Amos 3:7

Read Amos 3:7.

1. The Lord doesn't consult man but informs him.  The Lord is sovereign and doesn't need any advisers.
2. Oh, the grace and mercy of the Lord! -- that He would inform or warn before sending judgment. Chapters 3-5 contain three pronouncements concerning judgment, revealing God's intent.
3. The Lord reveals things to more than one.  Notice the plural "prophets."  This is to retard pride and diminish false prophecy.  Example:  If you and I both "hear" from the Lord, and what we each "hear" contradicts what the other "heard", then it is clear one or both of us didn't hear from the Lord. Prophecy must be judged.
4. Don't look to a prophet first; look to the Bible.  The Holy Spirit inspired it.  It is inerrant and infallible.

Change The Filter, See Things Differently

Roaring Run Trail, Kiski Twp., PA
Shot taken on December 25, 2016 at 1:09 P.M.

When I took this shot in color, it was a nothing-to-look-at, run-of-the-mill specimen.  When I edited the photo to black and white, something interesting "appeared."  Do you see the pair of beady eyes atop the wide deadwood? (Do you see the scant, eerie-looking "thing"?  What is that?)

Changing the photo from color to black and white didn't create the "eyes."  They were there before. My default (color) "filter" didn't accentuate them.

What is the situation, difficulty or challenge you are facing?  What "filter" are you using?  If you've tried common sense and haven't seen a way out, then going "old-fashioned" -- back to the Bible -- will yield better results.

It's New Year's Day.  Why not resolve to read the Bible?  Don't worry about reading it through.  Just read it regularly.  It will change your outlook.  You'll be amazed what you might "see"!

Verse Of The Week (08/05/16)

Sunbeam, Prince Gallitzin State Park
Patton, PA  9-14-11 (4:23 P.M.)

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psa. 119:105)

Verse of The Week (07/22/16)

Photo taken 7-3-16 at 7:23 P.M.  Apollo, PA

“THE GRASS WITHERS, 

AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, 

BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.”

(1 Pet. 1:24b-25a)

Retaining The Word (Lu. 8:15)

To retain God's Word...

• You must hear it.  You need a systematic Bible reading plan and a minimum one sermon per week.
• You must identify how it specifically speaks to you.  The Bible was written to change your life, revealing Who God is and what He requires.  Make it personal.  If you want to please Jesus, His Word will show you how.
• You must decide to act upon what God said.  Knowledge alone is insufficient.  The word you want is "implementation."
• Stick with it.  Persevere.  Change won't happen all at once.
• Review and reflect.  Evaluate.  Make necessary course adjustments.

Attention to the Word (Heb. 2:1-4)

Read Hebrews 2:1-4.

The word spoken by angels is in contrast to the word spoken by the Son (cf. Heb. 1:1-2a).  The key word in Heb. 2:1 is "attention" (NASB).

"Attention":  alertness, awareness, responsibility (to close the gap -- the context mentions drifting), assessment (The word we've heard is superior.).  Don't just hear.  Hear with intent to obey.  Read James 1:22-25.

Strategy for giving "attention" to the Word:

• Familiarization > systematic reading for content
• Interpretation > regular study for understanding
• Simple study asks the big six:  what, how, who, when, where, why.
• Memorization > selected passages for recall
• Implementation > intentional participation in community
• Community provides accountability.

Questions to consider:

• Do you have a Bible reading plan?
• Do you set aside regular time to study the Bible?
• Study is more than reading.
• Do you have a passage you are memorizing?
• If not, let me suggest Colossians 3:1-17.
• Do you have a mechanism for accountability?

What a High View of God's Word (Neh. ch. 8)

• Hunger for God's Word.  Who initiated this reading?
• Reverence for God's Word.  The people stood for a long time and hung on every word.
• Translation of God's Word.  The teachers gave the sense. The people knew what God said and what He meant.
• Obedience to God's Word.  The people determined they would do what God said.

May God cause it to be so today.  Let's be people with a high view of Scripture.

Good Ground (Mk 4:8)

Today's reading is Mark 4 and Luke 10-11.

The larger parable (Mk 4:1-9) deals with four kinds of soil. This post mostly deals with the good soil.

1. The quality of the seed is never debated. The seed is God's Word and all of it is inspired (2 Tim 3:16-17).
2. The quality of the soil is never accidental. Why did the seed on the pathway not take? The path was hardened and uncultivated. It had not been turned over. Why did the seed on rocky soil not take? No one had removed the rocks. Why did the seed on thorny soil not take? No one pulled up the weeds or dug out the thorns. Why did the seed on good soil produce? Someone took the time to cultivate the soil, separate the rocks, pull the weeds and dig out the thorns. Intentionally, this soil had been prepared. (All this talk about cultivation, separation, digging out -- doesn't it remind you of repentance?)
3. The quantity of the produce is always exponential. The 30-fold, 60-fold and 100-fold increases all began with the seed. Never underestimate the vast potential of one verse of Scripture or one act of obedience.
4. Seed that is never planted will never produce. The purpose of the seed is to grow a plant or vine that produces fruit. Jesus wants you to be fruitful (Jn 15:1-8; Gal 5:22-23). Fruitfulness starts with the seed. Don't merely get into the Word. Allow God's Word to get into you.

Daily Baptism (Mk 1:9-10)

Today's reading was Matthew 3 and Mark 1.

What's involved in baptism?

1. Humility. Jesus came down from Galilee to the Jordan. Jordan literally means "the descender." This reminds me of what John said: "Jesus must increase but I must decrease" (Jn 3:30).
2. Trust. The one being baptized puts trust in the baptizer. He trusts he will be pulled back up after being pulled under.
3. Cleansing. There is no part of you that is unaffected by baptism. That's why we submerge candidates.

What do I mean by daily baptism? No, you don't have to keep getting baptized in water. You do, however, have to keep on being cleansed from sin and defilement.

Instead of the water you go to the Word, the Bible. You submit to the Bible the same way you submit to baptism: with humility and trust. This means so much more than just reading the Bible. It is more about letting the Bible read you (Heb 4:12).

Matthew talks about being persecuted by God's Word (Mt 13:21). When it points out something, will you submit to the Word? Acknowledge it is right, confess sin, ask forgiveness (1 Jn 1:9).

Read Heb 10:22; Eph 5:25-27.