Baptist City Blog

Tuesday, 5/24/16  Isa 53:11, He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. The Father’s justice was satisfied with what Jesus did on the Cross. Are you? Are you trusting His sacrifice and that alone, or that PLUS something that you can do?                 Ps 119:33, Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. The psalmist asked to be taught the ways of the statutes, not just the statutes, and said that doing so would help him obey. We absolutely must teach the “why’s” behind the “what’s.”

 

Wednesday, 5/25/16  Ps 119:65, Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word. Lord, forgive me for being anything other than ridiculously happy and contented.                        Ps 119:92, Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction. To delight in something involves emotional attachment...i.e. liking the Word of God. Don’t let your mind dwell on negative aspects of It: “I HAVE to get my reading in...” “Oh, He’s always telling me what NOT to do...” “Obey or else!!” Cultivate a love the same way you develop a love for a person: by minimizing and discounting their negatives and maximizing and dwelling on their positives. Even the “negatives” of the Bible are really positives. Discipline your mind to delight in It so as to not perish in afflictions.

 

Thursday, 5/26/16  Ps 119:66, Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments. Accessing the commandments is Step #1. Believing them is Step #2. Asking God to teach them to you is Step #3. (Notice that belief comes before learning.) And “good judgment” implies obedience, which would be included too.                        Luke 21:34, And take heed to yourselves, lest at any times your hearts be overcharged (burdened, overloaded) with surfeiting (painful overeating and drinking to excess), and drunkenness (alcohol), and cares (distractions) of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares (unexpected). Don’t get so wrapped up in having fun that you miss the spiritual aspects of life.

 

Friday, 5/27/16  Pro 25:17, Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor’s house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee. Do you tend to overstay your welcome? Take excessive amounts of another’s time? Monopolize conversations?             In Jer 2:6, 8,God was outlining His case for judgment against His people. In v6, they were content to live without seeing God’s hand work: Neither said they, Where is the Lord that brought us u out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? The priests said not, Where is the Lord? And they that handled the law knew me not: that pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. In v8, the full-time Christina workers didn’t regret not seeing Him work. Those handling the law (SS teachers) didn’t know Him. The staff members had unconfessed sin. (Maybe they felt that they were “good enough.”) Would you have been part of the problem here or part of the solution? Would you have hindered or hastened God’s judgment?

 

Saturday, 5/28/16  Pro 25:25, As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Who lives far away that you could refresh? Former teacher? Pastors? Youth pastors? Parents? Grandparents. Give them some good news: you’re doing OK, living for God, still in church, still faithful to your spouse, etc.                       Jer 8:12, Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. I think many (most) of us are far too familiar with and used to and comfortable with sin. Lord have mercy on us!! Revive us, please.

 

Sunday, 5/29/16  Not only should we hate what God hates, we should like what He likes. Jer 9:24b, But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.                     Ps 119:105, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path Will you allow the Word of God to direct your path today? The words that you speak? Feelings, thoughts? (Did you yesterday? Day before?)

 

Monday, 5/30/16  Is this the most ominous verse in the Bible? Jer 15:6, Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I AM WEARY WITH REPENTING. God has a Point of No Return on His repenting against our chastisement.              2 Tim 3:16, All scripture...is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Beware of those who would discount OT scripture. God’s character, holiness, and desires have not changed. If God has “done away with” OT precepts, why did He preserve it for us today? Did He have a page requirement from His publishers? OT law is exactly that: LAW. And even the passages that deal with civil government under a theocracy or ceremonial law under the Levitical priesthood are relevant to us today to teach us principles and give us insights to His thinking. Biblical dispensation is a division of time, not doctrine.

 

Tuesday, 5/31/16  Luke 5:4-5a, ...Launch out... and let down your nets... Simon answering said... Parents, do you let your kids “answer” you (i.e. argue, balk, hesitate, justify, reason) before you demand they obey? Kids (also employees and subordinates in general): do you engage in this reprehensible action?              Luke 24:5b, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here... Why do you seek the Saviour in a dead church (A non-soul winning, no specific preaching against sins, no altar calls for repentance)? In a dead Bible (from poor manuscripts, not blessed by God, copyrighted by man, i.e. non-KJB)? Amidst dead people (non-born again...the unborn. Quit going to church with zombies!)?                  Read Ps 100:1-5. There are at least 11 commandments or stipulations for us to fulfill in vv1-4. Can you find them all? Do you do them all?

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- People who row the boat don't usually rock the boat. Critics often do nothing but criticize.

- God wants your submission, not your permission.

- Nobody is totally unbiased and unprejudiced. Nobody has all of the information. Nobody understands everyone. Nobody, that is, except God.

- If God were small enough to be understood, he wouldn't be big enough to be worshipped.

- The sickest sinners in our churches are those who would disqualify converted sinners from serving Christ.

- More and more I'm convinced new truth is not the need of the churches. Rather, sincere and careful expression of the old through preaching and teaching. Some of us were taught to find some “great truth,” and we failed to realize it's all great truth.

- The greatest awareness that I have today is my need of God. I must meet with Him in His house on this first day of the week if I can expect His blessing on the rest of my week.

- I heard one man say, a little while ago, that he did not believe there was a true Christian living, because he had found out so many hypocrites. Be reminded him that there could be no hypocrites if there were no genuine ones. No one would try to forge bank notes if there were no genuine ones. No one would think of passing a bad sovereign if there were no sterling coin. So the fact of there being some hypocrites proves that there are some genuine characters.

- If God has shut a door, quit banging on it!! Trust that whatever is behind it is not best for you.

- When a civilization quits working, that civilization begins to crumble.

- Caution should be taken in how you treat elders for one day you will be one.

- In life fish see the bait, but not the hook; while men see the popularity of something but not the peril of the same.

- Sermons should begin when they end!

- No child of God can buy his way out of personal soul winning by giving and not going.

- It is the love of their sins that makes men hate God.

- We typically only make appointments with those we feel are important. Perhaps that is why so few Christians have an appointed time to pray.

- Today's opportunities await you in the form of hurting people. We miss them because we are looking for things to do rather than people to help.

- When did we decide that being an ambassador for Christ really meant being a private investigator in the church?

- Broken crayons are still useful in the hands of a child. Broken people are still useful in the hands of God.

- Satan can knock us down, but he cannot hold us down. However he can fool us into believing that we cannot get back up.

- Honor is not given based upon the merit of the parent. Honor is given based upon the character of the child.

- The best way to avoid a confrontation with your spouse is to have one with yourself.

- Sometimes we mistake a cross for a consequence or a consequence for a cross. A cross is God ordered while a consequence is self inflicted. A consequence is something we suffer because of our sins. A cross is something we bear because of the purpose God has chosen for us.

- Grab grace and you will lose your grip on grudges.

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- A Good Exhortation For Fathers (and anyone). Pro 27:7, The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. Our loved one's souls need to be extremely full of the right things: God's word, your love, guidance, encouragement, time, etc. Otherwise, they'll go looking for it in, and accept it from, all the wrong places and people...and they'll THINK it's good. (I was quite convicted of this when I realized what vs7 meant; and that it goes in context with verses 5, 6, & 9)

- Bible thoughts! Ps 59:1, Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. David uses the words "O my God" in the most reverent way. So should we. Let's never use those words flippantly.

- Bible thoughts! Exo 25:8, And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. I find it amazingly encouraging that the King of Kings wants (WANTS!!!) to meet with us! He's so sovereign and mighty, yet He longs to spend time with His people! Woohoo!

- Bible thoughts! Ps 57:4, My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. We CAN learn to exalt God even in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances!

- Bible thoughts! Ps 56:8, Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When we cry because we just can't take it anymore, God takes notice and takes action! He's a very sympathetic Daddy over His kids! Put those worried tears away and delight in Him today!

- Bible thoughts! Ps 55:22a, Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee. I found a very encouraging quote this morning while studying this chapter! Enjoy! Have a great day, peeps! "If I cast my burden upon the Lord, what business have I to carry it myself? How can I truthfully say that I have cast it upon him if still I am burdened with it?"

- Pro 31:3, Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. "Strength" means ability or efficiency. What is it that you give yourself to in a days time? Some things have no place in a Christian's life. Things that make you inefficient can destroy you. At the end of the day, did I use my strength to profit time and eternity or did I waste it? Today, I give my strength to God!

- What if Jesus said, "I've given, and I've given, and I've given. It's about time I get some receiving." We probably would not fully trust Him, nor would we be willing to give anything back. But He gave, and He gave, and He still gives even if we never give back. That is what pierces my hard calloused heart and makes me want to give my all!

- Forgiven? Then Forgive!! And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, Matt 6:12.