Draw Me Nearer

Today’s Passage – Psalms 140 – 145 (Click on the references to listen to the audio)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 25 – 26; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13)

Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8

“The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” – (Psalm 145:18)

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – (John 8:31-32)

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” – (James 4:8)

Recently, we had a man visit our church who did not come from any type of a Christian background. He currently knows very little about the Lord, but he does has a desire to learn. He is searching for the truth. I spoke to him after the service, and I concluded that this man was not going to be convinced about the truths of Christianity, and particularly salvation, in just a few minutes. I gave him some things to think about, and I gave him some literature to take with him, and I promised to pray for him. We later visited the man in his home, and talked to him a little more, and gave him some more material to read. He is coming closer to salvation. His heart is open to the truth, but he is just not sure yet what the truth is. He reminds me a little of myself as I was searching for the truth many years ago. I shared with this man, that if he genuinely wanted to know the truth about Jesus Christ, God would reveal it to him. I am convinced that this man will come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ shortly. Pray for him.

God is as close to us as we want Him to be. That statement is true for the lost man searching for Christ, but it also applies to the Christian as well. I find that many Christians aren’t too comfotable with God, and His will getting to close to some areas of their lives. They want to have God as a part of their life, but their are also many parts of their life that they don’t want God to interfere in; some rooms in their home that they don’t want God to go in. As a result, their relationship with God is not as close as it could be. As we grow in our faith, we should constantly be drawing nearer to the Lord, and as we draw near to Him, He will come close to us.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessèd Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessèd Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.


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Unity

Today’s Passage – Psalms 133 – 139 

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 23 – 24; Psalms 56 – 60; Proverbs 12)

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” – (Psalm 133:1-3)

“And all that believed were together, and had all things common; … And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,” – (Acts 2:44, 46)

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;” – (Philippians 1:27)

The local church cannot function as it should without unity. We have been studying the Book of Acts on Wednesday evenings, and once again, last night, we saw the phrase “one accord”, which is repeated over and over again throughout the book. One of the great characteristics of the Church at Jerusalem was the fact that they were of one heart, one mind, and one purpose. They all had a burning desire to see the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ communicated throughout the world. They wanted to tell everybody about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought to have that kind of unity of purpose today in our local churches. It seems that Christians today are divided as to what the church is supposed to be all about; but our purpose today is the same as in the early churches: the communication of the gospel, and the fulfilling of the Great Commission. It’s all about getting people saved. That was Jesus’ purpose – seeking and saving the lost; and it should be ours as well.

I believe the lack of unity in many of our churches is due to the fact that the preachers are not clearly communicating to the congregation the purpose of the church. We are sending mixed messages, and we have failed to “keep the main thing, the main thing”. If preachers were to clearly instruct about what the church is supposed to be doing, and then keep that purpose before the people regularly, the individuals within the congregation would be forced to make a decision to either get on board, or leave. I don’t want to see anyone leave our church, but it is better for them to leave than to be working against the direction of the church. I praise God for the unity that we have at Jersey Shore, but I want to see us even more vehement in our desire to strive together for the faith of the gospel.

By the way, unity does not mean  that we will all be cookie cutter copies of each other. We are all uniquely gifted by God, and we have different personalities, backgrounds, etc.; but we should all have the same goal. Find out what you can do individually within the body of your local church that will help complement what the other members are doing to advance the purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is pleased with unity, and He can accomplish much with a church that is unified in the purpose of winning people to the Lord Jesus Christ.


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Happy To Be At Church!

Today’s Passage – Psalms 120 – 132 (Click on the references to listen to the audio reading.)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 21 – 22; Psalms51 – 55; Proverbs 11)

Scripture Memorization for July – Hebrews 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8

Read a previous post from today’s passage – “Bearing Precious Seed”

Watch “Being God’s Instrument in Someone’s Life” by Pastor Paul Chappell

“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” – (Psalm 122:1)

“Except the LORD build the house they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” – (Psalm 127:1)

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” – (Psalm 133:1)

For my devotion this morning I have listed a couple of verses from our reading today (and one from tomorrow’s reading) that I believe can certainly be considered together. Though, I may be taking a little bit of liberty regarding the proper interpretations of these Scriptures in their original contexts, I do not believe my thoughts violate basic Biblical truth.  The first verse (Psalm 122:1) talks about the joy of being in the house of God. I also love to be in the house of God with God’s people, but there have been times in my life when I did not appreciate going to church. Before I was saved, the last thing I wanted to do was to go to church; and even after my salvation there have been times when I dreaded church. Thinking back at these times I now realize that the reason for my apprehension was either because my own heart was not right, or that there was something not right going on in the church.

I remember years ago my wife and I were at a church business meeting. The pastor of the church had fired the youth pastor. The problem was that a good portion of the church really liked the youth pastor and did not want to see him go. The result was a church split, with a lot of arguing, gossipping, and bitterness that certainly was not pleasing to the Lord. The lack of unity (Psalm 133:1) among the brethren caused the church to become an unpleasant place to go.

The bottom line is, however, that a church where the pastor and the people are striving together, submissive to the will of God, is a place that is a downright joyful place to go for the Christian who also loves the Lord and is living for Him. If the church is healthy, and the Christian is healthy spiritually, there ought to be a joyful anticipation of going to the House of God. I am very thankful for the church where I serve. Though we are not a large church, we enjoy serving and worshipping together. It is my prayer that our church will grow together, both spiritually and numerically. However, the house must be built by the Lord. It must be done His way, otherwise, we are just wasting our time.

Do you look forward to going to church, or to you you dread it. If the thought of going is unpleasant to you, you need to ask yourself, why? It may be that there is a major problem within the congregation; but more often than not, the problem lies within your own spiritual condition. If you are out of the will of God, being in God’s house, and around God’s people will certainly be a difficult experience. If that is your situation, please don’t blame the church for your misery, and don’t run from the church either. If you do, you may experience a temporary relief from your feelings, but it will ultimately lead to more sorrow. The best thing that you can do is get back inside the will of God. Inside of God’s will, the local church is a place of happiness.


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Just for Ladies by Camille Stahl

Listen to Sunday Morning’s Message at Jersey Shore Baptist Church.

Today’s Passage – Psalm 119 (Click on the references to hear the audio)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 19 – 20; Psalms 46 – 50; Proverbs 10)

Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1

A Study of Women in the Bible

This Week – Lot’s Wife

“Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:24-26)

Lot’s wife is not mentioned in the Bible account of Abraham’s family as they journeyed  from Ur of the Chaldees, or as they left Canaan to go down into Egypt. The first mention of her is at Sodom. This could mean that she was from Canaan or perhaps she was from Sodom. Regardless of where she was born, Lot and his wife had two daughters who left Sodom with them, and at least two other daughters who, along with their husbands and possibly children, refused to leave. We do know that in Genesis 18:32, God’s promise to Abraham was not to destroy the city for the sake of 10 righteous. This could have included all of the family of Lot if they were, in fact, all saved. Apparently Lot’s family were not.

Lot’s wife was a privileged woman. She was married to a “righteous man”. Genesis 13:12 says, “Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.”  Just a side note, in the very next chapter of Genesis the Bible says, “And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.”  Notice it say in Sodom. Anyway, there was very little chance that Lot’s wife would be able to withstand the evil of Sodom unless she was very strong in the Lord. It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 15:33, which states: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

Lot’s wife was warned of the coming danger from God himself. Whether she really believed it or not, she did follow her husband and left. When leaving, she must have heard the cries of the people when fire and brimstone fell from Heaven. Her heart must have broken as she thought of her daughters and possible grandchildren being destroyed. But then she committed the sin. She looked back.

In our day, we have a tendency to minimize and downplay sin and its consequences. The consequence of sin without Christ is death. Lot’s wife suffered the consequence of unbelief.

A Few Lessons That Can Be Applied:

To the Christian Woman: Once you’ve come out of darkness (saved), never look back. Stay far away from the world’s influences. 1 John 2:15 says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Study and obey the word of God. Teach your children to study the Bible, and obey His word. Start as early in their life as you can. When God speaks, listen. I am sure there are many other lessons that we can learn from Lot’s wife.

To the non-Christian Woman: Christ also warns us of the danger before us. He spoke more about Hell than the apostles. Jesus tells us of the judgment day, when the wicked “will go into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life”. (Matthew 25:46) I urge you to call upon the name of the Lord, and be saved.

Our church website www.jerseyshorebaptist.com has a link “The Bible Way to Heaven” where you can read and understand the way to Heaven.

“In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” (Luke 17:31-33)

Rushing wind blow through this temple. Blowing out the dust within. Come and breathe your breath upon me, I’ve been born again. Holy Spirit, I surrender, take me where you want to go. Plunge me by your living your living water, plant me deep, so I can grow. Jesus, your the One, who set my spirit free. Use me Lord glorify, your Holy name through me. Separate me from this world Lord, sanctify my life for you. Daily change me to your image, help me bear good fruit. Everyday your drawing closer, trials come to test my faith. But when all is said and done Lord, you know, it’s been worth the wait.” (Keith Green)

Thank You and God Bless 1 John 5:13


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Not Short on Truth

Listen to Sunday Night’s message from the Fifth Psalm.

Today’s Passage – Psalms 115 – 118

Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9

Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – James 4:10

“O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.” – (Psalm 117:1-2)

Did you ever notice that some of the most powerful messages in the Bible come out of passages of few words. For instance, Peter’s message at Pentecost, which was used of God to lead 3000 people to Christ, was only 25 verses long. The people at our church are hoping that I would learn to preach some of those short sermons. Anyway, Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in all the Bible, but it is certainly not short on truth. This Psalm speaks about two very important doctrines in the Bible: God’s mercy, and God’s truth. It really says it all if you think about it. Through God’s mercy a way was made possible for us to receive the forgiveness of our sins; and it is because of His truth that we could find out about His mercy. What an awesome little passage of Scripture!


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Be Ye … Unmoveable

Listen to “The Difference That One Man Makes”, which was preached at Jersey Shore Baptist Church on the Fourth of July.

Today’s Passage – Psalms 108 – 114

Second Milers also read – Matthew 15 – 16; Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8

Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17

Read “5 Ways To Be God’s Friend” by Pastor Kurt Skelley

“Surely he shall not be moved forever…” (Psalm 112:6)

“…his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:7)

“His heart is established…” (Psalm 112:8)

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,  forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1Cor 15:58)

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed….A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”(James 1:6,8)

There is far too much instability among God’s people today; they just can’t seem to make up there minds as to where they stand. The Bible says about Jesus that His face was set like a flint, meaning He wasn’t budging from the will of God.  Why is it that His children, however, are always moving in their doctrinal positions, and in their personal convictions.  We need to learn the lesson that the Psalmist teaches here in the 112th Psalm.

Notice the characteristics of this unbending, righteous man spoken of here in the Psalm:

1  He is unmoveable about His Bible.

“He delighteth greatly in his commandments” (v 1)

He is not the type of guy that changes the Bible he uses, or what he believes about the Bible.  He is bull-dogmatic about Bible principles.  He believes and applies what God says; and doesn’t deviate off of the course that the Word charts.

2  He is gracious and full of compassion. (v 4)

Even though you are not going to move him about what he believes, he will be gracious and compassionate with those who have not yet grown to where he is.  He gives people who are heading in the right direction time to get there.  He is willing to give somebody a second and third chance when they demonstrate true contrition and repentance.

3  He is generous in his giving. (v 5, 9)

He knows that the source of all of his wealth is God.  He knows also that God expects him to distribute the wealth that he has given him in order to be a blessing and a help to others.

How often do we change our minds and our actions regarding our Christian walk.  We need to be a little more like this man mentioned in the Psalm.  We need to dig in, find out what we believe from the Bible, and stick with it until the Lord takes us home.


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O Taste And See That The LORD Is Good – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Listen to Pastor Charlie Horton’s message to the men at our Men’s Breakfast – “God’s Will In Your Life”

Good morning! Vacations are nice, but it’s always better to get home. God’s hands were all over our vacation in Lancaster, PA. Thursday was our last day there, and we went to Sight and Sound’s production of Jonah. I think this is my favorite so far. I walked out of the theater wanting to study the book of Jonah in depth (no pun intended).

But the best thing to happen to us on our vacation, happened at Red Lobster. We had Melissa’s gift card with us, which we thought was still loaded with $50. A bad assumption. Our waiter came back and told us there was only $10. So I dug the VISA (sorry Dave) out of my wallet, and handed it to him. A few more minutes passed, and our waiter returned with my card. That’s when he told us the two ladies, who were seated across from us, picked up the rest of our tab! He said, “They told me to tell you that Jesus loves you.”

Yes He does. And I told you all that to tell you Psalm 34:8a, “O taste and see that the LORD is good…”

Like I said, God’s hand was all over this vacation. Then we came home and saw what happened in our little trailer park. Many trees were down from the storm that came through early last Saturday morning. The transformer on a telephone pole was struck by lightning, and was now the same color as the pole. God protected our house, and many others.

Even though our daughter lies buried, and her soul is in heaven, taste and see that the LORD is good.

Even though my wife had a heart attack, and needed three stints put in, taste and see that the LORD is good.

When the LORD gets you through the storms of life, O taste and see that the LORD is good.

When blessings fall like the leaves from a tree, O taste and see that the LORD is good.

When times look bright, and when times look dark, O taste and see that the LORD is good.

If you don’t know the LORD, I invite you to taste and see that the LORD is good. He loves you so much. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13). He laid down His life to save you from hell because He knew you could not save yourself: (Ephesians 2:8-9) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Just agree with God that you are a sinner: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one… For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God… (Romans 3:10 and 23). Then call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, and He will. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13).

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalm 34:8)

Peace. (1Chronicals 16:34).


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So Great Is His Mercy

Click on the Scripture references below to listen to the audio reading of the passage.

Today’s Passage – Psalms 103 – 105

Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6

Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32

“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” – (Psalm 103:10-12)

I have a good friend who is an evangelist, and every time I ask him how he is doing, he always says, “Better than I deserve”. He’s right. He doesn’t deserve to be doing as good as he is doing, but God has been very good to him; and good to me as well. Today’s passage teaches this truth, which is perhaps the most wonderful truth in the entire Bible: that God is merciful to sinners. Of course, I must be clear to point out that this truth only applies to sinners who have received the gift of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a principle in the Bible called sowing and reaping, which basically teaches that we will reap in judgment what we sow in sin. But for the Christian, this principle does not completely apply. Those of us who are the children of God will never reap in judgment what we sowed in sin. The judgment of our sin was reaped by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. He suffered for what I sowed. Now, to be sure, there will always be corrective consequences for sin in this life, and perhaps loss of reward in eternity for the disobedient Christian; but we will never get what we truly deserve for our rebellion against God. God is merciful. He has removed our sins. He truly has made them white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) All of our past sins are gone completely, and He will not “impute” any new sins to our account. (Romans 4:8) What a wonderful God we serve! Have you taken time today to thank the Lord for His mercy? Have you told the Lord how much that you appreciate what He did for you on the Cross? Think about it: if you and I received what we deserved we would be burning in the Lake of Fire right now, but our God is merciful to those that come to Him in repentance and faith. Praise His Name!!


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Enduring To All Generations

Today’s Passage – Psalms 96 – 102

Second Milers also read – Matthew 9 – 10; Psalms 21 – 25; Proverbs 5

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” – (Psalm 100:5)

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – (John 8:32)

What a glorious privilege it is to know that we have the Truth of the Word of God. Many people are out there searching for the truth that is already freely available to them, if they just knew where to look for it. Others believe, like Pilate, that there is no absolute truth available. But we who are saved know the truth, because the truth has indeed made us free.

Over 22 years ago, I was saved through the ministry of Christian radio. I knew that I would need a Bible if I were to grow spiritually, so I went to a local Christian book store and asked the owner which Bible I should purchase. She first showed me a variety of the modern versions, but finally she handed me a leather-bound King James Bible. She tried to talk me out of it at first because she felt the “archaic” language would be hard for me to understand; but then she told me that this was the version that most preachers and churches used. That sealed it for me. There was just something about that Bible that drew me to it. Somehow I knew that I had found the Truth. I have since learned that I had indeed chosen the inspired Word of God for English speaking people. I have owned many other Bibles since that time, but each of them were King James Bibles; and I have passed down this truth to my children and now grandchildren. Praise God for a Truth that endures through every generation.

For many of us the “which Bible” question has been settled for a long time. We know we have the Truth, and cannot be convinced otherwise. Our problem is not where to find the truth as much as it is what to do with the truth we already possess. Do we examine the truth regularly, and then obey what it tells us? The truth will only free us if we apply it to our lives. If you are reading this blog you most likely have already spent some time today in the Word of God, and that is great. Make sure, however, that you apply what you learn to your life. Let God take that “quick and powerful” truth and use it to purge out some of the dross from your life; and then let him light your path so that you will be able to clearly see His will.


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A Penny For Your Thoughts

Today’s Passage -Psalms 90 – 95

Second Milers also read – Matthew 7 – 8; Psalms 16 – 20; Proverbs 4

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” – (Psalm 94:19)

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” – (Proverbs 23:7)

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” – (Philippians 4:8)

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” – (2 Corinthians 10:5)

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about thinking lately. I am discovering that our thought processes have a great deal of impact on our overall happiness. In our reading passage today, in Psalm 94, David is confronted with all of the negatives that life could dish out. He had many enemies that were trying to destroy him, and he had his critics that seem to always know how the job could be done better. Yet, David chose not to dwell on all of these discouraging factors. Instead, his thoughts turned to God. David was pretty good at this. Remember when the Amelekites took David’s family captive, and the families of all his men? His men were so upset with David that they spake of stoning him. What did David do? Well, he eventually went out and got his friends and family back, but first he got encouragement from God. How did he do that? He remembered God’s promises. He thought about his relationship with God, and chose to think about what God had done for him in the past, as well as what God said he would do for him in his future;  and this thought process caused David to take action. But it all started with a thought process. David’s circumstances did not change at all before his encouragement came. His encouragement came simply from looking at his circumstances from a higher perspective; and then the actions that resulted from the encouragement changed his circumstances, which, of course, encouraged him more.

Many people I know, are constantly living in a state of discouragement. Their minds are a playground of negativity, which results in a defeated attitude. This further causes them to live in defeat, blaming everything and everybody for their problems and failures. The Bible says that we need to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. These negative thoughts attack what we believe to be true about God and our relationship with Him, which makes God’s image and power appear smaller in our mind. We are supposed to magnify the Lord, not make him smaller.

As I have observed people through the years, I have noticed two root causes for negativity and discouragement in God’s people:

The first reason for their discouragement is that they are not busy enough. They have too much time on their hands to think, and the direction of their thoughts is often about their circumstances. Instead of taking the appropriate actions necessary to improve their situation, they wallow in self-pity, waiting for somebody to come along and fix the problem for them; and when he never comes, they go into an even deeper discouragement with blame and criticism added to it directed toward the people that should have cared enough to help. Busy people, however, tend to not have time to dwell on anything. They are too busy. Their minds are active, and are constantly being used to solve problems, rather than dwell on them. Did you ever notice in the Psalms written by David, that he never looks to anybody but God to solve his problems.

The second cause for discouragement is that when people do have time to think, they let their thoughts control them, rather than choosing and controlling the thought pattern. The Bible commands us to “cast down”, and to “think on these things”. These two imperatives make it clear that what we think about is, at least to some degree, a matter of our own choosing. I ask again – what are you thinking about? Is your mind filled with criticism and complaint about other people? Is it polluted with corruption and filth from sin? God wants you to think about good things. God wants you to control what you think about. Think about Him; read His Word; memorize passages of Scripture; sing the songs of God; spend some time remembering God’s promises, and praising Him for what He has done in the past.

If you and I could stay busy, and then when we do have time to think, control the direction of our thoughts, we could then encourage ourselves like David did, and then we could get up and do something, which will make our lives, and the lives of others better, which then makes us feel even better.

Just a thought.

By the way – Happy Birthday America!


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