can fit into the inner reaches of your being! When it pleased God… — Galatians 1:15 As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him— to give God “elbow room.” We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had

Christ seated on His Eternal Heavenly Throne in His GLORY! A Devotional for Saturday January 24, 2026 From the pen of John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress Christ Exalted “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” Psalm 110: 1 Here I lived for some time, very sweetly at peace with God through Christ. Oh, I thought, Christ! Christ! There was nothing but Christ that was before my eyes. I was not only looking upon this an

Privileges, none on this earth can compete with those that are in Christ Jesus the Lord! Privileges O LORD GOD, Teach me to know that grace precedes, accompanies, and follows my salvation, that it sustains the redeemed soul, that not one link of its chain can ever break. From Calvary’s cross wave upon wave of grace reaches me, deals with my sin, washes me clean, renews my heart, strengthens my will, draws out my affection, kindles a flame in my soul, rules throughout my inner

One who is looking to God to fulfill the God shaped vacuum in the heart. Am I Looking To God? By Oswald Chambers Look to Me, and be saved… — Isaiah 45:22 Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, “ Look to Me , and be saved….” The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic

Confession of Christ to Christ is tantamount to Repentance towards God and placing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! Confession is Good for the Soul! Especially when you confess your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! I John 1:9   If we confess our sins [1] (Gill’s writings are in the Public Domain.) Not to one other; for though it is our duty to confess our faults to our fellow creatures and fellow Christians which are committed against them, yet are under no obligation to c