- Tuesday, 4/26/22 Proverbs 21:3, To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Here’s a twist: think of “sacrifice” as
a problem that we must endure. We lament, “Does God care?” Of course He does, but the first half of the verse teaches that He values our holiness over our comfort. So...what’cha gonna do? Up your “Purity Quotient” or keep “getting picked on”? Psalm 67:1-2, God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. THAT thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. We all want God to bless us...but maybe if He knew that He would benefit from blessing us, He’d be more willing to give them. His agenda/desires/comforts/joys are more important than ours. Paraphrase: “Be good to us and we WILL tell everyone what You did.” (Maybe start with telling others what He’s already done...)
- Wednesday, 4/27/22 Psalm 67:3, Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. “Let” people praise Thee... Interesting. Is there anything gumming up your praise machinery? Do you need to grease and oil your praise gears? Psalm 68:7, O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah. It’s a pattern throughout the Old Testament: recount specifically what God has done in your life. “How to Praise” So, go take a walk and think, thank, recount, and praise Him for all He’s led you through. What are your “Red Sea” deliverances? Your manna? Your Mt. Sinai? Your fiery serpents of chastisement and the golden serpent of deliverance? Your Kadesh-Barnea? Your crossing the Jordan on dry ground? Your promised land? Your victories at Jericho and the on-going battles?
- Thursday, 4/28/22 Psalm 68:19, Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. “Yo!!! The Delivery Man and His truck are outside!! Is anyone available to receive this shipment of benefits?” The problem comes, not from what we are, but from what we do. Mark 7:20, 23, And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.... all these evil things come from within, and defile the man. We have hearts that are full of garbage: the problem comes when we take the lid off of the septic tank of our heart. We all know that each of us has a sewer. I will do my best to not show you mine, and I will thank you for not showing me yours.
- Friday, 4/29/22 Psalm 29:11, The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. Notice that there are NO conditions attached to this promise: “If we will...then He will...” So, if we find ourselves weak, troubled, and uneasy, then we have CHOSEN to be so. Hopefully, you are honest with the Holy Spirit and you see, acknowledge, and are working on the sin you see in your life. Here is some more about which we ALL need to pray. Mark 7:21-23, For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. These traits are in you and I. Be aware of them which means we’re not nearly as clean and innocent of a person as we’d like to think we are. We all need to pray with David, Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
- Saturday, 4/30/22 Isn’t it GREAT to be saved?? Where would you be without Him?? Psalm 70:4b, ...and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. We claim we want Him magnified, but continually? Even if it means when our day stinks? When friends forsake us? When we’re sick? When financial hard times come? Thru divorce, death, and dismay? Say it continually: Let God be magnified. John 10:34, The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? A major rule of proper interpretation is to take ALL that is said on a topic to learn what God intends. There were two portraits of the Messiah painted in the Old Testament one was very appealing while the other was not. These people understood (correctly) that their Messiah would live and reign forever, but they didn’t understand (and therefore discarded) picture of a rejected, suffering Substitute.
- Sunday, 5/1/22 Psalm 31:1, In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. There is always a danger of us drifting into a “health & wealth” Christianity, where, if we’re right with Him, we have no problems. This is what David was asking for. Realize that God has used and will use affliction, rejection, persecution as key ingredients in molding His kids for 6000 years. He’s probably not gonna do differently for us. Psalm 32:5, I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Three different words on the same topic but that are NOT equivalent. “Sin” is intentionally doing wrongly. In football, it’s called a flagrant foul. “Transgression” is simply stepping across the line inadvertently, or a non-intentional foul. “Iniquity: is the justification and permission we give ourselves to sin. That’s wanting to be a ball player, but also the commissioner of the league determining what is right or wrong. Confess and work on all 3.
- Monday, 5/2/22 Psalm 32:1-2a, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity... Brighter than a sunny spring day. Sweeter than a ripe strawberries. More sustaining than 3 square meals. Dwell on these 22 words...all day. Joy is not just a long-term happy state of mind or a positive outlook. Psalm 33:1, Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. The sentence structure indicates that joy is equated with praising God. So, are you happy or joyous? For what have you praised Him for in the last hour?
| _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Contact me at baptistcity@gmail.com for information on subscribing to the weekly email or daily text messages from Terry. |
|