Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 6/25/19  Proverbs 18:21, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. We ALL have this power.  1) Don’t love it.  2) Use it wisely. Go create life today...cheer someone up, and then do it again, and again, and again. 

                          Acts 3:6, Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee...  ¹Quit letting what you don’t have keep you from using what you do have.  ²What we don’t have is beyond our control, but what we do have is under our control.  ³You may not have what another does have, but you have what another does not.  ⁴God only expects us to use what He has given us.  ⁵People may WANT what you don’t have but they may NEED what you do have.

- Wednesday, 6/26/19  Proverbs 18:24b, There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. We all want such a friend, but we cannot control another’s actions toward us, so we all must ask ourselves, “To whom am I such a friend?” Raise your “FQ” (Friendship Quotient).                              Proverbs 20:1, Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.  Hebrews 3:13, But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  Remember that one of sin’s foundational characteristics is its deceptiveness. We CANNOT properly evaluate something based on what we think or feel, or on what a group of us thinks or feels. We absolutely MUST look at the Bible and go with what It says. Our thoughts and feelings will change; societal norms will change; the Bible hasn’t and won’t change. So, what does God say about that thing with which you’re struggling?

- Thursday, 6/27/19  Psalm 124:8, Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. If we’re decent people, we thank God for deliverance when it comes. Idea: when an answer/deliverance comes, put a reminder on your phone to prompt more thanksgiving in 1-2-6 months.                            Matthew 27:4, [Judas said], I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And [the Pharisees] said, What is that to us? see thou to that. On the one hand, the Pharisees were callous and cold and didn’t care about Judas at all. They had used him and gotten what they wanted. On the other hand, they point out a very important truth. Judas was responsible to get his own sins cared for. No priest or group of people called a church can care for our sins. It’s a personal matter. We personally sinned against God and we must either personally pay His price (death in Hell) or personally accept His substitutionary payment on Calvary. If you don’t know 100% for sure that you have done that and want to know more, message me.

- Friday, 6/28/19  Proverbs 24:6, For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. Very simply: How safe are you? How safe is your marriage? Your finances? Your childrearing? Your Christian walk? Or, do you “have a good handle on” them?                         Psalm 126:2b, ...then said they AMONG the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. Do any of the lost people around you wonder what makes you tick? Do they look at you and immediately notice God’s presence in your life? Or, are you simply a somewhat cleaner version of them, but not THAT fundamentally different?

- Saturday, 6/29/19  That believer at church or at school or on the job: the one you talk about or dislike:  Acts 9:4b-5a, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest... You’d better remember Who it is you’re dealing with.                                    Psalm 69:1, Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. That huge, overwhelming problem that you’re facing is not your biggest threat. The huge problem is not your main problem. YOU are the target. If your soul gets injured, the rest won’t matter. In troubles, stay humble; stay holy; stay forgiving; stay faithful.

- Sunday, 6/30/19  Psalm 69:31, This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. What can I do that would be SSOOO pleasing to God? V29-30, praising God despite trials! Hard...but doable. (Another sweet benefit is given in V32.        )                       Psalm 129:2-3, Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.  1God’s people WILL have trials in this life.  2God is aware of them.  3We very well may have lifelong scars (handicaps, chronic issues, reputation problems) because of today’s trials.  4God deals in eternity, not now. He calls today problems “light afflictions” which are FAR more than compensated after awhile (2 Cor 4:17.)

- Monday, 7/1/19  Isaiah 30:1, Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin. Our first resort for advice is to be the Lord, not a lesser substitute. What does the Bible say about your situation?                                  Isaiah 30:15, For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. If we’re saved, we’re made of different stuff: what may give some semblance of peace to the unsaved will not bring it to us. We are to resort to, get closer to, draw nigh to, get under the wings of the Almighty. Trust more, pray more, surrender more, confess more, meditate on Him more. He is the answer; the Bible has “all things that pertain to life and godliness.”