What? What Did You Say? 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Jeremiah 25:4 And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.

THOUGHT ON GOD’S WORD:

    One morning while reading the paper I remember seeing a cartoon. In the first frame there was a little boy standing with his fingers in his ears and from his mouth came the words, “la la la, la la la Hum Hum La la la.” Standing next to him was a father reading off a list of all the chores he expected him to do that day. In the second frame, the father is looking at the boy and the boy is looking back at the father. The father says, “Did you hear what I said?” The boy looks at his father, with a false puzzled look and says, “What?” The next frame is the same as the first, with the boy back making noise with his fingers in his ears and father reading the list. The fourth frame was the father asking again, “Did you hear me?” and the boy saying, “What?” And so it goes.

    In today’s world with such busy lives, many times we may treat God this same way. From the beginning of time, God has told us of a Saviour, Jesus Christ. He has shared with us how to live to receive the most blessings from this life and the life to come. However, like the young boy in the cartoon, we are so busy making as much noise as we can with our lives and our various forms of entertainment that we have shut out the wisdom being given to us by God. He keeps telling us, but are we really listening?   

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

  Let’s not be hearers of the word only, but doers also. It is far past time for us to listen to what God has to say and then to obey. My friend, when we stand before God at life’s end and He asks, “Did you hear what I said?” we had better have the right answer. If we have the wrong answer in that moment with God, the third frame of the cartoon is not going to be a good one.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING  (O.T.-1/N.T. & PS.-2/Prov.-Monthly)
Jeremiah 25     /     Psalm 78:21-33     /     Proverbs 28     /     Acts 9 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Ecc. 3-4           /       2 Co. 13

Living In His Word Ministries

       “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

Who Is The “ME” They See? 

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Proverbs 27:19 As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.

THOUGHT ON GOD’S WORD:

  Have you ever heard any of these statements before? “What you do while alone is really who you are.” How about, “Actions speak louder than words!” Maybe you have heard, “What you say and what you do are often two different things.” You may, or may not have heard them, nevertheless they are pretty much all saying exactly the same thing, and today’s verses declares it well.

    It is not who we say we are, or what we do while we know others are watching that makes us who we are. Our private thoughts, convictions, and beliefs make up whom we really are. I have spoken with people before who begin by saying they believe in this or that, however, by the end of our conversation, I knew they really did not believe that at all. What they wanted was for people to believe they believed it. How did I know? Because they had shared their heart long enough to let me know what they truly believed. Their heart gave them away.

    As your reflection in water displays the real you to you, so will your heart display the real you to others by what you genuinely believe. We can only fool people as long as we keep our mouths shut and stay locked away from society.

    Abraham Lincoln, who was a Bible Scholar, once said, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Therefore, before trying to convince others on what you say you believe, you might want to ask yourself, “What Do I Really Believe?” In addition, “What and Who Do I Believe In?”

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

   Another quote is “It’s better to keep quiet and let people think you’re a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” We should be sure when we do open our mouth that people not only hear the real us, but they also hear Jesus in us.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING  (O.T.-1/N.T. & PS.-2/Prov.-Monthly)
Jeremiah 22-24     /     Psalm 78:1-20     /     Proverbs 26-27     /     Acts 7:37-8

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Ecc. 1-2           /  2 Co. 12

Living In His Word Ministries

       “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

Opps, Did I Say That? 

SEPTEMBER 25 & 26, 2021

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Psalms 76:7Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?

THOUGHT ON GOD’S WORD:

    I remember once (and only once) as a young boy sitting on the steps of our house with a neighborhood friend when my dad said, “Come in son, your mom said it’s time to eat.” My friend said, “Tell him no, you are not coming.” With no thought of the consequences, I did just that. I said, “No, I am not coming in.” One of the dumbest things I ever did. Before I could turn to see if he was coming, I felt my body lifted from the steps and a piece of leather snapped across my rear end a few times. I was told, “Do not you ever talk back to me or mom like that again!” To which I promptly agreed. In addition, as far as I remember, I pretty much kept that promise. Later my dad took me to the local Five and Dime store and bought me a cherry coke. The real kind, with real cherries made at the fountain. He never once said he was sorry for spanking me. However, as I tried to sit and drink my soda, I knew by this gesture he was saying he still loved me.

    Today’s verse asks a question. “Who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” Most would say no one. No one could stop the wrath of God. This is true, but that is not what it asks. It asks who might have permission, “who MAY stand in thy sight.” The answer is those He loves, His children. You see my dad corrected me appropriately for my disobedience in a way I never forgot. However, that was not the wrath of my father but the love of a dad who taught me to be respectful. He was big enough at the time to literally destroy me, but he did not. I never really had to face his wrath. God is to be reverenced by believers. However, the wrath of God is to be feared by unbelievers. They are the only ones who will truly face His wrath one day.

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

    How wonderful to be corrected by a loving God. His love for us keeps us from ever facing His wrath. We may stand in His sight when He is angry and not fear destruction, but rather anticipate His love. Even during correction.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  September 25, 2021

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING  (O.T.-1/N.T. & PS.-2/Prov.-Monthly)
Jeremiah 18-21     /     Psalm 76-77     /     Proverbs 25     /     Acts 6–7:36

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Pro. 30-31           /        2 Co. 11

Living In His Word Ministries

       “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

Who Controls The Reins?

SEPT 24, 2021

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Jeremiah 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

THOUGHT ON GOD’S WORD:

    When God originally created man, He did so looking at us as a perfect creature. We were His perfect creation. In order to make us perfect, He gave us characteristics such as He has. A mind to think with, the will to choose, and a heart full of emotions. In doing so, He also has given humanity the opportunity to mess up. And so it goes, we did, and still do. Man’s heart, thoughts, and will have become corrupted by the sin which Satan introduced into this world.

    The verse just before Jeremiah 17:10 says our hearts are “desperately wicked: who can know it?” The answer is, God. God knows our hearts even better than we do. He knows what we really desire. Our verse today says, “I try the reins.” What do reins do when put on a horse? They are used to direct this large animal to stop and go, or to turn left or right. What then would be the reins of a person? Well, they would be the mind or the heart of a person. Your mind tells you to stop doing something, or start doing something, or to go here or there. Remember, God knows the mind of a person.

    So, ask yourself, what is it that your mind and heart really want? You can see the answer to that question just as God does, by your ways or doings. Where do you go? What do you do? With whom do you hang out? How often does this include God? If you do not like the answers to these questions, maybe you had better get a firmer grip on the reins! Better yet, let God have control of them.

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

    As the day goes by, ask God to keep your mind on things that would be glorifying to Him. If you find your mind wandering, wander back over toward God.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  SEPT 24, 2021

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING  (O.T.-1/N.T. & PS.-2/Prov.-Monthly)
Jeremiah 16, 17     /     Psalm 75     /     Proverbs 24     /     Acts 5 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Pro. 28-29           /      2 Co. 9-10

Living In His Word Ministries
       “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

Living For Eternity

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Proverbs 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.

THOUGHT ON GOD’S WORD:

    Those of us who have had to diet to maintain our weight know too well the temptations of food. Yet our well-meaning friends, thinking that somehow, they are doing us a favor by giving us permission to eat, say things such as, “Go ahead and eat it, you deserve it,” or “Let’s worry about our diet tomorrow, today we will just eat.” Sometimes we are strong enough in the moment to say, “No.” Yet at other times, and probably way too often, we give in to our desires and eat just whatever is put before us. Knowing all the while in the back of our mind how hard it will be to make up for what we have just eaten, we do it anyway.

    Why do we do that? We do it because it is our nature to want to live for today and self-gratification. Not that we cannot ever have those days, we can. However, they should be prepared for, planned on, and then enjoyed with no remorse. It is those unexpected days that hurt us most.

    Have goodhearted friends thought of our total wellbeing when they say, “Go ahead?” Well, not really. We must remember, they are not intentionally trying to hurt us. The fact is it is easier for them to think of seeing us happy now than to figure out what it will do to our heath and self-esteem later. What it all boils down to is that we are the only ones who can control our dietary habits and ourselves.

    Life as a believer is often the same way. People in the world who do not know Christ as Saviour tell others, “live for today, life is too short to be miserable.” However, living for today with no eternal plans will cause them to miss the greatest joy of all, eternal life with Christ. Jesus has a plan for today, which you can enjoy now, and if you will trust in Him, an eternal future that is even better. Which plan of life sounds best to you? In the end, you must choose.

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

    Life is too short not to enjoy it. However, living life without Christ is not joy. In fact, He said, I came that you might have life more abundantly. Christ brings real life, real joy, and a real plan for the future. Choose Christ.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING  (O.T.-1/N.T. & PS.-2/Prov.-Monthly)
Jeremiah 14, 15     /     Psalm 74:12-23     /     Proverbs 23     /     Acts 4

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Pro. 26-27           /       2 Co. 8

Living In His Word Ministries

       “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12