Baptist City Blog

1 Corinthians 3:3

"For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?"

Dealing with strife can be one of the most stressful things. Proverbs 17:1 says, "Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife." A home that is filled with strife is a home that has no joy. A church that is filled with strife is a church where its members endure. Those who deal with strife oftentimes will do anything to get away from it. Many Christians quit church and serving God because they just don't want to deal with the drama and strife at their church. I have talked to many people who have told me the reason they don't go to church is because of the strife at their church.

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James 1:22

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

The responses towards the preaching of God's Word varies with every individual. Throughout the years of my ministry, I have watched people respond, some good and some bad. You would think every Christian would want to respond properly towards God's Word for in It is the "power of God unto salvation." (Romans 1:16) In this chapter of James, we see there are several responses toward the preaching of God's Word, some are beneficial but others are detrimental to the Christian.

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Luke 14:26

"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

Nearly every week of my life I board a plane to fly to a meeting. As you drive to the airport, there are many different airlines that provide services to travel. When you look at their aircraft, you can tell which one belongs to which airline because of the identifying marks on the plane. Each airline has its own identifying marks so you know who it belongs to.

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Luke 7:13

"And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not."

We are reminded in Hebrews 4:15 that Jesus has feelings. We were created in His image, and being created in His image reminds us that Jesus has feelings because we do. The feelings of Jesus are many in the Scriptures, but let me point out a few of the feelings He had.

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Mark 6:50

"For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid."

One of my favorite store bought cookies are Oreo cookies. I like the Oreo cookie because inside of the two hard layers is a layer of frosting that makes the cookie good. Nobody would like the Oreo cookie if it didn't have the frosting. That frosting in the middle makes the two hard layers more enjoyable. Truly, you should face your storms of life just like you enjoy the Oreo cookie.

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Matthew 14:31

"And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

We all love to hear the story of Peter walking on the water to go to Jesus. That story is truly one of the most amazing stories in the Scriptures. The disciples were on the sea when a storm arose, and fear filled their hearts because they thought death was imminent. As they were doing everything they could to save their lives, they saw something walking on the water. They later learned that something was a Someone; it was Jesus Christ.

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Nehemiah 4:10

"And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall."

Nehemiah's whole ministry was about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Those walls were important for the protection of his people. The temple that Ezra was rebuilding needed those walls rebuilt so that it would not be in danger. The heritage to pass on to the next generation was at stake, and that is why the walls needed to be rebuilt. Nehemiah had a lot on his plate, and the rebuilding of those walls had to be completed.

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Esther 8:8

"Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse."

Mordecai, Esther and the Jews were facing total annihilation. A law had been written that was sealed with the king's ring. Whenever the king made a law, it was considered unalterable. Esther 1:19 shows us the strength of these laws when it says, "...let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered..." It looked as if the Jews had no hope.

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Zechariah 8:16

"These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:"

Every person tries to learn how to get on the good side of someone to whom they are close. A child knows what they have to do to get on their parent's good side. A spouse knows what it takes to get on the good side of their spouse. Employees, friends and church members all know what they must do to get on the good side of their boss, friend or pastor.

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Ezra 4:1

"Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;"

Whenever you start doing a work for God, you will find that the adversaries will come out. Ezra saw this happen when he endeavored to rebuild the temple. His adversaries tried several approaches to hinder the building of the temple, and there was a point when they actually got him to stop. Thankfully, you'll see that Ezra finished rebuilding the temple in spite of his adversaries.

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