God is righteous, period.

He can do no wrong.

He even hates the worship of the wicked! Because their “hearts” are far from Him. (Their “sacrifices” make God sick!)

Need Scripture?

“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD.”

But … “The prayer of the upright is his delight.”

I’ve just shared with you Proverbs 15:8, King James Version, a classic example of Biblical parallelism.

This morning I want to emphasize the second half of that great verse … about God “delighting” in the prayers of His people.

The word used is “ratzson,” literally meaning “favour” 15 times in our Bible! Then “acceptable” 8 more times, no small blessing! And “pleasure” 5 times as well!

The “upright” man or woman is the saved person, justified in God’s Eyes through the Blood of Jesus.

Did you ever think about praying, not only for your sake, but for God’s Delight as well?

Ponder that little Truth today, please.

In the Song of Solomon (2:14) the Bridegroom says to the Bride (typical of Jesus saying to His Church) … “Sweet is thy voice.”

Yes, Jesus loves it when we pray!

What a thought, straight from the Word of God!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Years ago I wrote a series of articles on “current events” in light of the Word of God, but especially the Proverbs of the old Testament.

Today is February 12, merely as an example. And I readily found this verse in PROVERBS 12, the chapter in Proverbs that “matches” this day of the month.

“A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.” Proverbs 12:3

Wickedness, as in calling “truth” a “lie!”

Wickedness, as in murdering unborn babies, by the millions!

Wickedness, as in obliterating all the Bible’s (hence, all God’s) guidelines concerning gender!

Wickedness, in attempting to blot all vestiges of Christianity, real Bible Christianity, from the land!

“Elected,” if that really occurred back in November, does not mean the same thing as “established!” (In fact the Hebrew verb “kun,” here translated “established,” means exactly that, but in the sense of a person or thing being “firm, stable, fixed, set!”

Can you imagine such words in todays political environment?

Hear me please …

God will not prosper wickedness, not for long. Remember Hebrews 11:25? “The pleasures of sin FOR A SEASON.” Temporary!

On the other hand, Proverbs 12:3 does say: “But the root of the righteous shall not be moved.”

There is stability!

And Jesus Christ our Lord … RIGHTEOUSNESS PERSONIFIED (Jeremiah 23:6) … is “established,” is “unmovable.” Hebrews 13:8 … “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Amen!

With a newspaper (or is it really even than any more) by my side, but (more importantly) a Bible in my hand!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

I love the very sound of that last clause … “THE ROOT OF THE RIGHTEOUS!”

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Last night as the Service ended, as the week of the annual Welcome Hill Revival came to a close … I was (surprisingly) honored by the Church and its congregation!

If God allows me to live until May 26, I shall have been preaching 60 years. And that constitutes grounds for praise!

Glory to God!

Someone taught me long ago that we thank God for the things He has done, is doing! And that we praise God for Who He is!

Then I have a lot to do in both categories in any future days God grants me!

I thank Him for His saving Grace, that bringeth salvation!

I thank Him for His Son Jesus Who died for me!

I thank Him for saving my lost soul, washing me in the Blood of Jesus!

I thank Him for calling me to preach His glorious Word!

And I thank Him for a thousand other things He has done!

Yet I too … praise Him for His Faithfulness!

I praise Him for His Veracity! (He is Truth!)

I praise Him for His Power!

I praise Him for His Omnipresence!

I praise Him for His _______________, an ending List for sure!

Debbie and I deeply appreciate the thoughtfulness of Welcome Hill Baptist Church in Hiram, Georgia. And yes, if God grants me another year and if Jesus has not returned and if religious freedom still exists in America … I am already looking forward to yet another Revival in this very special place!

God is good!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Psalm 100

Amen!

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We’ve all heard (as is proper) about the blessings of knowing Jesus! Eternal Life! Heaven and its mansions! Answers to prayer! And a ton of other benefits!

But we hear very little about the sobering responsibilities of being a Christian!

Jesus did say … “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15

True Christianity involves, surely, making Jesus the LORD of one’s life. Letting the Saviour, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, guide our every move.

And to neglect this … will always bring the chastening Hand of our loving Heavenly Father!

Hebrews 12:5-10 (soon to be studied in one of our “Evening Meditation” Classes) tells the story …

“5 My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.”

Sounds serious!

When we become part of the “family of God” (when we ae born again) we place ourselves under the Watchcare of God the Father. See that, the FATHER?

And like all good fathers … He being the Creator of Fatherhood … God disciples and trains us as need be!

Living for Jesus.

Better get busy at it … or else!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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“Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” That’s What Solomon wrote many years ago. It recorded in Proverbs 9:17.

Sin, certain sins anyway, sure do have an “attraction” (if that’s the right word) to them.

Hebrews 12:1 almost proves that, when it talks about “the sin which doth so easily beset us.” Most easily encircles me, attracts me, tries to engulf me!

Everybody probably has some (at least one and maybe more) alluring sin or sins, ultra strong temptation or temptations.

What we must do then, I think, is try to strip that sin of its attraction! Biblically so, I mean.

There goes a beautiful, sexy woman, a “beauty queen” in the eyes of the world! Do not lust after her! Think and envision Proverbs 11:22 … “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.” Hear a few “oinks” as she prances up the street. Think of the filth of the hog pen! Not to mention the smell!

And in the average University Philosophy Class, don’t concentrate on a so-called successful professor with a Doctors Degree. Rather let Proverbs 16:11 (repeated in 2 Peter 2:22) thunder to you … “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” Again, smell and imagine!

See what I mean?

The Book of Proverbs excels in these word-pictures, by the way. But the Whole (Holy) Bible is a Fertile Field of analogy here.

Wow!

If Wisdom really is “seeing life from God’s Point of View” … we may have come across a real “nugget” this morning!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Ask God to help you try this new way of thinking!

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