Those People Bug Me

JUNE 02, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 14:4-7 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies. A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth. Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     I heard a man once say, “It’s not really church that I don’t like, it’s all the people!” If we all told the truth, there are times when we all might feel the same way. Sometimes to the point of making us not want to go to church at all.

     We start thinking of the one person who always says something that rubs us the wrong way, or the one who makes too much noise during the service. Then there’s all those babies crying in the nursery, and I can hear them during the preaching. Oh yes, and the preacher, who I know has heard something about me again this week, and is going to preach right at me. You start thinking; I’d be better off watching a TV preacher, and worshiping by myself.

     Why does this happen? Because the devil wants to destroy the church. The fact is, you can’t have church without people. People are the church. It will always be true, where there are people, there are going to be problems. However, it’s also true, where there are people, you’re going to see God’s blessings.

     Proverbs 14:4 tells us that with no cattle you can have a clean barn. However, at the time the oxen produced milk, and pulled the plow in the fields. What may seem good for today, is often the most destructive for tomorrow. We need people in our lives. Even more important, people need you in their lives.


THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     God needs you in His church. God wants you with His church. God created you to be part of His church. So come on, let’s go be the church. The crying babies need someone to love on them, and to be a testimony to them. The preacher only shares what God, through the Holy Spirit, places on his heart. Maybe it’s time for you to make some noise and say amen occasionally. Oh, and the person who really bugs you, LOVE THEM. It will drive them crazy, and you may become friends.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  JUNE 02, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  Nehemiah 10-13      /     Proverbs 14:4-7

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  2 Kings 16-17     /   John 12:23-50

Can We KNOW We Are Saved?

JUNE 01, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 14:1-3 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him. In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     “How can I know if I am saved?” Over the years, I have heard this question so many times. It leaves me to believe there are many people out there in this world with a “Hope So Salvation.” They hope they are saved. They hope they are going to heaven when they die. They hope God will overlook their selfishness with their time, tongue, talents, and treasures, which He gave them to be used for Him, but were not. They are hoping God does not mind too terribly bad, the little sins they do on a regular basis.

     That “hope so” mentality will send many people to hell. The reason for that is that the Bible says you can have a, “Know So Salvation.” Part of our verse for today says; “He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD,” How can you know if you are saved? Here is one thing to check, do you love the Lord as much, or more than you love your own self? The Bible says you can know if you’re saved just by examining your love for God.

     How can you measure your love for God? Well, do you want to hear what God has to say about things? If you do, you will read your Bible. You will also desire to go to church to hear what God has to say to you through the man of God. Can you really say you love God, if you never ever want to talk with Him, except for those times when you get yourself into trouble?

     Do you hate the idea of Bible Studies, Prayer Meetings, or going to sit around all those religious fanatics? The same verse talks of that too. It says; “he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.” The “him” there is the Lord. Therefore, the question is not CAN I know if I am saved. The question really is, ARE You saved? 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     1 John 5:13 says we can know we have eternal life. I believe God’s Word is reliable. If God says we can know, then we CAN KNOW. Sin, and self-will keep us from God. Give it all to Him. Salvation is based on faith in Christ, not feelings. Faith in what He did will produce a love for who He is. Do you have faith? Do you have Love? We can know!

GOD TALKING TO ME:  JUNE 01, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  Nehemiah 6 – 9      /      Proverbs 14:1-3

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  2 Kings 14-15      /      John 12:1-22

Weekend Review

May 30 & 31, 2020

Proverbs 13:20

He that walketh with wise men
shall be wise:
but
a companion of fools
shall be destroyed. 

Work Week Devotions
Through the Book of Proverbs

      As you know by now, with WORK WEEK DEVOTIONS, we only publish our Devotional Thoughts on Monday – Friday. On Saturday we suggest you re-read the entire chapter we have been studying this past week, and if we will be going into the following chapter the next week, we encourage you to read that chapter as well.       

There are never Devotions on Sunday. 

Thank you for joining us as we
journey together
Through Proverbs in 2020.

WEEK 21 – Day 6

     On Saturday, we suggest you re-read the Proverb we have written from this past week and the week to come.

Proverbs 13-14

WEEK 21 – Day 7

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

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS

June 1, 2020    Nehemiah 6    –     Nehemiah 9      Proverbs 14:1 – 3
June 2, 2020    Nehemiah 10  –     Nehemiah 13    Proverbs 14:4 – 7
June 3, 2020    Esther 1           –     Esther 5              Proverbs 14: 8 – 11
June 4, 2020    Esther 6           –     Esther 10            Proverbs 14:12 – 15
June 5, 2020    Job 1                  –     Job 5                    Proverbs 14:16 – 19
June 6, 2020    Proverbs 13-14                               
June 7, 2020    No Passages Assigned    

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY

June 1, 2020    2 Kings 14-15      John 12:1-22
June 2, 2020    2 Kings 16-17      John 12:23-50
June 3, 2020    2 Kings 18-19      John 13:1-17
June 4, 2020    2 Kings 20-22      John 13:18-38
June 5, 2020    2 Kings 23-24      John 14
June 6, 2020    2 Kings 25            John 15
June 7, 2020    No Passages Assigned

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY

  MAY 30, 2020     2 Kings 11-13   /     John 11:38-57
  MAY 31, 2020     No Passages Assigned

Love Or Neglect

May 29, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 13:23-25 Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment. He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     In my personal library, I have a book written by H. A. Ironside in 1907 called; “Notes On Proverbs.” My copy was published in February of 1946. In it, on page 154, when writing about verse 24 of chapter 13, Dr. Ironside makes the following statement; Quote; “It is not love, but the lack of it, that leaves a child to himself; to develop unchecked, tendencies and propensities which shall result in future sorrow. Ours is a day of great laxity on this point. The coming generation will reap the bitter fruit of the absence of restraint and the evident aversion to chastening, so manifest in the majority of homes.” End quote. This statement was made over one hundred years ago. So, if we look around us today, was he right?

     When men and women think they have a better way to live life than God’s way, they are in essence saying God is wrong. Today we have a nation full of, “me first” adults. They had been given their way so much as children, they think that in life, that’s how it’s always suppose to be. No one wants to hurt someone’s feeling any longer by telling anyone that he, or she might be wrong. When you do correct someone, they run off and pout like a two-year old that never learned how to handle reproof.

     God’s ways are right. They always have been, and always will be. Any correction handed out by God is done so in love, and it’s for the benefit of the one He is correcting. That’s the part missing from most correction today. It’s not done out of love for the child, but rather to punish them for interrupting the adults life. Correction must be done because we love the child, and wish to help them, never to hurt them.


THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     There is a huge difference between correction, and child abuse. We never ought to allow, or be any part of child abuse. However, often by NOT making children mind, we are abusing them even more. True love will manifest itself in many ways.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  May 29, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  Nehemiah 1 – 5     /     Proverbs 13:23-25

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  2 Kings 9-10   /   John 11:1-37

Your Friends Are A Mirror

May 28, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 13:20-22 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed. A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” “God works in mysterious ways.” “God helps those who help themselves.” These three phrases can be found in Hezekiah 1:12. Now before you look them up, it’s a joke. There’s no Hezekiah 1:12.

     One of the things my dad said when I was younger was, “you are who you hang out with.” At the time, I didn’t believe it. I thought, “no way, I am my own man. I am who I am, and they are different.” However as I have grown older, and begin to look around, I see he was right. If you want to see the kind of person you are, just look at the people with whom you choose to associate. I’m not talking about the people you’re forced to go to school with, or work with. I’m referring to the times when it’s your choice, who do you choose to spend most your time with. Dear reader, who they are, is a good indicator of who you are.

     I often wondered where my Christian parents came up with all their wisdom. Now I can see, most of their wisdom must have come from Gods Word. Proverbs 13:20 says pretty much the same thing my dad said. If you walk with the wise, they will make you wiser. Being around wise people will cause you to think, and learn. On the other hand, hanging out with a group of people who have no desire to be better at anything, who make foolish decisions, and disregard God and His Word, will make you just like them. So, as you look around at the friends you choose to be around, ask yourself, just who am I?

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     Ok, so what if your inspection shines a light on the fact that you may not have the best friend, now what. Well you have two choices. First, if you want to better yourself, find and make new encouraging friends. Secondly, help your old friends become wiser. How, talk with them about the Bible, and God. If they really do not want to become wiser, you’ll not have to leave them. I promise! As hard as it may be to believe, these so-called friends, will eventually leave you.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  May 28, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  Ezra 6 – 10     /     Proverbs 13:20-22

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  2 Kings 6-8   /   John 10:22-42