Baptist City Blog

2 Kings 4:40

"So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof."

Recently my daughter and I were in the car going to pick up our dog from the veterinarian, when I looked to my left and saw a man fall to the ground. Immediately, I made a u-turn and went to the parking lot where the man fell so I could help. As I got to the gentleman, I was amazed how people were standing around him doing nothing as he was bleeding. I quickly got down and started helping him until the paramedics could get there. What amazed me was how people didn't know what to do in a crisis situation.

In the verse above, Elisha faced a crisis situation. The preacher boys had prepared a meal to feed the crowd, only to realize after they served it that there was poison in the pot. The preacher boys were in a panic, but Elisha calmly took the situation and handled it correctly. His handling of the situation kept people from losing their lives.

How you handle crisis situations can literally be life and death. Certainly at times it can be a literal life and death situation, but it could also be a life and death situation for a person's future. Because in the Christian life we deal with people, every situation we handle is a life and death situation. When a crisis comes, you must learn how to handle them properly so you can save those whom you influence from destruction. Let me give you some suggestions on handling crisis situations.

First, don't panic! One of the worst things you can do is panic. The preacher boys were in panic mode when they discovered the poison in the pot. Panic only makes a situation worse. When a crisis happens, you must learn to stay calm.

Second, plan ahead. I have learned that planning will help you avoid more crisis situations. Planning ahead allows you to give your full attention to the crisis at hand because you've already taken care of situations that you knew would happen. Don't live in crisis mode. Learn to plan ahead so that the crisis is not magnified by poor planning.

Third, ask God for wisdom. Of course, this should be the first thing you do, but sadly most of the time it doesn't cross our mind. If you're not in a panic, you will have the clarity of mind to stop and ask God to give you wisdom on how to handle the situation.

Fourth, assess the situation and take control. Elisha simply looked at what the problem was, and then he took control and fixed it. When a crisis happens, you must step back and look over the situation to come up with a plan on how to handle it.

Finally, work with a controlled and calm spirit. When you are calm in a crisis situation, your calm spirit will calm others. When everybody is calm, then you have a greater chance of settling the crisis.

Everybody will have crisis situations come up from time to time. Always remember that God knew they were going to come. Remember that God is never in a panic mode and that it is going be okay if you will work through the crisis in a methodical way. You will find that when you handle crisis situations right that your influence to help others will increase because they will gain confidence in how you handle these situations.

Psalm 111:1

"Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation."

One of the themes of the Book of Psalms is to praise the LORD. Of all the people who ought to be praised, the LORD is most worthy of praise. I would say that we are all guilty of not praising the LORD enough. Sadly, we will sing the praises and works of mankind, but rarely do we stop and spend time praising the LORD.

Psalm 111 shows us that we are to praise the works of the LORD. God says in verse 2, "The works of the LORD are great,..." Though there are many works for which we could and should praise the LORD, God gives us some specific works for which He desires praise.

First, praise the LORD for His work of righteousness. Righteousness is doing right works. In other words, God wants you to praise Him for the work of Calvary. Christian, when is the last time you stopped and spent ten minutes praising God for what He did on Calvary? Do you not remember that His work of Calvary saved you from your sins? A week should never go by that you don't stop and praise the work of Calvary. Praise Him for the work of what His shed blood did by washing your sins away.

Second, praise the LORD for His work of compassion. Verse 4 says that the LORD is "full of compassion." When you were hurting, it was the LORD's compassion that brought you through. Have you praised Him for being compassionate towards you? Nobody deserves the LORD's compassion, yet He found it in Himself to show you compassion when you were hurting. When a loved one passed away, it was the LORD's compassion that helped you. When you experienced life's hurts, it was the LORD's compassion that comforted you. You ought to take time to praise Him for His compassion.

Third, praise the LORD for His work of provision. Verse 5 talks about God giving "meat" to those who fear Him. Have you ever looked in your cabinets or refrigerator and stopped to praise the LORD for providing your food? I'm afraid all of us have taken for granted the provision God provides for us on a daily basis. You ought to be sure to praise Him for your cabinets being full of food.

Fourth, praise the LORD for His work of protection. In verse 6, God reminds us how He protected us from the heathen's attack. When the world has tried to destroy you, God was there to protect you. Everyone at some time has had the LORD's protecting hand save them from the attacks of the heathen. You ought to take time to praise Him for His protection.

Finally, praise the LORD for His work of redemption in your life. Verse 9 says, "He sent redemption unto his people:..." A day should never go by that you don't praise Him for saving your soul. The work of God's redemption in your life saved you from Hell. The LORD's work of redemption saved your life from much heartache that sin would have brought if He hadn't redeemed you. Don't take for granted the work of redemption, but stop and praise Him for this great work.

Friend, don't ever let a day go by that you don't take time to praise the LORD for His works in your life. Maybe on one day one of these works means more to you than the other; then take time to praise Him for that work. On the other hand, you could take two or three of these works and spend time praising Him collectively for them. However you choose to do it, be sure to regularly praise the LORD for His works.

1 Kings 1:5

"Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him."

You often read books and articles about what makes great leaders, but often miss the important principles of what makes poor leadership. Poor leadership reveals what type of leadership is good. Studying the negative side of leadership will point out what you should not do, but it can also teach what you should do.

Adonijah is one of those people in the Scriptures who shows us what makes up poor leadership. When his father was old, and he knew that his days were numbered, he arrogantly proclaimed himself to be the king. If it wasn't for the Prophet Nathan stepping in, Israel easily could have had this poor character as their king. You will find in Adonijah's short time of leadership several characteristics that make a poor leader.

First, poor leadership points to themselves. It says in the verse above, "Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself,..." This man was so filled with pride that he wanted everyone to see how great he thought he was. You will find that great leaders don't point to themselves, but they point to the one whom they represent. A great pastor will point to Christ. A great political leader will point to the greatness of their country.

Second, poor leadership desires position. Adonijah said, "I will be king:..." He was not appointed to this position. He was not elected to this position; instead, he lobbied for this position. The poorest leader will be one who desires position. One of the reasons there are so many poor political leaders today is because many of them have campaigned their whole adult life for that position. Some of the greatest leaders of history were not one's who wanted the position, but they were one's who others begged to take the position. Poor leadership fills their time trying to get position while great leadership fills their time doing what they are supposed to do.

Third, poor leadership will not follow the advice of previous generations. It says about Adonijah that he did not confer with the mighty men who followed his father. You will find that poor leadership often despises the successes of previous generations. You will often find that poor leadership will belittle the successes of previous generations in order to build themselves and their "successes." The only way poor leadership will look great is to belittle what previous generations have done.

Fourth, poor leadership is wasteful. In verse 9, Adonijah wasted sheep, oxen and cattle in abundance. Poor leadership does not understand the value of using their resources wisely. Poor leadership will always look how they can spend what they have instead of saving and giving back to their followers.

Whenever you look for someone to lead you, your family, or your church, always be sure that they don't have the characteristics of poor leadership. Poor leadership can look enamoring, but they will eventually hurt you and those whom you love. When looking for leadership, do what Jeremiah did in Jeremiah 5:5, "I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD,..." You will always be safe if you get to those who "have known the way of the LORD."

2 Samuel 11:25

"Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him."

The verse above is very disturbing to say the least. Joab and Israel fought against the Ammonites. As was the normal case, Joab sent a servant to David to give him an update on the status of the war. This update was different from the rest. In this update was a report that several men were killed when they tried to take a city. Joab informed the messenger to be sure that he included that Uriah had also been killed in this battle.

There was a reason Joab wanted the message of Uriah's death sent out. That reason was because David wanted him to be killed. When the messenger told David that Uriah had been killed, it didn't bother him. He acted as if nothing had happened. David's sin had caused a heart that once used to be tender towards God and fervent against sin to be cold and indifferent. The coldness and indifference towards sin was so evident that Joab saw it. It's also disturbing that it didn't seem to bother Joab.

It is amazing how sin causes people to become indifferent towards it. It is astonishing how sin can cause a heart to be cold. It is stunning how sin can turn a tenderhearted person into a cold and calculated manipulator. That is what David became. It didn't bother him that a wife lost her husband. It didn't bother him that men lost a friend forever. It didn't bother him that people's lives were turned upside down. The only thing that mattered to David was that he got his way. The only thing that was important to David was that he could seemingly commit a great sin and get away with it because of his stature. What David didn't calculate in this whole plan was that God knew what he did and that he would eventually be held accountable for his sin.

Christian, let me ask you, does sin bother you? Has your sin caused your heart to become cold and indifferent towards the sins of society? Can you hear about the sins of people and it not bother you? It is amazing how our sin can cause us to look at sin through a different set of eyeglasses. It is amazing how our sin can turn a heart cold and indifferent towards its affect on others.

Sin should bother you! It doesn't matter how "big" or "small" your sin is, it should bother you. It should bother you because it bothers God. You have serious heart problems when you can commit sin and go on as if nothing happened. You have serious heart problems when you think you can manipulate your way out of sin's consequences.

What is the answer for a heart like this? The answer is to throw yourself at the feet of God and ask Him to change the heart of stone back into a heart of flesh. The answer is to confess your sin to God. If you find yourself looking at sin and not being bothered by it, then you have a good indication that you have a spiritual heart problem. Your daily prayer should be to ask God to keep your heart from being hardened towards sin. Your prayer should be to ask God to help you see your sins the same way He sees them. Don't ever get to the point that sin doesn't bother you. Whether or not it affects you or others you love, sin should always bother you. The test of a heart towards God is how much sin bothers it. Does the sin of others bother you? Better yet, does your sin bother you? Your honest answer to these questions will show your spiritual condition.

1 Samuel 19:17

"And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?"

There are two stories with the same invaluable lesson for your marriage. The first story I want to point out is the story from the verse above. David is the son-in-law to King Saul. Michal, David's wife, loved her husband dearly to the degree that she put her life on the line for him. Saul put Michal in a bad position when he sent his men to kill David, for he was forcing her to choose between him, her father, and her husband. As much as she loved her father, she made the wise choice in choosing her husband over her father.

The second story in found in 1 Samuel 25. Abigail was faced with a hard choice to defend her husband who was not a good man over David. David came to her husband and asked for food, but her husband answered him roughly even though he and his men had taken care of her husband's servants. When she received word that David was going to kill her husband and his servants, she quickly found a way to appease David. Though Abigail's husband was not what he was supposed to be, she still chose him in spite of his bad behavior.

In these stories you will find one of the most important lessons for a happy marriage. In both stories these ladies chose their husband over everyone else. They understood their role as a spouse. They understood that you always choose your spouse over family and others.

One of the greatest causes of marital problems is family. No matter how you look at it, you are going to have to deal with family in your marriage. It may be that your family are the one's who are trying to cause division, or it could be your in-laws who are trying to cause the division in your marriage. In either case, it is important that you always choose your spouse over your family.

When you married your spouse, you vowed to choose them above all others. The exact phrase you said was, "...forsaking all others." This phrase was not just talking about forsaking the opposite sex, but it was also talking about your family. This phrase gets its authority from Genesis 2:24 when it says, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." You will notice that you are commanded to "cleave" unto your spouse. In other words, you should get so close to your spouse that nothing comes between you.

You are going to have to choose your spouse over all others if you are going to have a happy marriage. You must choose your spouse over your parents and siblings. You must choose your spouse over your own children. If you are forced to choose one of these over your spouse, you simply tell them that if they are going to force you to choose between the two, that you will choose your spouse every day of the week.

When your spouse knows that you will choose them over your parents, siblings and children, then that choice will instill a security in your marriage like nothing else can. Don't ever let anything come between you and your spouse. Always remember that your spouse should be chosen above all else. When married couples get this settled, then they will discover the happiness that marriage can bring.

1 Samuel 12:2

"And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day."

One of the privileges of my lifetime has been to be around some great people in their senior years. I don't know why the LORD has allowed this other than the opportunity to glean wisdom from them. There is no doubt in my mind that one of the greatest reasons God has blessed my ministry is because of the wisdom these men entrusted me with.

I had the privilege of being around Frank Melbourne, a missionary to Spain for over fifty years. As a young teenage boy I spent time with him on a weekly basis learning things about the ministry. I had the privilege of being around Dr. Lee Roberson in his senior years. The valuable truths I learned from him about the Sunday school were priceless. I had the privilege of being around Dr. Jack Hyles in the latter years of his life. The principles I learned from him about the ministry and life in general were invaluable. Even now I've had the privilege to be around Dr. Bob Gray Sr. and glean wisdom about soul winning and the ministry. I determined a long time ago that I would not waste the opportunities the LORD gives me to glean from older saints.

One of the greatest mistakes made in the verse above is that the people had the wisdom of Samuel at their fingertips, and yet they wasted all the years of wisdom. Instead, they were too interested in being trendy. They wanted to be like every other nation and have a king. While they were so busy trying to be like every other nation, they wasted the years of a man whom God used in a great way. They wasted the opportunity to ask him questions while he was still alive. If they had only put as much effort in gleaning from Samuel as they did in trying to be like the other nations, maybe they would have saved themselves from much heartache.

Just like I've had the opportunity to be around great people in their senior years, all around you are people from whom you could glean wisdom if you would spend time with them. These people will not clamor for your attention, but they would love to be able to spend time with you.

One of the saddest things I've ever seen in my lifetime was how Dr. Lee Roberson was treated in his senior years. I had a group of young men with me in the Chattanooga area, and we went over so I could introduce them to him. While the men were there, they wanted to see the buildings God used Dr. Roberson to build. While they were looking around the buildings, someone asked them why they were in the area. They told this person that they were there to visit Dr. Lee Roberson. This person attended the church Dr. Roberson used to pastor and was a student in the college he started, but they didn't know who he was. All they knew him as was the "old man in the front office." What an inditement to that place! To have wisdom just a few steps away, and not even spend time gleaning that wisdom was a travesty.

Christian, don't ever be guilty of wasting the gray hairs around you. You would be wise to find whom God has currently placed in your life, and do what you can to spend time with them. God's placed them in your life so you can glean wisdom from them to pass on to future generations. Don't be so busy with your life that you miss these great opportunities. Don't be so wrapped up in younger personalities that you miss the greatness of the gray hairs in your church. No, they may not know about the newest technologies, but they do know about life, and God's placed them in your life to help you. Decide right now that you are going to get to know the gray hairs in your life and use the time you have with them to glean every bit of wisdom they can give you.

Judges 21:3

"And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?"

Have you ever watched a sporting event where someone got injured? I can think of a handful of times when I watched players with gruesome injuries. The networks rewind the play over and over again to show how the injury occurred. Though rewinding the play can't change what happened, it can certainly help those who make rules that protect players know how it happened.

The story from the verse above is a very sad story. The children of Israel asked God, "...why is this come to pass in Israel...?" To find the answer to this question, one most rewind the story to the beginning. When you rewind the story to the beginning, you find there was one thing that led to one tribe missing in Israel. That one thing that happened was one person made a bad decision. That bad decision led to many people losing their lives.

The bad decision was made by a woman who left her husband to commit adulterous affairs. Her husband decided to go find her and bring her back home. In the process of bringing her home, he stayed at her father's house who lived in a wicked city. The men of the city ended up taking her and abusing her throughout the night, and their abuse finally took her life. That incident led to her husband cutting up her body and sending it to the leaders of Israel. War broke out because of this event, and many lost their lives in this war. All of this happened because one person made a bad decision. It can never be stressed enough how one decision affects many others.

Years ago when I was a young child, my father started a church in Pueblo, Colorado. God seemed to bless this church from the beginning. Souls were saved and lives were changed because of this work. Sadly, one man became jealous and sowed discord among these young Christians. This discord led to a church split and many young Christians being disillusioned with Christianity. Today, the stories of most of the people who attended this church are sad. Lives were broken because of sin. Marriages ended in divorce. Children and grandchildren are living their lives in sin. When you rewind the story, you find it all started with one bad decision. One bad decision hurt many other lives.

If you were to rewind heartbreaking stories of broken lives, you will always find that it started with one bad decision. The drug addicted life started with one bad decision. The alcoholic life started with one bad decision. The broken marriage started with one bad decision. The life of crime started with one bad decision. The troubled life of sin started with one bad decision. Every bad result starts with one bad decision.

Friend, what decision have you made that is going to lead to heartbreak for many others? I know, you think yours won't be like the stories above, but sin always ends up like these stories. You cannot make foolish decisions and it not affect the lives of others. Be very careful with all of your decisions. You never know the life-wrenching affects of each decision. Make your decisions prayerfully and carefully. Understand that each decision will influence many others. Make your decisions ones that will influence others for good. Instead of letting others rewind the bad, let them rewind the good and trace it back to you making good decisions.

Judges 5:7

"The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel."

In the current times in which we live, it seems that the role of an at-home mother has been attacked. The feminists groups have attacked this role. The poor economy has forced ladies to work to help pay the bills. Sadly, the feminization of men has also attacked the at-home mother.

When I think of my mother, I have many wonderful thoughts. My mother was always at home when I was home. Though she taught in the Christian school I attended, she was always at home rearing her children whenever they were home.

My wife has been a great mother to my daughter. When my wife and I got married, we determined that she would not have an outside job so that she could stay at home and rear our children. God blessed us with one child, and though at times we had to tighten our belts financially so my wife could stay at home with our daughter, it has been well worth it. There have been several women who have questioned my wife's decision to be an at-home mother, but I appreciate her stand and how she has had a great influence on our daughter.

The story of Deborah is a story about an at-home mother. What is interesting about this story is that you can see the strength that comes from a mother. When many consider being an at-home mother a weakness, the Scriptures show us that it is a strength. You will find in the story of Deborah several strengths that an at-home mother can give.

First, an at-home mother will give security to her household. It was the act of Deborah that delivered Israel from bondage. A mother being at home will give security to a child that nothing else can. It's always interesting that most children run to their mother when they have been hurt. Why? Because of the security a mother gives. A mother may not have the physical strength of a man, but she can give security to the home like no other.

Second, an at-home mother will keep the household spiritual. Deborah's action brought Israel back to God. A spiritual mother will impact her children for right in a great way. Many of my good character traits were instilled in me because of my mother. Mothers who are at home will keep the children from getting caught up in bad things.

Third, at-home mothers will help cultivate a child's talent. You will find in the story of Deborah that she knew how to sing, and she got others to sing with her. Mothers who are at-home have a better chance of honing the talents of their children.

Finally, an at-home mother will rally a home greater than anyone else can. It was Deborah who rallied the troops of Israel, and it is a mother who can get a home rallied for good causes. A mother who has the right spirit can rally the family for right.

This devotional is not here to belittle a lady who has to work to help pay bills, but it is written to praise the army of at-home mothers who help their home to be what it should be. It is also written to stir your memory about your mother. Today would be a good day to call your mother and thank her for all she did for you. Furthermore, today would be a good day for every husband to thank his wife for being a good mother to their children. You won't always have your mother on Earth, so while you do have her, I encourage you to appreciate all that she does and regularly thank her for her influence on your life.

Joshua 19:9

"Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them."

Years ago when I was in high school, I worked for a small paper company that was family owned. At the end of the year, it was very common for the owner of the company to give a bonus to the employees for their hard work. Whenever he had extra money, he was sure to share it with those who helped him make money.

It's interesting in the verse above that it says Judah's land was "too much for them." God had blessed Judah with more land than what they needed. So, instead of hoarding it all to themselves, they shared their inheritance with the children of Simeon. They understood that God's blessings were not for them to keep to themselves, but to share with those who were without.

When you do right and obey God, you will always find that He will bless you with countless blessings. Luke 12:31 says, "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you." Notice, God says He will add unto you. Though life may not always be easy, if you do right God will bless it. The thing about God's blessings is that He will always do more for you than what you do for Him. So, the more you give, the more God can bless you.

However, what do you do when your blessings become "too much?" I know, you may think that will never happen, but if you do right and God blesses you, you will be amazed at the amount of His blessings and how your outlook on what to do with those blessings will change. You will look at what God has given you and realize there are times when He gives "too much."

When God gives "too much," always remember that He didn't give you that much for you to keep, but He gave you that much because He knew He could trust you to share it with others. This is where many people fail and quench God's future blessings. God gave to you to share with others. There is only so much you can take for yourself. After that, you have too much. Let me encourage you to share your "too much" blessings with those who are without.

Furthermore, make it a rule of thumb in your life to share a little of all of your blessings with others. Don't wait until you have "too much" to share, but share with all the blessings God gives to you. Remember Luke 6:38, "Give, and it shall be given unto you;..." If you share with what God blesses you with right now, then He will continue to bless you with more. The way to keep the faucet of God's blessings open is to be a conduit from God to others. You don't have to give all of what God has blessed you with to others, but you should make it a rule to give a percentage of what God has given you to others.

If you're like me, I want God's blessings on my life. I realize that I must earn God's trust to keep those blessings coming, and the way to earn His trust is to share it with those who are without. The next time God blesses you with something, take a portion of that blessing and share it with someone else. You will find that doing so will cause God to give you more because of your attitude of sharing your blessings.