Baptist City Blog

Sunday, 12/22/13  Pro 20:20 Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.  Perhaps this verse could explain why you “never seem to catch a break” or “I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”  Maybe you need to repent and ask your Father and your father for forgiveness.

Monday, 12/23/13  Ps 23:3 He leadeth me in paths of righteousness… Those whom you’re allowing to influence you…are they leading you toward more or less righteousness? More or less holiness? Service? Selfishness? Contention? More or less love? Bible? Submission? Godly influences lead toward Him.             Pro 21:31 The horse is prepared against the day of  battle: but safety is of the Lord.  ¹God expects us to think and prepare for what we know is coming.  ²No amount of preparation can prepare for every eventuality: but God can.  ³Work like it all depends on you and pray like it all depends on God.

Tuesday, 12/24/13  Ps 7:10 My defense is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. If this is true, shouldn’t you talk to your Defense Attorney a little more…??  Just sayin’…                    Ps 88:1 O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee. We gripe day and night about our problems; we worry day and night; we despair day and night…let’s try crying to God day and night. Did you ever think that the problems might be coming to drive you TO God and not get mad at and run FROM Him?

Wednesday, 12/25/13  John 3:16 For God so loved that he gave… If He didn’t give, we wouldn’t have.  STOP and take 5 minutes and thank the Father for giving; the Son for coming; the Spirit for working. Thank God for His love and provision and sacrifice. Merry Christmas.                 John 1:9/Matt 5:14 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Ye are the light of the world. Lessons from a Christmas Eve candlelight service:  ¹I get to be like Jesus.  ²Candles aren’t as bright white like a heavenly light. My light is tainted by sin.  ³Even in my imperfect light, I can still pass light to others (soul winning).  ⁴Lots of candles can light an area.  ⁵In a power outage, while we yearn for the bright lights to return, candlelight is comforting.  ⁶A candle loses nothing by sharing it’s light with one who is “out.”  ⁷Sharing with another ensures my own continued burning. The one I lit can re-light me if I stumble.  ⁸Candles are safest around other candles.  ⁹Candles create some messes (wax blobs on the carpet, maybe slight burns on skin), but I still want a candle if I can't have "real" light.

Thursday, 12/26/13  Ps 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. Ultimately any help you get will come from God, so develop your relationship with Him: read His word (& pay attention), talk, open up, share your heart with Him, admit and reconcile your errors, love.            Luke 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. These two had inner and outer righteousness. They were clean in God’s sight (born again) and clean in man’s sight (sincere and godly). How is your standing with God? 100% pure? It must be in order to go to Heaven. How’s your reputation with men?

Friday, 12/27/13  Ps 145:1 I will extol thee, my God, O king: and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. If we’ll do this forever, why wait until we get to Heaven to start?  If you’re saved, you WILL be holy, so start becoming holier now. You WILL love God and His will and His people and hate sin, so start now.              Matt 1:20 But while he thought on these things…  Joseph, a study in silent wisdom.  He didn’t act rashly; he allowed God time to work it out; he acted in a way to please God and protect people.

Saturday, 12/28/13  John 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain alone. Jesus WILL be the King of the world and of you, but He won’t allow you or I to dictate the terms or the timing or the extent or the limitations of His throne.              John 6:28-29 Then they said unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. Paraphrase:  “How can we do spectacular deeds for God?”  “The key to doing anything for God is to have simple faith today.”

“Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” What have we sown? Do we fear the harvest? If we have sown love, hope, encouragement and faith, we can expect to reap a harvest, 100x what we have sown. Let’s check our seeds and be sure we’re planting wheat and not tares. Let’s build each other up in Christ. Amen.

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”  Are we ready to follow Jesus up Calvary’s hill? If so, then we need to pick up our cross and get moving! We have a long way to go, but fortunately, Jesus showed us a the straight path.

Pro 22:21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth.  Certainty is not in our feelings but in God’s promises.

Ps 12:7 Thou shalt keep them. O Lord, thou shalt preserve them form this generation forever. How blessed we are to have a preserved copy of God’s eternal word. Read it, memorize it, meditate on it, and apply it.

Ex 32:14 ..and the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. Our logical earnest reasonings with Almighty God can cause Him to change His mind.

Ps 9:9 the Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  PTL, He is ever present, and is a refuge and help when oppression and troubles come our way. He never fails.

I Cor 3:19a For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.  We should not be surprised or shocked by the irrational, foolish decisions made by our politicians and by world leaders. Most are ungodly and know nothing of the mind of God.

Ps 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.  We have a security and peace in our soul that the world knows nothing about.