Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 11/28/17  In each of its 26 verses, Psalm 136 does two things. In the first half, it chronicles God’s deeds. In the second half, it mentions His mercy. Lesson: as we go through life, don’t lose sight of THE HUGE-EST THING: you’re going to Heaven!! So, “give thanks unto the Lord.”

                          Psalm 137:1-2, By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. When disaster hits your life (physically, emotionally, spiritually), weeping is understandable, but don’t hang up your harp: even with tears in your eyes, keep on trying to be a blessing; keep on winning souls; keep on forgiving; keep on walking with the Lord. OK, a major part of your life is in tatters; but, if you’re born again, you’re still His child...walk with your head up. We’ll be Home soon. (Preachers: there’s a sermon title for you: “Don’t hang up your harps!!” Send me a copy...)

 

- Wednesday, 11/29/17  Dumb question: why do you want deliverance? Consider this: Psalm 143:11, Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. God’s name is the only one that’s important...maybe if we’d be more concerned about that than our own...                             Are you having a rough time? Sometimes it’s hard to make ourselves be happy; sometimes it’s just easier to give into the despair and gloom. BUT...we’re not supposed to. Here’s a verse to consider (and hopefully obey tonight):  Psalm 149:5, Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Make yourself be happy about Heaven, and then sing ALOUD tonight before going to dream land. I’ll bet you’ll sleep better.

 

- Thursday, 11/30/17  Colossians 4:18b, Remember my bonds. Paul told them to remember his problems. Whom do you know having problems? Health? Financial? Marital? Legal? Scholastic? Problems with fear? Loneliness? Self-loathing? “Remember [their] bonds.”                                Psalm 1:3, And [the one who obeys v1-2] shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season.  “His season.” My time for bringing forth fruit may be different than your time: one of us may do it before the other. So, don’t be discouraged if another, who is undergoing what you think is an equal or maybe greater test has his harvest and you’re still out there in the field feeling like you’re wilting in the sun. The Husbandman is aware of your status, and things will happen for you in His time. So, buck up: you can take what He says you need to take. Be sweet; be submissive; be obedient, and be be supportive of others who are on a different timetable than you.

 

- Friday, 12/1/17  Psalm 119:110, The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts. The wicked will do what the wicked have always done. So, don’t be surprised when it happens TO you. All you can do is control your immediate reactions and subsequent actions. Do right...                                Psalm 11:1, In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? Are you ever guilty of undermining another’s faith in God? “How say ye,” think this through...how will you live...what about your family...that’s just ‘pie in the sky’ thinking. Would to God that we all trusted the Lord more, and enough to actually act. (Is it truly faith if you don’t put your weight on it?)

 

- Saturday, 12/2/17  Simple question: are you born again? OK, God says this is His ‘modus operandi’ to the saved: Psalm 11:5, The Lord trieth the righteous. “To try” means to investigate, examine, prove, tempt... So all of us need to quit acting like He’s throwing us curve balls. It’s in the Book...take a look.                              Psalm 17:4, Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. Though our lives affect those around us, the primary benefactor or suffer-er because of our actions is we-us-me-myself. Therefore, since I’ll be the one to suffer is the destroyer gets to me, perhaps I should focus more on “the word of [His] lips.” What new strategy can you devise THIS WEEKEND...TODAY to help enhance your Bible life? If you need help, advice, reading schedules, ideas, or a sounding board to bounce ideas off of...message me

 

- Sunday, 12/3/17  Psalm 17:3d, I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. We miss 100% of the shots we don’t take. Perhaps all of us should make this resolution.                           Psalm 23:3, He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. The word “restore” here has the connotation of “renewing.” If we’re in the Shepherd’s care 24/7, and He has to restore, or renew, us, then the negative circumstances that caused the need for the renewal must also have been under His watch care. Too often, we only think of the sweet, positive, loving aspects of our God. He is wonderful, but He also, as often, fulfills the role of Drill Sergeant, Coach, hard Teacher, “austere” Boss.  At times, He is “mean” to us. So, we’ve gotta go to the hard Teacher, humble ourselves, and ask Him to tutor us

 

- Monday, 12/4/17  Psalm 27:8, When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. This kind of immediate response should be our goal. How do we get there? Obedience even if it’s slow, delayed, or half-hearted at first. It takes time to BECOME automatic.                               God’s recipe book tells us how to win over the Devil.  Revelation 12:11, They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb (since they were already saved, this is referring to daily confession of sin), and by the word of their testimony (soul winning specifically, or simply testifying what God’s done for them); and they loved not their lives unto the death (a loose hold on the things of this life; or, a death to self).

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- Ps 44:7, But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. How soon we forget God and our need for Him in our nation.

 

- Pro 27:15a, A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. She will be a source of constant irritation, conflict, and trouble. We need to warn our boys to carefully check carefully girls and their families before they date or get serious about them.

 

- Acts 28:24, And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. We shouldn’t be discouraged or surprised if all we witness to don’t respond to the Gospel.

 

- Ps 49:10, For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool, and the brutish person, and leave their wealth to others. The old saying: “There are no trailers behind hearses” and all acquired wealth will be left for others. Better to leave a good name than wealth.

 

- 1st century Christianity has many great lessons to teach us today. Primarily that the unmistakable mark of carnality is unwarranted contentions. Such is a cancer for which we’ve yet to accept a cure. 1 Cor 3:3, For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among yet envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 2 Cor 12:20, For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults.

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- Don't follow your heart unless you want to arrive at things that are desperately wicked.

 

- Dropping a Biblical H-Bomb when an M-80 is sufficient doesn’t make one a great exegetist, just a poor munitions officer.

 

- If you had a daughter with down syndrome, and a son with muscular dystrophy, and a wife with schizophrenia, would that be a good time to abandon them and search for another family? Then why would a person do that to their church family?

 

- Starting a habit is easy. Breaking a habit is hard. Instead of trying to break a habit, consider beginning a new one that occupies the same space that the old habit filled thereby cancelling the old.

 

- When you take your eyes off Jesus you will soon become disenchanted with the church.

 

- Accepting the will of God is not easy, especially when it hurts... Nevertheless~

 

- Most people could have their dream today, if they could learn to not settle for petty distractions. God saves His very best for those who are disciplined enough to wait.

 

- If you do not get some manna from Heaven before the sun gets hot, you will not live today, you can only exist. Oh, and make sure it's not processed. Make it from scratch!

 

- Peace comes not from an absence of afflictions but from the presence of the Comforter.

 

- God advocates on my behalf even while Satan is accusing me. Whose side are you on?

 

- I hear from so many people who feel abandoned by everyone around them, because they had a moral fall in their life. These people feel like they have leprosy because people want to avoid them like they could catch their sin. There is such a need for restorers in churches, but perhaps the saddest part is that it reveals how few truly spiritual people we have in many churches.

 

- The lessons I learned from my mistakes can now be lessons I share with those who have joined me in making the same mistakes.

 

- God does not place band-aids on broken lives. He heals and remakes them for His glory.