Baptist City Blog

Sunday, 6/14/15  Pro 9:8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Reproving is less intense than a rebuke. Seemingly, any corrections angers a scorner, while even a harsh correction is readily accepted by the wise. To which end of that spectrum are you closer? (An additional application that came to me after I sent out the text: those who are the bosses [business owners, husbands, maybe pastors] and who seldom get corrected, how do you react when it comes? Or, those of you who are really smart and usually right, when you do mess up, how do you take it.)           2 Kings 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. All of us worry and fret over the enemies we see. Few of us rejoice over the allies we don’t see. I guess that falls under “living by faith”... Nothing happens to God’s child (YOU) without His knowledge and approval.

Monday, 6/15/15  Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Let God put words in your mouth. Let the Holy Spirit prompt you to grow in Christ. Quit stifling a major Ally: if you feel a spiritual inclination, obey it.           Ps 48:13 Mark ye well [Jerusalem’s] bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following. How often do you have spiritual conversations with your kids? Do they know how to walk with God? Why you go to the kind of church you do? The circumstances of your salvation?

Tuesday, 6/16/15  1 Sam 1:6 And [Hannah’s] adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. Are you guilty of “in your face” rude talking? (Even in jest it can be hurtful.)               1 Sam 1:4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions... It was sinful to have more than 1 wife. He then compounded it by not claiming their children as his. Sins complicate life. Sins screw up your thinking. Sins hardens your heart to people.

Wednesday, 6/17/15  Pro 13:1 A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. Followers, you earn your treatment from your leader. The wise son has proven receptive to learning so his dad feels free to simply instruct. The scorner mocks authority and shows disrespect so his dad must use harsher methods. What mode is used on you more often?            Phil 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Whenever he thought of these people in Philippi, his first action was not a prayer, but thanks. The next verse mentions prayer. Maybe Paul was simply a Hall of Famer in thankfulness, in every thing, for every thing. Lets pray and ask God for help in this area. See also Rom 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:2; 2 Thess 1:3; Philem 4.

Thursday, 6/18/15  Col 1:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [from a 3^rd party], and of the love which ye have to all the saints... When people talk about you, are your more spiritual qualities (faith and love) more likely to be mentioned? Or your work? Your griping? Your hobbies? The problems you caused? Your sports allegiances?            Mark 8:4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? This had to be a most discouraging question for Christ. They’d seen the feeding of the 5000...yet no one even asked if He could do it again!! But forget them: do you learn from the Bible? From the preaching? From life? From various situations? From mistakes?

Friday, 6/19/15  Ps 119:63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. Be sure to use this level of separation, instead of just running with “those who go to my church,” or “those who dot their i’s and cross their t’s just like me,” or “who agree with my [pet] key doctrines.”        Just a reminder for all who draw a paycheck from a boss: Titus 2:9-10 Exhort servants to be obedient to their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again (dispute, contradict); not purloining (embezzling, using company stuff for yourself), but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Remember that the soul of your boss may depend on your obedience to these verses.

Saturday, 6/20/15  Ps 52:1 Why boastest thyself in mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God endureth continually. God’s character of being and showing goodness to His children supersedes any mischief being done on the exterior. Sometimes, we have to WORK to notice His goodness, but it’s there.           Heb 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. If Jesus’ perfect, obedient character needed the finishing tool of suffering to complete it, I’m guessing you and I will likewise need it. Expect it; deal with it; learn the lessons.

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- Why is it that we place such high expectations on Christians who are all fallible and such low expectations on Christ Who is infallible?

     I can really lie to myself at times. Actually it is not me who is lying to me. It is Satan. Satan gets me to play a subconscious game of "Repeat After Me," and far too often I go along. When I do it drags me back down. Repeat a lie enough times and eventually you will believe it and that is tragic. Here are a few lies to avoid.

     1. “You don't deserve happiness.”  OK, you sinned, so you should stay miserable for the rest of your life. WRONG! Don't make happiness your goal but don't deny yourself the right to have it. God wants you to live in His joy.

     2. “You are a failure.” NO you are not. You failed, maybe more than once but you are only a failure the day you quit getting up and moving forward.

     3. “Being busy will keep you from sinning or struggling.” Many people try to busy their hurt away. You need quiet time not idle time. Learn to be silent and still without being mentally dragged back to thoughts of the past.

     4. “It is wrong to feel emotions.”  Satan would have you think that all your feelings are bad. You must have times to acknowledge and deal with your emotions. Falling hurts and it is normal to experience strong feelings after you do. Just don't let it paralyze you. It will ease up in time.

     5. “To be strong is to not feel pain.”  Pain is always a part of the fall, but don't let the pain stop you from getting back up. The worst pain is when we let it defeat us. The strongest people are the ones who feel pain, accept it, learn from it, and fight through it. They turn their wounds into wisdom. It’s all about having the courage to take a break, to shed a tear, to dust yourself off, and then to get back in the ring to fight like you’ve never fought before.

     6. “Your past is holding you back.”  That is a lie and can become an excuse. Stop using it. The past is the past and does not have to be a foretaste of your future.

     7. “You are destined to suffer for your sins.”  Deal with your consequences but do not believe that it is your lifelong destiny to live in sorrow. We have heard so many sermons on sin's consequences and not enough about God's deliverance.

     8. “People must give you permission to come back.”  That is a lie. You are God's child and you must not believe that anyone can tell you that you cannot come back to God. They may reject you for a time or even forever, but God is ready to receive you back now.

     9. “It’s too late to do anything for God.” Try telling Samson that. It is NEVER too late for God to use you. If you are still on this earth God will still use you. If you’re reading this right now, congratulations, you are alive, which means it’s not too late for you.

     There are many who struggle daily with a fall that may have taken place many years ago. I trust this will be a help to you or to someone you love.

- “So saint of God who doesn't know any Greek, just open the old King James Bible and look up to God and say, 'I'm going to read it; now You teach it to me.' That is the best form of Bible study any person will ever have.”   ~Jack Hyles

- Friends are like mushrooms. Pick them carefully because some are poisonous.

- You are not a Pharisee just because you stand strongly against certain sins. You are a Pharisee if you think you are one iota better than those who commit those sins.

- Live today to make others better, not to make them think you are better.

- Critical Christians realize in theory that they are sinners, but they fail to see the specifics of their own sinfulness and that is why they can so easily criticize others.

- Don't dig up in doubt, what you planted in faith.

- Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.

- The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of woman.

- The Word of God I think of as a straight edge, which shows up our own crookedness. We can't really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture.

- If your goal is purity of heart, be prepared to be thought very odd.

- It is always possible to be thankful for what is given rather than resentful over what is withheld–one attitude or the other becomes a way of life.

- One person's misery is another person's ministry.

- Your wife's beauty has not faded, your love has.

- So are you hanging naked on a cross? Are there nails in your hands and feet? Is a crown of thorns pierced on your head? Is your body beaten to a bloody pulp? Are you being cursed, mocked and spat upon? Are you being falsely accused of EVERY sin that has been committed in history? OK, so exactly why wont you forgive the person who hurt your poor little feelings?

- We would do better when speaking about Christ to the lost, if we spent more time speaking about the lost to Christ.

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- Bible thoughts! Psalm 13:5, 6 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. V6, I will sing unto the Lord , because he hath dealt bountifully with me.  Isn't our God an awesome God? He should punish us severely, disown us, ignore us, but He totally does the opposite! He's so amazing!

- Bible thoughts! Psalm 16:1, 11, Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.  V11, Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. The end result of fully trusting in the Lord's direction in our lives is sure worth it, dont'cha think?

- Bible thoughts! Psalm 17:8, Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings." When we are facing insurmountable battles, it's GREAT to know we can hide under the Umbrella of God's protection! He's amazing with a capital A, folks!

- Bible thoughts! Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. This is one of my favorite Scripture verses to sing! Humming along to one of God's songs will surely put a spring in your step!

- Bible thoughts! Psalm 20:2, Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion... Just the thought that a great big, powerful God of the universe wants to share HIS strength with us is beyond my imagination! Shout it to the hills, folks, we serve a beautiful Lord of Lords and King of Kings!!!