Sunday,
5/10/15 Pro 6:23b ...the reproofs of instruction are the way of life. You will never get to where you don’t need
instructions on how to improve or deepen or strengthen or repair relationships,
habits, skills, memories, health, methods, etc. You may think you don’t need it, but... Ps 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the
grave. “Holy men of God” penned the Bible, so this “holy man” had emotional
troubles. They’re real. They’re
legitimate. They, most often, have discernible and (usually) fixable
causes. 1Some emotional variation is to be expected. 2Having
emotional troubles (depression, panic attacks, etc.) doesn’t mean you’re
“crazy” or that you have a sin problem. 3Get spiritual and medical
advice and help. 4After prayer and counseling, if prescribed, take your
medications. (If there’s a treatable
physical problem that a med will fix, what’s wrong with that? 5However,
be honest enough to deal with any sins you need to “come clean about” first.
Unconfessed sin, guilt, and shame can cause physical manifestations. 6As
with physical ailments, we should go to God first and doctors secondly. Pray
before you even take an aspirin.
Monday, 5/11/15 Jud
12:11-12 And after him Elon, a
Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel 10 years. And Elon...died.
BORING!! Why is this in the Bible? You may not do anything that man says is
notable and no one may ever take note of you...but he judged God’s people for a
decade. Be faithful...God notices. Ps
9:1 I
will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole
heart; I will shew forth all
thy marvellous works. Did David achieve these 2 goals? I would guess not,
or not for long. Set high goals and standards for yourself. Keep the pressure
on: challenge yourself to read more Bible, win more souls, love more deeply,
give more frequently, praise for fervently. Shoot for the Moon...no, shoot for
the Creator of the Moon.
Tuesday, 5/12/15 For 3+ years, Peter had followed Christ. Basically, he
went to the primo Bible college of all time. He learned, grew, changed,
matured. Matt 26:74 Then began [Peter] to curse and the swear...
Remember...all that ever was in you, is still in you. Don’t be shocked when it
comes out. Ps
5:7 But as for me, I will come into thy
house in the multitude of thy mercy... Some come to church in condescending
judgment; some come in opportunistic business building mode; some come wanting
to be entertained; some come out of mindless habit; some come purely for social
interaction. How and why do you come? Like a Pharisee rejoicing that you’re “not as other men are...unjust, adulterers,
or even as [this wicked one],” or as a publican, “God be merciful to me a sinner”?
Wednesday,
5/13/15 Pro 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
Fools perish because their companions can offer them nothing of verbal substance.
Do your companions talk of substantive matters or simply gossip, frivolity, and
entertainment? What do you
talk of? Pro 10:3 The Lord will not suffer the soul of the
righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked. It’s
interesting that God sets the condition of the righteous man’s soul against the
possessions of the wicked. Maybe this is why so many of our trials involve
money or stuff...it’s a conduit right toward the heart, or it’s the thing
blocking access to our hearts, and is what is keeping us from righteousness.
Thursday, 5/14/15 Ps 92:4 For thou,
Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the work of thy
hands. God’s big, macro work is the saving of souls. His micro work is
making us holy. Through it all (which involves work, testing, failures,
corrections, etc.) we can be glad. Are you a happy Christian? Matt 20:5-6 And he went out about the 6th and
9th hour, and did likewise.
And about the 11th hour he went out, and found others standing idle...
If you’ve not served God from the beginning for whatever reason...jump in
today. There’s more work to do than the rest of us can handle. Make today the
day you look back on as a day of a revolutionary new beginning. If you’re
already working for the Lord...do more, or do it more efficiently.
Friday,
5/15/15 Ps 94:12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out
of thy law. Parents, bosses, Christian school teachers: notice this
combination. Spanking AND teaching is how to treat a child/follower. God punishes the unsaved; He chastens His own. Ps 16:8a, 9 I have set the Lord always before
me...therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall
rest in hope. Basic formula: keeping Christ in sight produces gladness,
joy, rest, and hope. Our job is to look for Him (Bible, church, prayer) while
preventing other visual enticements from blocking the view.
Saturday,
5/16/15 Ps 94:19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
Days of overwhelming worry and fretting will come. Are you stockpiling His
comforts in your soul to counterbalance the bad? Get more Bible into you:
you’re gonna need it. When
you read your Bible, what are you wanting? Why are you doing it? 1 Sam
3:21 ...for the Lord revealed himself
to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. Look for God in your reading:
His character traits, His actions, His attributes, His promises. Christianity
is to be a relationship with a Person, not a religion with a creed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thoughts from some others
- If you do not see the church as
being about Christ and his agenda then you will see it as being about you and
your agenda.
-
We
preach a Saviour, not a system; a relationship, not religion; liberty, not
legalism; mercy, not merit; truth, and not tradition.
- We do
not cherish doing those things we consider as obligations. So, is your walk
with God out of desire or obligation? That may explain a lot.
- Your
personal standards are perfectly acceptable things to live by, but they are
totally unacceptable to judge others by.
- Broken
crayons are still useful in the hands of a child. Broken people are still
useful in the hands of God.
- We
can coerce our children to behave but we cannot coerce them to believe, which
is why we often have children whose behavior changes drastically as they grow
older. We can spend so much time trying to control them that we fail to teach
and disciple them. A good parent is in control of their children's behavior
even as they are in the process of teaching them, so that they can slowly and
confidently relinquish control to their children's beliefs.
- I was
a sinner in need of a Savior and Christ was a Savior in search of a sinner. It
was a match made in Heaven.
- Waiting
until the end of the day to walk with God is like playing a concert and tuning
your instrument afterwards.
- I
have had two births: one I can't remember and one I can't forget
- Trials
are not for punishment, they are for preparation.
- The
secret of the Christian life is not in whether or not you fall, but in the
lessons you picked up while you were down.
- God’s
office is located at the end of our rope.
- If
you struggle with those who have failed the Lord, I have one question. How do
you live with yourself?
- The
surest way to please your spouse is to do what pleases God because what pleases
God was designed to please your spouse.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- Ps
30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning
into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.
The psalmist expresses the same ups and downs of life that we have today. He
just went to God and not to a psychiatrist. The Lord’s a great place to go with
our burdens.
- Ps 31:24 Be of
good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
This is a good challenge, admonition, and promise to every child of God.
- Bible thoughts! Ps 10:1 Why standest thou afar off, O Lord ? why
hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? It does seem as if God isn't there
at times, doesn't it? Let's not give into this age old lie of the Devil, peeps!
He's always there, always has been, and always will be! Even when our heart is
adrift from the Master, He's forever nearby!
- Ps 44:6 Fro I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.
Military might, physical strength, and human abilities do not impress, nor are
they needed by God. Availability is all He requires!
- Pro 11:31 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the
wicked and the sinner. Everyone gets paid and gets their just rewards for
how they live. No matter what an unsaved mad does, he cannot please God.
- Pro 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed
is rottenness in his bones. The success or failure of a man is a reflection
of the lady he married. We need to thank god for our good wives.
- Bible thoughts! Ps 13:5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart
shall rejoice in thy salvation." When is the last time we thanked the
Lord for our salvation? Here's a challenge for everyone today: stop what you're
doing for a few moments and tell the Lord how thankful you are He gave you
eternal life!