Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 4/18/23  Psalm 143:2, And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. Thank God for learning. This was the same man who

penned, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” He needed to learn that God not only wiped away the negatives (penalty of sin, thru mercy); He added the positive (completed justification thru grace.) WHAT A GOD!!                         Psalm 143:4, Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. Since all of us will get overwhelmed at times, what are we to do? V5-11 tells us: v5 requires a purposeful clearing of the mind from the negative and a determined focus on the Lord.  V6, the lifting of hands is indicative of a surrender to the Lord.  V7 talks of praying.  And V8 speaks of a desire to obey, a bending of our will to His.  God’s Bible is a recipe Book for successful living.

- Wednesday, 4/19/23  Psalm 144:3, Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Never get past the fact that God had every right to send you to Hell but He made a way to forgive you. He is SOOOOO good to us.                              Psalm 144:12, That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.  ¹Have high goals and dreams for your kids.  ²Devise a plan HOW to help them get there.  ³Be very patient and supportive and wisely forceful in keeping them on the path.  ⁴At some point realize that your dreams and goals for them will become secondary to their goals for themselves. Let them go...it IS their life. They will face God for themselves. They are not YOURS; they're His. You are simply a steward with His property on loan to you.

- Thursday, 4/20/23  Proverbs 16:5, Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: THOUGH hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. God doesn’t own a set of balance scales. What is wrong is wrong, and we can’t balance it out with good. Repent of and stop the bad; start and continue the good.                            Proverbs 16:6b, ...and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. A proper attitude toward God leads to an increased awareness of sin and potential for holiness. We need to develop our own walk with God: He’s a real Person: how you get close to a human is how you get close to Him: talk, listen, thank, compliment, give in, spend time, etc. Are you deepening your relationship, or could you be classified as “stagnant”?

- Friday, 4/21/23  Proverbs 16:10, A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment. In regards to you and I, our boss speaks for God. God is able to direct him to do to us as He wills. (Like He directed Babylon to attack Israel, and then punished them for their sinfulness.)                            Psalm 147:19-20, He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord. Thank God for your Bible!! Thank Him that He has made known His will and His manner of thinking to us. Thank Him that you can read! How could you strengthen your Bible life? I’ve got several schedules and other helps if I could help you. I also send out a daily Bible thought text every morning, and a weekly email with thoughts. If you’d like either of those, just message me.

- Saturday, 4/22/23  Psalm 149:2, Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Very simply: are you characterized as a happy Christian? Emotions are driven by thoughts: maybe your less-than-joyful spirit shows that you’re guilty of “stinkin’ thinkin’”?                         Proverbs 19:25, Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge. Sometimes, not often, and certainly not always, the harsh way to treat somebody is the correct way, the way the Lord commands. Sometimes, it’s what “Jesus would do.” Don’t be so “nice,” “so tactful,” “so PC” that you become so disobedient.

- Sunday, 4/23/23  Psalm 150:6, Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. It’s said so often that it is somewhat cliché: but DO you praise God? Praise is verbally acknowledging what He’s done for us. Speak out loud to Him and to others and brag on Him. It’s a command, and it helps all other areas of our Christian lives.                              John 19:10, Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and tried to release Him, and he had the authority to do so, but he chose the easiest path. In leadership, the cost of having the power of the office is the responsibility and duty to make and implement the hard choices. (Apply to parenting, work, or church offices.)

- Monday, 4/24/23  Psalm 1:2, But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. We read the Bible; hear It preached; try to obey It to some degree...but do we “DELIGHT” in It? How can we cultivate a taste for It so that It becomes an enjoyment to us? Think of what It is, and what it cost for us to have a copy.                          Proverbs 20:13, Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. A successful life in general, a successful Christian life, a successful marriage is a matter of learning balance. There are things that we need and want and like...but not too much. There are things we need and don’t want and don’t like...but we must partake of them. The quicker we strive for this and the more diligent at making proper (not easy, not fun) choices, the better off we will be.