- Tuesday, 7/14/20 Luke 17:5, And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. We all need to pray that we’ll believe deeply enough to obey. Many Christians believe the Bible in their heads only, but not down deep enough to allow
It to affect their daily lives. I sadly know where I usually fall...You? Psalm 13:1-2a, How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? Rightly or wrongly, I pride myself in knowing. One of the things I absolutely DESPISE saying are the words, “I don’t know.” Over these last 4 years since my wife left me, I have asked God to show me, to teach me, to direct me, to give me some sort of an inkling of what to do/how to do/when to do/where to do...whatever He wants. I truly don’t even know what I want in a lot of areas, but I want to do what He wishes...but He doesn’t seem to be inclined to reveal either what He has been doing up ‘til now or what He has on His mind for the near or distant future. Today, I thought of a new prayer: “Lord, help me to have enough faith to be content while not knowing what You’re doing in my life.” Praying for patient contentment...maybe this will help someone else.
- Wednesday, 7/15/20 Do you feel like a pretty second rate Christian? “I’m worthless cuz I can’t keep the standards preached from the pulpit...”? You’re in pretty good company! Romans 7:19, For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Keep on doing your best and pushing yourself. Psalm 72:2, He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. Remember that anyone over whom you have any influence is not yours. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof.” If you’re a boss, parent, manager, teacher, SS teacher, preceptor, those people who are “under” you are not yours to treat as you see fit, but to treat as He sees fit. Those people “under” you are to be treated with righteousness and with godly judgment.
- Thursday, 7/16/20 Proverbs 10:20, The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. Very simply, how valuable are your words? At work? At home? Could anyone “spend” your words to get something they’d treasure? Like eternal life? Hope? Wisdom? Peace? Love? Do you have situations in your life that are very distressing, and one of the biggest frustrations for you is that there is no way to fix the problem and it won’t ever go away? So did Paul. Romans 9:2, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. He desperately wanted his kinsmen to turn to Christ, but they didn’t. So, in our long-term/permanent problem, we may want to do as he did: win souls, write letters to encourage and instruct believers, and learn of God. The Bible is God’s given Book that is FULL of life recipes. Get in there, find them, and try them.
- Friday, 7/17/20 John 18:11, Then said Jesus unto Peter [after he cut off the servant’s ear], Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? Jesus spoke almost incredulously: of course, He’d drink what His Father deemed appropriate. Christian, the cup which your Father hath given you, shall you not drink it? God loves people and people next year may suffer if you refuse today. Matthew 26:38-39, Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. As a human, Jesus was terrified of what was about to happen to Him, yet He controlled the fear and did as He should have and as the Father willed. We can do the same. Subdue your fears to the will of God. Act like His child and do right, even if you’re scared to death.
- Saturday, 7/18/20 Proverbs 15:26b, ...the words of the pure are pleasant words. The word “pleasant” here is defined/used as: suitable, splendor, grace, or beauty. Yesterday, recently, how pleasant were your words at home? to your kids? to your spouse? to your employees/students? (Ouch! Ouch! Double ouch!) Genesis 3:1b, And [Satan] said unto [Eve], Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? God gets maligned and criticized for being too strict and demanding. Here, Satan beguiles Eve by focusing on His single restriction instead of the otherwise unlimited freedom she had. It succeeded. But it’s not only God Who gets criticized for strictness and standards: godly churches and people do too. The closer a church is to God, the more like Him they, the messages, the members, the rules of that church will be. Is your church criticized for anything, or is it one “that just makes me feel accepted”? Anyone should be allowed to come to a godly church, but the preaching and practices should be such that changes are expected and occur. So again, is your church...godly, holy? Or is it just “sweet”? Maybe go to the church of God’s choosing tomorrow.
- Sunday, 7/19/20 Psalm 77:3, I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. How we respond to conviction greatly determines our success as a Christian. But, before that, our willingness to listen to Him and allowing Him to chide us is vital. Genesis 3:12-13, And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. It is completely natural and normal to blame our sins, our shortcomings, our failures on another...but TOTALLY unproductive. We all need to honestly evaluate a situation, and if we blew it, failed, purposefully disobeyed...whatever, we need to own it and fix it. Again, it’s natural, but believers are to act supernaturally. “Let your light SO shine... (in a unique manner.)
- Monday, 7/20/20 Psalm 77:20, Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Rare are the times that the Lord directs us without using men to lead us. So, the obvious question is, “How close are you, how in tune are you to the men of God in your life” (Pastors, husbands, fathers)? Luke 23:39-40, And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? It’s been almost 2000 years since these men conversed, and for 2000 years, one has been basking in the joys of Heaven and one has been screaming in agony in the flames of Hell. Likewise, 2000 years from now, you will have the exact same story...where will you be? You have until your heart quits to decide, and it is YOUR choice. God won’t force you to come to Him, and plainly tells you what the alternative entails. So, where are YOU going to be for all eternity? Choose now: you may die suddenly or He may quit drawing you. (Yes, He does give up on some people and allow them to go to Hell without any more hindrances.) Also, sin has a hardening effect, so if you feel the slightest inclination toward this little post, act on it, because that inclination may go away. Calvary shows us where God wants us to be, but He leaves the choice up to US. It’s by faith, not by works, so no church membership or baptism or good deeds matter. Message me and let me show you exactly what God says.
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