Baptist City Blog

Sunday, 3/30/14  Ps 81:10 I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. This verse is often used as a prayer promise, but it doesn’t say He’ll give us our requests. It says we’re to be wide open to what He wants to give us. Are you willing and trusting enough to ask for “just” God?                 Pro 28:3 A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food. Even a poor man is to consider the condition of another poor man. Regardless of how bad you’re having it, or who is responsible for your situation, there is NEVER any excuse to act like less than a stellar Christian.

Monday, 3/31/14  Pro 28:4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them. The word “contend” here means to irritate, to rub the wrong way. How much contending have you done recently?            Pro 29:14 The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever. If we’ll care the least, the littlest, and the last, God will care for us.

Tuesday, 4/1/14  Matt 5:3-11  Each verse says “Blessed are” are certain group, “for they shall” receive a recompense. They are blessed even though the reward hasn’t come. God’s promises are sure: the check really IS in the mail!! Now, act blessed.             Matt 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. What is the cross? It’s the punishment for untrue accusations and also the means of helping others. “Take up your cross”: in other words, means “Deal with the unjust suffering!”  Wow!! That’s a hard one!!

Wednesday, 4/2/14  1 Pet 2:7a Unto you therefore which believe he is precious... Is the Person of Jesus Christ precious to you? If He is, does the way you live, dress, talk; your type of music and entertainment; your spiritual activities demonstrate His preciousness to the outside world or contradict it?                1 Pet 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: which in past were not a people... There is a fundamental difference between saved people and unsaved people. As believers, we should display that difference in our outward appearance, speech, attitude, and actions. To not do so is to betray our Saviour inside.

Thursday, 4/3/14  Ps 119:3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. NEWS FLASH!!!! You generally don’t sin if you’re obeying God. Quit trying to quit sinning and start trying to start serving.                   Acts 11:26c And the disciples were called Christian first in Antioch. The name “Christian” or “Baptist” is a label the unsaved gave us to describe or categorize us. God says that we are believers, children of God. Quit being a religious person performing “Baptist traditions of standards and actions” and spend time with a Person and fall in love with a Person and try to live so as to please a Person and learn more about a Person and tell others about a Person. Being a Baptist is not a system of biblical good works to impress God (like a scriptural version of Catholicism). You can’t impress Him. Love Him; obey Him; learn of Him; focus on Him; brag on Him.

Friday, 4/4/14  Ecc 3:1, 6 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. We are very quick to notice, advertise, and gripe about the negatives in life...are we as quick to notice, advertise, and rejoice over the positives?               Pro 31:31 ...let her own works praise her in the gates.  The deeds you do...the things on which you spend your time...the things your stress over...what are they saying about you?

Saturday, 4/5/14  I have found it helpful to look for the themes and main lessons of Bible books or characters. My theme for Esther’s life: God only has crooked sticks to use, so He’ll use anyone.  Her main lesson: A person can still do incredibly good things for God after doing incredibly bad things.                1 Pet 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who also am an elder... Pastors need encouragement and preaching too.  ¹Pray for your pastor to be totally right with and surrendered to God.  ²As a church, be sure to include in the budget the ability for him to go attend some preaching conferences.

Num 14:28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ear, so will I do to you. God hears when we complain and gripe. He won’t tolerate it. We need to talk of his blessings and shut up about our bumps in life that we all have.

Num 15:16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.  God is impartial when we sacrifice and come before him to day, as long as we come by way of the Cross through His mediator, Jesus Christ. I wonder what He thinks about all of the imposters today and how they will fare when they meet Him face to face?

1 Tim 6:17a & 18 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded....that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. God gives explicit instructions to wealthy believers: not to be proud, arrogant, and unwilling to help the needy. God gives wealth and prosperity to be distributed, not hoarded.

Ps 108:12 Give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man. In times of trouble, our confidence, faith, and trust needs to be in God. All men are, at best, still mortal, human, and made of flesh. God alone is omnipotent and never has a weak moment.

Num 16:1-33 v32: And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up and their houses and all the men that appertained unto Korah and all their goods. We need to read these verse very carefully and make sure we don’t even think about giving God’s man a hard time.

2 Tim 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.  Those who are faithful to the end get there on purpose and fought a good fight. God is not a pacifist and expects us to fight. Everyone wants to be in God’s army, but most want to be in the Supply Section, not the Infantry.

Ps 112:1 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. To the degree that we are in awe of our God and greatly delight in what He tells us to do, to that degree we will praise Him and be blessed by Him.

2 Tim 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient... Every soulwinner needs to read this verse and the next one very carefully. We need to be very careful and appropriate. Don’t ruin things for the next soulwinner. Ghandi said that he would have been a Christian if it weren’t for Christians. How sad.

Eph 2:1, 4, 7, 10, 15 ...he quickened...his grace...his kindness...his workmanship...his flesh. Salvation is His work, not mine.

Ps 13:5 ...my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. Doubting our salvation is a product of not rejoicing in our salvation.
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