Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 3/28/17  Proverbs 25:19, Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint. Confidence & faithfulness take a long time to develop. (Unfaithfulness would be natural.) Problems come at a moment’s notice. Are you ready?                               Luke 16:31, And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Persuasion occurs, not based on the power of the argument, but on the willingness of the recipient to listen and consider. Are you so arrogant that no one can teach you anything?

 

- Wednesday, 3/29/17  Psalm 130: What to do when you’re in the depths.  V1&2: keep praying.  V5-7: wait and hope because God is faithful and His character doesn’t change.  V3-4, 7-8 Get your sins cared for: confessed and forsaken.                           Proverbs 25:20, As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart. The sad and depressed person doesn’t necessarily need cheering up or to “snap out of it.” They need wise compassion. Show you care for the person IN their situation (even if it’s of their own doing) before trying to change the situation. Think, pray, love...then speak.

 

- Thursday, 3/30/17  Psalm 71:3, Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort. Our problem is that we “occasionally resort” (vacation) to God instead of continually doing so (abiding.)                                Psalm 71:3, Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort. 71:6b, ...my praise shall be continually of thee. If we’d come closer to continually resorting to God, we’d come closer to continually praising Him. However you have to make it happen: realize that “without [Him] you can do nothing.”

 

- Friday, 3/31/17  Proverbs 26:10, The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors. God’ll care for those who sin against you; you just do what you’re supposed to do: “love your neighbor,” and “overcome evil with good.”                              Romans 14:19, Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. With believers who go to other churches that maybe aren’t quite the same as yours, do you tend to emphasize your differences and bring up how they “do it/believe wrongly” or do you tend to emphasize and talk about the things that you agree upon? V20: For meat destroy not the work of God.

 

- Saturday, 4/1/17  Psalm 73:15, If I say, I will speak thus [“living for God isn’t worth it”]; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. People at church (kids) ARE watching you: stay faithful and do right. Your doubts will pass soon: their backsliding won’t.                          Luke 23:42, And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. No soul winner has ever led a sinner to say these words when winning someone to Christ. I’m glad that the Lord doesn’t require us to apologize using “the right words.” He just takes us as we come. Do you? When someone tries to apologize or get right with you, do you play God and look into their heart with your “super powers” and reject what they say because they didn’t measure up on your “Sincerity meter”? Been there, done that. Been there, been done to, too...both are wrong. If someone is humble enough to come and say, “I’m sorry,” that shows a good bit of sincerity. Quit playing God,count their apology as being sincere, accept it, and “dwell together in unity” with your Christian brethren.

 

- Sunday, 4/2/17  Basic doctrine: Romans 8:14, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. That nudge, that reminder to do rightly, even when you really don’t want to is 100% proof that you’re saved.                          Romans 8:16, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.  ¹The Spirit talking to our spirit proves our salvation to us.  ²What does He say? Since He gave us the Bible, He speaks It. When you remember a verse “out of the blue” it’s really “out of Heaven.” That’s proof that you’re His child.

 

- Monday, 4/3/17  Proverbs 31:11, The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. Ladies, the very first characteristic of a virtuous woman is that she has earned and kept the trust of her man. Does your husband trust you?                                 Romans 8:37, Nay, in all these things (v35: tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword) we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Despite your troubles, you ARE still more than a conqueror: so act like it. Keep your head up: you may be wounded, on a stretcher, in ICU, but you’re on the winning side, and we all are getting lined up for the victory parade!!!

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- Pro 25:6, Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men. We should not worry about position, fame, or promotion as much as we do about working hard, doing rightly, and pleasing God. He will take care of our position, fame, and glory.

 

- Pro 29:17, Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest: yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. There is no substitute for strong, firm, godly discipline in the rearing of a child. When you are old and they are grown, one reaps benefits the ungodly world will never enjoy.

 

- Ps 139:4, For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Every word we speak is heard by our God.

 

- Ps 138:3, In the day when I cried thou answeredest me, and strengthenest me with strength in my soul. Strength of soul is necessary every day of my life. It comes when I open my heart and sincerely cry to Him.

 

- Ezek 1:1b, ...as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. This is, no doubt, the lowest point in the life of Ezekiel. To get close to God and have Him reveal spiritual truths, we may have to endure great tradegy.

 

- Acts 10:2, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. Hell will be filled with well-meaning, religious, unsaved sinners, who thought their good deeds and right living were good enough. Titus 3:5 is still true.

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- Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. - Coach John Wooden

 

- Famines have always been testing times. They are times of extreme pressure, testing the very heights and depths of our faith. "Circum"stances will beat relentlessly upon a man's "Inner"stances.

 

- Pride will cause a man to assemble a permanent fixture without reading the instructions first. Because he will not learn from the written word he must learn the painful way.

 

- Each of us is vulnerable. The thing that God uses to break me might not move you. God always uses the very thing dearest within our hearts to remove that we may have room for Him.

 

- God never used a man He didn't break first. Partial brokenness is not brokenness, but a wound that that can be tended and healed. A clean break qualifies for a remake for God's sake.

 

- When you stumble and fall, even if people will not give you a second chance, know of a certainty that God will.

 

- If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him, for you are worse than he thinks you to be.