Tuesday, 7/12/16 Ps 51:1-14 is a long confession of sin. V15, O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth
shall shew forth thy praise. After clearing the sin, praise comes forth
(because the heart isn’t filled with garbage anymore). Lesson: the amount of
vocal praise is in inverse proportion to the amount of sin. Ps
65:5, By terrible things in righteousness
wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation... If you bring your burdens,
your heartbreaks, problems to God, don’t be surprised if He puts His finger
right on the part of YOU that He wants fixed...your sin, your attitude, your
temper... LONG before He’ll step in and work on the others involved in your
situation.
Tuesday, 6/28/16 Ps 119:19, I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.
Are you more of a stranger to the ways of the world or to the ways of God?
Which do you spend more time studying and indulging in? 2 Tim 3:14, But
continue thou in the things which thou ast learned and hast been assured of,
knowing of whom thou hast learned them. What did you used to do for God
that you no longer do? Was your initial choice not well thought out and Bible
based...or is your current choice that way?
Tuesday, 6/21/16 Eze
16:15a, But thou didst trust in thine own
beauty (self confidence?); :15b, and
playedst the harlot because of thy renown, (being above rules and wise
safeguards); :15c, and pouredst out thy
fornication on every one that passed by; his it was (self-indulgence: “I
deserve...”).
Tuesday,
6/14/16 Ps 23:1 is supposedly a verse of
comfort: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall
not want. But, He’s my Shepherd and I’ve wanted/lacked a lot. This is
actually a challenge to my own out-of-control desires. Jesus told stories to illustrate His points/truths: those
without names are referred to as parables, and oftentimes they seem to be
simply created stories. Lesson: you may “invent” or “craft” an illustration.
Also, be aware of privacy issues or potential embarrassment if the story is a
true one.
Tuesday,
6/7/16 Ps 23:1a, The Lord is my shepherd. Since the day you asked Christ to save
you, this verse pertained to you. Therefore, expect Him to occasionally
“interfere,” “inconvenience,” or “overrule” your plans. (See v2-3.)
Wednesday, 6/1/16 Luke
24:21a, But we trusted that it had been
he which should have redeemed Israel. Their problem was that these men had
a different definition of the word “redeemed.” Be sure to use Bible words
biblically. And take into account God’s plans/time references.
Tuesday, 5/24/16 Isa
53:11, He shall see the travail of his
soul, and shall be satisfied. The Father’s justice was satisfied with what
Jesus did on the Cross. Are you? Are you trusting His sacrifice and that alone,
or that PLUS something that you can do? Ps
119:33, Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy
statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. The psalmist asked to be taught
the ways of the statutes, not just the statutes, and said that doing so would
help him obey. We absolutely must teach the “why’s” behind the “what’s.”
Tuesday, 5/3/16 Rom 1:22,
Professing themselves to be wise, they
became fools. He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool;
shun him. Gen 37:2, These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being
17 years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the
sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph
brought unto his father their evil report. Blended families and strife
between step-family members is nothing new. God knows your situation and has
steps and plans and a will for your situation.
Tuesday, 4/26/16 Heb
11:2, For by [faith] the elders obtained
a good report. In the Heavenly School of Hard Knocks, faith gets you a
passing grade, but in the world’s school, grit and logic and education win.
Choose whom will grade you. Est
1:20, And when the king’s decree which he
shall make shall be published throughout all the empire, (for it is great,) all
the wives shall give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.
These men were more focused on their wives giving them honor than they were on
deserving and earning that honor. Ladies, you’ve got commands to fulfill
towards your husbands simply by them being yours, regardless of their “perfection”;
men, you, likewise have commands to obey concerning how to treat her. All of us
have plenty to deal with on our own plates; we don’t have time to focus on and
point out our spouse’s shortcomings.
Wednesday, 4/20/16 2 Chron 36:1, Then the people of the land took Jehohaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem. Are you willing and able to stand in your father’s stead (place, spot, in general)? No, your heavenly Father’s stead: as the Father hath sent me, so send I you. I and my Father are one. Heb 5:2, Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. Wherever you are in your Christian life, Christ HAS COMPASSION ON YOU!! Remember: whatever you’re facing He did too. So quit with the defeated attitude: you’re “more than a conqueror!!” ‘Tween you and Him...you’ve got this