Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 4/17/18  Here’s another one to be taken by faith:  Psalm 72:18, Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. The problems I face...are wondrous. The struggles I endure...are wondrous. The questions without answers...are wondrous.     
                              2 Thessalonians 3:13, But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. A two-fold challenge: are you still doing “well doing,” or have you gotten away from it? Too busy, too lazy, too old, too...whatever? And, if you are still busy doing well, are you weary in it? Someone said that if you’re not enjoying the journey, perhaps you’ve forgotten the final destination. All of us need to evaluate ourselves: it’s not a sign of “badness” or “sin” if your spiritual engine needs an oil change or a day or two in the shop...maybe stop for a day so that you can keep on for God for another year. (And by stopping, of course, that means to reconnect with the Master, not give yourself a day to have a fling with sin.)                                    John 4:15-16, The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. Like most of us most of the time, this lady simply wanted an easing of her daily burden. Jesus ignored her wishes and focused on her eternal standing. God will let us want, or be persecuted, or endure loneliness if it produces a benefit that will get scores of people saved in a few years. So, no, we’ve not been abandoned. The pain we feel compared to the benefit we produce from that pain is like that of a vaccination compared with health for the next 70 years...it’s a no-brainer to God. Of course, He won’t answer our prayer to “take away the needle.” Why would He? You didn’t respond when your child looked at you with tears on their cheeks in the doctor’s office, did you?

 

- Wednesday, 4/18/18  OUCH!!!! (Read on at your own risk.) Luke 23:39, And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. How often have I sounded EXACTLY like this unsaved “malefactor”? “If You love me...if You’re truly there...” Forgive me, Lord.                                Not to scold you, but do you find yourself a little cold? maybe a little backslidden? doubt-full? (Been there a lot in recent years.) Hosea 10:12, Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Take time for YOU. Even if that means withdrawing from helping others for a while, take time for YOU. If you don’t, and keep on the dry, rain-less path that you’re on now, they won’t be helped anyway. Take time to plow your own heart’s ground; water your own spirit. How? That’s for you and God to determine. For some, it’s physical: take a nap; slow down so you can get an extra hour of sleep a night for the next 3 months to recoup your spirit; or, evaluate and change your diet and/or exercise. For others, it’s emotional: free yourself of being around that critical one who is poisoning your spirit/soul; take time to deal with the grief that’s consuming you. For others, it’s spiritual: you’ve given out and given out...and haven’t taken in. Take a spiritual sabbatical and bathe in the Bible again. Maybe go to a conference and get some good preaching. Read some spiritual books. Take time for YOU cuz no one else will.

 

- Thursday, 4/19/18  Psalm 107:6, Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. PTL for His graciousness!! We don’t have to be the perfect Christian walking with him 24/7 to get our prayers answered. He’ll even answer 911 calls!!                                    What are you good at? For what are you known? If you were going on a job interview, what would you highlight? Those qualities would constitute your “glory.” Psalm 108:1c, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, EVEN WITH my glory. Sing and give praise with your computer skills, your handyman skills, your CDL, your childcare abilities, your teaching skills... Use what God has given you to give back to Him. How? Use/volunteer those skills in service to God (usually down at the church.)

 

- Friday, 4/20/18  John 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease. “If we are anything, He cannot be everything,” Heather Kokubun. The process whereby you and I are decreased, though painful, it is the process whereby He is increased. Quit fighting the process. (I too am trying to...)                              1 Timothy 1:5-6, Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling. Notice, first the people swerved, and then turned aside. Swerves are unexpected jerks...maybe like a knee-jerk spiritual reaction to a sudden illness, or death, or job loss, or personal problem, or personal attack. We swerve out of instinct...but then keep going when we find ourselves not that far off of the road. Come back to Christ where you left Him, or over the same issue that you left Him.

 

- Saturday, 4/21/18  Amos 6:1, Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! The context indicates that the people were being warned about relying on their reputation and history as a shield against judgment. Be wary.                             1 Timothy 2:8, I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. Read the verse in reverse to get the correct order:  1) We need to get rid of the doubts (“Does God love me? Is serving Him worth it? Will He answer MY prayers?” “Am I important to Him and to His work, our church, other believers?”)  2) Then, confess and forsake the wrath that is in ALL of us; EACH of us; ME and YOU. DEAL with it. YES, YOU have it; I have it; everyone has it.  3) Then, lift up your (now) holy hands in surrender: quit trying to talk Him into coming over to your way of thinking and move your heart to His way.  4) THEN, pray at work, behind the wheel, while shooting baskets, while cooking, behind the lawnmower...everywhere about everything. His will...or our stubbornness and way?

 

- Sunday, 4/22/18  Jonah 4:2b, [Jonah] knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Notice: Jonah knew that God was all of this nicety, but that same God had him swallowed in judgment over disobedience. Yes, God is love, but He also is a consuming fire, and which side He shows depends on our attitude and actions.                          We all know that God tests His children...we’ve all endured them...and eventually passed the test. Psalm 143:10, Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. But, passing one test means new material will now be given, followed by another test. Does it end? Yes, when we go to Heaven. So, we simply must choose to trust the Teacher and the curriculum...over and over and over.

 

- Monday, 4/23/18  Galatians 6:1, ...ye which are spiritual, restore [sinning brethren] in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Tempted how? To do the same sin? Maybe, but it might be the temptation to think that the restorer is one iota better than the sinner.                               Psalm 3:1-3a, Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.  But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me... If God be for us, nothing else matters. We will always have our detractors and critics: is your heart right with Him? Are you pursuing Him? Are you humble before Him? Are you obedient to Him? The rest is irrelevant. Read the verses again...BUT THOU, O LORD...’nuff said.

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- Acts 23:11, And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. When God’s servants are sent on a dangerous task, He will give them assurance of His presence and protection.

 

- Ecc 5:12, The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. The hard worker sleeps, and sleeps better than the wealthy and rich. First, because he doesn’t worry as much, and also because he’s tired from all the labor.

 

- Pro 19:1, Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool.  Wealth, position, and popularity are not as important and impressive as hard work, honesty, and character. It does no good to grip, and curse about it.

 

- Ecc 7:3, Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. we don’t know the good times from the bad until much later. Many of the best lessons of life are learned in the school of affliction and hardship. Don’t let me miss it, Lord.

 

- Acts 1:11, This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Men have been looking for Him for 2000 years, and I can hardly wait. Hurry up, Lord!!

 

- Ps 150:6, Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. We are to praise the Lord at all times, no matter how we feel, or where we are.

 

- Acts 1:24, And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all amen, show us whether of these two thou hast chosen. I’m afraid we are as presumptuous with God as the apostles were. It may be that God had a better choice than the two.

 

- Would you rather me lie or tell you the truth? Galatians 4:16, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" A true friend will not lie to you even if it threatens your closeness. A false friend will tell you exactly what you want to hear, and lie, to preserve temporary closeness, even if it results in future failure.

 

- Jesus seeks the shunned. Those who were most attracted to Jesus and towards whom He was most attracted typically had one common denominator, they were people who felt shunned by others. They were shunned for their affliction, their disease, their social standing, their sin and the scandals that surrounded them. He accepted the shunned, so if you feel shunned by family, friends, society, the church or anyone else, come to Jesus. He accepts the shunned.

 

- Happiness comes from the right circumstances. Joy is found inside all circumstances. Happiness is fleeting. Joy is forever. Happiness comes from the superficial. Joy comes from the supernatural. Happiness is when life aligns with our wishes. Joy is when we align with Christ's wishes.

 

- It is a waste to pray for victory over sin when we starve ourselves of the nutrients from His Word.

 

- Do not come to the Father asking to be forgiven, if you do not have enough faith to accept and live in His forgiveness.

 

- When you woke up this morning was your soul as hungry for God as your stomach was for breakfast? Job 23:10, Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

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- If you want something that you’ve never had, you must do something that you’ve never done.

 

- Baptist brethren will have to humbly return to Bible doctrine or else be swallowed up by shallow imposters posing as impassioned preachers.

 

- You can hide your sin, but you cannot hide the scars.

 

- If cancer was the thorn that brought you to Christ, then reoccurring cancer may be the grace that brings you back. Be it divorce, a lost child, a shattered dream, a financial reversal, a prison sentence, a debilitating disease or chronic suffering, there is a taxi that will bring God's child to his knees at the foot of the cross.

 

- Resentment isn’t anger with someone else; resentment is anger with oneself, misdirected at someone else through the lens of victimhood.

 

- If you cannot taste the sweetness of the Lord perhaps it’s because your mouth is filled with the bitterness of hateful and slanderous words.