- Tuesday, 3/27/18
Proverbs 21:2, Every way of a man
is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. Very simply:
do you want things the way you can see them, from a human’s ground-level
viewpoint, or would you rather use and trust God’s high and omniscient
viewpoint? It’s an easy answer to verbalize: now live it.
Proverbs 21:17, He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. A simple self-analytical question: does whether something ranks as “fun” factor largely into how hard you’ll pursue it or wish to engage in it? Thrill seeking leads to a person who is deficient in many aspects of life. Hedonism never satisfied anyone. “Do right” even if it’s hard. Walk the path God intends for you to walk even if it is all uphill and full of rocks and thorns: His pleasure will make it all worth it not many days hence.
Proverbs 21:17, He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. A simple self-analytical question: does whether something ranks as “fun” factor largely into how hard you’ll pursue it or wish to engage in it? Thrill seeking leads to a person who is deficient in many aspects of life. Hedonism never satisfied anyone. “Do right” even if it’s hard. Walk the path God intends for you to walk even if it is all uphill and full of rocks and thorns: His pleasure will make it all worth it not many days hence.
- Wednesday, 3/28/18
Psalm 86:12-13a, I will praise
thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for
evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me... Much of the Christian life
becomes more clear and much easier if we focus on His mercy toward us. How
undeserving were you? Psalm
115:1, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. I’m
very guilty here: when we try to orchestrate and manipulate the solution to our
problems, we are trying to get glory for ourselves. When we initially stop,
wait on the Lord, and pray over things, and then proceed as we feel He would
have us, the spotlight is on Him. Let God do WHAT He wants, and let Him do it
WHEN He wants to do it. Remember, you and I see our situation from our narrow,
myopic viewpoint and want things to turn out best for US...He has more people
in mind and a bigger stage. Hard lesson to learn...many refresher courses given.
- Thursday, 3/29/18
Proverbs 25:2, It is the glory of
God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
I confess, I’ve been very impatient with the Lord in my recent troubles:
answers were slow in coming. But continued meditation on verses and searching
has produced many answers. Quit being a welfare believer expecting the
treasures of Heaven to be tossed to you like scraps from God’s table. Luke 17:4, And if he trespass against thee seven times
in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou
shalt forgive him. Notice that the offended allowed the offender to get
close enough again to hurt him 6 MORE TIMES.
It seems that forgiveness that DOESN’T clear the record as if the
offense never happened ISN’T FORGIVENESS. Or, to look at the other side, if we
“forgive” but keep the offender at arm’s length...there’s been no forgiveness.
Now, go TRULY forgive your parents; your spouse; your former boss; your
ex...forgive, and NEVER MENTION IT AGAIN, EVEN TO YOURSELF. And if he trespass against thee seven times
in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou
shalt forgive him.
- Friday, 3/30/18 Ezekiel
28:2, Son of man, say unto the prince of
Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast
said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God...yet thou art a man, and not God,
though thou set thine heart as the heart of God. Sin and pride can make
anyone WAAAYY stupid...even you; even me. We must humble ourselves by choice or
He will, and it won’t be as palatable. Luke 17:10, So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all
those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we
have done that which was our duty to do. Notice that doing ALL that we’re
supposed to do = no profits for the Master. Getting to the break even point
should be our first objective...and then going beyond. We’re commanded to love
one another; forgive as God does; meditate on the Bible night and day...so I
guess we’ve got more spiritual ground to conquer. “Let’s go!! Break Time is
over!! Time to fight the next battle!!”
- Saturday, 3/31/18 John
12:7, Then said Jesus, Let her alone:
against the day of my burying hath she kept this. In our inherent pride, we
think how we worship Christ is THE right way. Let others worship God how they
feel right. He can correct it if He wants. If you need to keep a distance from
them, OK, but quit criticizing. Psalm
119:27, Make me to understand the way of
thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. We are often guilty of
knowing the precepts and talking of His works, but not so often the “way”
lifestyle, reasons, nuances of the precepts. Maybe this is why so many of our
youth abandon “the rigid rules Dad preached.” WHY do you believe what you
believe? What good is living the Christian life? Explain the “why’s” behind the
“what’s.”
- Sunday, 4/1/18 2 Kings
7:9a, Then they said one to another, We
do not well. Very bluntly: whose sins are you more likely to see and
confess: your own or another’s? Regardless of how we view the situation, God
says you and I, at best, have a beam, while everyone else, at worst, has a
splinter. “WE (you, me, us) do not well.” Galatians 1:11-12, But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me
is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it,
but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Very simply, when was the last time
God opened His word to you? I am very sure that one reason that He’s given me
at least 2 fresh thoughts each day for over 8 years is because I share what I
get. I send out a daily text, and post here on FB. Do you WANT to hear from the
Lord? Maybe break the logjam: share some things you know. (Message me for more
suggestions on getting started.)
- Monday, 4/2/18 Psalm
119:59, I thought on my ways, and turned
my feet unto thy testimonies. Step 1: reflect on our own spiritual
condition: strengths, weaknesses, sins. Step 2: Repent (in heart, in head.)
Step 3: Confess to God and others. Step 4: Start walking a different path. Step
5: repeat. Don’t stop before the final step. Very
little of the Christian life is to be DONE TO/FOR us. Most of the instruction
for the preacher is the same as it is for me. God knows no tiers for His
kids. Psalm 119:171, My lips shall
utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statues. Are you guilty of
thinking that since someone else “is better at that, I’ll let them do it.
That’s not my forte”? No, each of us it to praise; each of us is to worship
(those are different); each is to pray; each is to give; each is to serve; each
is to win souls; each is to mine the Bible for golden nuggets of truth; each is
to confess; each is to humble themselves; each is to exhort the other; each is
to forgive.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bible thoughts from some others:
- God poured out His wrath on His son, in
order that He might pour out his mercy on me.
- Pro 23:7, For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
Eat and drink, saith he to thee, but his heart is not with thee. We need to
be very careful where and with whom we go to eat, for appearance and safety’s
sake. We owe that to our Saviour, Who paid our sin debt and saved us.
- Psalm 124:4, Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the streams had gone over our soul.
PTL that we’re not the first to get down, depressed, and beside ourselves.
- Mark 10:15, Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God
as a little child, he shall not enter therein. The need for child-like
faith for the salvation of a lost sinner cannot be overemphasized. The proud
will never get eternal salvation.
- Acts 17:21, For all the Athenians and strangers which
were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear
some new thing. This is what we would find being taught, discussed, and
preached in our schools of higher education today. No absolute, godly truth.
- 1 Cor 12:18,
But now hath God set the members everyone
of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. There are no unimportant parts
in the body of God’s family! It is not for us to decide who is most important
and who is most needed. That’s His choice, not ours.
- Ps 130:2, Lord hear my voice: let thine ears be
attentive to the voice of my supplication. This should be our heart’s cry
every day.
- Mark 10:40, But to sit on my right hand and on my left
hand is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
Places of honor and authority are God’s business. We need to be busy doing what
He wants us to do and be less concerned about our position.
- Even if you
do not get a thing from reading the Bible or being faithful to church, it
proves that you showed up for God when He needed you. That holds powerful
leverage for when you need God to show up for you.
- It's harder
to pretend to be a Christian than to be a Christian. Living a double standard
is living two lives which shortens a lifespan.
2 Corinthians 11:3, ... so your
minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
- God doesn't
remember the sins you can't forget.
- Seek for God
to be your Master, not your Friend. If you make him your Master, He will choose
to be your Friend.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Miscellaneous
thoughts from others:
- Cell phones are a dangerous distraction when driving. They are
also a dangerous distraction when walking with God.
-
The only way to beat the devil at his own game is to stop playing games with
the devil.
- It was not when I arrived at the bottom that I came back to
God. It was when I came to myself. Some people hit bottom a long time before
they find themselves. Hitting bottom is consequential. Coming to self is
convicting.
- Sometimes a strong won't
is more important than a strong will.
- Parent do NOT blame yourself for a prodigal child. God is THE
perfect Father. Is it also His fault when His kids mess up?
- Don't throw in the towel. Instead use it to wipe another brow
or to wash another's feet. As long as you keep using the towel it will give you
reason not to throw it in. READ THAT AGAIN!!!
- You will never climb to the top of the mountain until you spend
extended time on your knees in the valley.
- There is always a good excuse not to pray, so make your reasons
to pray bigger than your excuses.
- God's delays and detours are meant to either lead us to a
better place or protect us from a dangerous one.
- Forgiveness reveals that you meant it when you said you love
someone. Unforgiveness reveals you were lying.
- If you tripped over me when I fell, you may blame me for your
fall, but do not blame me that you never got back up.
- Some of the most important lessons I have learned about
forgiveness came from people who refused to forgive me. Thank you teachers.
- I stopped waiting for someone to give me a chance to be used of
God again, and began taking every chance God gave me to help someone who is
hurting.
- God's peace is not an escape from troubles but an oasis in our
troubles.
- The older I get, the less I want what I once thought I could
not live without and the more I want the things I once thought I did not need.
- Don't ask God to make you as good a Christian as another unless
you're willing to accept their trials as part of the answer.
- Your hurt may be another's fault but your vengeful response to that
hurt is on you.
- It is easy to be attracted to a person of success, but it takes
discipline to follow the path they took to the point of attraction
- If the burden is too small to take to the Lord, then don't
bother others with it.
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