- Tuesday, 11/12/19 Joshua 1:8b, ...that thou mayest observe to do according to ALL that is written therein... ALL that God has said is crucial. We all believe and obey SOME of the Bible: are we getting closer to ALL?
Don’t get hung up on “that’s your interpretation”: the vast majority of It is easily understood. “Your interpretation” is often a cover for “I don’t want to obey that” or, “I’m comfortable now and don’t want to learn more and find out I’ve been wrong.” Psalm 80:4, O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Our corrupted human nature along with our, at best, very limited understanding of a holy, infinite God leads us to often ascribe a mean spirit to Him. It’s far easier to say that God is angry with us, doesn’t like us, didn’t mean all of His grandiose, “too good to be true” promises, than to honestly say that we’ve rebelled against His clear word and plan and that our sin is keeping Him from answering. Dear friend, don’t be so human: deal with YOU and He’ll be as awesome as you’ve heard. Dear friend, don’t be so human: deal with YOU and He’ll be as awesome as you’ve heard.
- Wednesday, 11/13/19 We all are inherently selfish. Well, proper salvation starts with us. Psalm 80:3, Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. 1A realization that WE are the problem. (I need to be turned.) 2A desire for God to intervene. (God, turn me.) 3A realization that our problem needs a God-sized solution. 4Faith. (Allow and accept His intervention.) Psalm 81:13, Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! “Dear Lord, help me to listen to You better! Help me to want to hear, to make time to hear, to hear, and then to obey.” Dear friend, how healthy are your spiritual ears?
- Thursday, 11/14/19 Psalm 141:3-4a, Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing... Idea: pray over your troublesome body parts and their accompanying sins. (This takes honesty in admission and specificity in naming.) Proverbs 11:28, He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. Blunt question: what is the foundation of your life? From what do you get your confidence? Money? Wealth? Read the verse again. Save some righteousness (both personal and imputed.) Maybe a more basic, more telling question is, “Do you REALLY believe the Bible here? Does God REALLY mean what this verse says?”
- Friday, 11/15/19 Proverbs 11:29a, He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind. As one who isn’t enjoying the windstorm, may I encourage you to do an honest eval of your home and relationships? An engine will die if the oil isn’t changed. I didn’t change the oil in my marriage and it’s gone. Learn from me. Proverbs 11:30, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. Reread that: the fruit you and I produce is another vibrant tree. Are you a productive Christian, or just a “pretty believer”? The second half of the verse says, “he that winneth souls is wise.” If the fruit on our branches isn’t producing another tree growing beside us, then the fruit is simply decorative plastic: cheap and worthless.
- Saturday, 11/16/19 Psalm 143:8, Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Very basic thought: for Him to cause us to hear...we’ve got to show up; we’ve got to listen. Are you there? Romans 1:28, And even as they did not LIKE to RETAIN God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness... Notice that God DOES play hardball. May I plead with you: LIKE thoughts of God. Don’t relegate Christ and the Bible and holiness to a few hours on Sunday and Wednesday...make holiness a 24/7 pursuit. Place a call on Heaven’s hotline in the morning and keep Him on the line all day. Read some Bible several times each day. Get in the habit of verbally praising Him. I don’t want to be filled with all unrighteousness... Pray for me.
- Sunday, 11/17/19 Romans 2:3, And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? As (more) mature believers, let us never forget that the ABCs of Christianity are still for us. Never get above the basics. Romans 2:13, For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. God may be pleased with our church attendance today, but He’ll only be impressed if we truly hearken, heed, and implement what we hear. Listen intently today...but listen so as to incorporate and do something different or better tomorrow.
- Monday, 11/18/19 Proverbs 11:4, Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death. We all work to accumulate money, and yet, truly money is impotent to acquire the most important things: health, peace with God, love. I don’t doubt that you work hard for cash: do you work hard to get holier? Could you tell me HOW you’re doing so? Is life getting you down right now? Feeling a little bloodied and bruised? Psalm 143:3-6, For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. Does this describe you today? Overwhelmed? Don’t know which way to turn or how to proceed? Can’t put one foot in front of the other? Keep reading: I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah. Put one foot in front of the other and get to the Lord. It sounds trite cuz it IS so simple, but go to Him: read, thank, praise, love, worship, fellowship, confess... Rekindle your relationship with Him. Go sit on Daddy’s lap and tell Him all about it.
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