Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 3/13/18  1 Peter 3:8a, Finally, be ye all of one mind... What mind? It’s all about God’s will, not yours or mine; He’s in charge; I am no better than you nor you than me; I am called to serve you; I understand you’ll mess up: I have forgiveness ready for that.
                                 1 Peter 2:14, Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. Leaders often are more adept at correcting wrong than praising right. Probably this is due to not being a servant leader but rather being “lords over God’s heritage.” Each of us leads, at least at times: each of us must examine our style for ourselves. Ask God if you praise your followers enough.

 

- Wednesday, 3/14/18  1 Peter 3:8b, Finally...having compassion one of another. Compassion means to suffer WITH another; to put yourself in another’s shoes. What are they going through? How would you handle THAT problem PLUS work, PLUS bad health, PLUS a wayward kid? Have some compassion today.                                   Jeremiah 25:8b-9a, Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. God is equally adept at playing softball or hardball with you...it’s our choice. Ignore His word...and He’ll speak through harsh circumstances.

 

- Thursday, 3/15/18  1 Peter 3:8-9, Finally...love as brethren. How did we love as kids? We couldn’t run away and sever the relationship; we may have been quick to anger, but were equally quick to forgive and move on; we knew that despite how mad we felt, because it was our brother there a special, permanent bond.                               “What To Do When You’re Hurting and There’s No One To Turn To”:  Psalm 119:52, I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself. Go by yourself and make yourself remember. The longer I live, the more I realize that the battleground of Christianity is in our minds. If we’d think 1/10^th of what we’re supposed to think, we’d be incredibly awesome believers. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”  “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”

 

- Friday, 3/16/18  1 Peter 3:8-9, Finally,...be pitiful. Compassion means to hurt with; pity means to hurt because they hurt; to have a soft heart. It’s been too long since I walked around the block and simply wept for another’s problems. However, I’ve wept for my own. Let’s all care A LOT more for each other.                               Psalm 68:1-2 speaks of the future: Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But verses 3-4 speak of the present:  But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him. WHILE you’re praying about your problems and asking the Lord to intervene in them, are you willing, and if so, are you actually BEING glad, rejoicing and singing praises to the name of the Lord. I know I frequently get bogged down in the problems. Maybe if I (and you) would be busier doing what we CAN do, and are commanded to do, He’d be more prompt in doing what He can do.

 

- Saturday, 3/17/18  1 Peter 3:8, Finally,...be courteous... Courteous means “friendly of mind.” It denotes trying to win the favor of another. “Courting his girl” means to try to win her and her parents over to marrying him. “Court” everyone around you. How sweet COULD you be if you tried, if you were trying to butter them up?                                    What would be the opposite of forgiving someone? God seems to say it’s “cruelty.”  Proverbs 11:17, The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. Mercy, of course, would include forgiveness: not giving of a deserved negative. God says giving it is good to the giver. “Cruel” means, “terrible,” or “disposed to give pain to others; willing or pleased to torment or afflict; hard-hearted, merciless.” I know, the one who hurt you really does deserve punishment...but for you to want it is to trouble your own flesh. Let it go, and let God. Wash your hands of the situation. And however He chooses to deal with or not deal with the situation, be fine with that. What are we to do? “Love as brethren”...yes, even love the undeserving, cuz that how God and His children roll.

 

- Sunday, 3/18/18  1 Peter 3:8, Finally...be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing. Very simply, regardless of how another acts, you are to act like a godly Christian. That means that even if their actions are wrong, if you react wrongly, then TWO sins have been committed. If it were easy, everyone’d do it...                                  Do you have a fat, obese, blubbery soul? You should. God would have you and I to be very fat in our souls (not our bodies):  Proverbs 11:25, The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. Are you giving and giving and giving like a fat person is munching and munching and munching? (If this offends you, I don’t mean to: remember, I had to have weight loss surgery: I know what it’s like to be an out of control eater. Sadly, I’ve never been an out of control giver.)

 

- Monday, 3/19/18  1 Peter 3:9, Finally...[render] blessing [when given evil or railing.] We know it; we’ve heard it; we’ve preached it, but do we do it? Do you speak kindly about another when they accuse you and try to hurt you? That family member? Your ex? That fallen preacher? The one who owes you money? Get real.                              Psalm 31:19, Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Do we believe this verse? Does God really have something awesome in store for us? We say we do, but we demand it NOW; we’re like little kids before Christmas. But, this Parent will take away the present if we snoop too hard or demand too loudly, because our character and patience is of more importance than our surprised eyes. Will you wait for His gifts GIVEN IN HIS TIMING??? Keep praying, and keep on living rightly.

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- Mark 9:34, But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. Our Lord had told His disciples what He was about to go through, but they were more concerned about personal glory and greatness. He wanted some empathy.

 

- Ps 119:93, I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me. How often I need His Words to uplift and sustain me.

 

- Ps 119:111, Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. PTL when we get down, His word is there to pick us up.

 

- Acts 13:48, And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the Lord; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. PTL for eternal salvation. Now I’m to tell everyone and not worry about who will and who won’t be saved. That’s His business.

 

- Proverbs 15:22, Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established. There is no substitute for wise, godly advice and counsel. I wonder how many stupid, wrong decisions we have made in life because we didn’t seek counsel, or rejected when it was given.

 

- Psalm 119:119, Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies. Let’s not worry about the wicked: God can and will take care of them.

 

- Proverbs 19:7, Cease my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge. This is the great danger of sending our young people off to secular universities to be taught by godless atheists. We are paying for it as a nation.

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- If you go to the Doctor and ask him to tell you the truth about your condition... Why would you expect any less from your Pastor?

 

- When you first begin to backslide there's a little Voice in your heart that says, "You know that's not right." If you ignore the Voice, it will go away.

 

- Never give up on people who fall or make a mess of themselves. When God picks them back up, they will remember you forever.

 

- If you withhold the truth to a friend for fear of losing that friend, then they have already lost a cheap friend.

 

- Sometimes a small gracious word or deed can fill a giant hole of hurt in another's heart.

 

- Forgiving should be an overflow of having been forgiven.

 

- No man who sits on death row for murder is there because in a moment of hurt and anger he chose to forgive.

 

- God only sets His plow on the hearts which He intends to use.

 

- You are truly a servant when you stop being offended when people treat you like one.

 

- If children cannot learn to contribute at home, work effectively, esteem others better than themselves, build team unity, etc..., then they might never learn.

Home is the learning ground!

 

- Most of us are more nervous about looking silly than we are about looking sinful.

 

- If you are in the midnight hour of life right now, at least take some time to enjoy the stars.

 

- The sun never quits shining even when you can't see it and God never stops loving us even when we can't feel it.

 

- Our faith is usually most evident in our highs and lows. Be humble when you are on the mountaintops. Be strong when you are in the valleys. But, be faithful when you are in between.

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