Psalms 1:1-6 (KJV)

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Happiness is the result of:

I. SEPARATION 

* The counsel

* The way

* The seat

II. SCRIPTURES 

* An affection

* An attention

* An addiction

III. STABILITY 

* He’s planted

* He’s productive

* He’s prosperous

the blessed man on a certain,

IV. STREET

He is happy because he knows where it ends.

Hebrews 12:1 (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,

The New Testament frequently employs the metaphor of the race to describe the Christian life. In this case there are three lessons drawn:

First, we have an audience

I was on my high school track team a couple of years. There is a group who comes to watch the events but the majority of our spectators were fellow athletes; those who had run or were just about to. This is the same in the Christian life. Those in eternity are called a great cloud of witnesses. The passage does not mention them but we know there is a younger generation watching us.

Second, we run this race patiently

It’s a long distance course, not a sprint. A few of the more notables in the Christian world would do well to see it that way.

Thirdly, it is set differently for each of us

It’s going to play out uniquely for every one of us. We are:

* Wired differently

* Gifted differently

* Situated differently and

have different advantages and disadvantages than others. The course can look exactly the same and still be a completely different race for everyone on it.

The key is to run the race. Run it faithfully, run it unhindered by sin.

God’s not up in heaven waiting to spank us for every little thing we do wrong. He does: 

* train us 

* chasten us 

* discipline us 

but He does that most often through the natural system He has put into place in this world.

 

Most often when a person asks the question, “Am I doing something wrong?” they already have the answer. It has something to do with 

* an attitude that they have or with 

* an action they are involved in or with 

* an inaction that they are responsible for 

This world has an established course of of operation; things that work and things that don’t work. Wise people learn those things that work. Wise people learn those things that don’t work. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. It’s putting into practice what we know to work successfully.

So The answer to the question, “Am I doing something wrong?” is, “Yes. and No.” If you’re having trouble in business or succeeding in life then, yes you’re not following that natural course that leads to success. 

But if you mean, is God judging you and that’s why you’re having trouble in your life, the answer is no. The judgment for the Christian is already accomplished. God’s not judging you by 

* making your business fail or by 

* making your marriage fail or by 

* making your children fail 

Those are all consequences of poor choices that we’ve made or lack of knowledge that we have.

The good news is this means we can do something about those problems. We can gain the knowledge that we don’t have. We can change the behavior that we’re doing. We can adjust the attitude of our mind. We can gain the wisdom to apply what we know.

THERE IS A TRUST

1 Timothy 6:20 KJV

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

* Paul knew that the ministry was going to get more difficultas time when on and that it would become increasingly important to focus on the faith once delivered.

* We are to avoid, which means to deflect, to turnor twistout

* “profane and vain babblings and oppositions of science falsely so called.“

THERE IS A TRUTH

1 Timothy 6:20 KJV

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

* I have discovered that too much of what science professes to know is not knowledge at all but theory.

They begin all of their studies on the premise that the God of the Bible does not existand try to find answers to their questions that do not include that God.

They propose theories and study one another’s theories

2. If there is a scientific fact that the Bible apparently contradicts,

I would suggest that the problem is with their understanding of the Bible and not with the truths that exist either in science or the Bible.

THERE IS A TASK

1 Timothy 6:20-21

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

Which some professing have erred concerning the faith….

* We, who are the children of the Living God, have been given a wonderful treasure in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

* To do so would be to err concerning the faith.

The truth is so important that we must not allow ourselves to be turned from that which is committed to our trust.

We must keep and guard it at all costs.

An interesting thing happened to me the other day. I was in a conversation with a man I deeply admire, a preacher 26 years my senior. In the course of conversation I mentioned that I had recently turned 60, telling him the date of my birthday. The conversation carried on with little change of direction with the mention. We enjoyed the meal and the fellowship. I thought nothing of my mention of my birthday nd would have guessed my friend thought little of it either.

Next day was Sunday and my friend was preaching. In the course of his message he brought up our conversation, my mention of my birthday and then said, “I was up last night thinking about that. I had a son born that same month and year. He died just two months later.”

I didn’t know. I meant nothing by it. He did not make a big deal of it at the time. But just the mention of my birthdate opened the doors of a sixty year old grief for him.

I understand that everyone likes a vacation from duties once in a while. I do not understand avoiding adult responsibility habitually. I especially do not understand it in the context of the Christian community. Apostle Paul said, 1 Corinthians 13:11 (KJV)

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

The Bible says of both John the Baptist and  then of Jesus,

Luke 1:80 (KJV)

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

Luke 2:40 (KJV)

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

The point is to grow up, gain wisdom and put away childish things.

I can’t help but think that the person who isn’t happy with their life is the person most likely to train their children to avoid “adulting.” The competent adult, who charges into life, handles the difficulties of life with Christian grace and looks forward to an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of God, will raise up children to do the very same.

Episode #41

Behold the power and authority of Jesus Christ. Lazarus, a man who had been four days dead, heard the voice of Jesus, resurrected to life and came forth out of the grave.

But before He called Lazarus from the grave He spoke with His Father. It wasn’t that he had to ask for the power. It wasn’t that he asked His Heavenly Father to resurrect Lazarus. Jesus could, would and did do that. He spoke to His father to thank Him and to acknowledge Him.

We shouldn’t only pray when we need something. We ought to pray just to speak with God, to acknowledge Him in all things and to thank Him for everything.

To my listeners

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.

For more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

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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My author Page for Kindle/Amazon

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Episode #40

My concern is that the current church paradigm is robbing our churches of the most valuable asset we possess; the wisdom of the seasoned, hoary headed preacher. 

We need a paradigm shift. 

No preacher ought to fade from memory due to his years. We need his wisdom until his race is fully run. 

Episode #39

Pastoral Safe Zones

It’s all the rage these days, and all the talk. On college campuses, places where ideas have traditionally been freely given expressed, even those that are dangerous or detrimental to national health, safe zones are now the norm. Ideas deemed offensive to the administration are forbidden expression on the grounds those ideas might offend or injure the psyche of some of its students. Generally those ideas deemed offensive are either conservative, Christian or both. 

There has been much talk about this, mostly from the conservatives, and how silly it is that ideas can’t be expressed for fear it will hurt someone’s feelings who disagrees. Recently I heard Mike Rowe address what he sees as the problem of being too safe. (https://youtu.be/Q490iOW_-Lg) 

Here is the problem. The corrupt nature of man, even of preachers, will always lead them away from, not toward, holiness. Without challenging their new directions, without at least attempting to pull them back. If we don’t risk offending them they will certainly drift into unsafe territory. All the safety zones ever do is leave a people unprepared for danger. 

Thirty five years ago I learned that, as the world gets more evil, the churches slide toward the same evil, maybe just fifty years behind the world. Anymore it seems like older preachers have become afraid to warn the younger preachers to try to reverse the trend instead of giving in to it.

 

To my listeners

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.

For more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

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

 

Pastoral Safe Zones

Episode #38

Haman was a Gentile and had certainly never read to Proverbs and the warning of falling into our own snare. Nevertheless the truth is universal; vengeance belongs only to God. To attempt it for ourselves is to step into territory with terrible consequences. Haman’s hatred for Mordecai was so powerful he never thought about who may or may not be related to him. He never considered that he may have stronger ties to the king than he at first realized.

Offenses happen in this world. Let them go. If the Lord believes they ought t to be judged, He is more than capable of doing so.

 

 

To my listeners

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.

For more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

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