- Monday, 4/1/19 Notice
the word, “that.” 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. Does God’s mercy on your life get Him
any benefits? Do you reflect the goodness of others?
Psalm 30:4, Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. God’s #1, primary trait is holiness, not love. “Holy is the Lord.” The word order gives extra emphasis to the adjective. Give thanks for that holiness because THAT is what drove Him to send Jesus to die for us. That holiness is what will make Heaven so wonderful: no one who has not come by way of the Cross (and thus, been given Christ’s perfect righteousness as a free gift) may enter. Love may have allowed some other way to get to Heaven; holiness precludes it. Do YOU know, 100% for sure, that if you died TODAY that you’d go to Heaven? If not message me, please. (I shook hands last week with a man who was a patient of mine for several weeks. He had been discharged with a good prognosis and had come back to our floor to say hello. Less than 16 hours later, he was in Eternity. Did he read the tract that I gave him? Did he get born again? I don’t know... You may have less than 16 hours to live: what about you?)
- Tuesday, 4/2/19 Wanna have a GREAT day? What’cha looking at? Problems? Schedule? Failures? Or...Psalm 26:3a, For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes. You and I have it better on our worst day than the vast majority of people who’ve EVER lived. Have a great day. Why do you read the Bible? What are we to get from it? One of the biggest things we’re to get is to see others who’ve endured very tough situations and see what they did. (Got any tough situations? If not, be patient: they’re coming.) Notice David’s actions in Psalm 31:22, For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. Though he felt “cut off” i.e. forsaken, he kept praying. We’ve all been there: we’ve felt abandoned by God (even Jesus on the Cross did.) But, when we’re “forsaken” and “alone” do we quit on God? Perhaps, if this is more descriptive of you than you’d like anyone to know, the answer would be to strengthen your walk with God when things are going well. In short, develop the habit of calling out to him when the sun is shining and the blessings are falling. Then, when the midnight is darkest, it’ll be second nature to you.
- Wednesday, 4/3/19 Psalm 30:5, For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life. Short-lived anger and sweet, life-restoring favor are godly. Go be godly today to your kids, your spouse, your pastor...and maybe everyone to whom God is godly. God is good to you: pass it on. Psalm 31:24, Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. Notice the order: we’re to be courageous, and then comes the strength. Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s going forward IN the fear. Courage is doing what you’re supposed to do while you’re terrified that everything is going to fall apart. Make your body do rightly and He’ll impart strength to your heart.
- Thursday, 4/4/19 Psalm 32:1 is a HUGE blessing!! Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. If you’re saved and the bills aren’t paid, you’re blessed. If you’re on your way to Heaven and the doctor gives bad news, you’re blessed. If you’re born again and people persecute you, you’re blessed. If you’re forgiven and get a letter from the IRS, you’re blessed. Now, if you believe what I just wrote, look at v11: Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Act like you’re blessed today. “Dress for success,” they say. “Clothes make the man,” is oft heard. “All men are created equal, and then they get dressed,” the advertiser advises. Yet...you went out of the house today LOOKING LIKE THAT??? Are you nuts??? Psalm 33:1, Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. “Comely” means beautiful. We all have an absolutely stunning garment in our closets, and we seldom wear it. Wear it today: and not just around the house. Praise Him to someone at work...and praise Him is such a way that THEY know Who it is you’re talking about.
- Friday, 4/5/19 Psalm 33:5, He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. What are you full of? Yourself? Sin? Anger? Criticism? Be like God and be full of goodness...and then share it with everyone whose paths you cross today. (That’s what He does, right?) One of the blessings of eternity will be that we will be free of our sin-corrupted bodies. Our minds will be pure and we’ll think like God. Psalm 33:12, Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. From the lofty courts of Heaven, we’ll look at the problems and fears and shake our heads and lament, “I got all bent out of shape over THAT? I was swimming in an ocean of blessings and had one tiny speck of garbage float by!! I’m so sorry Lord for all of the griping and trembling that I did.” To some degree, we can think like that now...but it takes discipline and practice.
- Saturday, 4/6/19 Proverbs 28:1, The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. If we’d be honest with ourselves, MOST of what we’re afraid of really isn’t much. For most of our troubles, the bark is FAR worse than their bite. Be bold: what MUST be endured CAN be endured. Is life pretty perplexing for you right now? Not sure what to do next? Which direction should you go? Proverbs 28:5b, They that seek the Lord understand all things. The unique will of God for each of us is revealed once we endeavor to faithfully do the revealed will of God to all of us. I don’t know how soul winning and tithing and faithful church attendance and apologizing and being thankful shows me what road in life to take, but they do...The recipe has worked for millennia: it’ll work in 2019 too.
- Sunday, 4/7/19 Matthew 20:10, But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny...[& complained]. I wonder how many of our problems, how many of our stresses, and how much of our discontentments come because we “supposed.” Acts 21:13, Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. Even when our hearts are consumed in a good thing they cannot be trusted to walk the spiritual path. DON’T EVER TRUST YOUR HEART!!! Trust the Bible and those who teach it straight and who lean upon it and who’ll give honest, objective counsel.
- Monday, 4/8/19 1 Samuel 12:22, For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. Just a reminder that He’s glad He’s got you. Yes, He’d like to refine you, but He loves and likes you. Bask in this thought today!! Psalm 32:1, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. The context indicates it’s referring to God’s forgiveness, but knowing another has forgiven you would also be a blessing. Think of those who’ve hurt you deeply. First of all, have you forgiven them? And secondly, do they KNOW, truly know and deeply believe that you have? Are you as loving to them as before? This is graduate level Christianity. If you’ve withdrawn from them, they probably don’t feel the “sin is covered.” Who is it that needs your love today?
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