Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 43, 44, 45; Psalm 15, 45, 75, 105, 135; Proverbs 15
“My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” Psalm 45:1
Having been a daily writer for two weeks now, I am drawn to this passage today. In our text, the word “inditing” means to gush. It makes me think of all the times growing up on my aunt and uncle’s farm. I picked up a garden hose to fill the watering trough. I would usually pick it up and have water “gush” into my face or at the very lease get my leg wet. Oh, the joys of growing up on the farm.
I was also thinking of a funnel. Oh, to receive a dollar bill for every time I twisted the big metal funnel into the top of the diesel fuel tank on top of the “International Harvester 560” tricycle type tractor. I would begin to poor a five gallon bucket (with a lid) into the funnel. Once it started, I could go ahead and turn it all the way up, and rest the bucket face down on the funnel and listen for the all too familiar “glub, glub, glub…” I prayed that I did not over fill it. As the great theologian of television, Archie Bunker, would sing with wife Edith, at the piano, “Those were the days”.
I write today of the garden hose and the old funnel to remind us that what goes in will come out. Do not expect to bombard your heart and mind with unholiness, ungodliness and the like, and expect to live a life with God’s blessing on you. It is not going to happen. If I am going to even remotely succeed at writing for God’s glory, then I had better fill up so I can gush out. And you?
Sunday, March 1, 2009
January 14
Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 40, 41, 42; Psalm 14, 44, 74, 104, 134; Proverbs 14
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12
Back years ago, two different male singers made a song titled, “My Way” very popular. That seems to be the mantra of our society. Everybody wants to do their own thing their own way. We perceive this as some kind of ultimate freedom. This could not be further from the truth. To live this type of life, you are a slave to your fleshly desires. If you don’t believe me, then take a trip to your local fast food establishment. It is no longer simply, “would you like fries with that?” In case you have not heard, a life filled with fast food results in death also. It is physical death. It is a poor choice to live a life filled with fast food as much as it is a poor choice to live a life filled with the fulfilling our fleshly desires.
Some old adages proclaim, “attend church and help to prevent truth decay” or “seven days without God makes one weak”. Our way, of often, seems to us to be the right way. The thing we must remember is that God’s way is always the best. The results of being obedient are often out of this world. We don’t serve to get rewards. They are a pleasant result none the less.
Having seen many people attempt to run from the police in years past, I have seen men do their personal best to escape the police. Most of the time, this does not work. Doing things our own way is like one man who did run from the police and ended up dead because he impaled himself on a fence after jumping off the interstate.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12
Back years ago, two different male singers made a song titled, “My Way” very popular. That seems to be the mantra of our society. Everybody wants to do their own thing their own way. We perceive this as some kind of ultimate freedom. This could not be further from the truth. To live this type of life, you are a slave to your fleshly desires. If you don’t believe me, then take a trip to your local fast food establishment. It is no longer simply, “would you like fries with that?” In case you have not heard, a life filled with fast food results in death also. It is physical death. It is a poor choice to live a life filled with fast food as much as it is a poor choice to live a life filled with the fulfilling our fleshly desires.
Some old adages proclaim, “attend church and help to prevent truth decay” or “seven days without God makes one weak”. Our way, of often, seems to us to be the right way. The thing we must remember is that God’s way is always the best. The results of being obedient are often out of this world. We don’t serve to get rewards. They are a pleasant result none the less.
Having seen many people attempt to run from the police in years past, I have seen men do their personal best to escape the police. Most of the time, this does not work. Doing things our own way is like one man who did run from the police and ended up dead because he impaled himself on a fence after jumping off the interstate.
January 13
Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 37, 38, 39; Psalm 13, 43, 73, 103, 133; Proverbs 13
“There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Genesis 39:9
The story of Joseph is a wonderful account in the Scriptures. Joseph is considered by Bible scholars to be type of Christ and I agree. He is a fantastic study and one I highly recommend.
As a young man, Joseph had a vision. When he shared this vision with his brothers, they responded in a way that most men would today. To paraphrase, they said, “You are going to rule over us? I don’t think so!” For some reason, we do not accept someone having authority over us well. Especially if that person is younger or perceived to be less qualified. The problem is our pride, stinking pride! Our sin is a stench in the nostrils of our Father. We know that the prayers of a child of God, in a right relationship with Him, are a sweet smelling savor in the nose of God our Father.
Joseph’s life resembled that sweet, pleasant aroma. This young man lived in such a way as to please God. His goal in life was to please God in all areas of his life. He saw sin as sin. Notice his statement, “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
I know I need to ask this question of myself far more than I do. God help each of us to do just that.
“There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Genesis 39:9
The story of Joseph is a wonderful account in the Scriptures. Joseph is considered by Bible scholars to be type of Christ and I agree. He is a fantastic study and one I highly recommend.
As a young man, Joseph had a vision. When he shared this vision with his brothers, they responded in a way that most men would today. To paraphrase, they said, “You are going to rule over us? I don’t think so!” For some reason, we do not accept someone having authority over us well. Especially if that person is younger or perceived to be less qualified. The problem is our pride, stinking pride! Our sin is a stench in the nostrils of our Father. We know that the prayers of a child of God, in a right relationship with Him, are a sweet smelling savor in the nose of God our Father.
Joseph’s life resembled that sweet, pleasant aroma. This young man lived in such a way as to please God. His goal in life was to please God in all areas of his life. He saw sin as sin. Notice his statement, “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
I know I need to ask this question of myself far more than I do. God help each of us to do just that.
January 12
Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 34, 35, 36; Psalm 12, 42, 72, 102, 132; Proverbs 12
“Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.” Psalm 12:1
I enjoy very much going door to door on visitation. It truly requires one to be filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit. You never know what can or will happen and what might be said.
A Preacher friend related a story about another Pastor he knew that was told to visit a local establishment if he enjoyed chicken wings. At first, this was quite funny knowing the eighth Baptist Distinctive is “and then we eat”. Not really. It was a topless bar and he had never heard of it.
The most heart breaking visits for me are not the homes where a loved one has recently stepped into eternity. The most heart breaking visits for me are those where people say, “I used to …” You may fill in the blank with any service opportunity that you might think about. “Oh Preacher, I used to teach a Sunday School class.” This is usually followed with the conjunction “but” (which links the excuse to the statement proceeding the conjunction “but”). The excuses range from petty differences all the way to the extremes of “spiritual abuse”. We have all been hurt at one time or another, I know. Don’t allow the offender to be closer to God than you by quitting on God. Go back to Church (or to another Church of like precious faith) and try it again. The old adage of, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” refers to knuckling down and gutting out of the tough situation. It is not an opportunity to run away like a baby.
So, how about it? Will you be steadfast in the faith or are you ceasing and failing? The choice is all up to you.
“Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.” Psalm 12:1
I enjoy very much going door to door on visitation. It truly requires one to be filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit. You never know what can or will happen and what might be said.
A Preacher friend related a story about another Pastor he knew that was told to visit a local establishment if he enjoyed chicken wings. At first, this was quite funny knowing the eighth Baptist Distinctive is “and then we eat”. Not really. It was a topless bar and he had never heard of it.
The most heart breaking visits for me are not the homes where a loved one has recently stepped into eternity. The most heart breaking visits for me are those where people say, “I used to …” You may fill in the blank with any service opportunity that you might think about. “Oh Preacher, I used to teach a Sunday School class.” This is usually followed with the conjunction “but” (which links the excuse to the statement proceeding the conjunction “but”). The excuses range from petty differences all the way to the extremes of “spiritual abuse”. We have all been hurt at one time or another, I know. Don’t allow the offender to be closer to God than you by quitting on God. Go back to Church (or to another Church of like precious faith) and try it again. The old adage of, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” refers to knuckling down and gutting out of the tough situation. It is not an opportunity to run away like a baby.
So, how about it? Will you be steadfast in the faith or are you ceasing and failing? The choice is all up to you.
January 11
Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 31, 32, 33; Psalm 11, 41, 71, 101, 131; Proverbs 11
“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” Psalm 71:9
We all have made jokes about older people. I am one of the biggest offenders of this. It is a practice that I need to stop. God wants us to show respect for and to our elders. Children are often times scared by older people. Their skin is wrinkly and sometimes they are gruff. If you think about these older members of our world, we can learn a lot from these dear people if we simply take time to be with them.
I remember a story I was reading a few months ago. It was about a family that goes to visit “Grandpa” at the nursing home. The grandson hesitates about going and finally gives in. He finds out that he has been set up, and his parents are leaving him there for an hour. His grandfather takes him on a tour of the entire facility and ends up in a shop. The boy is led by his grandfather to a workstation. His grandfather shows him some beautiful polished rocks. The grandson is amazed. The grandfather takes the boy through the process of putting the rocks into the drum to the grit and so on. The grandfather finishes by turning on the machine. As they leave, the grandfather explains in one week, the rocks will be ready. The boy is astonished.
The next week, this young boy is first in line to go visit Grandpa. He is excited to see the finished rocks. They turned out beautiful. Something else took place, also. This boy learned to enjoy and love his grandfather. Just like the rocks, a little interaction removed the rough edges and something beautiful was revealed. A beautiful friendship and relationship was born.
Is there anyone you need to spend time with or “rub up to” and knock off the rough edges?
“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” Psalm 71:9
We all have made jokes about older people. I am one of the biggest offenders of this. It is a practice that I need to stop. God wants us to show respect for and to our elders. Children are often times scared by older people. Their skin is wrinkly and sometimes they are gruff. If you think about these older members of our world, we can learn a lot from these dear people if we simply take time to be with them.
I remember a story I was reading a few months ago. It was about a family that goes to visit “Grandpa” at the nursing home. The grandson hesitates about going and finally gives in. He finds out that he has been set up, and his parents are leaving him there for an hour. His grandfather takes him on a tour of the entire facility and ends up in a shop. The boy is led by his grandfather to a workstation. His grandfather shows him some beautiful polished rocks. The grandson is amazed. The grandfather takes the boy through the process of putting the rocks into the drum to the grit and so on. The grandfather finishes by turning on the machine. As they leave, the grandfather explains in one week, the rocks will be ready. The boy is astonished.
The next week, this young boy is first in line to go visit Grandpa. He is excited to see the finished rocks. They turned out beautiful. Something else took place, also. This boy learned to enjoy and love his grandfather. Just like the rocks, a little interaction removed the rough edges and something beautiful was revealed. A beautiful friendship and relationship was born.
Is there anyone you need to spend time with or “rub up to” and knock off the rough edges?
Jnauary 10
Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 28, 29, 30; Psalm 10, 40, 70, 100, 130; Proverbs 10
“And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” Genesis 29:20
The rate of divorce goes up quite a bit after the New Year’s holiday is over. How ironic this takes place after Christmas, and just prior to Valentine’s Day. Could it be that the most advanced society on the globe to date has lost sight of the basics?
Children suffer at the hand negligent parents. In a neighboring city, a mother who is known to use crack cocaine, left a minor child with her two male roommates for hours. They called the biological father to come and get the child. A restraining order between the parents caused this child to go “into the system’ instead.
There is another case of a mother who left her minor child alone while going for an evening of dancing. Maintenance workers on a routine check of the apartments, found the child home alone.
Yet another heart-wrenching case of outright neglect has a couple going to the movies. As they walk past another car in the lot, they see a small child inside. They go on inside the theatre and purchase tickets. The female gets a feeling she needs to go back and check on the child. She finds the child outside the car playing. The child could have been abducted or even hit by another car. When questioned about the incident, the parents said that they forgot they had brought the child with them in the car to the movies.
These examples are not how we prove our love for our children. Jacob loved Rachel so much that he worked and served for seven years to get her. After some trickery by his father-in-law, Jacob learns he has to serve seven more years for the woman of his dreams. Jacob worked and served a total of fourteen years for Rachel. He was highly motivated by true love so much, that the years flew by.
So, how is your love bank account today? How is your spouse’s love bank account? How is your children’s love bank account? Anyone bankrupt?
“And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” Genesis 29:20
The rate of divorce goes up quite a bit after the New Year’s holiday is over. How ironic this takes place after Christmas, and just prior to Valentine’s Day. Could it be that the most advanced society on the globe to date has lost sight of the basics?
Children suffer at the hand negligent parents. In a neighboring city, a mother who is known to use crack cocaine, left a minor child with her two male roommates for hours. They called the biological father to come and get the child. A restraining order between the parents caused this child to go “into the system’ instead.
There is another case of a mother who left her minor child alone while going for an evening of dancing. Maintenance workers on a routine check of the apartments, found the child home alone.
Yet another heart-wrenching case of outright neglect has a couple going to the movies. As they walk past another car in the lot, they see a small child inside. They go on inside the theatre and purchase tickets. The female gets a feeling she needs to go back and check on the child. She finds the child outside the car playing. The child could have been abducted or even hit by another car. When questioned about the incident, the parents said that they forgot they had brought the child with them in the car to the movies.
These examples are not how we prove our love for our children. Jacob loved Rachel so much that he worked and served for seven years to get her. After some trickery by his father-in-law, Jacob learns he has to serve seven more years for the woman of his dreams. Jacob worked and served a total of fourteen years for Rachel. He was highly motivated by true love so much, that the years flew by.
So, how is your love bank account today? How is your spouse’s love bank account? How is your children’s love bank account? Anyone bankrupt?
January 9
Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 25, 26, 27; Psalm 9, 39, 69, 99, 129; Proverbs 9
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17
The verse at hand is a powerful reminder to us today. As God’s people (so-called) sit back on their blessed assurance, they are resting in the truth of eternal security. Thank God for eternal security! We must keep in mind that with great blessing come great responsibilities. We have electricity that heats our home and lights our hallways. We still enjoy the ability (for now) to worship the one true God freely as our conscience dictates. BEWARE!
Look at the heart-wrenching truth before us today. “The wicked shall be turned into hell,”. This alone should be a call to service to every born again human being. In our day, they want to eliminate the cross and the blood of Jesus from our hymn books. They have watered down God’s Word and called it a “translation”. You see, our nation is trying to suppress Christian truth to the place of non-existence in our country. We have allowed homosexuality to run rampant. What man calls an “alternative lifestyle”; God calls an abomination (something so heinous it makes Him want to vomit).
Think about the reality of Hell. It is a real place that burns with a fire that never goes out. The reality of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. There will be no beer parties with our buddies. Only unanswered cries for mercy.
I hope this motivates us to want to win people to Christ! If not, you might check the level of your commitment.
The second part of the verse bothers me also. Not only are the wicked turned into Hell, but the nations that forget God, also. Romans chapter 1 talks about holding the truth in unrighteousness. What it is talking about is suppressing the truth. America is on the fast track to Hell.
So, what are you going to do about it?
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17
The verse at hand is a powerful reminder to us today. As God’s people (so-called) sit back on their blessed assurance, they are resting in the truth of eternal security. Thank God for eternal security! We must keep in mind that with great blessing come great responsibilities. We have electricity that heats our home and lights our hallways. We still enjoy the ability (for now) to worship the one true God freely as our conscience dictates. BEWARE!
Look at the heart-wrenching truth before us today. “The wicked shall be turned into hell,”. This alone should be a call to service to every born again human being. In our day, they want to eliminate the cross and the blood of Jesus from our hymn books. They have watered down God’s Word and called it a “translation”. You see, our nation is trying to suppress Christian truth to the place of non-existence in our country. We have allowed homosexuality to run rampant. What man calls an “alternative lifestyle”; God calls an abomination (something so heinous it makes Him want to vomit).
Think about the reality of Hell. It is a real place that burns with a fire that never goes out. The reality of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. There will be no beer parties with our buddies. Only unanswered cries for mercy.
I hope this motivates us to want to win people to Christ! If not, you might check the level of your commitment.
The second part of the verse bothers me also. Not only are the wicked turned into Hell, but the nations that forget God, also. Romans chapter 1 talks about holding the truth in unrighteousness. What it is talking about is suppressing the truth. America is on the fast track to Hell.
So, what are you going to do about it?
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