Sunday, 4/5/15 Rom 2:21 Thou therefore that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou
that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Is the degree of
consistency between what you profess and what you enact greater or less this
year than last? Num 10:29-30 And Moses said unto Hobab [his brother-in-law], We are sojourneying
unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with
us...And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land,
and to my kindred. Family loyalty and a love for country are good, but never elevate anything above a
closer walk with Him and doing His will. It’s easy to get sidetracked here. He
deserves (and quietly demands) first place in our day, our devotion &
affection, in our preferences, and in our deference. Remember that those
people/places to which you feel so tied, will answer for and by themselves to
God, as will you. Place Him at the top of the social & familial “food
chain.” Don't ever place a piece of dirt
(either living and breathing dirt, or pretty dirt) on a higher level than His
will.
Monday, 4/6/15 Rom 8:31b If God be
for us, who can be against us? There are those who’ll try to stand against
us...but they don’t measure up to God’s approval. Your failures, your memories,
the ghosts in your past or skeletons in your closet: they try to pull you down.
“GOD IS FOR US!!!” End of conversation. Many
people live with the memory of stinging criticism: maybe from a parent or a
teacher that could never be pleased. Maybe they were abused, physically (which
is horrible) or emotionally (this may be worse). Now, nothing that they ever do
or become is ever “good enough”; maybe, even though the parent or abuser is
dead, the thought processes of “I’m a horrible, worthless, 4th class
kind of person” still linger. Loved ones struggle to understand them and assure
and reassure them for decades that they are loved; they are worthy; they are
valuable to the loved one and to God. (Been there...and still live this
today.) However, we must choose whom we
listen to; we must consciously value some opinions over others. 1 Cor 4:5 ...then shall every man
have praise of God. Ps 111:10, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Notice that last line: his praise
endureth for ever. What God thinks and says about you is all that matters.
And what does He say? “Justified!!”
“Forgiven!!” “Worth My blood and
Me dying for!!!” “My child!!!” “No condemnation!!” I’ll go a step further: God not only loves
you, but He likes you enough that He wants you to live with Him forever. Did
you ever think that God could’ve given us eternity in a paradise? He gives us
that, but He wants to be with us!!
You’re loved and liked my dear friend who’s been abused for a lifetime:
either by a person with skin on or by a “demon” in your head. Elevate God’s
thoughts above the others.
Tuesday, 4/7/15 1
Cor 11:31 For if we would judge
ourselves, we should not be judged. Basic Bible doctrine: Though justified
and eternally safe from condemnation, we’re all susceptible to
chastening/spanking (v32) from Father for daily living, but we can stop it by
self-judgment. Num
13:30-31 And Caleb stilled the people
before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well
able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to
go up against this people... Do you tend to be the encouraging one or the
discouraging one? Ask those you live with...it’ll surprise you. BTW,
“Constructive criticism” is still critical and discouraging... especially if criticism (of one form or another) is all
that comes out of your mouth.
Wednesday, 4/8/15 Never saw this before: Num 20:24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people...because ye rebelled against
my word... Though complicit, Aaron died because of (mainly) Moses’ sin.
People you love may pay dearly because of your sin. Is their pain worth your
pleasure? (Don’t
judge me.) Sunday as I was walking from the parking lot to SS, I saw a young
man whom I feel is rather arrogant. I prayed for him, and then prayed this,
“Lord, give me an air of humility.” I was immediately rebuffed by God and
reminded that it’s my job, not His, to humble me. If He has to do it, there is
no reward, but if I do it, He’ll greatly reward me. 1 Pet 5:6 Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
Thursday,
4/9/15 Ps 113:1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name
of the Lord. Quick!! How many names or titles of God can you think of? Make
a list and praise Him. Num
22:3b ...and Moab was distressed because
of the children of Israel. It was true here of Moab; it was true with
Egypt; it is true today: worldly or unsaved people are troubled by God’s
people. Therefore, they curse, persecute, and attack. John 16:33 In the world ye shall have tribulation.
Dear friend, expect it, but react scripturally and love them and keep doing
rightly.
Friday,
4/10/15 1 Cor 15:9-10 For I am the least of the apostles...because
I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am...
Each of us must choose what to actively remember, consider, and allow to direct
and influence us: our mistakes and sins in the past, or God’s goodness and will
in the present. Luke
23:2 And they began to accuse him,
saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give
tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. The first
statement was opinion; the 2nd false, and the 3rd
true. 1Be cautious as the judge to evaluate each piece of
evidence or statement. 2Realize enemies and the
Devil often mix falsehoods and truths and suppositions together. 3They
presented the most inflammatory charge last (a rival king).
Saturday,
4/11/15 Having trouble understanding
your Bible? Luke 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that
they might understand the scriptures. Always pray before reading and
preaching. Specifically, pray Psalm 119:18 or 86:11. Matt 4:1 They was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
of the Devil. Bad circumstances and hard times may be directly from God.
That cancer, that accident, the break up, the jail, the job loss...may be from
God. Just do right in any and all circumstances.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thoughts from some others
- Why does the resurrection
matter? The validity of the resurrection means that Jesus:
•Did what He promised to do (Kept His word)
•Is who He claimed to be (Son of God)
•Has the power He claimed to have (omnipotence)
•Will do for us what He promised (save us)
•Is the Son of God, and we can trust Him (as our Lord)
-That tomb is not completely empty. My
guilt and shame are still buried there.
-Choices of mankind regarding our sin:
A Free Pardon in Christ -Heaven or A Fair Trial in Judgment-Hell. Take the the
pardon!!!
-The past is not the problem. The
problem is the incredible amount of thought you're giving to the past. Let it
go and be free.
-Self loathing is a form of self
loving, therefore the one who hates himself cannot cure it by loving himself.
He already does love himself which is the only reason he loathes himself. The
only cure is to love another so much that you no longer loathe or love
yourself. Self love can expose itself in many forms including self indulgence
or self loathing. When we love God and our neighbor, all forms of self love are
overcome. So if you know someone who loathes themselves do not tell them to
love themselves. Tell them to love God, because when we love God, we will see
ourselves as the wonderfully made creation we are, and as an accepted one in
our Beloved.
-Everybody has a story to tell,
everyone has got a wound that needs to be healed. Lets be a wound healer and
not a wound giver today. Blessed are the meek.
-Choose your words carefully. Once
they are spoken, they can only be forgiven, never forgotten
-Is your heart God's resting place or
his wrestling place? Submit to him and enjoy his rest.
-Be wise enough to know when you are
not wise enough to make a decision on your own.
++++++++++++++
- Why
does the Psalmist say, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death?" Because death can only cast a shadow on God's sheep. It
cannot touch us or do us ANY harm.
- 1 Kings 3:5 In
Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, Ask what
I shall give thee. We’re about to see the heart of Solomon. Our prayer
lives are a reflection of our hearts and our spiritual temperature.
- Ps 143:9 Deliver
me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. It won’t be
long in America before Christians will be praying this if the present trend and
attitude prevails.
- Col 3:16a Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. What kind of wisdom do you have? Do you get
it from the TV shows you watch? The books you read? School? Professors? Your
friends? Where? God says let HIS word dwell
in you RICHLY.
- Job 2:10a But
he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. Husbands!
Wives! Let's remember to speak ENCOURAGING words to our spouses!!
- So, if you don't think Satan's seeking us out to
trip us up, then look at this proof: Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered
the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and
down in it. So, what can we do? Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God (verses 14-18), that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil. Why? Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.
- Ps 11:3 If the
foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 1Pray. 2Trust
the Bible. 3Go to preaching.
4Trust God. 5Be
clean and separated. 6Go soul winning. 7Refuse
to move and set the standard.
- Ps 7:15 He
made a pit and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. We
need to be very careful how we treat/mistreat others: it may come back to
bite/haunt us.
- Ps 14:1 The
fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Our state universities and
public schools are filled with those rascals. No wonder our nation is in
serious trouble.
- Ps 15:3 He
that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh
up a reproach against his neighbor. It looks like if we’re going to walk
with God, controlling our tongue and respecting our neighbor is a prerequisite.
- Pro 11:15 He
that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretyship
is sure. We need to be very careful whom we promise to stand behind and for
whom we put up collateral.