Judging From The Past

AUGUST 28, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 106-108 / 1 Cor. 2

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Have you ever heard the statement; “A man is only as good as his reputation.” It might not be told to youngsters any longer, but my dad tried to drill it into my head. I cannot tell you the number of times he said, “a good reputation is worth more than all the money in the world son.” Another one was, “you can buy a lot of things boy, but a good reputation is not one of them.” A reputation is not what we try to tell people about ourselves. A reputation is who people know you to actually be by what you have done. People do not often judge you based on what they think you are going to do. Most often you are judged by what you have done in the past.

        The Psalmist says several times in Psalm 107, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” He is not trying to paint a picture of who he thought God was going to be. No, he was saying, look at who God has been. Verses 2-7 says He will free those in captivity. Verses 9-14 shows Him to be a light in the darkest of nights. In verses 16-20 he reminds us how He can even heal a soul bound by the presence of death. Then in verses 22-30 we find He can navigate life’s worst storms and cause even the seas to be still. Judging from the past and seeing who God has always been, we know Him and should praise Him for His goodness and wonderful works to the children of men.

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        One other thing my dad would say was, “it takes years to build a good reputation, and just few minutes to ruin one.” Our testimony as Christians is not just our testimony, but also the testimony of Christ in us. Let’s live as to guard HIS reputation.

Will you live for Him today?

  
 

Incredible Mercy

 August 26 & 27, 2023
 August 26 – Daily Reading – Psa. 103-105 / 1 Cor. 1
 August 27 – NO READING

 GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 103:11-12 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Incredible Mercy describes God’s love for those who trust in Him. God’s grace is Him giving to us what we do not deserve. God’s mercy is Him knowing our sinfulness, and not giving to us what we actually do deserve. I have heard people say, I do not understand why God allowed this or that to happen to me, I do not deserve it. I understand in the situation what they are saying. However, I also know that if God gave us what we really deserved, no one could withstand it.

        I love how the Psalmist in today’s passage paints a picture of how awesome the mercy of God is. First, in Psalm 103:11 he says, “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” How far is heaven above us? No one really knows. We have gone into space, built giant telescopes that search deep into outer space, and not found heaven. That is how great his mercy is. Then the Author gives us a picture we can grasp. Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” He could have said north and south, but they meet at some point. If you head North on earth, when you reach a certain point, you start going south. However, if you head east, you will never reach a point when you begin to go west. If you go west, you will never go east. The two never meet. That is how far God has removed our sin from us. They never meet up again. Incredible.

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        When God does something, it is incredible. He could have pardoned your sin but kept a list in the books. However, God has forgiven our sin and blotted them out with the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Such incredible mercy from a loving God. 

Will you take a moment to say THANKS?

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

        In life we choose how to invest our time and talent. Our best choice is to invest our lives into God and His kingdom. When we are Invested In Him, He also invests Himself into us. We saw that in:

● Integrity Above All
● Israel’s Costly Counsel
● Iniquity, This Is Serious
● Intelligence Is?
● Involved In Worship
● Incredible Mercy

        Choose to be Invested In Him. You reap dividends that are out of this world.

       Enjoy today with your church and hear what God has prepared in the heart of His man for you this week.

   See you tomorrow.  

 SUNDAYS:

       Today we suggest you read and study whatever the Lord has laid on your Pastors heart. Whatever scripture he uses for today’s messages were given to him by God for your specific needs.

Invested In Him

     

Involved In Worship

AUGUST 25, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 97-102 / Rom. 16

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        I stand a little over six foot tall. Not a giant, but taller than many folks. When walking with a group of people in a crowd, I’m often asked, “what do you see from up there?” They never ask me that on Sunday mornings when I am sitting on the platform looking over the Sunday crowd. Honestly, it is not always a pretty picture. Imagine, the music starts to play, people are coming in, and the service begins. The music director tries to get people into a spiritual mood with a few opening words. Most people are not paying attention yet. Then the congregational singing starts, well, for some. Some are still talking about who knows what. Some are fiddling with candy wrappers. A few are looking at tablets or cell phones and giggling. (Probably watching cat videos or something.) While others are seriously singing and worshiping God. What is different for them?

        It is not the music. Although that can play a role in helping our hearts move toward worshiping God. It is not the preaching. It is not the people nor the program. It is the intent of each person. How we come prepared to worship makes the difference. Did we come to meet with and worship God, or to visit with our friends. Do we come to join in singing and serving God, or desiring other to in some way serve us. Worship actually begins a long time before the first note is ever played in church. Worship begins and lives in each believers heart.

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        When our verse says, “make a joyful noise,” it’s not talking about just being noisy. Worship is fully directed to one person, “unto the Lord.” Worship is meant to bring us into a closer relationship and fellowship with God.

How involved are you in worshiping our God?

     

 Intelligence Is?

AUGUST 24, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 90-96 / Rom. 15

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Who might be considered intelligent? I guess that depends on who you ask. If intelligence is being a genus, Wikipedia says, “A genius is a person who displays exceptional intellectual ability, creative productivity, universality in genres or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of new advances in a domain of knowledge.” Yea, what do they know. There are people who are book smart, who have no common sense at all. Just like there are people who have street smarts but cannot read or write. Is one more intelligent than the other? I had a friend who said, “it is better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are stupid, than to open it and prove them right.” I am not sure if he was being funny or trying to tell me something personally.

        In Psalm 92:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Simply put, we do not live forever, so it would be a good idea to use most of our time seeking after wisdom. That is not trying to become smart in man’s eyes. It is understanding what it means to be wise in God’s eyes. In Prov. 9:10 it says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” So then, according to God, being humble and respectful before the Lord is where wisdom begins. Reading His Word, just adds to that. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        You can be the smartest person in the world’s eyes, and have all the toys that Satan can provide, and still end up in a sinners hell. To me, that does not sound too intelligent.

How will you use your time, and mind,
while living here on the earth that God,
not man, created?

     

Iniquity, This Is Serious

AUGUST 23, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 86-89 / Rom. 14

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 89:31-33 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        How serious is iniquity. First, we need to know what iniquity is. The Strong’s Greek and Hebrew Dictionary says it is “perversity, i.e. (moral) evil: – fault, mischief, sin.” How serious is this? Well, what is the penalty. For example, a parking ticket costs a few dollars. Assault gets you put in jail with a bigger fine. Sin however carries a death sentence. Rom. 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The gift of eternal life is only available because someone paid the death penalty for us. Iniquity cost Jesus his life and God His Son. In our passage today God says He will visit iniquity with a rod and stripes. For the believer in Christ today, that means our death penalty has been paid, but sin is still serious. It severs fellowship with God. Psa. 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” How serious is our Iniquity… Very Serious.

        This should also tell us just how great God’s lovingkindness is. So great that even though we have committed this serious crime against Him, He does not take His love utterly from us. Could you imagine a mother in a store with her child and the child misbehaves, so she abandons him there. No, she will scold and reprimand him, but never abandons the child. Our loving God also chastens His own children, but He does not abandon them, nor leave them forsaken.

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        I am so glad that the promises and mercy of God are not based upon my ability to be perfect. The bible says His mercy endures forever. His faithfulness is not conditioned by my faults. Like the song says, “He looked beyond my faults and saw my needs.”

How will you thank Him?