- Tuesday, 9/13/22 2 Corinthians 12:15, And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. Leaders (pastors, teachers, parents, managers, husbands): we are to GLADLY exhaust and drain ourselves and tolerate
LESSENING love. ‘Got work to do... Psalm 81:11-12, But my people would not hearken to my voice...so I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Be VERY careful about demanding your way and demonstrating a willingness to play tug-of-war with God. He may just let you win...and you’ll fall VERY hard. He is right; we are not. His way is holy; ours is corrupt.
- Wednesday, 9/14/22 1 Kings 17:4, And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. To humble us, to rejuvenate us, to chasten us, to teach us, to meet with us, God sometimes sends us THERE. Don’t waste your time in exile. Psalm 118:18, The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. A reminder that our God is a good Father and an authoritative King. He WILL chasten us for repeated wrongdoing, and, it is recorded that there were many people in the Corinthian church that were sickly and some that had died due to their actions. So, if we’re having a hard time, His displeasure might be the reason. If we refuse to give Him our attention, He can increase the pressure.
- Thursday, 9/15/22 We’re not to measure ourselves by others, but it CAN be motivational to observe others’ status. Psalm 84:2, My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. To ponder: how’s your attitude toward church? 1 Kings 18:17, And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? As the wicked continue to prosper and govern, they will increasingly blame the righteous for the faults they themselves are causing. Remember, the Devil has no new tricks: Elijah was blamed, and eventually hunted by the unrighteous rulers: so too will Christians be in this 21st century. Do rightly today; try to win someone this week; and keep looking to the skies.
- Friday, 9/16/22 Psalm 119:18, Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. One way to get more out of your Bible is to pray for it. Pray this verse. Another way is to share what you know. These daily texts have opened up SSOOOO much more Bible to me. You try it. Matthew 6:13, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil... If someone eavesdropped on your prayer time, would they hear you naming and asking for help with particular sins, or do you just use blanket confession and petition? We need to name our sins specifically. Yes, that’s embarrassing (which is a help in overcoming it), but hey! We’re talking to the one Who already knows all about our behavior.
- Saturday, 9/17/22 1 Kings 21:25, But there was none like unto Ahab...whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. “Stirred up” means to stimulate, seduce, entice, or provoke. Ladies, do you entice or prompt your man to do rightly or sinfully? Do you encourage or discourage him from fulfilling the role and the tasks that God has given him to do? Are you more Jezebel-ly than you’d like to admit? Proverbs 14:16, A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident. The wise man fears the consequences of sin (Satan lies and tells us that there won’t be any.) He fears the control of sin. (Again, Satan tells us that we’re better than all of the others who tried it and got hooked - we can handle it.) He also fears the chastening hand of God. (Yes, He is patient, but He does draw lines in the sand.)
- Sunday, 9/18/22 Psalm 119:71, It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. Being afflicted, having troubles is not optional: they WILL come. (“In the world, ye SHALL have tribulation...”) Learning from the troubles is optional. We must choose to gripe or study, seek pity or do homework. Revelation 22:17, And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. A few verses before the end, God gives the final invitation in the Bible. Very simply, are you a “whosoever will” person, or a “whosoever won’t” person? It doesn’t say anything about being a Baptist or getting baptized or speaking in tongues or “holding out faithful.” Going to Heaven is a matter of the will. Please, please, please: if you have ANY inkling that you may not be one heartbeat away from a guaranteed seat in Heaven; if there is ANY chance you are not born again, please message me. It’s not what your church says vs my church; it’s not just “my opinion”; it’s not a “we’ll see what happens...” It’s what God says. At the top of this post it says, “A Bible thought” NOT “A Hedderman thought” or “A First Baptist thought.” Please message me.
- Monday, 9/19/22 Proverbs 15:3, The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Cheer up: your good is not unnoticed. Straighten up: Your bad is not overlooked. Buck up: God’s timing is always right. Proverbs 16:5, Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. A single drop of poison in a glass of orange juice cancels all the potential health benefits. So too does pride cancel what otherwise would be our good actions. If we think we deserve a certain level of possessions, status, or treatment...we can do no right.