Trail Mix - 5.7.18

5.7.18 – Vance Havner said, “People used to blush when they were ashamed,” now they are ashamed if they blush!” Does it still bother us when we hear someone using vulgar language, or see an indecent image? We are no longer shocked at what we see and hear; we’ve become desensitized to the smutty and the sleazy! Does your face blush red when you are exposed to the filth and trash being displayed all around us? The Scriptures make it plain that God’s blessings are withdrawn from His people because we refuse to be ashamed.

My prayer for you today is if you have lost the capacity to “blush” that you will repent and recover the “red” that’s been missing from your countenance!

1 John 2:15 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. KJV

“The Old Cherokee Chief sat in his humble reservation hut smoking his ceremonial pipe and eyeing the two visiting U.S. Government officials who had been sent to interview his opinion of the white man's progress. "Chief", one official began, "you have observed the white man for many generations, you have seen his wars and his products -- you have seen all his progress and his problems." The Chief nodded "Yes". The official continued, "Considering recent events, in your opinion, where has the white man gone wrong?" The Chief stared at the government officials for over a minute and then calmly replied: "When white found this land, Indians were running it. No taxes. No debt. Plenty buffalo. Plenty deer, turkey and beaver. Women did most of the cooking and crop work. Medicine man free to help sick. Indian men hunted and fished all the time. We never had cheating husbands and wives--we kill cheaters." The Chief smiled and added quietly, "White man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that!"

Bible Reading Schedule for today - 2 Kings 22-25

Trail Mix - 5.6.18

5.6.18 – “There is a new version of Christianity that seeks to avoid all the “offense” and “reproach” of the cross! This new “gospel” sings about God’s love and mercy and grace but avoids themes like sin, suffering and self-denial. This new Christianity is not foolishness to the world and involves no crucifixion of self or a bleeding, dying Savior. Paul told the Galatians’ that if any man or an angel preached another gospel “…let him be accursed!” Gleanings from Vance Havner

My prayer for you today is that you would “champion” the gospel of grace that Jesus died to bring to the world!

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. KJV

“A man named Jack was walking along a steep cliff one day, when he accidentally got too close to the edge and fell. On the way down he grabbed a branch, which temporarily stopped his fall. He looked down and to his horror saw that the canyon fell straight down for more than a thousand feet. He couldn't hang onto the branch forever, and there was no way for him to climb up the steep wall of the cliff. So Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would hear him and lower a rope or something. HELP HELP! Is anyone up there? "HELP!" He yelled for a long time, but no one heard him. He was about to give up when he heard a voice. Jack, Jack. Can you hear me?" "Yes, yes! I can hear you. I'm down here!" "I can see you, Jack. Are you all right?" "Yes, but who are you, and where are you? "I am the Lord, Jack. I'm everywhere." "The Lord? You mean, GOD?" "That's Me." "God, please help me! I promise if, you'll get me down from here, I'll stop sinning. I'll be a really good person. I'll serve You for the rest of my life." "Easy on the promises, Jack. Let's get you off from there; then we can talk." "Now, here's what I want you to do. Listen carefully." "I'll do anything, Lord. Just tell me what to do." "Okay. Let go of the branch." "What?" "I said, let go of the branch. Just trust Me. Let go." There was a long silence. Finally Jack yelled, "HELP! HELP! IS ANYONE ELSE UP THERE?"

 

Bible Reading Schedule for today - 2 Kings 19-21

Trail Mix - 5.5.18

5.5.18 – “Our culture is in deep trouble and sadly, it is looking for answers in all the wrong places. Science doesn't have all the answers and neither does philosophy. What is the cure for our culture? It is to "...know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent." John 17:3. Our world is ignorant of its peril and rushes on like a speeding train to its appointment with the Righteous Judge! Even worse, this world's only hope is a latter day Laodicean church that is "... rich and increased with goods...and knows not that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked." Gleanings from Vance Havner

My prayer for you today is for you to make the main thing in your life (God), the main thing!

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

“It was finals week and four college seniors decided they had worked hard enough. Instead of studying for their last final, they went to a party. They were having so much fun, they lost track of time and missed the final. The next day, they went to the professor and begged for a makeup final. To explain their absence they said their car had blown a tire on the way to the exam. The professor agreed to let them take the test later that day. The test time came and the professor put each young man in a separate room and handed out the test. It was a single sheet of paper with one question: "Which tire?"

 

Bible Reading Schedule for today - 2 Kings 17-18

Trail Mix - 5.4.18

5.4.18 – “Do you know someone who rubs you the wrong way, gets on your last nerve and pushes you to your wits end? One of the NT words for patience refers to patience with people. You just can’t deal with someone like this in the flesh; we need a touch of the supernatural in our lives, fruit that only the Holy Spirit can produce. We need to do more than cope with these kinds of folks we need to conquer ourselves and only God’s Spirit can help us do this!” S. E. Trail

My prayer for you today is for you to allow the Spirit of God to produce the fruit of “temperance” or self control in your life.

James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. KJV

“Wife to her husband: Wake up. Some thieves have broken into our house. I think they are now eating the food I made last night. Husband: Oh! Let's better call the ambulance then."

Bible Reading Schedule for today -2 Kings 15-16

Trail Mix - 5.3.18

5.3.18 - “Lord, give me patience and I want it now!” is the way we often ask for this wonderful fruit of the Spirit but we must let “…patience have her perfect work.” Fruit doesn’t grow overnight and neither does our patience. This attribute is the key to almost everything in life. A wise man said, “That all things come to he who waits.” It is no accident that patience, forbearance and longsuffering are mentioned so many times in Scripture. S. E. Trail

My prayer for you today is that you would wait for the “fruit” to ripen!

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. KJV

 “A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, 'Would you like to say the blessing?' 'I wouldn't know what to say,' the girl replied. 'Just say what you hear Mommy say,' the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, 'Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”

 Bible Reading Schedule for today - 2 Kings 13-14

Trail Mix - 5.2.18

5.2.18 – “The pleasures of this world are temporal by their very nature. They can also be terminal for the Bible says those, “…that live in pleasure are dead while they live…” On the other hand the pleasure that God gives is perennial and is never out of season! Remember, “The world passeth away and the lust thereof but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” God gives joy unspeakable, exceeding joy and joy everlasting!” Gleanings from Vance Havner

My prayer for you to is for you to “keep your eye on the prize” which is the high calling of God!

Psalms 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. KJV

“A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. 'If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.' Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, 'Ryan, you be Jesus!'”

Bible Reading Schedule for today - 2 Kings 10-12

Trail Mix - 5.1.18

5.1.18 – “Revival can only come when those of us who know the Lord and are already serving Him get a fresh glimpse of God like Isaiah and we cry out to Him "I am a man of unclean lips..." When that happens, real heaven sent revival, (He said that He would hear from heaven...) will come like rain on a dry thirsty land. Those of us who are saved cannot, must not, assume that we are all right and make plans to get others revived.”   

My prayer for you today is for you to draw a circle, step inside the circle, and pray for God to send revival to everyone in the circle!

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Computer Top Ten List                             

1. When computing, whatever happens, behave as though you meant it to happen.
2. When you get to the point where you really understand your computer, it's probably obsolete.
3. The first place to look for information is in the section of the manual where you'd least expect to find it.
4. When the going gets tough, upgrade.
5. For every action, there is an equal and opposite malfunction.
6. To err is human...to blame your computer for your mistakes is even more human, its downright natural.
7. He who laughs last probably has a back-up.
8. The number one cause of computer problems is computer solutions.
9. A complex system that doesn't work is invariably found to have evolved from a simpler system that worked just fine. (Windows 8?)
10. A computer program will always do what you tell it to do, but rarely what you want it to do.

Bible Reading Schedule for today - 2 Kings 8-9