Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4, Romans 8:18, 1 Peter 4:12-19, 2 Corinthians 4:8-10.
The daily fiery trials of the Lord burning the old away, and refining our lives with conviction and repentance is neither comfortable nor easy nor without leaving scars – but He proves Himself by never leaving us, and by healing the wounds where the disease was cut out.
Continue reading “Sign me up for the fiery trials. Really? Yes, really.”
http://bible.com/116/1co.13.1-7.nlt If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Is it just me? This reminds me of how little I look like Christ. In fact this whole book reminds me of how little I look like Christ.
http://bible.com/116/ecc.10.10.nlt Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.
Ecclesiastes 8:9-13 NLT
I have thought deeply about all that goes on here under the sun, where people have the power to hurt each other. I have seen wicked people buried with honor. Yet they were the very ones who frequented the Temple and are now praised in the same city where they committed their crimes! This, too, is meaningless. When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off. The wicked will not prosper, for they do not fear God. Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows.
If we are not convicted of our own sins – if we say, that XYZ is not a sin when the Word of God says that it is – how can we say that we are a humble servant of the Lord? The wicked argue over what is sin and what is not sin, blinded by the curse of the law, looking for a way to escape the conviction by saying, “No, that isn’t sin. The law is of no use.”
Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 NLT
And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.
Contentment truly is a gift from God.
Psalms 94:12-13 NLT
Joyful are those you discipline, Lord , those you teach with your instructions. You give them relief from troubled times until a pit is dug to capture the wicked.
Discipline and teaching.
These two things are supposed to go hand in hand, because together they lead to wisdom. But one without the other is folly.
Today’s Manna – Our Daily Bread
Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT
But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
Today’s Observation
Each day, we find ourselves chasing something.
1 Peter 2:24 AMP
He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
Jesus Christ is the Word of God, come in the flesh, to live among men, to demonstrate the Spirit of God’s Holy and divine instruction, as a contrast to the law of man that hard hearted people without understanding had twisted for their own selfish purposes. He demonstrated love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and long-suffering in the example of His life. He showed us the Truth of the written Word of God to not be a rule book to be followed out of obligation, but that we should love God and love others, so that we might follow and obey His will in grattitude for the grace that has been extended to us. He did this to show us that He is the truth, the life, and the way.
Continue reading “Do we just “like” Christ? Or are we Christ-like?”
Proverbs 24:6 NLT
So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisers.
Proverbs 15:22 NLT
Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.
Proverbs 11:14 NLT
Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.
Proverbs 24:3-4 NLT
A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.
What kind of house are we building for the Lord? We are to be a dwelling place for the very Holy Spirit of the Lord. The Word is not talking about building a physical house, but of things spiritual and unseen. He is not giving us construction advice for a building what will be torn down and destroyed by rot and rust or fire, but the Word gives us instruction in those things that are eternal and spiritual.
Continue reading “Do I need wise counsel? Or do I think that I am wise counsel?”
What if I want to understand, but sometimes I just don’t feel like I get it?
What if I find myself reading the Bible, praising the Lord, and praying, and the answer just isn’t clear and obvious?
What if it is hard to tell whether I am putting myself in danger by the company that I choose to keep – or if I am being compassionate and caring for them by trying to help them – or if I am judging them by focusing on their needing help while overlooking my own shortcomings?
Proverbs 18:2 NLT
Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.
Continue reading “Do my opinions get in the way of His message?”
Harold J. Ballinger 