Monthly Archives: August 2019

Smile And Rejoice!!! Bible Ballistics: BBs #583

30 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by in A Father's Love, Comfort, Confidence, Contentment, Encouragement, Joy, Rejoice IN The Lord

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #583     Smile And Rejoice!!!

“Rejoice

in the Lord alway:

and again I say,

Rejoice.

5 Let your moderation be known

unto all men.

The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing;

but in every thing

by prayer

and supplication

with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known

unto God.

7 And the peace of God,

which passeth all understanding,

shall keep your hearts

and minds

through Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:4-7

May we look up today and praise God for all of His wondrous grace and love toward us!  Let’s take some time today to praise our Lord; it will lift the heart no matter your circumstances.  Our God is so good, and the scriptures are replete with reminders to praise HIM always! Remember “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world…”. (See 1 Jn. 4:4). So, let’s simply share a few passages to encourage our hearts today!  REJOICE IN THE LORD! Always!

“The LORD is my strength

and my shield;

my heart trusted in him,

and I am helped:

therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;

and with my song will I praise him.”  Psalm 28:7

“Let all those that seek thee

rejoice

and be glad

in thee:

let such as love thy salvation

say continually,

The LORD be magnified.

17 But I am poor and needy;

yet the Lord thinketh upon me:

thou art my help

and my deliverer;

make no tarrying,

O my God.”  Psalm 40:16-17

“This is the day

which the LORD hath made;

we will rejoice

and be glad in it.”   Psalm 118:24

I pray that your hope is in God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—may we confidently rejoice in our God who reigns!!!

“He will swallow up death in victory;

and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears

from off all faces;

and the rebuke of his people

shall he take away from off all the earth:

for the LORD hath spoken it.

9 And it shall be said in that day,

Lo, this is our God;

we have waited for him,

and he will save us:

this is the LORD;

we have waited for him,

we will be glad and rejoice

in his salvation.”  Isaiah 25:8-9

Amen and Amen!!!

Iron Or Putty??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #582

28 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by in By example, Friends, Friendship, Iron Sharpening Iron

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #582     Iron Or Putty???

 

“Iron sharpeneth iron;

so a man sharpeneth

the countenance

of his friend.”   Proverbs 27:17

“A friend loveth

at all times,

and a brother

is born for adversity.”  Proverbs 17:7

I want to take just a few moments today to celebrate ‘friends’!  I have been abundantly blessed through the years with amazing friends.  Scripture tells us the key to having real friends is relatively simple—not easy but simple!

“A man that hath friends

must shew himself friendly:

and there is a friend

that sticketh closer

than a brother.”  Proverbs 18:24

To have friends, we must ‘be’ a friend! We must be willing to risk heartache as we reach out to others.  Now, this isn’t a popular idea if you follow the ideology of social media; which says, “If you don’t meet my needs, or if you are inconvenient, or if you fail in some way—then I just need to avoid, dump or otherwise exclude you from my life.”  I’m not saying that we aren’t to have boundaries, but we are to exercise grace, love and endurance toward others, as Jesus has extended these qualities to us!

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking,

be put away from you,

with all malice:

32 And be ye kind

one to another,

tenderhearted,

forgiving one another,

even as God

for Christ’s sake

hath forgiven you.”    Ephesians 4:31-32

That must not be right!  Afterall, I am the center of the universe! Right?  Well, to be quite truthful, that may be a popular attitude, but it surely isn’t biblical!  We are called to be iron sharpening iron—not silly putty, that changes to match the shape of the moment.  So, my question for us today is simply this; “Are we being ‘iron’ support for our friends, or are we so demanding of perfection from others, that we have failed to realize that we have been saved by grace, to serve Jesus and others?”  Are we walking in His ways or the popular social trend of the day?  Scripture makes it quite clear that our goal is to do God’s good works- not the imitation ‘goodness’ of the world; which is basically ‘me and my four, and no more’!

“For by grace are ye saved

through faith;

and that not of yourselves:

it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works,

lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus

unto good works,

which God hath before ordained

that we should walk in them.”   Ephesians 2:8-10

So, my friends let’s press on and be that ‘iron sharpening iron’ that someone may need today!  Blessings on your journey of faith and obedience-don’t ‘putty’ out!  Amen and Amen!!!

You’re Not A DIY!!! Bible Ballistics: Vol. 14 No. 02

25 Sunday Aug 2019

Posted by in Abundant Life In Jesus, Born Again, Changed Lives, Choices And Consequences, Compromise, Confidence, Consider Your ways, Dependence, Encouragement, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Filled With His Spirit, Flesh-vs-Spirit, Follow Jesus, For Such A Time As This, God Is In Charge, God's provision, Gospel, Growing in Jesus!, Holy Living, If not now? When?, IN Jesus!, It's Your Choice, JESUS, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Listening To God, Living Right, Make Like A Tree?, Plumbline?, Polluted by the world?, Salvation, Saved by grace, SIN, Sovereignty, The Only Way, The Word Or The World?, Trusting Jesus, Walking With Jesus, Who are YOU following?

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 14 No. 02  You’re Not A DIY!!!

 

We live in a culture of DIY—Do it YOURSELF!  But God never calls us to ‘fix’ ourselves but to yield to HIS love, work and transforming power.  I would like to share from the scriptures some food for thought to perhaps readjust our thinking.  I pray that it will touch hearts, encourage the faithful, convict those who have fallen for the lies of the enemy, by speaking the truth of God in love.  I do love and pray for each of you that will read this post, that God will speak HIS Word to your heart; that you will come to know that you don’t have to DIY; you simply have to “let God BE God”!

“Being confident

of this very thing,

that he which hath begun a good work

in you

will perform it

until the day of Jesus Christ:”    Philippians 1:6

God begins His work in us by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus—His substitutionary, atoning, sacrifice of Himself for us.  We couldn’t save ourselves and apart from Jesus we surely can’t keep ourselves!

“I am the true vine,

and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit

he taketh away:

and every branch that beareth fruit,

he purgeth it,

that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean

through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me,

and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit

of itself,

except it abide in the vine;

no more can ye,

except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine,

ye are the branches:

He that abideth in me,

and I in him,

the same bringeth forth much fruit:

for without me

ye can do nothing.”   John 15:1-5

Just as a branch broken off of the tree will not grow—neither will we unless we abide in Jesus.  He has provided everything that we need to be faithful, successful followers of His!  God has called and equipped us to grow IN HIM!

“Grace and peace be multiplied

unto you

through the knowledge of God,

and of Jesus our Lord,

3 According as his divine power

hath given unto us

all things

that pertain unto life

and godliness,

through the knowledge of him

that hath called us

to glory

and virtue:

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.”  2 Peter 1:2-4

As Paul said above—God began it—and He will finish the work in His own!

“And we know

that all things work together

for good

to them that love God,

to them who are the called

according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow,

he also did predestinate

to be conformed

to the image of his Son,

that he might be the firstborn

among many brethren.

30 Moreover

 whom he did predestinate,

them he also called:

and whom he called,

 them he also justified:

and whom he justified,

them he also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things?

If God be for us,

who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son,

but delivered him up for us all,

how shall he not

with him

also freely give us

all things?”  Romans 8:28-32

And how do we become HIS?  By coming to Jesus in repentance and faith!  Only One Way—only One Savior:  “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” And we come by faith in The One who died for you and me, who also said: “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”!  Amen! (See John 14:6 & 6:37)

“For by grace are ye saved

through faith;

and that not of yourselves:

it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works,

lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus

unto good works,

which God hath before ordained

that we should walk in them.”   Ephesians 2:8-10

Instead of a DIY project, God calls us to die to self, and live unto Him, by Him and for Him!

“I beseech you therefore, brethren,

by the mercies of God,

that ye present your bodies

a living sacrifice,

holy,

acceptable unto God,

which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed

to this world:

but be ye transformed

by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove

what is that good,

and acceptable,

and perfect,

will of God.” Romans 12:1-2

It’s all about JESUS!

“For of him,

and through him,

and to him,

are all things:

 to whom be glory

for ever. Amen.”  Romans 11:36

So my conclusion is that we must stop working on our own—doing our DIY project on ourselves–and let Jesus do HIS work in us, yielding to His Spirit, knowing His Word, His truth, and trusting to HIS perfect provision and providence (a word that we have mostly forgotten today)! Here are a few passages to help us focus on our Master Builder rather than ourselves!

“For it is God

which worketh in you

both to will

and to do

of his good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh……

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory,

provoking one another,

envying one another.”   Galatians 5:16 & 25-26

And more from our brother Paul:

“What?

know ye not

that your body is the temple

of the Holy Ghost

which is in you,

which ye have of God,

and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price:

therefore glorify God

in your body,

and in your spirit,

which are God’s.”   1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Finally, how do we know what it looks like to choose HIS way?  Again, Paul gives us an amazing contrast that I’ll leave with you!  You must decide if you will focus on the way of the flesh or The Spirit.

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest,

which are these;

Adultery,

fornication,

uncleanness,

lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry,

witchcraft,

hatred,

variance,

emulations,

wrath,

strife,

seditions,

heresies,

21 Envyings,

murders,

drunkenness,

revellings,

and such like:

of the which I tell you before,

as I have also told you in time past,

that they which do such things

shall not inherit

the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is

love,

joy,

peace,

longsuffering,

gentleness,

goodness,

faith,

23 Meekness,

temperance:

against such

there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ’s

have crucified the flesh

with the affections and lusts.”   Galatians 5:19-24

Remember the fruit can only come from abiding in the tree!  May we learn to measure with God’s plumb-line not the world’s; and abide in our LORD Jesus in all our ways!  Be fruitful!

Amen and Amen!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Legacy Will You Leave??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #581

23 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by in Choices And Consequences, Commitment Or Convenience, Confidence, Faith, Faithfulness

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #581     What Legacy Will You Leave???

 

 

As I get older each day (as we all do!), I am more and more aware of the import of our life choices.  We are granted the freedom to choose by the God Almighty who created us in HIS image, but with freedom comes responsibility, consequences, and both near and far effects.  My heart is so grieved over the times that I have made poor choices, and that my choices are still affecting others!  I can also rejoice in the choices that have had positive impacts on others, but so often we fail to practice what I call, ‘awareness of our influence’!  Most of us often feel like we don’t have any influence, but each and every one of us have the ability to influence others, for good or evil; for no matter how small we think our circle of influence is, like ripples on a lake our actions have wide-spreading effects on people that we may not even realize.

Think about the person who lead Billy Graham to Jesus, or Dwight L Moody (who was led to Jesus by a shoe clerk!), or any number of great people that we are all familiar with; without someone who told them about Jesus, where would we all be?

“For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink

in my name,

because ye belong to Christ,

verily I say unto you,

he shall not lose his reward.

42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones

that believe in me,

it is better for him

that a millstone were hanged

about his neck,

and he were cast into the sea.”   Mark 9:41-42

Reward and effect aren’t appraised by quantity, but by the level of faithfulness and devotion!

“He that is faithful

in that which is least

is faithful also in much:

and he that is unjust

in the least

is unjust also in much.”   Luke 16:10

Are we being faithful to God in our life choices, or are we being led to join the world’s philosophy and foolish way of thinking? Are we being faithful in the little that we have?  If not, how can we expect God to trust us with more? What legacy are we leaving to our children?  A heritage of godliness, or a heritage of compromise, license, and indulgence of the flesh?  As an old adage says, “What the parents do in moderation, the children will do to excess!”  When will we realize the eternal import of our influence? I pray that it is soon, for time is fleeting and Jesus is our soon-coming King!  Oh, how I desire to hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”  We must learn to be faithful with what HE has given us today!

“And he said unto him,

Well,

thou good servant:

because thou hast been faithful

in a very little,

have thou authority over ten cities.”  Luke 19:17

And if you remember the story, it didn’t matter how much each one had, but how faithful they had been.  I would simply like to leave you with the words of one of my favorite songs, which says it better than I could.  May God encourage your heart today to recognize your opportunities and choose wisely!  Remember there is a test coming!

May Those Who Come Behind Us Find Us Faithful

              By Steve Green

We’re pilgrims on the journey
of the narrow road,
and those who’ve gone before us
line the way.
cheering on the faithful,
encouraging the weary,
their lives a stirring testament
to god’s sustaining grace.

o may all who come behind us
find us faithful,
may the fire of our devotion
light their way.
may the footprints that we leave,
lead them to believe,
and the lives we live
inspire them to obey.
o may all who come behind us
find us faithful. 

Surrounded by so great
a cloud of witnesses,
let us run the race
not only for the prize,
but as those who’ve gone before us.
let us leave to those behind us,
the heritage of faithfulness
passed on thru godly lives.

After all our hopes and dreams
have come and gone,
and our children sift thru all
we’ve left behind,
may the clues that they discover,
and the mem’ries they uncover,
become the light that leads them,
to the road we each must find.

o may all who come behind us
find us faithful,
may the fire of our devotion
light their way.
may the footprints that we leave,
lead them to believe,
and the lives we live
inspire them to obey.
o may all who come behind us
find us faithful.

Amen and Amen!!!

The Beauty Of HIS Holiness!!! Bible Ballistics: BBs #580

21 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by in Blessed by God, Encouragement

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #580      The Beauty Of HIS Holiness!!!

 

We all have days when we’re down, when we aren’t ‘feeling’ well, when we just feel discouraged or confused.  Well, I tweaked my back yesterday and I was sitting here thinking of how blessed I am—that my/our God is so faithful no matter how I/we “feel”! I was so encouraged this morning when I opened my blinds to sit and write this post this morning, as I saw a cute little hummingbird, and then looked out a minute later and a lovely red cardinal was feeding at the seed feeder.  It was like a special delivery message from the Lord who loves me, that all would be fine.  In fact, as I’m writing now, those little hummingbirds are buzzing my cannas at the window!  How blessed we are, if we’ll but open our hearts and our eyes!  I just want to remind each of us that no matter our circumstances, or our feelings we can take heart knowing that:

“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude,

and as the voice of many waters,

and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,

Alleluia:

for the Lord God omnipotent

reigneth.”   Revelation 19:6

God hasn’t slept through your crisis, nor has he been surprised by sudden calamity, for HE is working in our behalf—HE reigns—in your life, in my life, in our world!  Remember, as Bro. David Ring often says, “God never says ‘oops’!”  Amen! So, here are just a few tidbits from The Word to encourage your heart and mine this morning.  I pray that God will use them to lift your eyes to the skies, and your heart to our KING!

“Then he said unto them,

Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared:

for this day is holy unto our Lord:

neither be ye sorry;

for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”   Nehemiah 8:10

The joy HE gives—the joy HE is—the joy HE has for you/me!

“And when he had consulted with the people,

he appointed singers unto the LORD,

as they went out before the army,

and to say,

Praise the LORD;

for his mercy endureth for ever.”  2 Chronicles 20:21. (Read the entire chapter for a real boost to your day!)

Praising God will always send the enemy fleeing! We can stand with Job in the midst of chaos and hold fast to God’s faithfulness.

“Though he slay me,

yet will I trust in him:

but I will maintain

mine own ways before him.”   Job 13:15

As. my brother-in-law is always saying, no matter what’s happening in our lives we must just, “Do right, do right, do right, and then just DO RIGHT!”  God will always be honored when we do right—for it is as ‘unto the Lord’ knowing that our soon-coming King sees, and knows, saying, “and my reward is with me” (See Rev. 22:12)!

“For I know that my redeemer liveth,

and that he shall stand

at the latter day

upon the earth:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body,

yet in my flesh shall I see God:”  Job 19:25-26