- Tuesday, 3/30/21 Matthew 4:1, Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. God may put you into very difficult or unfair circumstances simply to
prove to everyone else (and maybe to you too) what He already knows about you. Psalm 143:8, Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. We often fuss at God for not speaking to us or directing us (at least I do), but how often do we stop, calm ourselves, and lift up our hearts and spirits to Him and LISTEN??? He has to be more than a “cup of coffee as we run out the door.” Lord, slow us down...forgive us for rushing You.
- Wednesday, 3/31/21 1 Samuel 15:23, ...stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. “Stubbornness”: to peck at, urge, or press. “Iniquity”: to exert oneself in vain; emptiness. “Idolatry”: a family idol. There are socially acceptable sins...that are still SINS to be eradicated. Are you trying or justifying? Exodus 1:12a, But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. Are your problems worthless or valuable? It’s our choice: we can let them purify, humble, or purge us of useless pursuits and vain, temporal things...OR we can simply endure them while whining and griping. Again, it’s our CHOICE...we’re gonna have them...are they worthless or valuable?
- Thursday, 4/1/21 Mark 12:44, For all they did cast in of their abundance; but [the widow] of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living [her two mites]. Bible giving is lifestyle altering giving. (OUCH!!) Will you give your cable package? Vacation? New ________? (OuchOuchOuch!!) “Are you out of your ever loving MIND?? I can’t do THAT!!” Revelation 22:17a, And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. We born-again people are the bride here, so all of us are issuing the invitation to get saved. Will it be when you get to Heaven that you finally get a soul winner’s heart? If we’re saved, the Holy Spirit inside of us is prompting our spirit to become a soul winner. Get that soul winner’s heart and mentality now...while it can still benefit those around you.
- Friday, 4/2/21 Psalm 147:1b, Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. When we love someone, we do things to make them happy. Praise is delightful and beautiful to God. Do you love Him? Sing to Him and brag on Him for His deeds. Psalm 149:4b, For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. Since meekness is a fruit of the Spirit, this isn’t referring to eternal salvation here, but rather, deliverance. One reason for non-deliverance in our lives is a failure to be flexible enough to adjust to another’s speed or agenda. Are you meek, or stubborn?
- Saturday 4/3/21 You’ve got a 401k or a 402b or something else...How’s your 620h account doing? Well funded? Regular, frequent deposits? You don’t know what that account is?? Matthew 6:20, But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. If you were asked, could you say when you last made a deposit and how (at which "branch")? Proverbs 29:2, When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. With the current leadership, I think the mood of the nation will darken in the next few years (increased cynicism, anger, more and deeper depression, etc.) We believers must be sure to remain upbeat (He wins, doesn’t He?) Are you currently a bright, cheerful light at work? We must work on us to become more of a daily bright spot to all the people around us. Be a breath of fresh air.
- Sunday, 4/4/21 Psalm 3:3, But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me. An observation: David said God was His shield. A shield stops danger inches from the soldier. We often want God to be a barrier wall keeping threats miles away from us. We will be in battle and, probably, will get wounded. Expect it. Psalm 2:1-3, 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, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. It is a vain and heathenistic thought process to want freedom from accountability. Yet, we often chafe at bosses correcting us or spouses or teachers or policemen... we ARE accountable for our actions. What’s your attitude to authority?
- Monday, 4/5/21 We don’t like pain, right? It’s to be avoided at all costs? Psalm 44:22, Yea, for THY SAKE are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. God loves 10,000x us more than we love ourselves: if He’s allowing major troubles, He has a reason...maybe we are to show the lost world how a godly Christian suffers (with grace and with love for their enemies) and how we can still trust God and stay faithful in the midst of oppression. Graduate level Christianity... In your Bible reading look for words like, “(so) that,” “for,” “because.” They show reasons. Deuteronomy 8:3, And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna...THAT he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Here, God said the reason for afflictions WHICH HE SENT HIS PEOPLE, was to help them loosen their grip on earthly things and value more highly the eternal. We often waste our problems griping and whining about what we don’t have while forgetting what we do have. We DO HAVE a Bible, church, friends, a home in Heaven...we don’t NEED stuff; we need HIM.
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