- Monday, 2/6/17 Matthew
18:33, Shouldest not thou also have had
compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? Very
simply,whom have you not forgiven (yet)? Whom are you waiting for to “punish
them a little,” or to see if they’re “really sincere”? (See v34-35.)
Ephesians 6:16, Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. We think of faith as the great panacea of the Christian life: that it’ll prevent or solve all of our problems. Notice what the verse says: the shield of faith will quench all of the darts. THAT means that the shield got hit with them. Wearing God’s armor does not preclude us from getting hit, maybe bruised, or slightly wounded. The breastplate or helmet might keep the enemy’s axe from killing me, but I’ll still know that I got hit by a heavy steel object. I might get the wind knocked out of me or see stars, but I won’t die on the spot as if I was not wearing the armor. Judges 21:25, In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 19:24, Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. It’s an oft repeated truth: we don’t do wrong in our eyes, but we only do right, as we see right. Therefore, to some degree, we all permit and justify what God sees as sinful actions. For example: here’s a dating couple: they may neck and pet but won’t fornicate. Another will drink beer or wine but not hard liquor. Many modern Christians balk at modest dress standards as laid out in the Bible. Cheating on taxes is deemed “OK” by many. But God says, “Be ye holy for I am holy.” So, examine your actions for those that fall short of God’s standards, but meet your own. Be willing to admit your faulty vision and faulty living, and be willing to repent and get nearer to what the Lord would have you do.
Ephesians 6:16, Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. We think of faith as the great panacea of the Christian life: that it’ll prevent or solve all of our problems. Notice what the verse says: the shield of faith will quench all of the darts. THAT means that the shield got hit with them. Wearing God’s armor does not preclude us from getting hit, maybe bruised, or slightly wounded. The breastplate or helmet might keep the enemy’s axe from killing me, but I’ll still know that I got hit by a heavy steel object. I might get the wind knocked out of me or see stars, but I won’t die on the spot as if I was not wearing the armor. Judges 21:25, In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 19:24, Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. It’s an oft repeated truth: we don’t do wrong in our eyes, but we only do right, as we see right. Therefore, to some degree, we all permit and justify what God sees as sinful actions. For example: here’s a dating couple: they may neck and pet but won’t fornicate. Another will drink beer or wine but not hard liquor. Many modern Christians balk at modest dress standards as laid out in the Bible. Cheating on taxes is deemed “OK” by many. But God says, “Be ye holy for I am holy.” So, examine your actions for those that fall short of God’s standards, but meet your own. Be willing to admit your faulty vision and faulty living, and be willing to repent and get nearer to what the Lord would have you do.
- Tuesday, 2/7/17 Isaiah
52:7, How beautiful...are the feet of him
that ...saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! It’s a beautiful thing when
God’s people are reminded that He is aware of their situation and in charge. Do
you have pretty feet? Ephesians
6:16, Above all, taking
the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts
of the wicked. A soldier’s shield is the first line of defense. If an
attack (sword, arrow, club) gets past the shield, then the other armor comes
into play. The most important thing we can do is improve our faith, which is
why, without it, it’s impossible to please the Lord, and why God says, “above all.”
- Wednesday, 2/8/17 Ezekiel
8:9-12, ...behold the wicked abominations
that they do here...for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken
the earth. Just FYI, one of God’s big pet peeves is when we say that He is
uninterested and uninvolved with our situation. Ephesians 6:10, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might. Paraphrase (based on the definitions): “...be enabled in the Lord, and in the dominion of his abilities.”
Basically, the verse is telling us to reflect on God’s omnipotence, and to
allow that characteristic to spur us on to achieve greater accomplishments in
the Christian life.
- Thursday, 2/9/17 1 John
1:9, If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. Very simply, if someone apologizes to you, do you clear
their record, or do you hold grudges and wait? Jesus does: be Christlike. 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? Three truths I thought of today: 1In
telling us to think on our own faults vs. our neighbor’s, the Lord is making us
highlight our attitude. It’s always more convenient and more gentle to my
psyche to point out your faults than to admit to my own. 2We’ve
more problems (i.e. SINS) than we’re aware of, and probably more than we’re
willing to admit to, and work on. 3Regardless of how faulty my
neighbor is or is not in comparison to me, I can only work on me. Even if I
only have the sliver and they the beam, I’ve got enough on my plate to keep me
busy.
- Friday, 2/10/17 Psalm
13:1, How long wilt thou forget me, O
Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? I’ve said it
often recently (cuz I’ve needed it), but the sun is going to come up tomorrow,
and you’re going to survive. God is good, even when He’s confusing. Hard times
come and go. Consequences for our sins jump up and bite us. When life happens,
learn the lessons that the Lord has for you.
Psalm 94:12, Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O
Lord, and teachest him out of thy law. Don’t endure the “whipping from
Daddy” and fail to learn. The next verse says that the purpose of chastisement
is that we would get rest during the days of adversity.
- Saturday, 2/11/17
Proverbs 7:2b, [Keep] my law as
the apple of thine eye. Basic question: how excited and “lovey-dovey” do
you get over the Bible? Do you need a little reviving? It starts with honest
self-examination and repentance. Ezekiel
9:4, And the Lord said unto him, Go
through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark
upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations
that be done in the midst thereof. Before beginning the slaughter of His
own people, God marked, and subsequently spared, the ones that were grieved
enough to pray and hurt over the sins of God’s people. Do you grieve and weep
and pray over the sins amongst believers that you see around you and on
Facebook: the cursing, the alcoholic consumption, the fornication, the broken
marriages, the rebellion, the hedonistic behavior, the worldly, materialistic
philosophies, the shunning of the “old time religion”?
Judgment/chastisement/harsh treatment WILL come, both to the saved and the
unsaved. Will God put a mark on your forehead before it comes? Also note, that
in v6, that God started the “slaughter”
in His sanctuary...with the “good Christians.”
- Sunday, 2/12/17 John
3:30, He must increase, but I must
decrease. I would guess that most of us are fine with Christ’s stature and
reputation increasing, but tend to balk at our decreasing. Remember: He “made himself of no reputation” and that
was before He got exalted. Psalm 19:12, Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou
me from secret faults. When you are confessing and getting things right
with the Lord, be sure to ask Him to cleanse you from things that you’re not
even aware of: things that you didn’t know were sin, or commandments that you
weren’t aware that you were violating.
- Monday, 2/13/17 Psalm
97:12, Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous;
and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. Regardless of how bad
your life is going right now, this is still a commandment that can be obeyed by
a choice of the will. Jeremiah
37:13-14, ...and he took Jeremiah the
prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans. Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not
away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him. 1It is much more pleasant to deal
with an honest inquiry as opposed to a false assumption followed by an
accusation. 2We’ve all done
the assuming/accusing, and we’ve all been victimized by it from others. We
don’t like being on the receiving end, so don’t be on the assuming end. 3Few people, when told the truth,
are honest and humble enough to withdraw their accusation and to apologize,
so, 4you will have to
overlook and/or forgive them anyway. 5We
must be sure our heart is right toward those who accuse us. 6If we are offended, we must be
sure it’s for a false accusation and not for someone pointing out something
while we are too proud to admit that they’re actually right.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bible thoughts from some others:
- Matt 6:23, But if thine eye be evil thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If
therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
We need not be shocked if the world, who has been blinded by the powers of
evil, is unreceptive to the Gospel.
- Matt 7:11, If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them
that ask him. I wonder how many times our needs are not met because we gave
up asking or did not ask at all.
- Acts 6:1, And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied,
there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their
widows were neglected in the daily ministration. With success and numbers
comes troubles, and is the reason that most churches don’t grow.
- Matt 7:29, He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. God
give us Holy Spirit empowered men who, like Jesus, teach and preach with
authority.
- Matt 7:15, Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves. False teachers and preachers are not
easily recognizable, and must be scrutinized through spiritual eyes. Sooner or
later they will be revealed and exposed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Miscellaneous
thoughts from others:
- "I'm not a project...I'm a process...God is
building me." Brother Danny Mendez
- Life is mostly froth and bubble; two things stand
like stone: kindness in another’s trouble, and courage in our own.
- Pointing out the evil in others does not negate the
evil in ourselves.
- This too shall pass...it might pass like a kidney
stone, but it will pass!!
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