- Tuesday, 9/24/19 Exodus 10:17, Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only. So often, we want to be free from a particular sin and its complications,
but we don’t want to become altogether holy. Do you want to be “cleaner” or “CLEAN”? Moral? or holy? Better? or Pure? Psalm 21:1a, The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord. A king already has power, authority, and strength. So, for him to joy in God’s strength, he must make a conscious choice. So must we.
- Wednesday, 9/25/19 Exodus 8:19, (After several horrendous plagues), Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God... How hard does God have to flex for you and I to acknowledge, fear, and obey Him? Or, are we like Pharaoh: a hard-hearted fool doomed for destruction? Proverbs 18:17, He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him. Whose agenda do you try hardest to further? Yours? or the Lord’s? His is defensible; ours is not. His is worth advancing; ours is not.
- Thursday, 9/26/19 Titus 1:5a, For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting... God knows where you’re at, so, A) gripe and complain where you are, or B) make things better where you are. Mark 3:7-8, But Jesus withdrew himself...and a great multitude...followed him, and from Judaea...when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. Jesus did not talk about or publicize His great deeds. He let others do that. Perhaps we should learn that. If others are not talking about our wondrous deeds, perhaps we’re not as notable as we think. Perhaps, we’re a legend...in our own mind only. Just be faithful in well doing, and let Him talk about our deeds at the Judgment Seat.
- Friday, 9/27/19 Titus 1:5b, For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest ...ordain elders in every city... For non-preachers, how does this verse apply to us? First, be sure we’re worthy of emulation (and if not, get there), and then, reproduce ourselves. Psalm 102:2, Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. Oftentimes, we KNOW God is the Solution to our needs, but we don’t take 15 minutes and go to Him; we THINK about going to Him...maybe this is more of our “instantaneous gratification mindset.”
- Saturday, 9/28/19 Titus 2:1, But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. Doctrine (teaching) determines conduct which determines destiny. If there’s sound doctrine, there is also unsound doctrine. If people have different conduct/standards, they adhere to different doctrine. (Maybe they heard the same teaching, but adopted it differently.) Titus 2:9-10, Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, ...not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity. “To purloin” is to steal. Are you or I guilty of stealing from our employer? “NO, not me!!!” Maybe an extra 5 minutes of break or lunch time? Punching in late or out early? Maybe a pen? Maybe some supplies? God is a very meticulous Auditor...what would He say? “But the company can afford it...” Their wealth is not the issue: our holiness is.
- Sunday, 9/29/19 Exodus 14:4, And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them... If you look carefully, Pharaoh started the process of hardening his heart (his choice.) God simply poured it on until he was idiotic. Be careful about fighting God: He’s a formidable Foe. Exodus 17:10-12, So Joshua...fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. Everyone had their job: to swing a sword; to command; to (painfully endure lifting up hands...[try it]), or to hold up the man of God’s hands. What is your job TODAY? Somebody is depending on you to do it: if Moses failed, men died. If you don’t do it, who will? Also, note that the job you had a year ago or a year from today may not be the same. Listen to the Lord.
- Monday, 9/30/19 Exodus 14:15, And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. Sometimes, we’re to wait on God and pray, but not always. Prayer is not always the answer. Sometimes the answer is simple obedience. What’re you to do TODAY? Psalm 27:1, The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? It’s a basic truth: we tend to fear things bigger than ourselves. If we find ourselves fearing life’s circumstances, that shows that we’re not magnifying God enough. A bigger God will mean smaller troubles and a smaller God means the troubles will loom large. We need to dwell on His power, wisdom, track record, character, etc. more and on the size of the obstacles less.
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