Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 5/19/20  Luke 11:46, And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Are the words, “Do as I say and not as I do” anywhere in your vocabulary?   

                       2 Timothy 2:4, No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Who avoids the snares and worldly hindrances? The one who has a bigger cause than his own desires. Self reflection question: What is most important to you: your comfort and agenda or His cause?

- Wednesday, 5/20/20  Nehemiah 9:33, Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly.  Now THIS is a mature Christian outlook on life.                                 Jonah 3:10a, And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way... Repentance (“re”-do again, change; “-pent,” “-pend” is thinking) is a change of mind. Repentance is NOT the same as different actions. However, true repentance DOES produce different actions/works (since the thinking has changed, the actions will automatically.) Repentance itself cannot be seen, but the works that it produces can. So the question comes: that last issue about which God dealt with you: did you truly repent (and therefore change your actions), or did you simply “feel remorse for”? Modern Christianity does very little repenting...

- Thursday, 5/21/20  Psalm 89:1, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. God expects us to be vocal Christians: in church on Sunday, and in the world on Monday. Are you? Or are you like the Arctic River: frozen at the mouth?                           2 Peter 3:18, But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. I saw my grandsons, aged 2 & 4, in January, and hopefully will see them again in July. I expect to see evidence of growth in their lives. I expect physical growth: taller, broader, more coordinated movements. I expect some intellectual change: more words, slightly deeper concepts. I expect some social growth: maybe a little less selfishness; a little more conversational ability, maybe a little more love shown. Hopefully, by then, the 4 year old will have gotten saved, so there will be spiritual growth. Are you and I any different than we were 5 years ago? Have we grown...or are we “retarded”? Physically: do we do more, or less in God’s service? Emotionally: are we as self-absorbed and self-focused as we “always were”? As unforgiving as we ever were? Intellectually, are we more conversant with spiritual topics? Have we memorized any more verses? More able to explain a belief to someone asking questions? Spiritually, do we spend more time and more quality time with Him than before? Are we more comfortable with spiritual things? Maybe it’s time for some of us to get serious about obeying this verse. We need to quit playing Christian and letting the world go to Hell while watching a pseudo-believer fill our shoes. (Ouch.)

- Friday, 5/22/20  2 Timothy 1:7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Currently, there are many reason for legitimate fears. However, while we can’t control many of the thing scaring us, we can control what we think about. By character, by choice, obey Philippians 4:8. Write out 5 verses that combat the subject of your fears, and then recite them OUT LOUD throughout the day. Quit simply carrying the Bible 1 day a week and start living It 7 days a week. Quit cowering!! You’re on the mind and in the hands of the King!!! Act like He knows what He’s doing!! We insult Him so badly, so deeply, and so often.

- Saturday, 5/23/20  Zephaniah 3:12, I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. Problems and poverty are sent to force trust, which pleases God. So, are you really having a bad time in life right now? REALLY?                                Do you think it possible for 3 words to totally brighten your day? What would they be? “I love you”? “I miss you.”  Those’re good, but how about these 3: “The Lord reigneth,” Psalm 93:1. Think on them...and the rain and the flooded basements and the gloom will fade into a tropical paradise. “The Lord reigneth”...at work, in your health, during a pandemic, with your spouse, in the economy, concerning the weather, in the heart of THAT one. “The Lord reigneth” in YOUR life. Take a vacation into the balmy Land of Faith and Trust.

- Sunday, 5/24/20  1 Timothy 1:1, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope... I’m thinking that a LOT of our problems come because we forget this fundamental truth: Jesus is our hope: not money, security, government, family, or anything else.                           Jude 3, It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith... In the Bible, it is always true that God only issues commands for areas about which we struggle. So, we don’t naturally want to contend for the faith. (We are naturally contentious because of our pride), but we want to contend for our own reputation, and position, and name. However, His agenda is 10 zillion times more important than ours. So, make up your mind to obey this verse.

- Monday, 5/25/20  Psalm 92:1b, It is a good thing...to sing praises unto thy name, O most High.  Here’s a simple challenge for today:  Sing, out loud (that’s what singing is, after all) to the Lord. Brag on Him for what He’s done in your life. Use the hymn book or just create a song for Him from your heart.                                    Psalm 13:1, How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? Every great Christian in the Bible felt forsaken by God: Job, David, Jeremiah, Paul, even Jesus on the Cross. So, I am very suspicious of any preacher today who doesn’t admit to sometimes feeling that way, or somehow implies that we can become such a great Christian (as he is) to rise above those kinds of doubts. No, you and I are made of the same flesh that plagued Abraham, Moses, and the Apostles, so we’re going to have the same conflicts in our walk toward the kingdom. You’re not a “bad” or “incomplete” Christian: you’re a child. We become adult Christians at the Rapture. So, little one, dust yourself off, reorient yourself, and go talk to someone about the One Who loves us SSOOOOO much.