Sunday, 10/20/13 Pro 18:24a A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly.
Go and make yourself a Welcoming Committee of one this morning at church. Shake hands, introduce yourself, and learn some new names. Ps 75:1 Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that they name is near thy wondrous works declare. Giving thanks is a show of humility: you realized you didn’t deserve what you got. Giving thanks to God is a sign of faith: though unseen, you trust the Bible when it says good things come from God.
Monday, 10/21/13 Pro 18:24b ...and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Do you have such a friend? Thank God for them and love on them. Are YOU such a friend? Ps 77:10 And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high. Couples occasionally take a weekend away and “rediscover each other” and “rekindle the love” in their marriage. We hear of “mental health days” at work. IDEA: do that with God: take a day WITH NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES, go out into nature...just you, and your Bible, maybe while fasting, and rediscover God.
Tuesday, 10/22/13 Ps 77:3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. DING-DING-DING!!! WARNING!!! (Red light flashing) If thoughts of God are disquieting, there’s something that you need to get straightened out on your end of the relationship. Pro 20:2 The fear of the king is as the roaring of the lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul. Do you fear your boss? Seemingly, God wants us to. At the least, we must guard our respect level toward him. And, have you ever confessed the sin of angering your boss?
Wednesday, 10/23/13 Pro 20:9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? This is a rhetorical question with the obvious answer of “No!” So, we have no excuse to become complacent in our Christian lives. We need to live more righteously and eliminate another sin from our lives. Go to it!! Pro 20:30 The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly. This verse is often applied to child rearing, but have you been “bruised” over a situation at home or school or work? Did you let that correction cleanse you?
Thursday, 10/24/13 Obad 3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee... This is a potential pitfall for all of us. Beware of a tendency toward pride, and circumvent it by a close walk with God and by kindling honest friends (ones who would dare to tell you the truth about you.) Jon 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee...from the presence of the Lord...and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof... Running from God always has a fare attached to it that must be paid. The problem is, however, you are not always the one who has to pay it. Oftentimes, your spouse pays and/or your kids or friends or your church pays. Always, lost sinners will pay for your sins (whatever you do while you're not living for God and soul winning) for all eternity if you don’t tell them.
Friday, 10/25/13 Mic 3:8 ..but truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. One of the main reasons for the fullness of the Holy Spirit is to empower the preacher as he names our sins. Don’t rebel against hard, pointed preaching: accept it and repent. Jon 4:2 And he prayed unto the Lord, and said...I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. Jonah wanted God to do what Jonah wanted SO badly that he wished for death before he would give up his will. How much of that attitude do you and I have? How often do we tell God how He’s gotta do His job?
Saturday, 10/26/13 Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Mercy is the withholding of a negative which we deserve. Grace is adding a positive that we don’t deserve. It’s mercy that keeps us from Hell, and grace that gives us Heaven. Mic 1:2b Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. LET God do what He wants. If we WON’T listen, God CAN’T help. We can actually hamstring God. Mark 6:5 And he could there do no mighty work... Ps 78:41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
Thoughts from some others:
Ps 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. Remember to kneel before God. He is your Father, but He is also the King. Humble yourself and prove to Him that you love Him.
Pro 23:13a Withhold not correction from the child. We need to read these verses carefully and follow God’s plan for child rearing instead of the humanist’s plan. Mr. Spock’s plan in anti-God and straight out of Hell.
Acts 21:26a Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification. If Paul compromised convictions for convenience, we all need to be very careful.
Acts 21:4b ...who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. Strong leaders can ignore wise Holy Spirit directed counsel, if they’re not careful.
Ps 97:10a Ye that love the Lord, hate evil. Our hatred of evil shows our love for the Lord. If it hard for me to believe that we would claim to love our God and not have a righteous hatred for evil or that which does hurt to another.
Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going and they had no leisure so much as to eat. Christ told His followers to rest. They were busy. They were doing great things with the Greatest Person ever. You and I need to take time to rest.
Gen 29:25b ...wherefore then hast thou beguiled (or deceived) me? Hello!!! What goes around come around. God and life have a way of repaying wrong and character flaws of the past.
Ps 102:27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. Our God is eternal and changeless. He and His word are as powerful and convicting as ever.
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