Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 4/24/17  Three commandments to do toward a repentant believer: 2 Corinthians 2:7-8, So that contrariwise ye ought rather to  ¹forgive him, and  ²comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.   Wherefore I beseech you that ye would  ³confirm your love toward him.           Isaiah 53:4, Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Did you ever consider that you may be wrong? They esteemed, valued, surmised that the One on the Cross was “bad.” Are you teachable, or do you feel that you’re the final word on every subject?

 

- Wednesday, 4/25/17  Isaiah 53:5, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Cleaning up the messes of sin is painful and messy. Will you get dirty, or simply sit back and criticize?               Matthew 26:61-62, ...two false witnesses...said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in 3 days. And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? Do you, like Caiaphas, search until you find someone who agrees with you, or do you simply want to discern the truth? Look carefully...

 

- Thursday, 4/26/17  Isaiah 55:7, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord... Don’t ever stop at simply cleaning up your actions. Actions are driven by thoughts. There are 3 actions to be accomplished here...             Visualize a conflict that you’re having/had with someone. Matthew 7:3, And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Here is how Scripture says we are to look at the conflict:  ¹Regarding the degree of fault: you and I are always said to have a beam.  ²Scripturally, our opponent only has a sliver...regardless of what everyone else says.  ³So, the blame that needs to be addressed first and foremost is my blame.  ⁴Scripturally, each party in the dispute should be humbly willing to argue that their own level of guilt is greater than the other’s.  ⁵Since each party has their own beam in their eye, each has plenty on their plate to keep them busy.  ⁶So...you know what you need to do... Now, will you? Or, will you rebel and keep focusing on their sliver while ignoring your beam?

 

- Friday, 4/28/17  Psalm 62:5-6, My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation... I know I’m guilty of Him frequently not being my ONLY hope, my FIRST recourse...anyone else in this boat with me...?                Proverbs 21:2, Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. I just realized that v2 here is after v1:  The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Maybe the purpose of v2 is to teach us that the changing of the king’s heart (or that of our boss, spouse, child, etc.) that we so often pray for/claim from v1 isn’t what needs to happen. Maybe God is satisfied with their heart as it is. Maybe it’s our heart that needs changing. Maybe it’s our acceptance of how life is that needs changing (and our degree of trust in God’s directing life).

 

- Saturday, 4/29/17  Proverbs 23:12, Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. Notice that it doesn’t say who’s doing the teaching. Are you willing to learn from a younger subordinate? What if they are less than tactful?                Beware of the tendency of assigning motives to people and being critical:  Proverbs 21:10, The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes. I think the first half means the wicked wanted to assume the neighbor had wrong intentions and “did it on purpose.”

 

- Sunday, 4/30/17  Proverbs 23:29-30, Who hath woe? ...sorrow? ...contentions? ...babbling? ...wounds without cause? ...redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. There are no hangovers with Jesus and living righteously. ‘Just sayin’...            Psalm 68:3-4a, But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name... Maybe to see the enemies scattered and fleeing in the future (from v1) we need to obey these verses before and during the battle.

 

- Monday, 5/1/17  God’s first thoughts of you this morning were _______? The first thing He wanted you to be aware of was ______? (He was not angry; He wasn’t issuing commandments.) Ephesians 1:2, Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.        Ephesians 4:1, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.  (From Strong’s), Put this definition in for “vocation”: invitation; and for “worthy”: appropriately. Whoopie!!!! “Walk appropriately for the invitation...” He’s not some Divine Ogre demanding we please Him...He’s trying to offer us a better life! How foolish we are!!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

- Psa 5:3, My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. When we are flat on our back in the ICU, we can only look up, and PTL He is there, and never leaves us alone.

 

- Pro 23:4, Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Let God worry about financial success and wealth. Work and quit worrying!

 

- Ps 6:1, Have mercy upon me, O Lord: for I am weak; Lord heal me: for my bones are vexed. A good verse to be familiar with! We never know when it will be needed.

 

- John 8: 6, This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him, but Jesus stooped down, and with his finger, wrote on the ground as though he heard them not. Our Lord showed great self-control and restraint. We need to learn this from Him.

 

- Ps 9:19-20, Arise, O Lord: let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. In a day when chaos, political ungodliness, and unrest seem to rule, we need to pray this prayer.

 

- Ps 10:4-5a, The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous: thy judgments are far above out of his sight. We should not be surprised at the thoughts and actions of the world.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

- Seldom do we see things as they are, we see them as we are. Life is viewed through the filter of man's heart. To see right, we must be right...with Him.

 

- In church, there’s a prepared answer from God for the one who is preparing to hear from God.

 

- Pointing a finger of blame excuses a man from ever making a difference and attaches him to the problem at which he pointed.