#Tuesdaytidbits:
Heard at a recent memorial service:
–He was so interested in everyone else that everyone was interested in him
–He emboldened me to stand up to unkindness
–Jesus changes lives. John changed my life because he lived like Jesus
The fruitful harvest of a godly man.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
I once read of a man who used a small battery to power a buzzer for his doorway. Pleased by his success, he added a light as well, but this failed. He was told that it took much less energy to make noise than to give light.
And that's a good thing to remember.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
Sometimes Jesus declared truth to crowds. But often His conversations began as replies to others—that is, He was willing to discuss whatever they brought up first.
Can we do both too? Are we seeking to understand other people, or are we always trying to inform?
#Tuesdaytidbits:
When Psalm 73:1 says, "Truly God is good," the word "truly" stands out.
It's fine to believe God is good. But the word "truly" means the psalmist had once questioned that claim—and then, by difficult experiences, he found out it was accurate: Truly God is good.
#Tuesdaytidbits (on Wednesday):
Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls. –Proverbs 25: 28
God gave us emotions. Acknowledge them, but also examine them. Unchecked emotions are destructive! Feelings are real, but they're not always right.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
Israel's portable desert sanctuary was constructed of tall boards standing next to each other, each "one and a half cubits" wide.
Every board was one whole cubit, having full value itself. But it also had that half—each one making others complete.
Be a board.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
Proverbs 6 warns the lazy man: You always want one more nap, but it will rob your future.
And then in Proverbs 24, the lazy man's field is ruined—full of thorns! It's like he had 18 chapters to wake up, but he slept instead.
Don't sleep when God gives you work.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
Two parables:
-A selfish landowner built huge storehouses—but only for himself. God called him a fool.
-A faithful butler opened his master's storehouse to share food with others. God said he was wise.
[Luke 12]
What's in your storehouse? And how do you use it?
#Tuesdaytidbits:
By the ancient prophet Isaiah, God gave a long discourse about the foolishness of false gods. The true God is majestic and sovereign, full of knowledge and power! And twice He declared, "I will not give My glory to another" (42:8; 48: 11).
Let us remember that.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
Saul had honor and influence, but below the surface God had been poking at his conscience for a while. Saul kept kicking against it, but he couldn't escape the spiritual discomfort.
[Acts 26: 14]
If there's unrest inside of you, don't ignore it. God is speaking.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
Some say all religions are basically the same, but that's a bit careless. Ribeye steaks and fast-food burgers are both beef, but surely it's the differences that matter.
It's worth asking what sets Jesus and Christianity apart. It's the differences that matter.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
We say God loves you. He does! But did humans have to exist so that God would have someone to love? That makes Him dependent on us.
No, as a Trinity, God's love is eternal within Himself. Only He can truly know what love is! And that's the love He has for you.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
St. Patrick tried hard to explain the Trinity—that God, one in His Being, is known in a "three-ness" of Persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
This tri-unity defies every category we know, but there's no difficulty. The God of the Bible is transcendent in every way.
@garonnevik Your expression about replaying true things in order to reorient yourself is going to stay with me for a while. It is probably a valuable spiritual habit for us all. Thank you for sharing that phrase here. And happy birthday! Agreed that the 40s are great.
@wordsofthislife@TulipPatriot The words of the Lord in Matthew 16: 18 are "I will build My church." The word "My" is one to emphasize. Then the uses of "church/assembly" in Acts 7 and 19 are put in perspective. The church Christ spoke of in Matt. 16 would be His in a way other gatherings of people are not.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
It's astonishing and distressing that so many who claim to follow God will also drop some of the most vulgar language possible.
Would Jesus say it? No?
Then don't say it. And certainly don't post it. Rotten, corrupt words are not for believers (Ephesians 4: 29).
#Tuesdaytidbits:
Many would agree that the Bible's view of life with God always and only begins by faith.
But also, faith remains the only sustaining force of that life. God works in us by the "hearing of faith," not by us becoming nicer versions of ourselves.
[Galatians 3:3-5]
#Tuesdaytidbits:
I read this recently in Proverbs, the book of heavenly wisdom applied to earthly life:
"Any fool can start a quarrel."
Proverbs 20:3
I was going to say more about this, but I think there's nothing else to add. May this word do what it needs to do in each of us.
#Tuesdaytidbits:
We get to know people by what they say and what they do. And sometimes what they say is far removed from what they do.
But "the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth" (Psalm 33:4).