Sunday, 5/17/15 1 Sam 12:6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Moses and
Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. God
governs promotions. Sure, submit your resume; yes, network; but leave your
promotion in His hands. Live by faith in this area too. 1 Sam 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of
the oxen...and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every
thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. Their
foundational mistake was thinking that they had the right and the wherewithal
to decide what was good and what was bad instead of simply obeying God. Compare
to today’s views regarding what our standards of behavior concerning alcohol,
modest dress, proper decorum, surrendering a life to God’s service should be.
It’s not our prerogative to decide what’s good and bad. That is what Eve did in
the Garden: when the woman saw that the
tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired... This usurpation of God’s authority got her kicked out of the
Garden; it got Saul kicked off of the throne; it’ll get us into trouble also.
Monday, 5/18/15 1 Sam 12:24 Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for
consider how great things he hath done for you. A reluctance to serve shows
a lack of awareness of His goodness. You’ve been “loaded with benefits” today;
you’ve got “new mercies” this morning: what’ll you do for Him? Acts 28:24 And some believed the things which were
spoken, and some believed not. Those who don’t believe cannot claim there’s
a lack of evidence for Christianity. (They may claim ignorance, but that’s
their own fault.) Their problem: preconceived notions; reliance on faulty
sources for info (their church or pastors vs. the Bible), and ultimately, a stubborn
and rebellious heart.
Tuesday, 5/19/15 Ps 18:1 I
will love thee, O Lord my strength. True love is a choice, an act of the
will, not an emotion. Dr. Hyles said, “You choose to love; you give to feel
it.” Love is simply deciding to treat someone the way the Bible directs. See
Rom 13:10. 1 Cor 2:9
(referencing Isa 64:4) But as it is
written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. This
verse is usually quoted and said to refer to Heaven’s glories...but it has
NOTHING to do with Heaven. You see, the thought continues in v10 because a
conjunction is used. (Remember, “Conjunction Junction”? Conjunctions connect
words, phrases, or clauses.) But God hath
revealed them (past tense) unto us by
his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1 Cor 2:9 is referring to the treasures in the Word of God. Have you gone
treasure hunting today? No, not just reading...are you LOOKING for indescribable
TREASURE?!?!?
Wednesday, 5/20/15 Pro 17:6 Children’s
children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
Hey Dad! Grandad! Are you, in any way,
shape, or form glorious?? If your answer is “no” then maybe something ought to
change. 1 Cor 4:10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are
wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honorable, but we are
despised. Do you really want to be used of God? How does your reputation
stand up against Paul’s? I’m not saying we should try to be obnoxious or
anything...but maybe if we acted a little more like Paul, we’d be treated a
little more like he was treated.
Thursday, 5/21/15 Matt 23:28 Even so [you Pharisees] also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but
within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. To a degree, all of us act
generally better than our hearts’ condition, but could you be said to be full of hypocrisy and sin? 1 Cor 2:9 is usually
quoted as referring to Heaven. But as it
is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for that that love him.
But v10 continues the thought. But God
hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit... V9 refers to the Bible!! 1Always
check the context for the meaning. 2What a verse is commonly said to mean, may not be
correct. 3Believe what you see
in the Bible, not what someone says
is in the Bible. 4Know what you know; know why it is so.
Friday, 5/22/15 Ps 22:1 My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me,
and from the words of my roaring? As I read this today, I prayed, “Lord,
don’t let me doubt You like this” then I realized Jesus said this too. You WILL
go through dark times...and He’ll still be there. Ps
96:1 O sing unto the Lord a new song.
Why am I, specifically me
(and specifically you)
supposed to sing a new song? I think the reason this command is given to me
(remember all of the Bible was written to just me...and to just you), was that
I must’ve written that new song. 1My life is unique. No one
has ever had the exact same people and things happen to them. 2So,
I am a unique person with a never-before-seen perspective. 3So
I’ve got something to sing that no one has ever quite had before. 4God
gave me my specific skills (probably greater than I know or acknowledge) for
the purpose of glorifying Him. So...go write a new song today.
Saturday, 5/23/15 1 Sam 18:14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with
him. All of us would like God to be with us: we must walk wisely. (Wisdom
is simply seeing things from God’s perspective and acting accordingly.) Ps 100:3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he
that hath made us, and not we ourselves... Your basic wiring and design are
His choice. If you’re analytical: it’s from Him. If you’re quiet, He caused
that. (Of course, we adapt throughout life and modify ourselves.) But quit
criticizing your foundational self. Fix whatever you’ve screwed up, but much of
you’re critical of is what makes you to be you.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thoughts from some others
- Far too often we schedule things to do that need prayer, then fail
to schedule a time to pray for those things we scheduled to do. How foolish we
are.
- Every Christian's prayer should be: Lord, set me on fire and then
send a mighty wind.
- Do not complain if the preacher does not warm your heart with his
sermon. His job is not to warm it but to place truth on a heart that was
preheated.
- If God seems silent in your life try opening his Word so you can
hear him speak.
- Before you can truly live for God, a part of you has to die first.
You have to let go and bury what could have been had you not fallen and failed
the Lord. You have to accept that you can’t change that past sin, the opinions
of others about you for your fall, or the consequences that came from your
choices. When you finally accept this, then you will understand the true
meaning of living in God's forgiveness and you will be able to live in the
opportunities of today.
- Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know
better, do better.
- Add wisdom to knowledge and you’ll not only know what to say, but
how, when, and whether or not to say it.
- Christ-like grace is forgiving but it understands that sin has its
consequences.
- With God there are no accidents. There are just purposes that we
don't yet understand.
- If you want a bad marriage, put yourself first. If you want a good
marriage put your spouse first. If you want a great marriage put God first.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- 1 Kings 17:4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook, and I have
commanded the ravens to feed thee there. God’s provisions for His obedient
servants is more miraculous than he could imagine. He has access to all of
Creation, and all but man obey without question.
- Pro 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole
disposing thereof is of the Lord. Nothing happens by chance; our
omnipotent, omniscient God controls it all.
- Ps 50:4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and
to the earth, that he may judge his people. God expects more of His
children, and holds them to a higher standard of conduct than He does the
Devil’s kids.
- Bible
thoughts! Ps 18:16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
Troubles in life are inevitable. Aren't we glad our God is big enough to handle
them all? He's a mighty defender!
- 2 Tim 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from my
forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of
thee in my prayers night and day. This has inspired me to do a much better
job of remembering to pray for my family, and not letting even one single day
go by without praying for them!
- Bible thoughts!
Ps 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of
God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Even nature praises God! The
children of God can't be outdone by Mother Nature, now can they?
- Pro 19:25 Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath
understanding and he will understand knowledge. It takes a firm hand to get
the attention of the simple, but the wise listen, and need only a word of
caution and warning.
- Pro 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools
shall be destroyed. Close companions and associates have a huge impact on
our behavior.
- Pro 21:30 There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord.
God does not need instruction, advice, or input from us. He is very capable and
qualified. We have all the instruction and info He wanted us to have. Let’s
read and obey, not tinker with or change.
- Bible thoughts! Ps 22:24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the
affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he
cried unto him, he heard." I've always been amazed at this verse! I
mean, what could I have possibly done to deserve such love and devotion that
the God of this universe would stop to listen to little ole' me?! Such
tremendous love!
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