Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 12/27/16  Do you get the impression that leaders like to be around you? Your bosses? Pastor? Senior staff members? Pro 22:11, He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.                                In need of God’s supernatural help? Ps 31:24, Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord . “Courage” means to be obstinant or resolute. You keep doing and being what you’re told to be and do, and He’ll strengthen you.

 

- Wednesday, 12/28/16  “Have a blessed day” someone says. If you’ll think on this, you will: Ps 32:1-2, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit is no guile.                                   Pro 24:10, If thou faint in the day of adversity, they strength is small. God has promised, “as thy days, so shall thy strength be” so, in trouble, we can ALWAYS take it. The problem is with our resolve: we choose to bail out. So, as gently as I can say this, “MAN UP!! SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP!!

 

- Thursday, 12/29/16  Need a warm coat? Try God’s mercies. Ps 32:10, Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. “To compass” means to encircle or surround: like a hug.                           Ps 73:1-2, Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. It’s common to feel like we’re the worst Christian ever, or that all the promises are for those who are “Super Christians.” However, YOU are as much of a favorite of the Lord as Paul or Abraham or Moses.

 

- Friday, 12/30/16  Ps 73:1-2a, Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me...  How did the psalmist get from a great statement in v1 to excluding himself in v2? He looked around and let his senses contradict his theology.                                    Matt 18:1, At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Asked by disciples. Beware of the root of pride in your own heart. Regularly search for and dig it up.

 

- Saturday, 12/31/16  Ps 37:7, Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way. Three very difficult commandments to do...Even harder when we aren’t reminded to and challenged to do so. Rest, wait, fret not...go to it.                          Ps 74:2a, Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old... The psalmist, like we often do, inappropriately asked God to remember “to act like God.” But he did say the right word: “remember.” It’s not God Who needs to remember to act like God, it’s us who need to remember what He’s done in the past, and remember that He has a different viewpoint than we do, and remember that He operates on a different time scale than we do. Because He is love, He will not neglect His children. Because He is merciful, He will not abuse His children. Because He is gracious, He will not be unkind to His children.

 

- Sunday, 1/1/17  Ps 37:37, Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. In terms of us, we are consumed with “now.” God is concerned with the “end.” That’s where and why we have to trust Him and His plans.                                    Job 36:3, I will...ascribe righteousness to my Maker. “Ascribe” means “to give credit.” When in doubt, give God the benefit. NO!! Don’t just mentally agree with that statement. STOP and do it. (And ascribe righteousness to His people, too.)

 

- Monday, 1/2/17  Job 36:22b, Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him? “Lord, help me to trust the teaching methods that You’re using on me...especially when the class is a hard one and the concepts difficult.”                             Read Ecc 3:1-8. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up... In looking at these 14 pairs of events, sometimes the obvious positive comes first and sometimes the obvious negative is listed first. Or it is obvious? (Read them) Lesson: we don’t know which events in our lives are really positive and which are really negative. Example: Joseph in Genesis; 3 Hebrew children in furnace; Paul’s troubles; John being exiled...to get the Revelation.

 

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- Ps 62:8, Trust in the Lord at all times, ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. No matter the problem, the circumstances, degree of difficulty, or impossible the situation may seem to be, He only can be relied upon and will never fail or let us down.

 

- Ps 63:11, But the king shall rejoice in God: everyone that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. Our political leaders need to read and take heed to this. PTL that He controls thoughts and tongues, even of kings.

 

- Isa 49:15, Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. What a secure and blessed truth. Our God never forgets or forsakes those who belong to Him.

 

- Ps 67:7, God shall bless us: and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. When God blesses a nation and His people, everyone runs scared.

 

- Pro 28:17, A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit: let no man stay him. If we’d get back to capital punishment and public hangings for murder, violence, and terrorism, despite what attorneys and liberal politicians say, we’d be much better off.

 

- Ps 76:5, But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my deliverer! O Lord, make no tarrying. If we stay in this position and frame of mind, our God can and will keep us. PTL, He keeps us where we need Him constantly. I pray that I never get above that.

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- As sinful as we think we are, we are infinitely more sinful than that. As merciful as we think God is, he is infinitely more merciful than that.

 

- God without man is God. Man without God is nothing.

 

- Confrontation is the door to deeper intimacy. But we have to be willing to walk through it, learn from it, and do it the right way.

 

- Wealth is nothing more than always having enough to meet the need of the next person who crosses my path with a need.

 

- Every saint has hidden horns, "for all have sinned."