40
Refreshing Daily in God’s Word Emphasis on Thoughts October 2020
Refreshing Daily
in God’s Word
Emphasis on
Thoughts
October 2020
Bitterness October 1
Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:25-32 Key Verse: Verse 31 - “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: ” Key Words: be put away from you
Thought: No matter how much you nurse a grudge it won’t get better.
Have you ever noticed that those who are bitter
with you have the hardest time complimenting you, and have you ever noticed how they automatically begin to praise your “competition”? When we nurse a grudge we fail to understand that it doesn’t help, but hinders the healing process.
There was a guy that could not get along with his wife and, on top of that, he couldn’t get along with his mother-in-law. In frustration one day, he finally took a long walk. As he was about to return home, he got to the street corner and saw a hearse pull up to the stop sign. It had a big dog in it.
Behind that was another hearse. And then behind that second hearse, about fifty men were walking. He was seized with curiosity and walked up to the first hearse, knocked on the glass and a guy inside rolled his window down. “Yes?” he asked. “What is this?” asked the man.
“Well, in this casket is my wife. And in that casket in the other hearse is my mother-in-law. This big dog killed both of them.”
“Hmm. Can I borrow that dog?”
And the guy inside said, “Get in line.”
Anyone can bear a grudge who walks in the flesh; to bear and overcome one has to walk in the spirit.
What to do: ✞Remember no matter how much you nurse a grudge
it won’t get better.
********************
Reproach October 2
Bible Reading: I Peter 4 Key Verse: Verse 14– “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. ” Key Words: If ye be reproached
Thought: He who fears reprove will never stand for anything.
Dr. Vance Havner once said, “We leave comfortable
homes, to ride in comfortable cars, to sit in comfortable pews, while we hear a comfortable message which raises the question…What do we know about being reproached for Christ’s sake?”
It’s not easy to speak up for Christ and live for him if we know that reproach will come as the consequence of our words and life.
Missionary Lou Nichols writes, “It’s not easy to step up against the authorities. Let me illustrate: During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of his predecessor, Joseph Stalin. Once, as he reproached Stalin in a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted by a shout from a heckler in the audience. ‘You were one of Stalin’s colleagues. Why didn’t you stop him?’ ‘Who said that’ roared Khrushchev. An agonizing silence followed as nobody in the room dared move a muscle. Then Khrushchev replied quietly, ‘Now you know why.’”
Maybe it’s time we ‘speak up’ and ‘live up’ to the standard set for us by Jesus.
What to do: ✞ Remember life is not about you and life is not about
me- real life is about Jesus Christ.
********************
The Manual October 3
Bible Reading: Psalms 119:1-8 Key Verse: Verses 2 – “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.”
Key Words: his testimonies
Thought: For many people the Bible is like the Queen of England. She holds a position, but no real power.
In order for God’s Word to have real power in our
lives, we must ‘know it’ and ‘live it.’ Recently, I decided to do something I never do. I took
out my car manual and read it. I’m a real simple guy. I get in a car, get behind the wheel, turn it on, and roll. That’s it. But one day I was just fooling around, opened my glove compartment, and there was my car manual. Now this manual has been in this car for three years. As far as I’m concerned, this is unnecessary reading. I see a steering wheel, I see brakes, I see an accelerator, a radio, heat, and air-conditioning. Good to go.
But on this particular day, I decided to flip through my manual. I was shocked at some of the stuff I read in there. There is so much stuff in this car that has never been used! I realized that I’d been doing things manually that the car was set up to do automatically. I realized that I’d not been taking advantage of all that the manufacturer had provided.
On one particular rainy day, I was trying to look out of my rear windows and couldn’t see anything. After three years of having this car, I had no idea there was a windshield wiper back there. It wasn’t that it was not provided, it’s that I was ignorant of the provision. I didn’t know what was provided and I certainly didn’t know how to take advantage of it.
What the Bible, the grace manual, is designed to do is show you all the provisions that God has provided for every believer. The problem is I not only need to know that the manual is there, but I also need to know what it tells me I can do and how things work.
What to do:
✞ Allow God‘s Word to work in your life. That’s where the power is.
********************
Tact October 4
Bible Reading: Judges 8:1-9
Key Verse: Verse 3 - “God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.” Key Words: Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that
Thought: TACT is the ability to make a point without making an enemy.
We are told in Proverbs 15:1a “a soft answer turneth
away wrath.” In our text Ephraim was angered that Gideon had not
asked them to join the battle against the Midianites. Gideon’s tact disarmed a potential division between the Hebrew people. Tact is important!
The new minister’s family was presented with a pie baked by one of the congregation who was a rather poor cook. The pie was inedible, so the minister’s wife threw it into the garbage.
The preacher was faced with the problem of thanking the lady, while at the same time being truthful. After much
thought he sent the following note: “Dear Mrs. Jones: Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful. I can assure you that a pie like yours never lasts long at our house!”
Now that’s TACT! What to do:
✞Ask God to give you the ability to build fire under
people without making their blood boil.
********************
The Bible
October 5
Bible Reading: II Peter 1:1-8 Key Verse: Verse 4 - “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ” Key Words: great and precious promises
Thought: A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.
Let me begin by asking you: how precious is the Bible
to you? A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an
explosion. Evangelist Robert L. Sumner tells about him in his book The Wonders of the Word of God. The victim’s face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He was just a new Christian, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille. Much to his dismay, however, he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been destroyed by the explosion. One day, as he brought one of the Braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised
characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, I can read the Bible using my tongue. At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had “read” through the entire Bible four times.
What to do:
✞Claim God’s great & precious promises today. They
will keep you from falling apart.
********************
Faith October 6
Bible Reading: James 2:15-26 Key Verse: Verse 26 – “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
Key Words: faith without works is dead
Thought: Faith is taking God at His Word in spite of my feelings, circumstances or consequences.
In a farming community, it hadn’t rained in a long
time, and things were getting desperate. The ministers decided they were going to call a prayer meeting. They said, “Look, we want the whole town to come to the prayer meeting and bring their religious symbols.” So the whole town showed up for the prayer meeting and people brought crosses, they brought their Bibles, the Catholics brought their rosaries, and they all cried out to God. They finished the prayer meeting. No rain was in sight. They all went home.
The next day though, in the town square where they had had the meeting, there was a little boy. “Oh, God, we need rain. God, show Your power, and give us rain.” The day before, with all the preachers and all the religious symbols, calling on God, no rain. The little boy shows up the next day by himself in the town square, and as he way praying, the sky got darker. As he was praying, rumbling occurred. As he was praying, the shower hit, and it was pouring down rain.
What was it about the little boy? He said the same things that all the people said the day before. The day before they had all the ministers; they even brought their religious symbols. But the day the young boy came, when the clouds got dark, he lifted up the symbol that he brought: an umbrella. He expected it to rain.
When you anticipate rain, you take an umbrella. When a man tells you it’s going to rain, when a meteorologist says it’s going to storm today, most people will get their umbrellas because they believe his word. Meteorologists are wrong half the time and we still take them at their word. Why is it, when it comes to God, who is never wrong, we hesitate to believe and act on His Word?
What to do:
✞Remember faith alone saves but a faith that saves
will never be alone.
*******************
Remember Your Youth October 7
Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 12 Key Verse: Verse 1 – “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;” Key Words: while the evil days come not
Thought: Life may begin at forty, but everything else begins to wear out, fall out, or spread out.
Man is like an automobile. As it gets older, the differential starts slipping, and the u-joints get worn, causing the drive shaft to go bad. The transmission won’t go into high gear and sometimes has difficulty getting out of low. The cylinders get worn and lose compression, making it hard to climb the
slightest incline. When it is climbing, the tappets clatter and ping to the point where one wonders if the old bus will make it to the top. The carburetor gets fouled with pollutants and other matter, making it hard to get started in the morning. It is hard to keep the radiator filled because of the leaking hose. The thermostat goes out, making it difficult to reach operating temperature. The headlights grow dim, and the horn gets weaker. The memory chip drops a few bytes, and the battery needs constant recharging. But if the body looks good with no bangs, dents or chipping paint, we can keep it washed and polished, giving the impression that it can compete with the newer models and make one more trip down the primrose lane before the head gasket blows. Gentlemen, start your engines.
What to do:
✞Remember to enjoy and use the days of your youth
with Godly wisdom!
*******************
White Lies October 8
Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16 Key Verse: Verse 15 - “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” Key Words: speaking the truth in love
Thought: Those who are given to “white” lies soon become color blind.
Famous American lies:
The check is in the mail. I’ll start my diet tomorrow. We service what we sell. Give me your number and the doctor will call you right back.
Money cheerfully refunded. One size fits all. This offer limited to the first 100 people who call in. Your luggage isn’t lost; it’s only misplaced. Leave your resume and we’ll keep it on file. This hurts me more than it hurts you. I just need five minutes of your time. Your table will be ready in a few minutes. Open wide, it won’t hurt a bit. Let’s have lunch sometime. It’s not the money; it’s the principle.
A twelve-year-old boy was a key witness in a crucial lawsuit. One of the lawyers had put him through a rigorous cross-examination and had been unable to shake his clear, damaging testimony. In a stern voice, the lawyer said, “Your father has been telling you how to testify, hasn't he?” “Yes,” said the boy. “Now,” said the lawyer, with smug satisfaction, “just tell us what your father told you to say.” “Well,” replied the boy, “Father told me that lawyers may try to tangle me, but if I would just be careful and tell the truth, I could say the same thing every time.”
What to do:
✞Remember, in the end it really pays to tell the truth.
********************
The Measure of a Person October 9
Bible Reading: I Samuel 16:1-13 Key Verse: Verse 7 – “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
Key Words: the Lord looketh on the heart
Thought: When God measures a man, He puts a tape measure around his heart, not his head.
Women take a lot of time and attention to make sure
they look glorious. They are a lot like my wife. If I tell her we have to go somewhere at 7:00, at 6:00 she “goeth” before the mirror of her glory. She goes to work. She pulls out eye mascara, eye-liner, foundation, rollers, curlers, a hot iron, and stuff I can't even pronounce. In one hour she is transformed before my very eyes.
We go to the car; the car is in the garage, so she doesn't have to go outside first to mess up her glory. She can go straight to the car, and keep all her glory intact. The first thing she does is to pull out the visor to check the glory she just put on. When we get to the building we are traveling to, we go in and come to the elevator. Guess what? There's a mirror in the elevator, to double-check her glory. When we arrive at our floor and get off the elevator, my wife will make a beeline for the powder room. Now, there is nothing wrong with a wife who seeks to be glorious. The Bible says that a woman is the glory of the man and I don't mind my wife making me look good.
But God is looking for even more. He wants us to be glorious on the inside, not merely on the outside. Far too many women are elegant on the outside, but bargain basement on the inside: evil-spirited, evil attitude, disregarding, disrespectful. Remember, God is not measuring us by that which is outward, but He is measuring our heart.
What to do:
✞Ask yourself and answer honestly: which
measurement is greater, my head or my heart?
Temptation October 10
Bible Reading: Matthew 6:5-15 Key Verse: Verse 13 – “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
Key Words: And lead us not into temptation
Thought: Temptations, unlike opportunities, will always give you a second chance.
A businessman was on a diet and experienced a
craving for donuts. He drove to the donut shop and just kept circling the block. Then he prayed, “Lord, I know You don't want me to eat donuts. I know that that's not Your will, but I need You to confirm it. There are no parking spaces at this donut shop, so if You don't open a parking space, I'll accept this as Your will. The man had to drive around the block eight times before it was God's will.
What the worm is designed to do is entice the fish so that the fish can become food for the fisherman. It is an enticement. No bear goes looking for a bear trap. No mouse goes looking for a mousetrap. What entices the mouse is cheese. But cheese is set on the trap, and because of its lust for cheese, the mouse is deceived in not recognizing the trap. Therefore, it is enticed or deceived or duped by something that is legitimate to create an opportunity for the destruction of the prey.
Most of us are in debt, because of deception. There was a desire to buy something that we either could not afford or should not have purchased, but that thing was presented in such a way so as to cause us to believe we couldn't live without it. So, we spent money we didn't have, for things we didn't need, to impress people we don't know. We were not thinking at the moment that this decision would take us the rest of our lives to pay off, at 18% interest. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
What to do: ✞Remember, temptation will always knock at your
heart's door.
********************
Tears October 11
Bible Reading: John 11:31-46 Key Verse: Verse 35 – “Jesus wept.”
Key Words: Jesus wept
Thought: “Tears are a liquid pain.” ~ Herbert Lockyer. Golda Meir said, “Those who don't know how to weep with their whole heart, don't know how
to laugh either.”
A little girl was once late coming home from play.
When her mother asked her where she had been, she explained that her friend had fallen and broken her very special doll. "And," said the little girl, "I stayed to help her." "How did you help her," asked the mother. "I just sat down and helped her cry".
• Joseph is said to have wept 8 times. • David, 7 times. • Paul, 4 times. He described himself as serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears. (Acts 20:19) • Jeremiah compared his weeping to both a fountain and a river of tears. (Jeremiah 9:1; Lamentations 3:48) • David’s men wept until they had no more power to weep. (1 Samuel 30:4) • The Psalmist wept until he drenched his couch and made his “bed swim.” (Psalm 6:6) • Peter wept “bitterly.” (Matthew 26:75) • There are three records of Jesus’ tears: Over a doomed city, over a friend’s death, and over a painful sacrifice. (Luke 19:41, John 11:33–35, and Hebrews 5:7) • Hell is described as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:42)
• The last mention of tears is in Revelation 21:4, the promise that God shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of his redeemed.
Tears -- a language God understands!
What to do:
✞Remember, even Jesus wept.
*******************
Negative Talk October 12
Bible Reading: Nehemiah 4:1-11
Key Verse: Verse 2 – “And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? ” Key Words: What do these feeble Jews?
Thought: The person who rows the boat usually doesn't have time to rock it.
Alan Loy McGinnis is a business consultant and
author who had been called in to help change the negative trends in many large companies and corporations. In his book, The Power of Optimism, McGinnis writes:
"Corporations occasionally ask me to work with their low-producing managers and salespersons, the people who are failing, but whom they'd like to reclaim. As I sit with these men and women and listen to their conversation, I'm always struck by how pessimistic and cynical their talk is. One might say, `Of course they're negative; they know they're in trouble in their company.' But I suspect it may have worked the other way -- the reason they became losers was their habit of negative talk. At some point they evidently got into the habit of commenting on bad circumstances, the bad working
conditions, and the bad state of their business. Maybe it originally got them some sympathy and attention, or maybe they picked up the habit from other workers. In any event, they became negative, and their work suffered."
McGinnis suggests several ways to reverse this, but one of the most powerful is to monitor and change the way we talk. When people begin talking more positively, they begin thinking or acting more so. He suggests watching every conversation to see the direction of the comments and attitudes it contains.
"In almost every situation," he writes, "it is possible to
give the conversation an optimistic spin."
What to do:
✞I have discovered that everyone is doing one of three
things. 1) Rowing the boat, 2) Rocking the boat, or 3)
Just simply riding in the boat. Which one are you?
********************
Your Autograph October 13
Bible Reading: Acts 6 Key Verse: Verse 3 – “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. ” Key Words: of honest report
Thought: Live your life so that your autograph will be wanted instead of your fingerprints.
Devotional writer Henry G. Bosch once wrote in Our
Daily Bread that when he was a boy he would often work with his father during the summer months. Leaving home each morning, they would stop at a particular store for a newspaper, which they read at coffee break. One day,
arriving at work, Henry's dad discovered that he had taken two papers by mistake because they were so thin. After a moment's thought, he decided to return to the store immediately to pay for the extra paper. "I don't want the owner, who isn't a Christian, to think I'm dishonest," said Mr. Bosch.
About a week later, some expensive items were shoplifted from the same store. The police calculated that at the time of the robbery only two men had been shopping in the store – Mr. Bosch and another man. "I know John is honest," said the storekeeper. "Just last week he came all the way back here to return a newspaper he'd taken by mistake." The police questioned the other man instead and, in so doing, apprehended the culprit who made a full confession.
"Father's honesty and Christian character…not only made a deep impression on the storekeeper," Henry later wrote, "but his actions also left an indelible mark upon my young and pliable mind."
What to do:
✞Be honest; it will come back to “save” you someday.
********************
People and Cars October 14
Bible Reading: Acts 11:17-26
Key Verse: Verse 26 – “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Key Words: they assembled themselves with the church
Thought: People are a lot like cars when it come to church attendance. They generally start missing before they go out altogether.
Someone has put together an analogy of a sold-out
football game and a less-than-sold-out church. It's called “Ten Reasons for Never Attending Another Football Game.”
1. I was taken to too many games by my parents when I was growing up.
2. It seems that the games are scheduled when I want to do other things.
3. Every time I go to a game somebody asks for money.
4. Although I go to the game often, few people are friendly enough to speak to me.
5. The seats are too hard and uncomfortable. Besides, I often have to sit down front on the fifty yard line.
6. I suspect that there are hypocrites sitting nearby - they come to see their friends and what others are wearing rather than to see the game.
7. The field judge says things I do not agree with.
8. The band plays some numbers I have never heard before.
9. Some games last too long, and I am late getting home.
10. I have a book on football. I can stay at home and read it.
Just sayin'!!
What to do:
✞Remember, don't miss too much or you'll go out
altogether.
Success October 15
Bible Reading: Joshua 1:1-9 Key Verse: Verse 8– “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Key Words: good success
Thought: There is no place where success comes before hard work except in
the dictionary.
In 1972, Cathy Rigby was determined to win a gold
medal at the Olympic games in Munich. She had trained very hard for many years and did not want to disappoint herself or the United States Gymnastics team. As she began her grueling regimen of performing under Olympic pressure, she prayed for the strength and control to get through her routines without making mistakes. She performed well but did not win. Cathy was crushed by the defeat. When she later joined her parents in the stands, she burst into tears and said, "I'm sorry, I did my best." Her mother gave her these wise words of consolation, "You know that, and I know that, and I'm sure God knows that too. DOING YOUR BEST IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN BEING THE BEST." Doing our best for the Master is all that Jesus has asked. We won't always be the best, but we can always try to do our best.
I often tell parents that it isn't the student that makes the “A's” with no effort that counts, but the “C” student who works hard and does the best that counts!! There is something to be said for a 100% effort.
What to do:
✞Remember, success is sweet, but usually it has the scent of sweat about it.
Circumstances October 16
Bible Reading: I Samuel 18:1-11 Key Verse: Verse 8 – “And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?” Key Words: what can he have more but the kingdom?
Thought: Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% what attitude I have
toward it.
It wasn't your ideal wedding. When Victoria LeMelle
and Roger Compton tied the knot on May 2, 1992, their wedding was well-planned, but they didn't count on the riots that broke out in South-Central Los Angeles. The bride's dress was stolen, the groom's tux was looted, and both the cameraman and the limo service canceled at the last minute. Only the caterer and flowers came through. Nonetheless, the couple went on with the ceremony in a sanctuary filled with the scent of flowers and smoke. The honeymoon was placed on hold because they couldn't get out of their riot-torn neighborhood in time to board their scheduled cruise. "I'm happy anyway," said the bride. "We just decided we weren't going to let a bunch of ignorant people get in our way. May 2 was our day, and nobody was going to stop us." Although riots aren't an everyday occurrence, there are plenty of adversities which bombard us each week. We must not allow "less than ideal" circumstances to rob us of our joy and peace as God's children.
Always remember, a bad attitude from circumstances comes when we have a life “about me!”
What to do: ✞Remember, life is not about you and life is not
about me, but life is all about Jesus Christ.
********************
Wrong Place October 17
Bible Reading: Romans 12:9-21 Key Verse: Verse 16 – “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.”
Key Words: be not wise in your own conceits
Thought: The person who never sees himself as being wrong, is wrong again.
There is nothing worse than a person who never see
himself as being wrong. They, in their eyes, are never the problem. They simply work with people who are the problem.
The problem is these people just never really see themselves as they really are: worthless!
A little boy was accustomed to being praised by his doting grandmother. On one particular visit she kept telling him that he was “priceless.” When he finished a drawing of which he was very proud, he excitedly ran to his grandmother's side and yelled, “Look, Grandma, I'm worthless!”
Until God can get a hold of the “conceited” person's heart, they will never be wrong in their own eyes. May God help them, for they are wrong again!!
What to do:
✞Don’t be “wrong again.”
Power of Prayer October 18
Bible Reading: Matthew6:5-15
Key Verse: Verse 10 – “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Key Words: Thy will be done
Thought: “Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our person; but they are helpless against our prayers.” ~
Sidlow Baxter
Most of us know the “Lord's Prayer” by heart. We
have put it to memory. But the verse that shows us the power of God: God's will be done...and it always will be.
You know the Supreme Court is the highest court of appeals. They've got all kind of courts that lead up to the Supreme Court. The lower courts may make all kinds of decisions but if the Supreme Court decides to hear a case, it is irrelevant what other courts have decided. If the Supreme Court decides it will hear an issue, it doesn't matter what the lower courts have decided. Only what the Supreme Court rules sticks, all other courts, no matter how powerful, just or unjust, must pale in significance when the Supreme Court rules.
I don't know who has made a decision for your life. I don't know what court has ruled on your circumstances. It may have been the court of your employer who has ruled that you will never leave this position. It may be the court of your finances has decided you will never better your lifestyle. It may be the court of the doctor that said we can't fix this disease. But at least, appeal it to the Supreme Court. At least, place it on the docket up there so that God can decide what the final rendering is. If He takes the case, it doesn't matter what the court of your employer has said, or the court of your doctor has said, because when that court speaks all other courts become irrelevant. You can be happy today because He's sovereign and He sits on the throne.
Thy will be done!!
What to do: ✞ When you are tired of being spurned, rejected,
opposed, and despised, try praying.
********************
Reasons For Failure October 19
Bible Reading: Psalm 103 Key Verse: Verse 12 – “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Key Words: so far hath he removed our transgressions from us
Thought: A dirty diamond is still a diamond; it just needs to be cleaned.
Every week, people have the habit of taking clothes to
the cleaners that have been soiled. The job of the cleaners is to freshen them up and get them smelling good again. Jesus has a pick up cleaning service. He picks up dirty people – people who have allowed their lives to sink into the mud for one reason or another – and cleanses them.
Did you know that the biggest bulldozer in the world is the D575A? It's 16 feet long, 25 feet wide, and 41 feet high. It weighs 225,000 pounds. It's a huge machine to bulldoze dirt. A couple of years ago it came to a county where there was an overload of garbage, and the bulldozer was brought in to dig a big hole that would collect the garbage and remove it from the lives of the citizens.
On the cross, God dug a hole so big He could collect the sins of the whole world -- past, present, and future. On the cross, He gathered all the sin and took out His eternal wrath on Jesus Christ for you and for me. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us.”
To God be the glory!
What to do: ✞You are still a diamond so let God cleanse you so
you can be a clean diamond.
********************
The Bible October 20
Bible Reading: Psalm 19 Key Verse: Verse 8 – “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Key Words: The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart
Thought: A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't.
There was a commercial not too long ago for Prego
spaghetti sauce. A mother is cooking the spaghetti and the pot is full of what looks like a vibrant, red spaghetti sauce. The aroma appears to be filling the house. The son comes up and looks at his mother cooking the sauce and asks, “Mom, where are the mushrooms?”
She says, “It’s in there.” “But what about the sausage?” “Why, it’s in there.” “What about the ripe tomatoes?” “It’s in there.” Prego’s spaghetti sauce had kick and flavor, because of
what was inside. Every time the boy looked for something to explain what he smelled, his mother would reply, “It’s in there.”
If you are looking for victory, it’s in the Bible. If you’re looking for transformation, it’s already in there. If you’re looking for power, it’s in there. If you’re looking for deliverance, it’s in there. If you’re looking for a brand-new you, it’s already there. The divine nature has given you everything you need and you can learn about what’s available to you by studying the Word of God.
What to do:
✞Don't fall apart. Just come apart and let God give
you rest through His Word.
********************
The Word October 21
Bible Reading: Jeremiah 5:10-24
Key Verse: Verse 13– “And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.” Key Words: and the word is not in them Thought: The devil is not afraid of the Bible with dust on it.
Tony Evans writes: “G. Campbell Morgan had grown up in a Christian
home, never questioning that the Bible was the Word of God. But in college, his faith was severely challenged and he began to entertain doubts. “The whole intellectual world was under the mastery of the physical scientists,” he later said, “and of a materialistic and rationalistic philosophy. Darwin, Huxley, Tyndall, Spencer, Bain. There came a moment when I was sure of nothing.”
In those days, opponents of the Bible appeared every Sunday in great lecture and concert halls across England, attacking Christianity and the Bible, and these brilliant atheists and agnostics troubled the young student. He read every book he could find, both for and against the Bible, both for and against Christianity, until he was confused, so riddled with doubt that he felt he couldn’t go on.
In desperation, he closed his books, put them in his cupboard and turned the lock. Going down to a bookshop, he bought a new Bible, returned to his room, sat down at his desk, and opened it. He said, I am no longer sure that this is what my father claims it to be – the Word of God. But of this I am sure, it will bring assurance to my soul of itself. As he
looked into the book before him, studying its form and structure and unity and message, he was amazed. He later said, “That Bible found me. I began to read and study it then, in 1883, and I have been a student ever since.”
What to do:
✞ Let the Word of God be in you.
********************
Giving October 22
Bible Reading: Acts 4:32 – 5:11 Key Verse: Verse 4:34 – “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,” Key Words: and brought the prices of the things that were sold
Thought: Stealing from God is like robbing the police station – not a good idea.
Tony Evans tells the following. I remember when I was teaching my oldest son,
Anthony, about giving. At the time, he was getting one dollar a week for an allowance. I explained to him that he now had to give ten cents to God before he spent the other ninety. I also explained that ten cents was the minimum and that he could give more based on his gratefulness. My son understood that he had to tithe before he could buy candy. Anthony was not a happy camper.
First, he explained to me that one dollar wasn't enough to buy anything. He started quoting the prices of all his favorite candies. Second, he couldn't believe that he had to cut into his too-little allowance to share with God.
So, I had to teach him. I said, “Now, Son, where did
you get the dollar?” “Well, Daddy, you gave it to me.” “Where did Daddy get the money to give you the dollar?” “Well, you got the money from your salary at the church.” “Well, how did I get money from the salary at the church in order to give you the dollar?”
“Because the people go to work and then they give and then you get a salary from which you gave me a dollar.”
“So where did the people get the money out of which I got a salary to give you a dollar?”
“Well, the people have jobs and when the people got paid at their jobs, they gave a portion of their income from which you get a salary to give me a dollar.”
“Tell me some kinds of jobs that the people do who got the salary who gave the money that provided me the salary to give you a dollar.”
My son started naming a bunch of different kinds of jobs. For each job he mentioned, I explained to him all of the natural resources it took, under the good hand of God the Father, to make those jobs possible – that also made my salary and his dollar possible.
After that conversation, he put fifteen cents into the offering. When you understand that everything starts with God, it motivates you to give to Him first.
What to do:
✞ Remember the words of Malachi, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me, But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings” Malachi 3:8.
Your Face October 23
Bible Reading: Proverbs 15:1-14 Key Verse: Verse 13 – “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” Key Words: A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance
Thought: A person's face is the signature of his soul.
~ William L. Stidger
On one occasion Martin Luther had been brooding for several days. Reports had been and still were coming of groups of peasants in revolt, and of increased papal pressure on the nobles to renounce their stand for Luther. These conspired to make him feel that he had undertaken a hopeless task.
On the morning when he was most deeply melancholic, he came into the dining room for breakfast. His wife, Katie, greeted him attired in a black dress which was as funeral in appearance as the costume she had worn as a nun.
Martin glanced at her quizzically. She usually greeted him with a cheerful, “Guten morgen, Herr Dokter,” but this morning she said not a word.
“What is wrong, Katie?” Martin inquired. “God is dead,” she announced sadly. “Woman that is a terrible heresy. God is not dead, nor
doth He sleep. Never say that The Eternal has died. When heaven and earth shall pass away God will remain,” he affirmed.
“Then why do you waken each morning with such a doleful expression on your face? Why go through the day sighing like the north wind? In your university classes you claim to interpret the mind of God. You have appeared to know Him well, and I became certain, from the expression on your face, that God must surely have expired.”
She made this statement without a change of expression. Suddenly Martin burst out laughing. “You have
convinced me, Katie, dear,” he said. “So, if ever you see me again with a melancholy countenance, remind me that God is living, that He will live forevermore. I promise you that I shall try not to appear as dour as a shriveled turnip.”
Maybe we should promise the same thing!
What to do:
✞ Remember, your countenance is your face revealing
what your heart is feeling.
********************
Leadership October 24
Bible Reading: I Peter 3:8-17 Key Verse: Verse 10 – “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:” Key Words: refrain his tongue from evil
Thought: A leader is easy to recognize. He is the one with the arrows in his back.
The word evil in our key verse carries the idea of
backbiting. I've never known of a good leader who was not bitten, stabbed and shot in the back with slander and gossip. It just goes with the territory.
Abraham Lincoln once said: “If I tried to answer all the criticisms of me and all the attacks leveled at me, this office would be closed to all other business. My job is not pleasing men, but doing the best I can. If in the end I am found to be wrong, ten legions of angels swearing I was right will not help me; but if the end proves me to have been right, then all that is said about me now will amount to nothing.”
An irritated editor: “If you find errors in this publication, please consider they are there for a purpose. We publish something for everyone, and some people are always
looking for mistakes.” So let me say to all of you Godly leaders, whether you
are a parent, boss, supervisor, teacher, principal, and yes, even a pastor: “Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain; and most do.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
Keep on for the glory of God.
What to do:
✞Remember, “If evil be said of thee and it be true, correct thyself; and if it be a lie, laugh at it.” ~ Epictetus
********************
Anger October 25
Bible Reading: Matthew 5:21-30
Key Verse: Verse 22 – “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”
Key Words: without a cause
Thought: The person who feels no anger toward evil is a person who lacks enthusiasm for good.
Whenever I tell people that not all anger is bad, I get
this look as if I am a heretic. Then I have to remind them that Jesus became angry with the money-changers in the temple...and Moses became angry with the stubborn Israelites...and Nehemiah became angry with the mocking Gentiles...not all anger is bad.
Now people will often quote, or should I say misquote, Ephesians 4:26 to not let the sun go down on one's anger, but that's not what the verse says. It says, “Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Wrath is
when we want to harm someone. Wrath is when anger boils over into envy and jealousy of others.
But we have seared our conscience when we are apathetic toward evil.
A university professor noticed a student was about to fall asleep in class. So the teacher asked the student, “What is the greatest problem in our society – ignorance or apathy?” The student replied: “I don’t know and I don’t care.”
In this pastor's opinion, it is not the act of evil that is destroying our nation; it's the church's apathy toward it!
What to do:
✞Be ye angry, but don't let it turn into wrath.
********************
False Flattery October 26
Bible Reading: Proverbs 28:17-28 Key Verse: Verse 23 – “He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.”
Key Words: flattereth with the tongue
Thought: Only two groups of people fall for flattery: men and women.
Note what others have said of flattery.
“One who extremely exaggerates in his opinion of your qualities, so that it may come nearer to your opinion of them." ~ Oscar Wilde, when asked his definition of a flatterer. “Flattery is like cologne water, to be smelt of, not swallowed.” ~ Josh Billings, 19th century writer. “Praise, like gold and diamonds, owes its value to its scarcity.” ~ Dr. Samuel Johnson.
“Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver.” ~ Edmund Burke. “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.” ~ William Ward, college administrator.
It's great to compliment others, but false flattery is like soap: 90% lye.
What to do:
✞ It's always wise to remember that when talking to a
person who likes to be flattered, you are only telling them what they already think of themselves.
********************
Church Attendance October 27
Bible Reading: Hebrews 10:25-35 Key Verse: Verse 25 – “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Key Words: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together
Thought: Some people don't go to church because of hypocrites, but they still go to movies, ballgames, and Wal-Mart with them.
A farmer once said to a friend, "I have some delicious
apples growing in my orchard. If you come over, I'll give you a bushel." He repeated the offer, but his friend never came. Finally, he asked, “John, why didn't you accept my offer?” “Well, to tell you the truth,” said the other, “I have tasted them. As I went along the road a few weeks ago, I picked one up that had fallen over the wall and frankly, I have never
eaten anything so sour!” “Oh,” laughed the farmer. “I thought that might be the case. Those apples around the outside were placed there because we have so many boys in the neighborhood. In order to protect my crop, I selected the sourest varieties to plant around the outer edge of my orchard. When the boys tasted these, they gave up stealing, thinking all the fruit was just as bad. However, if you will come with me, you'll find that I grow a very different quality on the inside. You'll really enjoy them. They're as sweet as honey.”
Those who judge the church by its sour members make the same mistake when they allow the “sour apple hypocrites” to keep them away from the “orchard of fellowship” they might enjoy with God's saints.
Why condemn the church because all its members aren't fine saints? You don't tear down the hospital because not all the patients recover.
Just sayin'!!
What to do:
✞ Remember, hypocrites need to go to church as well.
It may help overcome the hypocrisy.
The Conscience October 28
Bible Reading: Acts 23:1-9 Key Verse: Verse 1 – “And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” Key Words: I have lived in all good conscience before God
Thought: The greatest tormentor of the human soul is a guilty conscience.
Leslie B. Flynn says, "Since 1811 Uncle Sam has been
receiving anonymous sums of money as self-imposed fines for a variety of reasons, such as for taking Army blankets for souvenirs or for deliberately failing to put enough postage on a letter. One widow, checking her late husband's books, discovered he had cheated the government, so she promptly mailed a check for $50 to the Treasury. All these monies have been placed in an account named the Federal Conscience Fund which now totals over three million dollars.”
A farmer was on his way home after picking up his new car. As he approached his farm, he decided to test the acceleration. He passed the side road that led to his house and drove on for a mile or so. Then, after making a sharp U-turn, he sped back toward the side road. A man driving a station wagon observed the U-turn and the farmer’s fast rate of speed, and he thought the automobile was an unmarked police car. Trying to avoid detection, he quickly headed down the road leading to the farm.
Of course, it was just his luck that the road he happened to turn down was the road leading to the farmer’s house, so the farmer turned in too. When the second driver saw what he thought was the patrolman turn in behind him, he was alarmed and drove at a high speed to escape, only to come to a dead end. He jumped out and ran, abandoning the station wagon. Later it was found to be filled with stolen coffee, cigarettes, and ammunition. His conscience had made
him flee, even though no one was pursuing him.
What to do:
✞Live by your conscience unless your conscience
opposes the Word of God.
********************
Assuming You’re Right October 29
Bible Reading: Mark 7:1-13 Key Verse: Verse 5 – “Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?” Key Words: but eat bread with unwashen hands?
Thought: If the only way I can make myself look good is to criticize you, then something is seriously wrong with me.
Criticism: we have all faced it, and it usually comes
from those who do not have all the facts and just enough information to make them as dangerous as an infant with a loaded .38 revolver. In other words, someone is about to get hurt.
I have discovered in my 42 years of ministry that those who believe they know the truth are assuming the one who told them is “in the know.” As a result, they make unwise decisions. Assuming can get you into trouble.
John was driving home late one night when he picked up a hitchhiker. As they rode along, he began to be suspicious of his passenger. John checked to see if his wallet was safe in the pocket of his coat that was on the seat between them, but it wasn't there! So he slammed on the brakes, ordered the hitchhiker out, and said, "Hand over the wallet immediately!" The frightened hitchhiker handed over a billfold, and John drove off. When he arrived home, he started to tell his wife about the experience, but she interrupted him, saying, "Before
I forget, John, do you know that you left your wallet at home this morning?"
Poor John is like so many, he believed he was so right when he really was so wrong.
What to do:
✞Be careful who you listen to because you sink or
swim based upon what information they give you.
********************
Lay Me Down in Peace October 30
Bible Reading: Psalm 4 Key Verse: Verse 8 – “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.” Key Words: lay me down in peace Thought: Peace rules the day when Christ rules the heart.
In 1555, Nicholas Ridley was burned at the stake
because of his witness for Christ. On the night before Ridley’s execution, his brother offered to remain with him in the prison chamber to be of assistance and comfort. Nicholas declined the offer and replied that he meant to go to bed and sleep as quietly as ever he did in his life. Because he knew the peace of God, he could rest in the strength of the everlasting arms of his Lord to meet his need.
In 1873 a successful businessman lost all his material possessions in the great Chicago fire. This did not trouble him too much for he had set his affection on “things above.” However, just a few weeks later, when his wife and children were on board the “Ville du Havre” to visit France, their ship was rammed by an English vessel and sank within two hours, claiming the lives of 226 people. Although his wife survived, all four of their children perished in the icy waters. While en route to Europe to join his wife, the man was given the tragic
news and later shown the spot in the mid-Atlantic where the shipwreck occurred. Although heartsick with grief, Mr. Spafford suddenly felt an inrush of supernatural peace and comfort as he looked to the Lord for strength. With tears streaming down his face, he picked up a pen to record his feelings, and from his well-blest heart flowed these thrilling words, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, 'It is well, it is well with my soul!'”
What to do:
✞ If it is well with your soul, then peace will rule the
day.
********************
More Beyond October 31
Bible Reading: I Corinthians 15:1-19 Key Verse: Verse 19 – “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Key Words: If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
Thought: Life is not about you, and it's not about me; life is all about Jesus Christ.
It is because of Jesus Christ that we have hope beyond
this life. In Valladolid, Spain, where Christopher Columbus
died in 1506, stands a monument commemorating the great discoverer. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain's motto for centuries. Before Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought they had reached the outer limits of earth. Thus their motto was "Ne Plus Ultra," which means "No More Beyond." The
word being torn away by the lion is "Ne" or "no," making it read "Plus Ultra." Columbus had proven that there was indeed "more beyond."
So it is in life – there is more beyond.
What to do:
✞ Live as though this were your last day on earth –
because one day it will be!
I deeply appreciate the help of
Mary Parsons
Glenda Myrick
And my lovely wife, Linda
Without God using these people to
help, this devotional would not have
been possible.
Dr. Mike Rouse
is a ministry of
5568 Chalkville Mountain Road
Birmingham, AL. 35235 (205) 854-2741
www.mountainviewbaptist.org
