Proverbially
SPEAKING…
(10)
CHRISTIANITY
is the good life any way that you look at it.
The mindset of a Christian
must be that of a Christian or he cannot be a Christian (Galatians 2:20;
I Corinthians 11:1; Colossians 3:1-3; Matthew 6:33,22).
The best prayer
is the one that is prayed spontaneously.
The very existence
of the church is one of the greatest witnesses to the message that it preaches,
that message being the resurrection of Christ, the message that brought
the church into being.
As a man "thinketh
in his heart [good or evil], so is he"…eventually.
"Bad" things that happen
to us are only bad to the degree that we let them be bad; trust God, and
keep a positive mental attitude.
Deeds of KIND-ness
show what KIND of person you are.
The secret to happiness
is not in acquiring more and more things, but in wanting less and being
content with what we already have.
People of kindred
spirits can communicate without talking.
(37-2-99)
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Proverbially
SPEAKING…
(11)
THEY
WHO live in hope will abound in optimism.
An
empty tomb is the unique message of Christianity.
A
game has no meaning unless played by the rules.
We
need grace to save us from a life of sin and disgrace (Ephesians 2:1-10;
Titus 2:11,12).
Our
hearts must reach out to people before we can reach them for Christ.
Having
become the favored objects and recipients of God’s mercy and grace, we
are to be channels of this mercy and grace to others.
Even
as God is one, our devotion to Him should be singular (Deut. 6:4,5).
By
victoriously abstaining from the bad we enhance our capacity to enjoy that
which is good.
Meekness
is not weakness, but strength subdued and under control.
Showing
partiality is a sin because the command to love your neighbor as yourself
is not selective (James 2:8,9).
A
hope that’s sure will produce a life that’s pure (I John 3:1-3).
(37-1-99)
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Proverbially
SPEAKING…
(12)
A LOVE that’s real will do more than feel (I John 3:16-18).
We must be resolved to follow the Bible and that alone, even
if it means sometimes standing alone, if we are to be found faithful to
God.
Truth is neither relative nor subjective, but is
absolute and objective.
In the Bible we find satire, but no humor; in the Bible
God is pictured as laughing, but only in contempt for evil-doers (Psalms
2:4; 37:13).
What a person stands for determines what he stands
against.
Having faith in people goes a long way in helping them
believe in themselves and in doing what they should.
The most humble person is usually the least aware
of his humility.
It is great to be able to stand on your own two feet,
but of little consequence unless you are going somewhere.
Self-respect and self-reliance are good companions.
Hope gives birth to patience, and then trials nurture,
cultivate, and bring patience to maturity.
37-3-99
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Proverbially
SPEAKING…
(13)
INSULT is the prelude to injury.
n
If a man’s life is in place, he won’t have to worry
about his place in life.
n
Let’s not be pragmatic when God is dogmatic.
n
Trying to develop character without being religious
is like not having a track to run on.
n
Delay is the best course of action when experiencing
anger.
n
Through godly sorrow and tears we prepare ourselves
for a land where sorrow and tears will be no more.
n
Honesty should not be regarded as a matter of policy,
but of principle.
n
Negative and hurt feelings repressed, suppressed, and
unexpressed will make a person depressed.
n
The only thing that equals being loved is to love
another.
n
We should not be in such a hurry that we cannot stop
and enjoy life, nor should we be so engrossed while stopping that we let
life pass us by.
n
It is best to say little and do much.
n
The way you try to live is your commentary on the meaning
of life.
(37-4-99)
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 BARBS...
with a Point
(7)
IF YOU are not right with God, you are not right.
If
you must talk about others, why not try talking to God about them?
Some
people think they have all the answers when they don’t even know all the
questions.
A
little bit of religion, like vaccine, will immune you against the real
thing.
The
one who rules the universe is the one who made the rules, so we better
go by them.
It
is hard to be nice to people who are not nice to you, but that is Christianity.
It
is not what you have, or how much you have, but what you do with what you
have that really matters.
A
gauge of your love of the truth is seen in how much false teaching disturbs
you.
If
doing your thing only involves things, though you gain the whole wide world,
your life won’t amount to a thing if you leave God out.
Self-serving
"servants" do not serve, except their own selfish ambitions.
The
danger of overlooking the faults in others is that we will try to excuse
them in ourselves (and we will all end up being lost).
An
empty church building is not compatible with the message of the empty tomb.
If
our cup is full and running over, it should be an occasion of being thankful;
but, really, it is of little spiritual consequence and significance unless
we are sharing it with others.
Alcohol
is the devil’s brew, and those who consume it are under his power.
Some
people’s concept of salvation is to have some kind of overwhelming emotional
experience, and then live as they please thereafter.
Doubt
won’t help you out when you are down and out; trust is a must.
The
more we help some people the less we help them for they become dependent
upon us and will not help themselves; so let us help them to help themselves.
You
can give and not be a Christian, but you can’t be a Christian without giving.
The
most snobbish people are those who once had nothing and now have, imagine
that they have, or pretend that they have something, as they look down
their noses at others; thus foolishly venting their inverted insecurities.
You
can’t walk with Christ unless you are going in the same direction that
he is.
In
a society where success is measured by bigness and numbers, some churches
feel paranoid if they are small in number rather than being burdened because
of the great number lost in sin.
The
narrower the mind, the harder the passage of big and expansive thoughts
through it.
The
object of worship must be right, the expression of worship must be right,
and the worshipper must be right before the worship can be right.
If
you shut God out of your life, the doors of heaven will not be open to
you.
Many
times arrogance and pride are glorified, and even deified, in what is called
patriotism.
Most
church probems are caused by selfishness
(37-2-99)
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xBARBS...
with a Point
(8)
SOME
will not take a stand for the right because that would imply they have
been wrong, and that others are in the wrong.
The first step to getting
on our feet should be getting on our knees.
"Pride goeth before destruction,
and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18); however, "Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up" (James 4:10).
I am against sin, not because
I am so righteous, but because of the struggles I have had with it.
How to invalidate grace: (1)
Think that you can be saved by your good works; (2) Think that you can
be saved while making a practice of sin.
If we shut God out of our
lives, the doors of heaven will not be open to us.
The most tolerant people are
those who believe nothing in particular, except it is hard for them to
tolerate those who have definite convictions.
If we use grace as an excuse
to sin, grace does not excuse that sin.
When family ties and friendship
ties are stronger than ties in the Lord, it can tie a lot of knots in the
Lord’s work.
You are not respecting yourself
when you tolerate that which is evil.
According to the New Testament,
elders are the pastors of the sheep (the church), but today we have hirelings
called "ministers" doing the work of the elders.
When we strive to "walk worthy
of the Lord" (Colossians 1:10), we are therewith made to realize just how
unworthy we really are.
For some "religious" people the
Bible serves no higher purpose than that of a sectarian instrument with
which to hit their brethren over the head.
Not all skeletons are in the
closet; some may be in the living room with the flesh still on them.
"Ministries" in the New Testament
is not a word having reference to religious organizations devoted to Christian
enterprises, but it refers to the actual work itself as it is done.
Belong to Christ, not to a
denomination, and be simply a member of his body, the church.
"The people sat down to eat and
drink, and rose up to play"—it sounds like a description of many churches
today, but it is talking about the children of Israel of long ago (Exodus
32:6).
Life is a one way street;
there is no turning back, so make sure you are going in the right direction.
You go out of your way to help
some people, and instead of them being thankful, they complain, "Why didn’t
you help me more?"
When we deify our aches and
pains, it is hard for the God of all comfort to be sovereign in our lives.
It is hard for man to have "dominion"
over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28) when he does not have dominion over himself.
The men who make history are
not the ones who write it; they don’t have time.
We should not be in such a hurry
that we cannot stop and enjoy life; nor should we be so engrossed while
stopping that we let life pass us by.
Peace of mind when peace has
not been made with God is delusion.
The man who will try to defend
his bad habits has been brainwashed and in his mental stupor is held captive
by them.
The Word of God only makes
only churches of God.
37-3-99
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Proverbially
Speaking
