- Tuesday, 11/24/20 Ecclesiastes 7:14, In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. Don’t hate
adversity: expect it and learn from it. If the Teacher knows you’re up to date on the material, He’s less likely to give a pop quiz. Think on this one, and loosen your grip on anything here. Genesis 45:5, Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. Joseph’s story is all about awareness of God working in the background. Joseph had to realize that his life was being guided by the Lord...then he wanted those who hurt him to realize the same. If you’re Joseph: forgive others and be SURE they know of your forgiveness. If you’re a brother, forgive yourself.
- Wednesday, 11/25/20 Ecclesiastes 7:2, It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. If we’re wise, we will become very acquainted with mourning and pain and loss...cuz, wanted or not, it WILL come knocking. Luke 15:21, And the [prodigal] son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Being human, the father had made some parenting mistakes, yet the son only focused on what he’d done wrongly. When apologizing and getting right with someone, don’t say (or think) too much: focus on YOU and you alone.
- Thursday, 11/26/20 Proverbs 21:3, To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. He's more interested in us rectifying OUR shortcomings (i.e. SIN) than He is in us doing rightly in, putting up with, a bad situation. Solve the root problem instead of dealing with the fallout. Matthew 7:1, Judge not, that ye be not judged. This has got to be one of the MOST misunderstood and misused verses in ALL the Bible. I had someone scold me for judging when I told them I couldn’t vote for Mr. Biden because of the pro-choice, anti-nuclear family stance. Are we NEVER to judge someone else? On the surface, it seems like it. But, if God is omniscient and wrote ALL the Bible, then it’s safe to assume that He knew what He wrote elsewhere and that other passages have to harmonize with the verse about not judging. Consider: Proverbs 21:12a, “The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked.” God says he’s righteous for considering the estate of the wicked. (He had to classify him as wicked...) Or, Proverbs 22:24, “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go...” How can I obey this verse without judging them? Or, Proverbs 23:20, “Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh.” Again, without evaluating other people, I would disobey this commandment. Or, 1 Corinthians 5:11, “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” I must choose my crowd...by judging their actions. Psalm 1:1, Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. To be blessed, I have to identify those whom God considers ungodly, sinners, or scornful. So what does God mean in Matthew 7:1? He means we absolutely ARE to judge within our own appropriate areas, but absolutely ARE NOT to judge outside of our purview. Parents: judge your kids. Men, as the head (a Bible term) of the home, judge what happens under your roof. Bosses, judge your employees. Everyone, judge potential influences upon you. Yes, judge...all day, every day...just stay within your arena.
- Friday, 11/27/20 Proverbs 21:14 A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath. To pacify your anger toward another, give them a gift anonymously; to pacify their anger toward you, give a gift to them privately. Trust God that this is what we’re to do...DO IT. Psalm 12:6, The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. A plain statement of fact: God’s words are pure; He deliberately chose EACH one. So, if a word or phrase has a negative connotation to us (for example: ‘wives submit to your husbands;’ ‘spouses submit to each other;’ ‘pastors are to rule over their church;’ ‘tithe on first 10% of your income;’ ‘Children obey your parents;’ ‘citizens obey your government, and HONOR governmental rulers;’ ‘for these things I will render judgment;’ ‘wear modest clothing;’ ‘the husband is the head of the wife;’ ‘husband and wife owe each other due benevolence;’ ‘man and woman for life;’ ‘fornicators will be judged;’ etc.); if those rub us the wrong way, the fault is on our end, not His. Either we don’t understand what God meant, or, we have a hardness, a callousness in our hearts toward submission to Him. “Well, He didn’t mean it THAAAT way...” “It doesn’t mean THAAAT...” “He can’t be serious...it’s 2020, for crying out loud!!!” He did; it does; He is. He means what He says; will you bow to what He says...willingly or unwillingly? (Cuz you WILL bow to It.)
- Saturday, 11/28/20 1 Corinthians 9:27, But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. A reminder that we are to always be fighting our fleshly body: our lusts, our pride, our desires. How HARD are you fighting? Psalm 2:1-2, Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying... Do you ever wonder why people are so stupid and pig-headed regarding truth and God and who’s really in charge? Hasn’t this past election season frustrated you with so much anger and hatred? How can they not know that God is in Heaven watching their foolishness? Let their idiocy remind us how DESPERATELY we need God’s power and wisdom to help them. Maybe God gets frustrated with us for not earnestly seeking His power a LOT more than we do.
- Sunday, 11/29/20 When was your funeral? Yesterday? Or...at the last revival service? Romans 7:15, For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. Paul said, “I die daily.” “Mortify your members.” We are a split being: partially a living new creature and partially a dying old one. Beat down that old man today again. And again tomorrow cuz he’s a zombie who’ll rise. 1 Peter 3:1-2, Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Someone asked me what to do if a husband is abusing his position; basically being a dictator, a demanding tyrant instead of a loving sweetheart. As with any spiritual question, first of all, what does the Bible say? There are levels of authority, with the highest being the Bible. Is what he is doing/saying unscriptural? If it is, obey the higher authority: God. If the husband is breaking the laws of the land, call 911. (BTW, hurting your pride is not a felony; being a grump is not a “high crime or misdemeanor.”) If it isn’t violating God’s rules, then submit and obey. It may not be pleasant, but the vow “for better for worse” was taken. I would say, “Take it to the Lord.” Ma’am where is your faith? Does it die when you walk out of the church on Sunday? Can God not speak to your husband? Get counsel from a godly friend or pastor....but be sure it’s BIBLICAL counsel... (A good sign that it’s biblical is that it’ll probably rub us the wrong way; we will initially balk at it; we’ll be upset at the counselor...our flesh won’t like it.) And, according to this verse, there is GREAT influence in the lifestyle of a sweet wife. (Living, not nagging.) This will not be a very liked post, but, if you choose to criticize it/me, please do so with scriptural backing.
- Monday, 11/30/20 Luke 18:20-21, Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery...And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. A reminder that it’s God’s standards of adherence, (not ours or other people’s) that we must meet or face judgment. “Better than” is not “good enough.” Genesis 49:3-4, Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. Perhaps this verse is teaching that immoral shortcomings cancel out a multitude of positives. Men, we must bridle our passion.
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