A Home Is A House Full Of Love

01/12/PM "I have yet to speak on God's behalf." --Job 36:2 A Christian is not to be a village in a valley, but "a city set upon a hill;" he is not to be a candle under a bushel, but a candle in a candlestick, giving light to all. Retirement may be lovely in its season, and to hide one's self is doubtless modest, but the hiding of Christ in us can never be justified, and the keeping back of truth which is precious to ourselves is a sin against others and an offence against God. This was convicting to my own heart.

Let January open with joy in the Lord and December close with gladness in Jesus - Spurgeon   “No matter what changes God has performed in you,  never rely on them.  Build only on a person, the Lord Jesus Christ,  and on the Spirit He gives” - Oswald Chamber

The Baptist Voice has a good article on some ways to express thanks .  These are some good ideas to use at Thanksgiving time or anytime of the year for God’s Word says: Psalms 92:1  It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: We ought to give thanks all the time, not just at Thanksgiving time.  As I see many signs, plaques, decorations that say Give Thanks, I am glad we are reminded to do that, but it saddens me that God is left out.   Who are we giving thanks to?  I am thankful for my décor that says “Give Thanks to God ” for it is He who is the great provider.  Yes, giving thanks is good, but as the verse says, give thanks unto the LORD! If you would like to read this article with it’s ideas you can find it HERE.

Psalms 50:14-15  Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Be Thankful “ Offer unto God thanksgiving” Be Trustworthy “ pay thy vows unto the most High” Be Trusting ‘ call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee” Be Triumphing in the Lord “ thou shalt glorify me”

Daniel 5:25-28  And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. Daniel, chapter 5, brings a few thoughts to mind: The king’s kingdom was numbered and finished.  I need to pray   Psalms 90:12  So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. The king was weighed in the balances and found wanting.  As a lost individual, one is always found wanting.  He can never measure up to God’s holiness. Romans 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; As a saved individual I am reminded of these promises: Psalms 23:1  <<A Psalm of David.>> The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalms 34:9-10  O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there...

How strong thine arm is, Mighty God, Who would not fear they Name! Jesus, how sweet they graces are! Who would not love the Lamb! He has done more than Moses did, our prophet and our King; From bonds of hell he freed our souls, And taught our lips to sing, In the Red-sea by Moses' hand Th' Egyptain host was drown'd; But his own blood hides all our sins, And guilt no more is found. When thro' the desert Israel went, With manna they were fed; Our Lord invites us to his flesh, And calls it living bread. Moses beheld the promis'd land, Yet never reach'd the place; But Christ shall bring his followers home To see his Father's face. Then shall our love and joy be full, And feel a warmer flame; And sweeter voices tune the song of Moses and the Lamb   The above lines were taken from the book Hymns and Spritual Songs by Isaac Watts.  I am enjoying this book very much.  Such deep thoughts to meditate upon.  You can get a free ebook at Free eBooks by Project G...

I love to listen and sit under the influence of Dr. Don Scovill, music chairman of Ambassador Baptist College and music director at our church, Maranatha Baptist Church of Shelby, NC. He has been teaching in Sunday School on music.  Last Sunday he gave us 9 characteristics of a Christian’s Music.  Truly, the music of a Christian ought to be different from that of the world. My music must show my changed life or regenerated experience.  If there is no change, then we have a defective salvation or perhaps, no salvation.  2Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. My music should show ownership. We are not our own.  We belong to Christ.  Be careful what you put into your body, mind, and soul.  Does it reflect the ownership of Christ? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which y...

"And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table." --Matthew 15:27 The thoughts below were taken from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening. You can read the whole devotion HERE.    Have you asked a crumb from your Savior today? This woman gained comfort in her misery by thinking GREAT THOUGHTS OF CHRIST. She thought Him one who kept so good a table that all that she needed would only be a crumb in comparison; yet remember, what she wanted was to have the devil cast out of her daughter. It was a very great thing to her, but she had such a high esteem of Christ, that she said, "It is nothing to Him, it is but a crumb for Christ to give." SHE WON THE VICTORY BY BELIEVING IN HIM. Her case is an instance of prevailing faith; and if we would conquer like her, we must imitate her tactics.

It has been said the Patrick used the shamrock as a symbol to teach the doctrine of the Trinity to unbelievers. He would say "Is it one leaf or three?" "It is both one leaf and three," was their reply. He would teach that God is One God in Three Persons. " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father , and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost " (Matthew 28:19).

Can burdens be a gift from God?  Maybe so.  They teach us to obey by casting those burdens on the Lord.  He is the one who sustains and keeps us stedfast and solid on the Rock of all ages. Psalms 55:22  Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. When we are burdened through trials we have a haven of rest.  We can come to the Lord, be attached to His yoke, learning more of Him. Because his yoke is easy, (“That rest which the soul experiences when once safe under Christ's wing makes all yokes easy, all burdens light.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary ) this truly gives rest to our souls. Matthew 11:28-30  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. As we are burdened through different trials we fin...

I found this little thought on the Biblical Family Ministries Site.  Just something to think about. Appropriate attire in court Here is a thought from Deleware Superior Court Judge, William Whitham Jr. He said, “Courts are a place where serious business is conducted, and that demands appropriate attire. We’re not out to treat people as school kids, but we do expect if you come to court, you need to treat it with the appropriate respect and dignity it should deserve due to the occasion.” Wow! I wonder where the Judge goes to church. Does it amaze you that the world gets it, but too often Christians do not? What happened to respect and dignity in the worship of Almighty God?

Your  Christmas will be sad,” somebody said, “Because so recently you mourn your dead.” But were it not for Christmas, I would weep As those that have no hope for them that sleep. For by His coming, Christ has given me The blessed hope of immortality, The strength to wait throughout the lonely years. Until He wipes away my burning tears. And so, dear heart, though you are gone from me, I’ll find rich gifts beneath my Christmas tree- The happy memories of cherished days When hand in hand we walked our pilgrim’s way. Your tender love for me, your shielding care- For all of these I raise a grateful prayer. So through my tear-dimmed eyes, my dearest dear, I whisper, “Christmas won’t be sad this year.” ~Hildegard Van Waveren   MORE THOUGHTS, MEDITATIONS, PONDERINGS HERE

Psalms 94:18  When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.  His mercy holds me up when my feet slip along the path.  Praise the Lord! Psalms 94:20-21  Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.   May the Lord help me to keep iniquity form ruling on the throne of my heart for it is “against me” and causes me to sin “against the LORD”! Psalms 94:22  But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. Worth quoting: “ What you admire will lead to what you become” – N. Deatrick *Do I admire the Lord Jesus Christ?  Am I becoming more like Him? More Quotes

Object Lesson:  Rotten Potatoes Recently I had to clean out a bin of potatoes because some had started to rot in the middle.  I knew I kept smelling something, but could not figure out where the smell was coming from.  Oh, the mess and stink while cleaning it out!  I dumped, washed, dried, sorted.  So glad i found them before they got worse. Have I looked for rotten potatoes in my life?  Is there something stinking but I am not sure what it is?  Am I willing to do a good soul searching and heart cleaning in order to separate the good from the bad?  I need to get the rotten potatoes out of my life before the spoil the good ones!  Oh well, it is only one or two rotten potatoes.  what can it hurt?   Amazing how much one or two rotten potatoes stink!  At first you don’t notice it and then all of a sudden, they smell so bad and all the good potatoes around the rotten potatoes start to spoil.  It all happens so quickly!...

Psalms 92:12-15  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;  To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Psalms 31:23-24  O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD. Love the Lord and Be of good courage, hope in the Lord and the result will be: preservation because of our faithfulness rewards a strengthened heart  

Psalms 91:1-2 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. I have the privilege of dwelling in the secret place of the most High (this is the God who possesses everything!) If I dwell in the secret place, then I also abide under the shadow of the almighty (this is the God who is all sufficient to supply our every need) The LORD (this is Jehovah, the God who keeps His promises) is my refuge and my fortress. He is my God (this is the God who is all powerful) I can, will, should, need to trust only in Him! “All believers have access to this secret place, but only those who walk closely with Him abide there.” ~Ed Nelson, My Morning Manna, vol. 3 p. 214 ******************** Psalms 30:4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. Once again I am reminded of God’s holiness a...

Psalms 90:12  So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. “To Number our days does not mean to count them – it means to value them in the light of eternity.” How do we apply our hearts to wisdom? Know Jesus as your Savior Accept the Bible as your guide for life. Obey the bible and apply its’ truths to your life. The above thoughts were taken from My Morning Manna by Ed Nelson, vol. 3, p. 213 ***************** Psalms 29:2  Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 2 Chronicles 20:21  And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, . . .   Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity! Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden c...

Psalms 28:7  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. God is: -my strength -my shield Because of this I should: -trust in Him When I trust in Him: -He will help me This causes me to: -rejoice in my heart -praise Him with my song ****************************** "If you are not praising, it is because you do not have joy; if you do not have joy, it is because you have not recognized His help; if you do not have help, it is because you have not trusted.  We must trust Him today, recognize His help today, and thus have His joy producing the song that praise Him." ~ Ed Nelson - My Morning Manna Vol. 3 p.54 MORE QUOTES