Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJV) It’s Nothing Complicated

Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJV)
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Bible provides such very simple counsel for life here on earth. Among other things I find in Hebrews 12:

Lay aside our sins 
Vs 1
It’s that simple. Considering the testimony of saints behind us and the race of life that is set before us, just lay aside our sins. 

Look to Jesus 
vs 2
He is our Saviour, our example, and our source of strength and encouragement. Keep our eyes on Him

Be a deterrent of sin
Vs 3-4
Be salt and light. We don’t have to be obnoxious or arrogant. We can simply speak the truth in love, vote for the moral choices and pray for all in authority 

Serve God graciously 
Vs 28
With reverence and godly fear. Serve the Lord, making Him the priority of our life. 

There is nothing complicated or difficult about this. All it takes is faithfulness. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 4900 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJV) It’s Nothing Complicated

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Hebrews 11:39-40 (KJV) Some Better Thing

Hebrews 11:39-40 (KJV)
And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

It occurs to me what a selfless act it was on the part of these believers to live in faith. 

They lived by faith and obtained a good report
A life of faith does that. I confess that sometimes, as was the case in their day, that “good report” was before God and not man. Still, they obtained it. 

They accepted a good report rather than the promises
We all desire to receive the promises of God, do we not? These believers were satisfied to receive a good report rather than God’s promises. 

They accepted that there awaited something better than those promises
That was to be perfected; but more, to be perfected with us. 

The most unselfish thing we can do is to live a good testimony in difficult times so that others might come to be saved and then, later, perfected with us. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 4900 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Hebrews 11:39-40 (KJV) Some Better Thing

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Psalms 94:20-23 (KJV) Imprecatory Praying

Psalms 94:20-23 (KJV)
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.
But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.

Years ago, as a very young pastor, I attended the sentencing hearing of a pastor I still believe was falsely accused. After the sentencing, a nationally known pastor asked all of the preachers there to meet him on the courthouse steps. He also assembled all of the news stations there and, without my knowledge of consent, began to pray that God would kill the judge, his wife, and his children. I was appalled. That experience has flavored my ministry so that I am loath to offer imprecatory prayers, especially against those in authority.[1]

That said, I do find guidance, assurance, and comfort knowing that God sees who is in authority today. He sees them using this pestilence as an opportunity to frame their wicked laws. God sees and God will hold them accountable. 

I want to pray for them to be saved, to repent, and to reverse the decisions they have made. If they do not the LORD our God has promised to cut them off in their own wickedness. 

---

[1] I will note that most imprecatory prayers in the Bible are offered against authorities.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 4900 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Psalms 94:20-23 (KJV) Imprecatory Praying

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Psalms 91:9-11 (KJV) Hope and Fear

Psalms 91:9-11 (KJV)
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

I see in this passage both the hope of the believer in this present time and the fear of the unbeliever.
The hope of the believer is that, by making God our refuge, no plague will come nigh our dwelling.
This doesn’t mean a Christian can’t get sick, it means a Christian can’t be overcome by a plague without God’s consent. Honestly, Christian, are you willing to trust God whether He chooses to protect you or not? While we do not want to be foolhardy in this season of plague, especially because we do not want to spread the pestilence to an unbeliever, it is faithless to fear what God has control of. 

This is exactly why the unbeliever fears the Christian today. 
Because we have little to no fear of that which brings terror to their soul, they are afraid we might bring this plague upon them. There have been times in history when those, who are lost, recognized that Christians served as salt and light. They would not join in our faith, but they certainly would not fight it. This is an era of something different. The unbeliever tends to think faith is the problem. 

• Our teachings are labeled as hate speech. 
• Our lifestyles are considered archaic. 
• Our evangelism is considered vile. 

It’s no wonder they want to lock down our churches as long as they possibly can. 

It would be wise to be sensitive to their fears.
It would be unwise to give in to them. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 4900 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Psalms 91:9-11 (KJV) Hope and Fear

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Psalms 89:47-48 (KJV) The Best Way to Live

Psalms 89:47-48 (KJV)
Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

It is a painful reality but reality still that all of us shall see death. 

• Philosophically some men cope with death with, “Death is a part of living”. 
• Too many men have had to accept the inevitability of death on some battlefield. 
• With old age often comes a sort of friendship with death as the body’s problems become increasingly difficult to bear. 

To the Christian, death is not an enemy but a door leading to abundant life.

The best way to have a wonderful life is to have a plan for death. To recognize that this life is short and to be prepared for death through faith in Jesus Christ, opens up our few years on earth to eternal possibilities. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 4900 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
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Psalms 89:47-48 (KJV) The Best Way to Live

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Psalms 87:2 (KJV) The Primacy of the Place of Worship

Psalms 87:2 (KJV)
The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

I know I am taking liberty with the passage but please hear me out. The gates of Zion is a reference to Jerusalem, the place where the Temple was constructed. The dwellings of Jacob would be the homes, whether speaking of the region of each tribe or the individual houses of each family. God loves the Jews. They were and are the apple of His eye. He loved them because He chose to love them. He would love them in their homes. He would love them in their fields. He would love them in their villages. 

But there was something the LORD loved more than their dwellings. The LORD loved the gates of Zion. The LORD loved the place of their worship and the performance of their worship. 

I realize that I am reaching for this, but I think it points out that, if we look for it, we can see the Bible teaches, from cover to cover, the primacy of our place of worship. 

(For a couple of other perspectives from this same passage please see these Daily Visits with God:)

How He Loves the Church

Assembled Christianity

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 4900 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Psalms 87:2 (KJV) The Primacy of the Place of Worship

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Psalms 85:4 (KJV) Turn Us, O God

Psalms 85:4 (KJV)
Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

This is part of one of the great revival passages in the Word of God. 

Psalms 85:3-7 (KJV)
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.

What I notice today is that the reviving begins by God turning us. The primary thing is not that God’s anger ceases, though that is the desired outcome. The primary thing is that we are turned. 

It isn’t, I notice, an act of human will that brings about the turning. The Psalmist prayed that God would turn us. 

• It wasn’t preaching. 
• It wasn’t influence. 

It was God who needed to make them turn. 

There are so many rallying cries today. 

• Cries for civil disobedience. 
• Cries to stand strong for our faith. 
• Cries for unity in action. 

“Oh Lord, turn us to our knees instead. 

Turn us to You in prayer instead.” 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 4900 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Psalms 85:4 (KJV) Turn Us, O God

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Hebrews 4:7-8 (KJV) Another Day

Hebrews 4:7-8 (KJV)
Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

Just last week I had a conversation with a church member who, during this stay at home order, has been exposed to a Seventh Day Adventist. It’s his caregiver so she has regular contact with him where I do not. He asked me if we could start having church on Saturday because that’s the Sabbath. I explained to him the purpose of the Sabbath and the different purpose of the first day of the week, the Lord’s day. 

Judaizers, such as the Seventh Day Adventists, have hardened their hearts to the message of the Gospel. They preach obedience to the Law as a means of grace. We worship on Sunday specifically to acknowledge that the death, burial, and resurrection provides us absolute grace and perfect salvation. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 4900 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Hebrews 4:7-8 (KJV) Another Day

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