- Tuesday, 10/5/21 Proverbs 29:25, The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. This must be a constant, ongoing re-orientation in each of us. Fear vs. Faith...a battle for
the rest of our lives. Purposefully, build your faith by the Bible and squelch your fears by dismissal. Matthew 10:15, Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. Basic doctrine: there are levels of judgment in Hell, just like there are levels of reward and pleasure in Heaven. While all are in Hell (or Heaven if they’re born again), some will burn hotter than others. Likewise, in Heaven, some people will have a million square foot mansion and some a 25 million. Salvation is free; THEN He rewards service. Hell is automatic unless you choose to repent. If this seems confusing to you, or you’re concerned about your destination, PLEASE message me.
- Wednesday, 10/6/21 Matthew 11:15, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. “Lord, PLEASE give me a double ear transplant, TODAY.” Matthew 12:10-11, And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? When we answer a question, don’t just give the answer; help the learner to learn how to think through the situation. Here, Christ could’ve just given them a simple answer, but He referred them back to their Bibles to make them think. Simple gratification doesn’t produce a change in our underlying thinking. Thinking is a totally lost art these days.
- Thursday, 10/7/21 Proverbs 2:3, Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding... Some can quote lines from dozens of obscure movies; some maybe can reference song lyrics; some, lines and scenes from many TV shows. Maybe if we spent as much time and invested as much of our hearts’ desire in the Bible, we could quote it more easily and live it more fully. Psalm 13:1, How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? Notice that Bible giants felt forsaken at times, just like you and I do at times. If you feel that way, be faithful and trust. I-F God has stepped back a bit, there is a good reason; trust His thinking. Maybe there’s a sin we need to confess; maybe there’s a lesson we need to learn. He’s a good Daddy: if He’s not holding our hand, it’s for our ultimate and greater good.
- Friday, 10/8/21 Luke 16:17, And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. If God says this about the smallest of punctuation marks, we need to be as careful as possible with the entire word. Don’t settle for knowing or quoting the Bible “pretty closely.” There is no “good enough.” Be more accurate. Psalm 14:3, They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. A key to proper Christian thinking is to realize that God has much higher standards that we do. “I’m a good person.” Maybe compared to other humans and using human standards, you/we are; but not according the THE standard. Know His standards as outlined by His words. And, another key is to know the definitions to His words. Wrong definitions lead to wrong doctrine. God’s Word and mind are worthy of our being VERY precise and knowledgeable and picky.
- Saturday, 10/9/21 Proverbs 3:2, For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall [the Bible] add to thee. Are you lacking peace in your life? Sleeping OK? Underlying pervasive anger? Just seem to be “off”? Worrying a lot? Get a massive dose infusion of Bible: read it, listen to it, fall asleep to it, sing it. Psalm 93:4, The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Maybe a way to have a greater understanding and appreciation for God’s abilities and might is to get out into nature more. See the awesomeness of it might help us understand that He is MORE impressive. We don’t get to awed by just looking at a computer or TV screen.
- Sunday, 10/10/21 Psalm 17:4, Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. Notice the connection between men and the devil. When Satan comes to us, he’ll not come as a evil presence; he’ll come disguised as “our dreams come true.” Be forewarned. Psalm 16:8b-9, Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. THEREFORE my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. To get glad, to spark joy, and to produce restful hope, we simply have to discipline our minds to dwell on the current eternal positives instead of on the temporal negatives. Truly, however bad we’ve got it, we’ve got it really good! Now, think that way repeatedly.
- Monday, 10/11/21 James 2:18, Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. All of need to be constantly aware of the gap between our spoken beliefs and our demonstrated beliefs (& if that gap is growing or shrinking. And we ALL have a gap.) Matthew 11:27, All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. “My Lord Jesus, please, PLEASE reveal the Father to me. Help me want that more and look for it more diligently.”
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