Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 4/17/17  Proverbs 13:5a, A righteous man hateth lying. Most of us hate being lied to, but, do you hate it when you’re the liar? Do you hate it if you see another person lying to a third person (or cheating: at work: time cards, reports; false tax return info)?   
                            Psalm 50:3, Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. The world may doubt our God’s power. In grief, we may question our worth to Him. But one day, He will roar from the heavens and flex His infinite bicep, and silence all doubts! Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

 

- Wednesday, 4/18/17  Proverbs 14:13, Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness. The world is on an endless pursuit to find positives without any negatives, but that is only possible in Eternity. Accept reality, and deal with what is.                             1 Corinthians 8:2, Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. Middle aged folks: as we age, we accumulate knowledge. Beware of a corresponding growth in arrogance, intolerance, and judmental attitudes. Keep trying to build others: teach what you know, but be aware of your demeanor as you do.

 

- Thursday, 4/19/17  Proverbs 15:4, A wholesome tongue is a tree of life.  “Wholesome”: placid, yielding. Is your tongue more often characterized as insistive or yielding? Placid and peaceful or agitated and angry?                         Proverbs 15:7a, 14a, The lips of the wise disperse knowledge. The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge. Combine a seeking heart and wise lips, and wonderful things happen. You can’t determine if others (your pastor or SS teacher or listeners) fulfill their duties, but are you fulfilling yours?

 

- Friday, 4/20/17  Proverbs 15:32, He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding. The context indicates that the instruction here is negative. Don’t hurt yourself long-term because the medicine maybe tastes or smells bad.                         Matthew 27:3-5, Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. I don’t know exactly what is meant by “repented himself” but I had these thoughts.  ¹Judas seemingly saw his sin and tried to make it right.  ²Those to whom he went refused his remedy.  ³The ensuing hopeless feeling and feelings of worthlessness led to self-destructive behavior.  ⁴If someone is trying to apologize to you, make it easy for them. Graciously accept their clumsy, self-humbling efforts, and go the extra mile to restore the relationship.  ⁵Judas’ main mistake was in not apologizing to God. (Perhaps he had missed the teaching on having direct access to Him. After all, he wasn’t saved.) Be sure when you repent, you apologize to all that were affected: both God and people.  ⁶Maybe a topic to consider teaching sometime/somewhere: “How to Properly Apologize.”

 

- Saturday, 4/21/17  Psalm 56:3, What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. If fear is a catalyst leading to trust, it seems that I need to be afraid more often. But afraid of what? Hurting those for whom I care. Offending the lost to the point they don’t get saved. Wasting time. Having wrong priorities. Others?                         Matthew 23:26, Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.  ¹The inside (heart) is more important than the outside.  ²The outside cannot be clean if the heart is not, so an unsaved man cannot live righteously.  ³God expects both the inside and the outside to get our attention.  ⁴If we must only focus on one, we are to focus on the heart.  ⁵To clean the outside without cleaning the inside is to be a blind hypocrite.

 

- Sunday, 4/22/17  What is your heart focused on? Ready for? Prepared to accomplish? Here’s a peek at David’s heart: Psalm 57:7, My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. (“Fixed” means what I asked at the beginning.)                                   Matthew 23:37, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! We’ve all gotten mad at the Lord for not solving our problems/answering our prayers. Maybe He had been trying, and we short-circuited His efforts?

 

- Monday, 4/23/17  Are you fairly competent in your Bible knowledge? Better than many?  Isaiah 50:4, The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. OK: Go say the right thing at the right time to the needy.                              Isaiah 40:2, Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Notice that after forgiveness is given and any punishment is over, how we are to speak to sinner. Speak comfortably...sweetly...accepting-ly. Does that characterize how you welcome back prodigals?