Sunday, 3/1/15 Ps
71:2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and
cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. I understand
praying for deliverance, but remember that all sunshine makes a desert; all
victories make us cocky; all successes make us flabby and weak-willed. In reading the daily
comix, I often see cartoons about Hell. Often, it depicts the demons as being
in charge. Basic Bible Doctrine: Hell was created, not for humans, but for the
fallen angels. They will be inmates, not guards. Matt 25:41 Then shall he say
also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. You may go to Hell if you
choose to (and you choose Hell when you trust anything besides Jesus and Him
alone to atone for your sins, or trust Jesus plus anything else, like good
deeds, or church, etc.), but if you go to Hell, you’ll be an intruder. Jesus is
not only the King of Heaven, but He is also the King of Hell. Ps 137:1 By the
rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
If sin has caused you to lose what you now realize was valuable, 1weep,
and return as far back as possible. 2Apologize to God, and
apologize and make restitution to whomever else you need to. 3Encourage
others not to fall for the same sin. 4To others, remember that
our duty is to restore them “in the
spirit of meekness.”
Sunday, 2/22/15 Ps
62:10b ...if riches increase, set not
your heart on them. Dunno if this is scriptural advice or just learned
wisdom, but someone said to me that if you acquire a sum of money unexpectedly,
don’t spend it: God often sends some extra right before an unexpected need
comes. (People commented: story of Joseph and Mary getting the gold from the
Magi right before fleeing to Egypt; Joseph and the 7 years of plenty before the
7 years of famine.) Matt
9:34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth
out devils through the prince of the devils. When you encounter someone
with more knowledge or authority or power or charisma or influence or whatever
than you, do you try to learn their secrets and emulate them, or do you run
your mouth and criticize?
Sunday,
2/8/15 Obad
3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived
thee... Not only is our heart’s chief characteristic deceitfulness
(Jer17:9), but our inherent pride likewise deceives us further. Do NOT trust
your heart: it is corrupt, bent on evil, deceitful, and full of wickedness. “If
it feels right”...RUN!!!! Pro
6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and
the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life; to keep thee
from the evil... God’s laws and restrictions are good, beneficial, given in
love, and useful. They are NOT restrictive, senseless, punitive, or arbitrary
as many people claim. Disobedience to the Bible is a heart issue not a logical,
calculated one. Fall in love with the Lawgiver and His laws are simple and
relatively easy. We serve a wonderful God and a loving Father...Daddy does know
best.
Sunday,
2/1/15 Pro 28:6 Better is the poor
that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though
he be rich. Poverty with godly character > wickedness with riches. Over
what do your pray, work, and worry more: money and stuff, or godliness? Mic 7:8c ...when I sit in
darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. When in the darkness of sin,
confusion, loneliness, doubt, fear, shame, exhaustion...look for the Lord. (BTW, you’ll be more likely to see in His
normal hangout spots: in the Bible, at church, and with God’s people, or while
you’re being righteous.)
Sunday,
1/25/15 Jonah 1 He went down to Joppa...went down into [the ship]....was gone down into the
sides of the ship...[they] cast him forth [down] into the sea...then he
went under the sea in the whale’s belly. Sin will take you farther down than
you had planned or desired. It never runs the course you imagined. 2
Pet 1:5 ...giving all diligence, add to
your faith... Don’t be content and complacent: put more on your plate. Add
in more Bible, another service, more soul-winning, more holiness, more
dedication, more humility, more forgiveness and forbearance. Grow, change,
modify, improve. Luke 23:16 I will
therefore chastise him, and release him. Pilate found “no fault” in Christ,
but was going to scourge Him and release Him. At worst, Pilate was willing to
punish a citizen whom he knew was innocent. At best, he took the
unsubstantiated accusations of Jesus’ enemies as truth. However, before
condemning Pilate, how just are your methods of determining guilt in your kids,
spouse, employees, boss, pastors?
Sunday,
1/18/15 Pro 16:17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his
way preserveth his soul. Which highway are you on? From the Righteous Highway, there’s a
dangerous fall to the sides...maybe put up some guardrails to keep you from
disaster?? John
15:5b ...for without me ye can do nothing.
In the big picture, we realize He keeps our heart beating and so forth, and
without Him, we’d be dead. However, I think the verse properly means that
without Christ, we “can do nothing properly” or “the way He intended for it to
be done.” So, did you drive to work yesterday without Christ? Did you cook
dinner without Him? Do your homework? Watch TV? Discipline your kids? Romance
your spouse? Read the Bible? Talk to the Father? Try adding the Saviour to any
and everything.
Sunday,
1/11/15 Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son
of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? The faith to let God do
the avenging/settle the scores. Let God handle the paybacks and the promotions:
you pray for your enemies and faithfully do your job. Luke 19:42b ...the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from
thine eyes. Another reminder that God does not have infinite patience re:
the willful hard-headed-ness of His people. He will let you win the
tug-of-war...and you’ll fall very hard on your posterior.
Sunday,
1/4/15 Pro 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their
trust in him. The trust occurs first, then later comes the shield. If you
see the shield benefit already, it’s not faith. Faith has an element of doubt
or blindness built into it. Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The Bible
vs. Evolution: they’re both a matter of faith: we must believe what someone
else says happened. Believers of each have the same evidence, but make
different conclusions/interpretations.
So, you and I must determine: 1Who has the better track
record of being right? (I think God and the Bible win this point, hands
down.) 2If there is a God, He was the only eye-witness to the
event. At best, the evolutionists are relating historical fact. So, do you
believe God’s word? (This is the crux of the whole debate: do you believe what
God said happened?) 3Whose character is higher, and therefore, whom would I
be more likely to trust? (Again, God
wins totally.) 4What is the agenda for each side? (God wants to redeem man and give him eternal
happiness. The evolutionists want to eliminate God from the conversation...God
wins.) 5What is the end result of each? Trusting the Bible brings hope and
blessings. Trusting evolution causes
despair and uselessness. Since it’s a matter of faith, I’ll take the choice
that brings me hope. Five out of five: 6 days of Creation is what I believe.
Sunday,
12/28/14 Pray about spiritual duties: Ps
119:18-Bible reading; Luke 11:1-prayer; Eph 6:19-SW; 1 Thes
4:3-holiness/sanctification; Eph 6:6-pray to do what God wants, what He wishes,
even what I think He might enjoy; Gal 5:13-a servant’s heart; Matt 22:37-40
Love for God and others. Why
are Christians supposed to read their Bibles?
Really!?! Honest question!? Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have
hope. “Hope” refers to things that are not seen now, but are expected.
Maybe you’re lacking some needed spiritual components because you refuse to go
to “the factory” where they’re made... 1
Sam 30:10 ...for 200 abode behind, which
were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. The other 400 and
David kept going AND fought another battle. Were these 200 weaker? Older? Maybe
their resolve was less? Or, consider this possibility: they could have kept
going, but simply gave in to their bodies’ complaints. Lesson: 99% of the time, you can take more than you
think you can; you can go 1 more day; you can endure another round. Others need you to do so; you need you to do so.
Sunday,
12/21/14 More ideas for your prayer
life: Mentally, sit in church and picture all those who sit around you and pray
for them. Are they old? They’re worried about failing health; are they
newlyweds? They need lots of wisdom. Teens? Protection from temptation and
wisdom to figure out life. Working adults? Safety during their commute. Mark 8:4 And his
disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here
in the wilderness? This should be the heart’s cry of every preacher, SS
teacher, Christian school teacher, and parent: “Lord I can’t do it without Your
help? Lord, fill me!!” Isa
42:3 A bruised reed shall he not break,
and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto
truth. If life has damaged you (“bruised” or “singed”) and you can only
give a little in your service to Christ (money, time, labor, effort, etc.), God
accepts that. Or, if you’ve not grown very much, God understands. However, if
you’re strong and healthy spiritually (or should be), a “little” effort is not
understandable, it’s rebellious.