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Going about doing good

1/17/2018

Going About Doing Good

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10:38)

WE REMEMBER that John Bunyan wrote “Pilgrim’s Progress” while he was locked up in the Bedford jail for twelve years because he was preaching without a license from the government. His thriving church dwindled and was boarded up. At length, the government relented, and he returned to preach in his church, although he spent much of his time in London.

IT WAS A DAY AND PLACE OF EXTREME POVERTY. By age 59 Bunyan was one of England's most famous writers. He carried out his pastoring duties and was nicknamed "Bishop Bunyan." In August 1688, he rode through heavy rain to reconcile a father and son, became ill, and died.

I DON'T KNOW WHO DREW THE PICTURE of the pitiful, starving kitten leaning on a man’s shoe, but the caption supposedly was written by John Bunyan. What was there about this man, Jesus, who has commanded the allegiance of so many millions of people over a period of two thousand years? Before His day of crucifixion, he preached like no other man before Him. But, Peter shows us a snapshot of Jesus that drew people to hear Him and to give their lives for Him.

IN OUR TEXT FOR TODAY, Peter mentions in one line: “who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.” Here is one of those phrases (two phrases) that is powerful and commanding. One might question: “What is so unusual about a man going about doing good?” It is unusual in that few men were going about doing good. It is still true today that not many men go around “doing good.” Men go around doing what they must do to earn a dollar.

THE SECRET IN GOING ABOUT DOING GOOD is to do what God has enabled us to do for the people who need it the most. A lot of people were oppressed by the devil and Jesus had the power of God to deal with it. So, he did. This is a pattern of what we are to do as His disciples. Do what God has enabled you to do. Before Peter made the statement above, he had already said to a lame man: Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. (Acts 3:6)

THIS BRINGS TO MIND THE PRACTICE OF A DEACON at the Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN. The deacon owned a restaurant and when the restaurant was closed at the end of the day, he began his second job. He took the food that was left over and delivered it to a list of people in need. He was always by himself. He never told anyone about it. He was just observed doing it day after day.

HOW DO WE GO ABOUT DOING GOOD? Perhaps it would begin with a prayer at the beginning of the day, asking God to show us what we should do. We do not know who is going to cross our path, but God knows. I don’t own a restaurant, so I can’t do what the deacon did. This same man, Peter, also said: As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1Peter 4:10)

A BLACK CROW CAN'T SING LIKE A NIGHTINGALE because God made him to caw-caw-caw! Don’t worry about what other people are doing that you cannot do. But, you have a gift of some kind that can be a blessing to someone in need. That’s just the way it works.

PAUL TOLD US ANOTHER PART OF GOING ABOUT DOING GOOD. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. (2Corinthians 8:12) We might do well to begin with a kind word. How are you doing with kind words these days? When we start our day, if we are in tune with going about doing good, we will recognize an opportunity. This is Bible. The organ won’t play, and the church bell won’t ring but the one who watches the sparrow that falls also watches His children to see if they’re behaving like His children.

JOSEPH SCRIVEN WAS ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED and the day before the wedding, his bride-to-be capsized on the lake and drowned. Joseph never married. He was a handyman who circulated in his community fixing things for people. When he died, someone found a folded paper in a draw with words in his handwriting. It was a poem: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Charles Converse wrote the music and sing it today as one of the most loved of gospel songs. Listen to Larry Ford sing it today. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
JANUARY 18, 2018 – THURSDAY
A.M. Genesis 42-43   P.M. Matthew 13:33-58
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. (Psalm 41:1)

Song for Today:
What a Friend We Have in Jesus (3:37) (Larry Ford -Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coO5Sl8Vnlw
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hiding the word of god

1/14/2018

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Hiding the Word of God
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:9,11)

THE IDEA BEHIND THESE VERSES is that the Word of God shall be the dominant influence in our lives. There is an Institutional Christianity that is big on buildings, ceremony and religious schedule but lacking in heart commitment to God and His Word. It’s like Mother Hubbard’s big hoop skirt that covered everything and touched nothing. This kind of Christianity is spreading throughout the world, including the churches that say they are Bible churches.

R.A. TORREY was a companion preacher of D. L. Moody and held meetings in Moody’s place in England. One of his books gave me this outstanding thought when I was about to leave my teens: “The Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible.” That is big!

THE LAST TIME I HEARD DR. LEE ROBERSON PREACH, he was in his 90’s and used this passage. He dwelt on it for a while, emphasizing the importance of memorizing the Word of God. He could have preached about a lot of things, but he had chosen to urge us to hide the Word of God in our hearts. He had lived long and knew what it took for people to be successful at living the Christian life.

MY MOTHER CARRIED ME IN HER WOMB to Falling Springs Baptist Church. I’ve been going to church ever since. I remember some of the revival meetings when I was 5-8 years old. I didn’t understand much of what was preached but I understood that they truly believed what they were preaching. One country preacher, in his mid-thirties, conducted the annual revival meeting after the corn crop was laid by and people could stay up at night for 2-3 weeks of meetings.

THIS PREACHER QUOTED SCRIPTURE BY THE YARD as he walked up and down the aisle between the pulpit and the back door. He held the Bible in his hand and waved it in the air occasionally as he walked and quoted it. He brought the Bible stories to life. I was spell-bound by it. No lost time, no wandering off course as he drove his points home like a crew building a ship. No wonder the power of God was so strong in those meetings. I watched people come under conviction by the power of the Holy Spirit and saw the tears on the old wood floor and watched them shake the backs of the benches resisting the Spirit until they gave it up.

THOSE MEETINGS WERE SEALED IN MY MEMORY for a lifetime. The preacher, no doubt, had spent many hours walking with a Bible in his hands, reading and memorizing the Word of God. I can imagine he quoted a lot of Bible to his mule as he plowed his corn field. What a blessing it was! The effect of the Word of God is not always that dramatic. Sometimes it is like a gentle rain that moves in at dusk and continues all night, putting everybody to sleep as it falls steadily on the roof. It soaks into the ground and causes things to grow. The Bible can be thunder or gentle rain.

THE WORD OF GOD IS LIKE LIGHT, A FIRE, AND A HAMMER: The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:130) Not only does the Word give light, Jeremiah tells us: Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:29)

JESUS' PREACHING WAS HEAVY WITH THE WORD OF GOD. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4) (Quoted from Deut.8:3) He quoted from Moses, the prophets and the Psalms. He quoted most from the book of Deuteronomy. He said: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Matthew 24:35) If His words are going to outlast Heaven and earth, shouldn’t we pay attention to what He said?

IN THIS LIFE, WE OBSERVE MEN AND WOMEN ASSERTING THEMSELVES, not realizing how short this life is. Their speech and thinking are without the Word of God, as though God has said nothing. We may be the greatest danger to ourselves. Someone has said that the most dangerous thing in the world is the human will that God has not bridled or restrained. I have no problem believing that. So, if life is short, and we are a great danger to ourselves, there is nothing like hiding the Word of God in our hearts to save us from ourselves.

I BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS A SUFFICIENT GUIDE FOR FAITH AND PRACTICE. It does not need to be re-written; just needs to be re-read. The only English Bible we have that has survived 400 years is the King James translation. It served as the foundation for writing the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution and was the Bible that was preached during the revivals that occurred in our country. If you would like to hear some very good preaching on this, go here. No fiction. Just the facts.

WE CAN MAKE BIG MISTAKES WHEN WE ASSUME that God’s book is outdated. It is more profitable to acknowledge that it is God who knows a lot and it is God who is in charge. He is truth. Jesus said: …I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

THIS SHORT ARTICLE IS ABOUT THE NEED TO HIDE THE WORD OF GOD in our hearts. It is more than merely memorizing. It includes chewing and understanding and submitting to everything God shows us. I’m not smart enough to manage my life. If you think you are smart enough to manage yourself, you’re taking on a big load and you may need someone to help you with picking up the mess. I’ve seen a lot of messes in my lifetime and some of them were mine. I need the Word of God to manage my life.

IF YOU WANT TO HIDE THE WORD OF GOD IN YOUR HEART, you can do it. You can memorize verses right out of your Bible or you can write a verse or two with the reference on half of a 3x5 card. Read it over five times a day and start quoting back to yourself, a family member or a friend….or a stranger. Until you get the hang of it, you may want to set a goal of memorizing no more than 1-2 verses a month.

DON'T TRY TO SET THE WOODS ON FIRE. A slow, steady pace will deliver the goods and in a year’s time you will have twelve verses working at shaping your life. If that’s more than you’ve been doing, it’s progress, is it not? If you want to do more than that, you can always step it up. But, do good solid work when you are memorizing. Be tough on yourself and get it right. Surrender to everything God shows you. We post a new verse about every month. You may want to memorize those verses. Or you may want to pick out your own verses that are the most meaningful to you. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
JANUARY 15, 2018 – MONDAY
A.M. Genesis 36-37 P.M. Matthew 12:1-21
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Song for Today:
Going Home (3:39) ( Gaither)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULJhI7ojBM
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looking for bible phrases

1/9/2018

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Looking for Bible Phrases
When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? (John 11:33-37)

THIS IS ABOUT JESUS TARRYING UNTIL HIS FRIEND, Lazarus, had died and was buried. It contains the shortest verse in the Bible: Jesus wept. (Verse 35.) It is powerful and has spun sermons and books and has comforted millions of hearts to know that the God who made us and came down among us: had a heart for us and could weep for one of us. He cares for me when I am sad.

NOT ONLY IS IT THE SHORTEST VERSE IN THE BIBLE, it is also─a phrase (a small group of words standing together as a conceptual unit). Human beings think in phrases, not by sentences or paragraphs or by Bible verses. These larger units of knowledge are broken down into phrases.

AS WE LISTEN TO SERMONS and Scripture being read, we retain phrases from those experiences. Church-going people know more Bible than they think, but it is not indexed with a chapter and verse attached to the phrases that make up their knowledge. All the phrases that stick to us have meaning or they would not have been retained. We recall them when there is a mental need to recall them. I want to share some things out of my personal journey that may help you in your journey.

I HAD FINISHED FIVE YEARS OF TEACHERS TALKING TO ME and giving me tests. I still didn’t get it: The fact that one of the greatest gold mines of the Scriptures is its phrases. The Bible is made up of the Old and New Testaments; of books, chapters, and verses. We can also study the subjects, characters, locations, and events of the Bible. These units furnish us a starting place and perhaps a framework for study and greater understanding. We memorize verses and a few chapters, and attach the location to them: i.e. John 3:16. I never heard of anyone advocating the memorizing of Bible phrases.

DR. BROWNLEE DID A MASTERFUL JOB OF TEACHING us Old Testament Survey. Other Bible teachers led us through books of the Bible. (“It must be that the greatest Bible treasure is found in studying the books of the Bible,” I assumed to myself.) Of course, there are many Bible study helps such as dictionaries, concordances, and commentaries. These all have their important place.

I DISCOVERED THIS CLASSIC BOOK: The Strategic Grasp of the Bible by J. Sidlow Baxter (1903-1999) This giant of a pastor and Bible teacher was born in Australia and raised in England. He wrote over 30 books but the most practical of them is probably The Strategic Grasp of the Bible. When my niece lost a baby to crib death, she was angry at God and questioned everything she knew about Him. I gave her a copy of this book. It helped her out of her dungeon. I recommend it for your personal growth in the Bible. But a big change was taking place in me. My understanding of how we process Bible truth was changing.

WHEN I WAS 18-19, I BOUGHT A "VERY USED" COPY OF A BOOK OF SERMONS by C. H. Spurgeon. It was an original print from the 1800’s, printed while he was alive. As I read through it, I was mesmerized by his style of writing. He knew how people think. The title of one sermon was: SHE TOLD HIM ALL.. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. (Mark 5:33) I read it several times and still enjoy reading it. No wonder Spurgeon’s books still sell well today. He lifted a phrase out of that verse and explored what it can mean to “tell Him all.” I want to tell you, that phrase is a stick of dynamite!

ABOUT THE SAME TIME, I WAS BEING TUTORED by the sermon titles of Dr. Lee Roberson. I didn’t know I was being tutored. I was absorbing something that would one day turn on a light bulb for me. I listened carefully to all his sermons, all the way through. But, early on, I was impressed by the titles of his sermons. They were short and riveting. Before this time, I had not heard many preachers announce a title as they began their sermons. He was a master at writing sermon titles and building a short outline under them that would serve as a framework for a 25-minute sermon.

HE WORKED ON SERMON TITLES IN AIRPLANES AND MOTELS; always working on sermons and speaking notes for meetings. You can get an idea of his work at: http://www.biblewalking.com/be-filled-with-the-spirit---lee-roberson.html (This document has had an accident and has converted itself into all capital letters. But, it is still readable if you care to read it. It is due to be repaired.)

AFTER I HAD LEFT SCHOOL, our paths crossed down in Georgia at a pastor’s meeting. Instead of asking me about the weather, he said: “How do you prepare your sermons?” Shock! Was he checking up on me or was he still looking for ways to improve his own sermon preparation? I never knew. I made it short and to the point and told him what I did. I felt like I was standing there in my pajamas, barefooted. You see why I don’t want to talk to James (brother of Jesus) when I get to Heaven? He might tell me: “Show me your knees.” I don’t have callouses on my knees like he did.

AS I CONTINUED TO READ THE BIBLE and to memorize key verses, I discovered another writer: Arthur (A.W.) Pink in the library of Pastor Bert Singletary in Pensacola, Florida. Out of Pinks several books I attached myself to his book: ELIJAH. Pink was a master of Bible phrases. He had a gift of spinning Bible phrases into beautiful and meaningful Bible tapestry. I read the paperback edition of ELIJAH until the book fell apart and promptly replaced it. I kept the tattered version because it contains all my underlining and marginal notes. I try to read Pink’s ELIJAH through every year.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE is to alert you to the genius of the phrases in the Bible, in case you have not already discovered it. When you read the Bible, keep a black, ball-point pen in hand to underscore the phrases that jump out at you. I’ve been doing this for many years. In the margin, you can add to the emphasis by making a small circle and filling it in with your pen. When you finish reading a chapter, quickly scan it and see if you have marked it like you want to leave it.

WHEN YOU FINISH READING THE BOOK, go back and scan the phrases you have underlined. Meditate on the phrases. See if there is anything you should obey; anything you should make right in your life; anything you want to talk to the Lord about.

MANY PHRASES ARE RICH AND POWERFUL PRAYERS that can be prayed back to the Lord. Praying the Bible back to God is one of the richest things you will ever do in your life. It’s not the lighter parts of speech that are heavy-laden with meaning. There are phrases and there are words in the phrases that are heavy with meaning. Let’s take Bible reading seriously and look for the phrases that generate understanding and power in our lives to walk with God. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
JANUARY 10, 2018 – WEDNESDAY
A.M. Genesis 25-26   P.M. Matthew 9:1-17
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse To Memorize:
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Song for Today:
Break Thou the Bread of Life (2:19) (Acapeldridge)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQpj4TSe-Ec
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bible reading this year

1/8/2018

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Bible Reading This Year

Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (1Timothy 4:13)
The Apostle Paul wrote Timothy to pay attention to his Bible reading. Paul was one of the smartest, most educated, the most seasoned and most experienced Christian leaders in the Bible. Some Bible scholars say he knew at least 11 languages. One might think Paul would have advised Timothy to master the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages so he could stand tall among other highly educated leaders of his day. But he didn’t.

Before Paul told Timothy to read his Bible, he told him this: Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (1Timothy 4:12)

After he told him to read his Bible, he told him to do this: Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. (1Ti mothy 4:14-15)

TIMOTHY, LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE BEFORE OTHERS AND GOD. Concentrate on reading, urging those around you to embrace Christ and eternal life. Make sure you have your teaching right. Living the Christian life is not for tender-footed and half-hearted souls. Living the Christian life can only be done by those who are committed to Christ in their hearts. We are saved by grace through faith and Jesus paid it all. But after we are saved and we begin living the Christian life, commitment is at the heart of the endeavor.

THE BIBLE TELLS US TO: hear, read, study, memorize and meditate on the Scriptures. I learned that at age 19 when I began studying with the Navigators. They were all war veterans from World War II and the Korean War. These were men in the student body of Tenn. Temple Schools where I was enrolled. They met once a week. This was not part of the school’s program, but was favored by the school.

WE ARE ALSO TO OBEY THE WORD AND UNDERSTAND THE WORD. But, those two things are included in the first five. I suppose that Dawson Trotman, who founded the Navigators, was looking for simplicity in using the fingers of the hand to teach soldiers and sailors going to war. (Dawson Trotman spoke in chapel one day at Temple and it happened to be the day I was scheduled so sing in chapel. Years later, Mr. Trotman died at a camp, trying to rescue a young lady who had fallen out of a boat.)

IN OLD TESTAMENT DAYS, the only Scripture the Jews had to read was the brief bits the people copied from the teachers in Jerusalem and the Scriptures they copied from neighbors. They also had what they had memorized. None of them had a complete Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament written by Moses. In Jesus’ day, some attended a local synagogue. Some of the synagogues had a copy of the Torah if they had the money to buy one. Some knew portions of the Psalms. Apparently, Timothy had access to a Torah and Paul told him to read.

THE KING JAMES BIBLE has 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses. If we read four chapters a day, we can read it through in a year. I have read it through several times, I don’t know how many. Recently, I heard Pat Boone say he had read the Bible through every year for the last 30 years. Not me. I haven’t read it that much.

I THINK IT IS A GOOD PLAN TO READ THE BIBLE THROUGH EVERY YEAR and mark the verses of special meaning to you. We use Bible Gateway and plug it into our MORNING MINUTE program. You can use your eyes and your ears if you choose. I also have a YouVersion app on my iPhone. I like it very much. I found some ear phones at Amazon that work off Bluetooth in the iPhone. It’s handy to use when I go for a walk or waiting in the doctor’s office, etc. We can get a lot of Bible reading and praying done if we use the scrap pieces of time that will be otherwise wasted. I don’t try to listen to the Bible when I’m driving.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT READING THE BIBLE THROUGH, those who have never done so, may try it and encounter some things they had not expected. All the Bible is the Word of God. All Bible is useful and important. But all the Bible is not equally interesting and equally useful to most people. There are long lists of names and “begats” and names of places we never heard of. Most of the names of kingdoms and kings in the Bible, have no meaning to us.

THIS A BIG REASON I LIKE TO HAVE THE BIBLE READ TO ME. Some parts of the Bible, like the Psalms, the books of history, the prophets, or the Gospels or Epistles, these are all more meaningful to us. Nevertheless, we need to read all the Bible, even if we have all or some of it read to us.

AS WE READ THE EVENTS AND CHARACTERS AND COVENANTS in the Bible, we realize that we need to do more than read it. We need to study it. When we begin to study the Bible we are like the Ethiopian Eunuch: Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:29-31)

I CAN APPRECIATE THE PLIGHT OF THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH. How can I understand except some man should guide me? Reading without studying will bring us a great deal of knowledge as we continue to read day after day, year after year. We are helped even more if we study and consult those who have studied before us.

I need at least 2-3 study Bibles and a collection of commentaries. We have the King James Study Bible, the Defender’s Study Bible by Henry Morris, the MacArthur Study Bible, and the Bible Knowledge Commentary by the faculty of Dallas Seminary.

ON THE COMPUTER, I HAVE ACCESS TO A DOZEN OR SO WRITERS on e-Sword.net (free) and even more on SwordSearcher7. I don’t use them all on every chapter. But, if I have a difficult question, it’s helpful to have a roomful of good teachers to ask what they think about it. Sometimes I have to say, “hmmmmm, they don’t know either. They didn’t answer the question.”

ONE OF MY MOST-RESPECTED BIBLE PROFESSORS was Dr. Mark Cambron. He was Dean of the Bible School and I took some night courses under him. He was known for his endless reading of the Scriptures. That was his major tool. He just read and read and read. Sometimes he would burst out: “I’ve got it! I think I have a thread hanging out here! He would keep on reading until he would remember other passages that fit in with his reading. That’s the value of much reading of Scripture. Bits and pieces of it begin to stick. New insights begin to come to you.

WHEN YOU READING THROUGH THE BIBLE THE FIRST TIME, read every word. After a while, you will get through the lists of names and places and you will begin to get interested in the characters you are reading about. You will see what God told them and how they reacted to it. You will learn a lot about God by reading through the whole Bible.
This is a good time to begin reading with the intention of reading the Bible through this year. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
JANUARY 9, 2018 – TUESDAY
A.M. Genesis 23-24 P.M. Matthew 8
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse To Memorize:
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Song for Today:
The Old Rugged Cross (Hovie Lister - Gaither)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-efhho0Fa4
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the misery of clutter2

1/7/2018

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The Misery of Clutter
And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. (Nehemiah 2:13-14)

WHEN NEHEMIAH TRIED TO MAKE a secret inspection of the Jerusalem wall by night, he had a problem. The ground was so cluttered with the broken wall that the donkey could go no further. The hindrance of clutter has been around a long, long time. Clutter is an arch enemy of order and productivity in every part of life.

When our bodies are cluttered, we are said to be toxic and we need to be detoxified. Clutter hinders our spiritual lives as well as our occupation and home life. We cannot eliminate clutter, but we can reduce it to our advantage. Some people deal with clutter once a year…or not. There’s a humorous side to clutter that blends with a more serious side.

NBC’s weekly radio, Fibber McGee and Molly, (1935-1956) included a regular opening of the family’s cluttered closet. America eagerly awaited by their radios each week for them to open the closet and cherished the loud clatter of things falling out. All Americans had clutter and enjoyed hearing the Fibber McGee version of their own private mess. It didn’t quite make it into the dictionary, but it does get a decent crossover to Wikipedia.

CLUTTER INVADES CLOSETS, garages, shops, offices, cars, trucks, vans and lives. Some people are content to pile their ongoing clutter at their feet while they drive. Others are skilled at tossing cans and cups “somewhere” in the back. Some truckers maintain a private office on the dash of their trucks that resembles “clutter.”

CLUTTER IS UNWANTED AND UNNEEDED and eventually is called garbage. Cities and counties across America struggle with it and have concluded: “Everybody wants it picked up and nobody wants it to be set down.” The latest addition to the clutter community is online buying, especially at Christmas time. Online shopping has generated thousands of piles of product and shipping bags and boxes. Waste management sources are saying it will take at least two months to recover from Christmas clutter.

I'M A SEASONAL "UNCLUTTERER” and Barbara is more sensitive to clutter than I am. I’ll fix it when its time comes. During the year, my main requirement is to be able to get to the computer and have a place for my feet that won’t catch fire when the portable heater is directed there. THE YARD AND GARDEN CLUTTER take priority because people will drive by and talk about you. Inside, we move clutter toward the office because that is the easy way to do it.

AFTER CHRISTMAS, IT'S TOO COLD TO WORK OUTSIDE, so it’s time to unclutter the office. We sort through paper, magazines, books, and cardboard boxes. The plan is to load up our garbage wheelie every Monday and help the garbage man earn his living. (No, the picture is not me in my office.)

I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A CLEAN DESK, mostly because I never seem to have one. A clean desk may be producing a pile of clutter in the desk drawers or one of the closets. When company comes, let them see your clean desk but don’t let them see the drawers or the closet where you keep the desk clutter.

TO HAVE CLUTTER CLOSURE, one must deposit it to its final resting place, never to be moved again. So, I don’t make a big fuss over a clean desk, ‘till after Christmas. Just for the record, when visitors come, we try to remember to make sure the office door is closed. (That is the worst kind of deception?)

I'M CLUTTERED WITH YEARS and I only need 10% of the books I used to need for studying and writing. Mr. Google has become a member of the family and I don’t need as much paper to look up stuff. A big problem with getting rid of books is that they are like friends and family members. This will be a week for trashing arm loads of magazines and books. Barbara has a lot of books and will soon have more than me. Right now, her books are “treasures “and she gets to keep them until they become “clutter.”

AN EVEN LARGER CLUTTER PROBLEM may be the clutter of promises made, yet unfulfilled. Occupational promises, financial promises, social promises, spiritual promises. A life cluttered with promises is sure to be miserable. The bank is fussy about unfulfilled promises made to them.

IT'S SO EASY TO SCATTER PROMISES all over the place until there’s a backlog of unfulfilled promises. That’s why it’s helpful to write down our promises in a little pocket notebook, and the date we expect to get it done. That may be too binding on your mental health. The main idea is that when we promise something, we should make an honest effort to keep that promise. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. (Ecclesiastes 5:5)

THERE'S THE CLUTTER OF DAYS we wish we could forget. The days we said more than we meant to say, and it destroyed a relationship; the day you lost a job or had a foreclosure or a divorce. This kind of clutter will drag you down. We can forgive everybody in town easier than we can forgive ourselves. It helps to do all we can with people to unclutter broken promises and days of anger and wrong doing. It also needs to be squared away with the Lord.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18) Ω

P.S. I am looking for a special clip art picture of a man in his very cluttered office. Does anyone perchance have a copy of it?
●This article is a rewritten copy of MORNING MINUTE January 19, 2017.

Read Through the Bible in a Year
JANUARY 8, 2018 – MONDAY
A.M. Genesis 20-22 P.M. Matthew 7
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse To Memorize:
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Song for Today:
Without Him (Hovie Lister & Quartet Gaither)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxOOHblxh78&index=14&list=PLrQ_9CjH0M3DrNKFiJwWMcXeunA0lU-NB
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Hrs of M&M's

1/4/2018

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Hours of M and M’s
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:16)

When we were commuting a lot between Flat Rock and Southern Pines, we often did the 475-mile trek in one shot with a couple of pit stops. Of course, if you’re tired to begin with, the eyelids get heavy. Coffee is the old standby, but coffee on an empty stomach did not set well with me. A medium-size bag of M&M’s proved to be the answer: loaded with sugar and caffeine. Combined with coffee, it can help you read signs, stay in your lane, and keep your distance from the big trucks.

It’s a very healthy thing to do since it keeps you from running into bridges and trees. The fact that it plays havoc with your insulin and arteries is secondary to its benefit of keeping all your blood inside your body. You can eat health food another day.

I mentioned our use of M&M’s one time during a church service and the next time we headed west toward Flat Rock, Suzanna Woodruff surprised us with the largest bag of M&M’s. Some things you never forget and that’s one of them. Every time I walk past the M&M’s in Walmart, I think of Suzanna Woodruff.

During that time, I was also into a project of printing Bible memory cards and trying to get people to memorize Scripture. I knew from my days of memorizing Scripture with the Navigators (1953) that there were five ways we are to exercise ourselves in the Word of God. 1. Hear. 2. Read. 3. Study. 4. Memorize. And 5. Meditate. So, I included those five points in an instruction sheet and wondered how I could title them.

While I was looking at the five words, the first letter of each word became obvious: H.R.S.M.M. Surely, I’m not the only one that can see the obvious: “HRS of M&M’s!”

If you want to remember the five ways to encounter the Word of God, just remember the caption: “HRS of M&M’s.” HEAR – READ – STUDY – MEMORIZE – MEDITATE. If you would like to remember those five things for life without working at it, say them aloud five times a day for a month. Write them five times a day for a month on an envelop that came in the mail that you’re going to throw away. Here’s a verse to go with each word. Memorize the verses to go along with the words. In a month you’ll have it down and it will bless you to know that you have the core of what you are to do with the Word of God. The one word that’s missing is: OBEY.

HEAR. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

READ. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. (1Thessalonians 5:27)

STUDY. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2Timothy 2:15)

MEMORIZE. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:11)

MEDITATE. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

If you want to gain knowledge and skill in any endeavor, two words stand out: READ and DO. If you want this article to do anything permanent in your life: READ and DO. I hope you will lay hold of these five things and incorporate them into your life until you draw your last breath. Please don’t be satisfied that you may have been entertained for three minutes while you whizzed through this page on your way to work or school. Come back and devour this page! Please!

The reason I’m making the first lines of paragraphs bold, is because it helps reading on smart phones. The font size (letter size) on smart phones is tiny. The bold lines help the eyes to pace your progress through the article. I noticed the advantage in reading on my phone, so I upped the use of bold at the beginning of paragraphs.

The purpose of MORNING MINUTE is to encourage you. To that end we remind you of what you already know and sprinkle a few goodies here and there that may be new to you. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
JANUARY 5, 2018 - FRIDAY
A.M. Genesis 12-14 P.M. Matthew 5:1-26
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A Good Verse to Memorize:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Song for Today:
Joy Comes in the Morning (3:56) (Joy Gardner – Gaither)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_yUd7f_S2c
Please Note: If you have been to the valley, this will bless your heart.
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