Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 8/8/17  Numbers 16:3a, 4a, And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said...  And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face. Note his first reaction to their sinful action directed at them: not defensive words, not proud rantings: humble prayer. Maybe there’s a lesson for us here... 
                        1 Thessalonians 5:15, See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Wrong reactions to another’s wrong actions (provocations) are still wrong. Our reactions may be understandable, justifiable, or expected, but there are still detrimental, wrong, and sinful. We CAN react sweetly to provocations or else 1 Corinthians10:13 is wrong. Wrong reactions to another’s sinful actions means 2 sins have now been committed.

 

- Wednesday, 8/9/17  John 10:10a, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy... The Devil promises a fun time, but notice what God says his end game is. Don’t listen to his lies: resist Satan...(and remember he’s sneaky.)                                 Judges 6:11-12, And there came an angel of the Lord, [to where] Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. Do you tend to see and critique people for what they are/have done or see them for what they are doing/could be? Jesus called the proud, selfish, egotistical James and John “The Sons of Thunder.”

 

- Thursday, 8/10/17  John 10:10b, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The Lord says that Christianity will entail heartaches and tribulations, but overall, ultimately, it’s the exceedingly abundant life. Choose wisely: both in the eternal realm and today.                                 Proverbs 8:4, Unto you, O men, I [wisdom] call; and my voice is to the sons of man. She then goes on to explain how to get her indescribable riches:  an open, willing heart; hearing; effort, redirected focus from money to wisdom. She is calling us, so she wants to give us this most precious commodity...is it worth skipping a single 30-minute program/night to spend some extra time in the Book? A challenge: make a vow to God to increase your Bible reading significantly between now and Christmas. Up it at your discretion: +25%? 50%? Double it? And keep a journal of what you read. That is what these thoughts are: simply my Bible journal. (I figure that if He speaks to me on a subject, I’ll pass it along to whoever wants it.) (If you would like help setting up a custom reading schedule, message me. Try it...what do you have to lose other than 30 minutes of what is now wasted time anyway?)

 

- Friday, 8/11/17  For the times that you think God is AWOL in your life:  Psalm 138:8ab, The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever. He WILL complete the things that pertain to you, and He’ll do it with mucho mercy. So...trust and obey...today.                           Deuteronomy 28:1-2, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, IF thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. If we’re born-again, we are totally righteous, totally accepted, totally loved. Those cannot increase or decrease. But do not be fooled: there are still things that our Lord demands from us and for which He will reward or chasten us. Good works do not get us to Heaven, but a lack of them might get us there more quickly. 28:45-46, Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:   And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

 

- Saturday, 8/12/17  John 14:1, Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. Forgive me for saying it so crudely, but sometimes we’ll need “Big Daddy’s” muscles, and sometimes we’ll need Big Brother’s compassion. Our God is whatever we need.                               What is the key to learning the Bible? Aware ignorance. Matthew 11:25, At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. So, do you already know, or would you like to learn something today?

 

- Sunday, 8/13/17  John 17:19, And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Self-sanctification (separating self from certain things), seems to be key to others being made holy. What external standards/practices could we start/stop? Which are we willing to?                               Luke 17:3, Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. The verse starts with “Take heed” which means, “Be sure to be quick to forgive because you’ll be in need of it next. So take heed that your heart doesn’t get hardened toward the offense directed at you...you’ve done, and will do, worse.”

 

- Monday, 8/14/17  Luke 17:17, And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? Though improperly thanked, Jesus kept showing His love by continuing to serve others. Maybe we should take a page out of His book...                         Proverbs 12:1, Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish. Paraphrase, "Whoso loveth the process will love the end result, but he that despises the negatives in the process is an animal." I know I'm more likely to focus on the end and simply endure the process, but read the verse again. It seems our end enjoyment is tied to the level of joy in the journey.

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- Ps 104:31a, The glory of the Lord shall endure forever. We need to open our eyes and observe what God has made. We get too busy and miss it.

 

- Acts 11:9, But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not common. We need to be very careful about our dietary preferences and also our church, preaching, and biblical standards. There are many saved people we would not exactly agree with.

 

- Ps 106:47, Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto they holy name, and to triumph in thy praise. This ought to be the heart’s cry and prayer of every child of God in America and our world today. Hurry Lord!!!

 

- Ps 197:11, Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the Most High. Why do we believe we are able to rebel against and despise His words and counsel personally, and as a nation without facing judgment?

 

- Gen 33:18, And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. The man Moses is about to see what every great leader needs.

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- If you stumble, make it part of the dance.

 

- God is preparing you for something but unless you run with patience you may never see that purpose fulfilled.

 

- Expectant mothers show growth. Expectant Christians do too.

 

- The fact that we still have to think as to whether or not we are going to forgive someone reveals the immaturity of our spiritual character.