Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 9/19/17  1 Samuel 25:13, And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. David wrote psalms while running from Saul but was about to commit murder here. No amount of good deeds justifies any bad deeds. Nor does any amount of future bad undo the past good.           
                        Read all of 1 Samuel 25.  V13, And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. David had no claim on the goods of Nabal. Sure, Nabal could’ve/should’ve shared with David and his men in return for their protection, but for David to demand it was wrong. David had lived so long on the run from the law that he assumed powers that were beyond him. Beware that you don’t get enthralled with your position and power and think that you deserve more and more. Stay humble, even when, and especially when, you’re the head honcho.

 

- Wednesday, 9/20/17  How deeply do you love? Have you ever prayed that you could take the just punishment in place of someone whom you loved? Romans 9:3, For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Deep stuff...                                    In troubles, it is VERY easy to think that what we see is ALL that could be seen. Romans 11:3-4, I am left alone, and they seek my life.   But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men... We must remember that God sees more than we do, and He is doing more than we know. I know it’s trite to say, (I’m in the midst of it now), but we’ve got to trust that He’ll do right by us in the best time...Hang on, do right today, and do right tomorrow...that’s all we can do and that’s what we’re supposed to do.

 

- Thursday, 9/21/17  Psalm 39:5, ...verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Never get so full of yourself as to think that you’re not part of this “every man.” You’re not THAT good! Definitely not good enough to look down on or run down someone else.                         Psalm 85:6, Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? As long as we’re in this dying body, we’ll never be alive enough. The best of us need revival, TODAY. The best of us are not joy-full enough. Do what you know you need to do: confess, rededicate, work harder, forgive, love someone some more...it’s not rocket science: it’s righteousness.

 

- Friday, 9/22/17  Psalm 86:5, For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. What a verse! The first half is easy to understand; the 2^nd half means there’s mercy for our sins, of course, but also, mercy for our requests. God WANTS to answer our prayers.                                 Psalm 85:6-7, Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. I just saw this: the psalmist asks the question in v6-7, and then the answer, or formula to fulfill the request is given in the rest of the psalm. V8: truly hearing what God says in His word. V9: a proper attitude toward Him. Plenty of personal mercy and truth and righteousness in vv10-11. And walking how and where He’d like in v13.                               1 Peter 1:6, Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. “Wherein” refers back to v5 which talks about eternal security. If all else is falling apart, that is ONE thing you can “rejoice greatly” over.

 

- Saturday, 9/23/17  Romans 14:19, Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. Do you follow peaceful things at work, at home, in church? Do you edify your family, coworkers, friends, church members? Evaluate honestly...                               Psalm 86:1, Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy. There are 2 vital elements of proper spiritual attitudes here. First, a realization that God has to humble Himself to even look on us, let alone hear and consider our petitions. Secondly, a humility of self: we don’t deserve anything better than eternal Hellfire: we are “poor and needy.”                            Romans 15:1, We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. How much and how well we put up with the sins of the weak brethren (even if they're against us, and even if they “should know better...”) shows how strong and how mature we are in Christ. So, grade yourself...

 

- Sunday, 9/24/17  Matthew 25:40, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Very simply, how did you treat Jesus in the last 24 hours? (How did you treat the “least” of those you interacted with at work, at home, on the road?)                                    Do you realize the damage we do when we won’t forgive another Christian? When we will no longer associate with him? When we ignore them, or turn our heads and “pretend” not to see them? 1 Samuel 26:19, ...they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods. It’s a bigger matter than the grievances against us and our wounded spirits. Whether we know it or not, we are actively trying to eliminate a friendly soldier, an ally, from the Lord’s army. NONE of us deserve to serve a holy, perfect God. NONE of us have the right to cast stones at another. If you can’t associate closely with someone, OK, but at least encourage them by at least acknowledging their presence or positive efforts. Swallow your arrogant pride and shake their hand and greet them and pray for them. Don’t add the rejection of a “brother” to the conviction and regrets of sin. No wonder our weak ones run to the world...                         Proverbs 20:3, It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling. The word “strife” means a “contest.” Are you always trying to get in the final (winning) word? Prove your point? Demonstrate your rightness or their wrongness? Let it go.

 

- Monday, 9/25/17  Does your boss like to be around you? Do you make him happy? Does he love you? Maybe check your lips: see if there’s some garbage there. Proverbs 16:13, Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.                        1 Samuel 30:6, ...but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. What was David’s situation? He’d been rejected by God’s people; he’d been rejected by the world and his boss; he and his men came to find all of their possessions burned and all of their loved ones missing, and presumed dead. He was lower than low...and sought God. Maybe you and I could/should do the same thing.                                   Proverbs 20:12, The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them. Idea: go head to toe on yourself and thank God for each working part: 5 senses, arms, legs, joints. Maybe divide the body into sections and do one/day every day.

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- Ps 135:3, Praise the Lord: for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name: for it is pleasant. If for no other reason than for His goodness, we ought to praise the Lord. Singing songs of praise to Him will be pleasant and uplifting to our soul, regardless of our circumstances.

 

- Today, place your treasure where your heart ought to be. Matt 6:21, For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

- If you struggle with self discipline, then surround yourself with disciplined people. The very atmosphere will supply your shortage.  Jeremiah 5:5, "I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds."

 

- John 8:11, She said, No man, Lord [hath condemned me.] And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.  I fear that all too often we get these two statements backwards.

 

- Matt 6:10, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. There will be no grudges in Heaven, which means there ought not be any on earth.

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- There in no misery so great as being in the will of God and wanting out.

 

- Action nurtures emotion. Love, romance and passion are emotions that are nurtured by activity, not inactivity.

 

- The test of your character is not revealed by your patience, but by your impatience.

 

- I feared to give my life to God assuming He would send me to the darkest place on earth, but He sent me to the garden of Eden!

 

- I gave my dreams to God and He crushed them into tiny pieces. Not long after, He surprised me. Not only did He feed 5,000, but He gave me back my dreams with interest!

 

- Sometimes I have to remind myself that He is still the light when I am in my midnight hour.

 

- The holier we become the more unholy we will seem to ourselves and the more unholy we seem to ourselves the holier we will become.

 

- A happy marriage is one where neither is waiting for the other to make them happy.

 

- Just because I have the right to do something doesn't mean it is the right thing to do.

 

- A series of failures may lead to you a place of humility where God can actually mold and use you.

 

- My most painful trials have taught me lessons I did not even realize I needed to learn.

 

- Afflictions are necessary. Complaining is not.