Proverbs 24:19-24 (KJV) Instead of Fretting

Proverbs 24:19-20 (KJV)
Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;
For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

The Bible promise is that men who do evil, or bad things, shall not be rewarded. The Bible goes on to say that their candle shall be put out.

• They will not succeed
• They will not survive and
• They will not have any satisfaction due to their efforts.

Because of this promise the Bible gives these instructions to the believer:

• Do no fret over them
• Don’t spend your time or resources thinking about them, pondering whether they will be successful
• Do not be envious of them

This implies that they may, for a moment, appear successful and appear as if they have a reward. It is not true. It is a façade. It certainly is not eternal.

If we are not to fret over them, I suggest that we ought instead to occupy our thoughts attention and energy on the Word of God, the promises of God and the efforts of good men.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. 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 5600 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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Proverbs 24:19-24 (KJV) Instead of Fretting

Revelation 11:17 (KJV) We Give Thee Thanks

 

Revelation 11:17 (KJV)

Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

It is always appropriate to be thankful to God
There are those times we give thanks for trials
Knowing that the trying of our faith worketh patience.

There are those times we give thanks for peace
That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and honesty.

There are those times we give thanks for our lack
Knowing that God will supply all our needs and having opportunity to prove it.

There are those times we give thanks for our abundance
Because we have opportunity to be a channel of blessing for those in need.

There are those times we give thanks for our time
Because this is our day to grow in Christ and win others to Him.

There are those times, such as is in this passage, when we give thanks for the promise of His coming
We do not desire the judgment of God to fall upon any. and we pray for souls to be saved from this judgment. 

Still, we know that the day of the Lord is coming. We know that it is a righteous day. We pray daily for it to come. We will give thanks on that day when it comes.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. 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 5600 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:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Revelation 11:17 (KJV) We Give Thee Thanks

Proverbs 21:2 (KJV) The Battleground

Proverbs 21:2 (KJV)

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

Here is where the real spiritual battle resides. It is in fact such a battle that we will often ignore it, choosing rather to concentrate on skirmishes we believe we can win, or at least influence.

The great spiritual battle is between the flesh and the spirit, and the battleground is the heart.

We think we are right. We think we are right about everything. Even when we acknowledge that this cannot be true, when the contest involves our heart, we are convinced we are right about what we want. Woe to the one who suggests our heart, our want, is wrong!

But God studies our hearts. He ponders the things that we think and feel in ways we cannot imagine. He sees the corruption that sin has developed there. He knows our blind spots. And He offers a path to light.

And so, the battle, the real spiritual battle, is to surrender to Him.

I think this has to happen every day. 

I think it has to happen in every situation.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. 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 5600 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:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Proverbs 21:2 (KJV) The Battleground

Proverbs 19:12 (KJV) Lion Tough but Lamb Tender

 

Proverbs 19:12 (KJV)

The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

As I read this I cannot help but be reminded of Romans 13:2-4 (KJV)
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
For he is the minister of God[1] to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to executewrath upon him that doeth evil.

What I think we find in each of these texts is an ideal for those in leadership.

On the one hand, they must be lionlike
The only way for evil to prevail is for good to do nothing. This is especially true in the realm of leadership. Let our leaders be good men. And then give them the heart of a Lion.

On the other hand, let them be good men
Oh, for a leader who is tender, kindhearted, who can spot those who do right and who are inclined to reach out in favor toward them. Let our leaders be tender as a lamb.

That balance of strength and compassion can be hard to find. But it is certainly refreshing when we find it in our authorities.[2]

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[1] I am always fascinated by how people can change their understanding of simple Bible truths to fit current circumstances. At one time most would say the Christian ought to be a good citizen. Suddenly, when governments turn evil, we reinvent these passages to mean something entirely different.

[2] I think we had it in President Trump. He was often criticized but he had an uncanny ability to recognize when to be crazy strong and when to be ultra-compassionate.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. 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 5600 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:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Proverbs 19:12 (KJV) Lion Tough but Lamb Tender

Proverbs 18:13 (KJV) Old Fashioned Wisdom

 

Proverbs 18:13 (KJV)

He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

No doubt we’ve all heard that axiom, “God gave us two ears but only one mouth.”  The inference is that we ought to listen twice as much as we speak.

We do not have to rely upon axioms of human wisdom. The Bible says, 
James 1:19 (KJV) 
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

Note the correlation between good listening and less wrath.

The lesson of our passage is in line with James. 

• It is a very good idea to listen to a matter quietly, patiently, and attentively before we give our response. 
• It would be wise to be slow, even hesitant to speak on some matters. 
• Some subjects, in fact, would be better heard and then left with response.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. 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 5600 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:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Proverbs 18:13 (KJV) Old Fashioned Wisdom

Proverbs 15:11 (KJV) How Much More?

 

Proverbs 15:11 (KJV)

Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?

The interpretation of this passage is incredibly simple. God is so keenly aware of hell; He is so fully aware of the destruction that awaits the lost that He cannot get the need of the lost off His heart.

No one ever goes to hell, no one ever suffers loss, death, pain, hardship without God knowing and God longing that it was not the case. God sentences no man to eternal hell; God’s wrath is poured out upon no one because He wishes it to be so. When it happens, it happens at great pain in the heart of God.

Proof text? John 3:16 (KJV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Paul said of the Jews that they had judged themselves unworthy.[1] It was not God who did that.

An application would simply be this, if we could become more aware of the consequences of death and destruction, we would be much more compassionate and much more likely to give of ourselves to attempt to rescue “the children of men.”

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[1] Acts 13:46 (KJV)
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. 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 5600 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:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Proverbs 15:11 (KJV) How Much More?

Revelation 6:2 (KJV) And I Saw

 

Revelation 6:2 (KJV)

And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

The early portion of this chapter has the definite theme of “vision.” We find the four beasts around the throne urging John to “come and see.” In response, really, even before the admonition we find John saying repeatedly, “And I saw.”

I understand that the vision was compelling. I would certainly not want to miss a thing if I was in John’s shoes. But then I remember than John was a man just as we are.

I wish to point out three elements of the horseman vision.
There was a message from God
That is what the vision is. John was being given a message from God. It seems like a fantastic message, but I remind you that the Bible is a message from God and it is fantastic.

There was one pointing out the message
I do not want to make too hard of a connection between the four beasts and a preacher in our current setting. Still there are some similarities. The beasts, just as preachers, were not the authors of the vision. Their duty was to point the vision out, “come and see.”

There was the one intended to see and hear the message
That was of course, John. And he did see. He said so.

God give us eyes that can see and ears that will hear when our preacher steps to the pulpit and exclaims, “Come and see.”

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. 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 5600 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:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Revelation 6:2 (KJV) And I Saw

Proverbs 11:10 (KJV) Listening for the Shout

 Proverbs 11:10 (KJV)

When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.

I have read that, when Herod the Great was on his deathbed, he arranged to have some of the national heroes of Israel executed at the very moment of his death. He didn’t want to people to celebrate but rather mourn when he died.

I’m attempting to recognize the difference between rejoicing and shouting as they are found in this verse. Joseph Benson wrote, “The citizens, or subjects, of that government, rejoice, because they confidently expect justice and tranquility, … When the wicked perish, there is shouting … partly for the just vengeance of God upon them, who had been the instruments of so much mischief…”

• In the one there is a confident celebration because good men are in authority.
• In the other there is a release of pent-up anxiety because God has dealt with the oppressors.

I am looking forward to another day coming, I think, sooner than any of us expect, when a shout from heaven signals all the believers off this planet and God pours out almighty wrath upon those who have done so wickedly.

For any who think this to be cruel of me consider, any, even the most wicked, have the glorious opportunity right now to repent, receive Christ as Saviour and be delivered from that wrath.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. 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 5600 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:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Proverbs 11:10 (KJV) Listening for the Shout