“Daddy” by Melissa Dilley


Today’s Passage – Proverbs 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 1 – 2Psalms 71 – 75Proverbs 15)

Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalms 19

“But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” (Proverbs 1:33)

I want to share something with you that has revolutionized my relationship with my Heavenly Father. My God is an awesome, powerful, all-knowing, mighty and righteous God.  He spoke the world into existence and holds creation in the palm of His hand.  He raised others and even Himself from the dead and healed scores of people from all manner of diseases.  He caused the earth to swallow legions of people, and the waters to destroy others.  He is magnificent, all-seeing, and unfathomable.

But He is also my Heavenly Daddy.  Sometimes when I hurt, all I can manage to pray is “Dear Heavenly Father,“ and then I cry for a time.  Jesus told the disciples that they must become like children (completely trusting), and to suffer the children to come (don’t hinder that complete trust).  The Bible tells us that if our earthly daddies can take care of us, how much better can our Heavenly Daddy take care of us.  Let me challenge you, when you have the “fear of evil”, go to God.  Ask Him to put you on His lap, pet you, kiss your forehead, rock you, and tell you everything is going to be ok.  I believe that is the key to ‘the peace that passes all understanding’.

Melissa Dilley went home to be with the Lord earlier this year. She wrote many guest posts for this blog, and from time to time we will reproduce them.


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The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl – Special Sunday Edition

Today’s Reading: 1Chronicles 23-25; John 21; and Proverbs 14

Today’s Passage: Proverbs 14:26-27

Good morning. Did you ever see a decal on a car driving by that said No Fear? I never understood that term, so I decided to look it up on the internet. No Fear turns out to be a clothing line and an energy drink. To others it’s a cry of being overly optomistic. To a Christian, he may think:, “No God, Know Fear; Know God, No Fear.” There are many in this world who do not fear anything, including God. If anyone should have No Fear of anything, it should be a Christian. Our only fear should be the LORD and pleasing Him. We get that from the Lord. In Proverbs chapter 14, and verses 26 and 27, the Bible tells us that the fear of the LORD is strong confidence and also a fountain of life. The Bible also tells us that the fear of the LORD is also the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Proverbs also tells us what the fear of the LORD is and does…

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (1:7).

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil (8:13).

The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom (15:33).

The fear of the LORD prolongeth days (10:27).

The fear of the LORD tendeth to life (19:23).

Life. What would life be like without the fear of the LORD? Wisdom cries out, “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” (Proverbs 1:22-32)

Can you see how much of a mess the world around you is in? Public schools teach evolution: that you evolved from some goo that was floating around in the oceans. They are not taught that we are created in God’s image. Their mindset is that you are closer to goo than me: I have evolved more, and therefore superior. If I kill you I will probably be doing the world a favor. That’s what evolution teaches. Evolution does not make you better, it degrades you: turns you into an animal. The blood of Abel cried out to God from the ground. How many voices cry out to the Lord from the ground today?Victims of those who did not choose the fear of the Lord. But the fear of the LORD tendeth to life. I think Solomon summed it all up perfectly in Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

Peace. (1Peter 3:8-11)


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Do You Want To Shine?

Today’s Passage – Leviticus 5 – 7; Proverbs 4

(Second Milers also read Luke 24; memorize Psalm 119:11)

“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” – (Proverbs 4:18)

In yesterday’s post I spoke a little bit about the Old Testament offerings or sacrifices, and how they all pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. In chapters 5 – 7 of Leviticus today, we were introduced to the trespass offering, and we also learned some more details regarding the O. T. sacrificial system. Rather than repeat much of the same information that I discussed yesterday, I have opted to write a thought from the passage in Proverbs.

In verse 18 of chapter 4, the Bible speaks about the path of the just. The word “just” in the Bible means righteous, which is often used to speak of someone who is saved. The saved person is positionally righteous or just in the sight of the Lord, because his sins have been forgiven. Consider these New Testament verses:

“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. … Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” – (Romans 3:20, 24)

The concept of justification is very interesting. When a person gets saved, God sees them as completely just or righteous. In fact Romans 3:22 tells us that God gives us the righteousness of God when we believe. Yet, we know that in a practical sense, our lives are really anything but righteous. We know that we are still sinners, undeserving of his mercy; but because of our relationship with Christ, God is merciful and gracious towards us.

However, in Proverbs 4:18, I believe the context would require that this “just” person is not only just in a positional way; but he is also “just” in a practical way; not perfectly, of course, because there is a not [perfectly] just man on earth that doeth good and sinneth not.(Ecclesiastes 7:20) However, the idea of this verse is that this man’s path is pointed in the right direction. He is moving closer and closer to perfection, or maturity. His life is conforming to the very image of Christ as he is walking in the Spirit and yielding to the will of God. The result of all this is that His light is shining brighter and brighter each day.

I remember years ago listening to a preacher on the radio who was answering questions from his listeners. One lady had asked his opinion regarding dancing. He gave a very interesting answer. He told the lady that as a Christian she had the liberty to go dancing if she chose too, but then he asked the lady if she was concerned about shining the light of the Lord to others around her. He basically stated that if we are to shine in our Christian life, there will be certain things that perhaps we may enjoy, that we should be willing to sarifice. The basic idea of this verse is that if we are walking in the path of the just, we will be walking in the Spirit, away from the world, and toward the image of Christ. Let me ask you the question that radio preacher asked his audience that day: Do you want to shine?


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