Bible Thoughts and Personal Comments: (Written for the edification of the Body of Christ)

By Leroy Rasberry

"Bible Thoughts and Personal Comments" shares a collection of the author's Scriptural Bible thoughts and personal comments. Throughout his enlightening book, Leroy Rasberry shares ministry insights and lessons learned while ministering the Gospel.

Biblical knowledge is important to the Church. Its importance inspired the writing of this book and the abundance of knowledge that it shares. If members of the Body of Christ receive edification from the information contained herein, its purpose will have been fulfilled. The Scriptures instruct us to let all things be done unto edifying one another and this is the author's way of hopefully providing this edification.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781667805498

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Copyright 2021

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-66780-548-1 (print)

ISBN: 978-1-66780-549-8 (eBook)

This compilation of Scriptures and personal comments was initiated in 2009 as a Weekend Bible Thought and was sent to a group of email subscribers. As a note, this email ministry is still operational today. After much prayer, I felt impressed by God to use whichever Scripture chosen for the day, and, from that point, wrote my own thoughts and personal comments.

These Bible Thoughts and personal comments have been gleaned from over forty years of Bible study with the help of the Holy Spirit—our true teacher.

As the reader may appreciate, these thoughts and personal comments are written and directed to the Body of Christ for the purpose of edification, and are not intended to provide a deep theological rendering, though some theology will be found in them. The Lord has raised up very capable Theologians, who have invested many years of their lives to unravel and equip a serious Bible student with deeper scholarly teachings of the Scriptures. I encourage you to seek out these accomplished men and women.

My greatest challenge in this work has been to express thoughts and comments that align with the Holy Scriptures. My prayer and hope are that you, the reader, will glean helpful and insightful spiritual guidance and edification, to the glory of God.

In Him,

Pastor Leroy Rasberry

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the Gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the Gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15 (King James Version)

It is important to serve the Lord. Joshua hit the nail on the head when he made the demand to choose this day today— and to stick with it every day. (I’ll take it from here and modernize it a bit as the Lord allows me to.) Whether it be the Gods of your fathers, the tarot card reader, the palm reader, the dealer in curious arts, the neighborhood soothsayer, the many allurements of the flesh and the mind, this world or its system, other men, or your own selves—choose whom you will serve. For my house and me, we will serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all we are and have, and with all our available strength.

The rest we leave up to the sovereign and matchless grace of God through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (King James Version)

It is amazing when individuals receive the truth but reject it and manufacture a convenient aberrant tale to live by. These individuals will go through life deceived and defeated, and, in the end, robbed of everything that really matters. Often, they end up being mad at God. It is sad to live one’s whole life by rejecting God. Yet, when something unwanted happens, as things always do, God gets the blame.

That kind of expression confirms that this person is his or her own God and is saying, I’m mad at me. Of course, the aberrant consciousness will also cloud that fact. I know I’m preaching mostly to the choir here, but it can never be said too many times—trust God and no other!

Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honor all the day.

Psalm 71:8 (King James Version)

Perhaps I wouldn’t feel so challenged by this small but great snippet of Scripture by David if the Lord had not identified him as a man after His own heart. I should have considered this earlier in the day. It is already too late for me to fulfill this desire for all the day. I must confess, it hadn’t really crossed my mind quite like this. How about you?

Saints, God always sets the bar this high, always expecting us to speak of Him in a praising way, with not just our mouths but also with our lives. He expects us to honor Him with our whole spirit, soul, and body—always, always, always. Anything less misses the mark. (It’s called sin and we should confess it. [John 1:8–9]). Let’s fill our mouths and lives with His praise and honor for the rest of this day. Tomorrow, start in the same way by praising and honoring the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:19–21 (King James Version)

What a powerful reminder. Guard your hearts against the wrong type of treasure. Though Jesus gave this directive between the BC and AD, it still has significance. He knew that we would need to be reminded in this present day that earthly treasures are temporary at best. By implication, earthly treasures are no treasures at all—just fleeting, meaningless experiences that last for not even a moment compared to eternal existence. Seek ye the best and only treasure. He’s saying, seek Me first and always, I am the true treasure in Heaven.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8:6–8 (King James Version)

There is not much substance to be added to this instructional Scripture. Our Lord is clear. If we base everything on our earthly existence, desires, and activities, and if we place our trust in that which only comes from human frailties, the outcome without exception is loss, bankruptcy, and death.

But if we set our gaze, our thoughts and actions and our hopes and dreams, upward toward our Lord Jesus and all the heavenly benefits that He is, life (true abundant life) and peace are ours. Thank God.

Finally, the first scenario in this scripture very plainly tells us that the way of the flesh cannot please God. I’m a witness, and I confess that many times I have believed with all my heart that I had heard God in a matter and started out to perform what I believed to be from Him only to find out later that it wasn’t Him at all. Sadly, it was I. Guard your hearts against the many deceptive ways the flesh tries to present itself as godly.

There is only one God and He’s fully wrapped up in Jesus our Lord.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

1 Peter 3:15 (King James Version)

This great little piece of Scripture contains all that you need to live victoriously in Christ Jesus. Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. That means to have the one special place in your heart which nothing or no one shares. It’s the place of preeminence for Jesus Christ in your life, a place of no compromise. Would that He was the one and only consideration in my life, may the Lord, help me.

The Scripture goes on to instruct us to be ready for a specific action that will occur because of the evident hope we exude which reflects the condition of our hearts. Men and women will be curious about our hopefulness and its source. We should prayerfully rehearse the benefits of this hope regularly and be ready to give an informed biblical reply. Often, people aren’t straightforward. Sometimes someone will appear to be making a statement when they are really asking a question. Stay alert to the many opportunities to share your faith and pray for wisdom when they are presented to you.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:12–13 (King James Version)

This is an incredibly encouraging confirmation of God’s provisional gift of adoption. Some of us might take this gift for granted. After all, we, who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, don’t have to worry; salvation and heaven are ours. But here’s a question: When you were a child, did you ever tell your father: Thank you, dad—for everything you do. I love you for it?

I don’t ever remember thanking my parents for the sacrifices they made for my siblings and me. I know, I know, it’s a parent’s responsibility to provide for their offspring, but imagine what that would have meant to my parents to hear me say, Thank you so much, I love you for what you’ve done and for who you are in my life.

The practice of thanksgiving is a powerful act. Our God has caused us to be born again out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. We who were far off are now brought nearby because of what He has done, and we are now called sons (and daughters) of God. Surely, all thanksgiving is due to Him. If you haven’t thanked Him recently for all He does and especially for who He is, take a moment and say, Thank you Lord, because of you my life (which is really His life) has been forever eternally changed. I’m sure that the benefits of your presence are far more than I can understand, but thank you for what I do understand by your grace.

Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.

Isaiah 26:8 (King James Version)

This was Isaiah’s praise report for Israel. How different should this same sentiment be for us today? Our own resolve should be to desire the judgments and way of our Lord. Just as Jesus said, I am the way, we should seek to know spiritually what exactly that means and follow Him in that way.

What does it mean to wait on the Lord? It means to look patiently for Him in all things rather than rush into and out of every situation or circumstance without seeking to know His mind in the matter. This sort of deliberate consideration—waiting for instructions and directions—requires a great deal of patience. The strength needed to wait on Him is in His name, i.e., His honor, authority, and character. We do all things to His honor. We know that all things are under His authority and look for ways that advance His character and then take that direction with our actions.

Finally, we must labor to recognize how to glorify Him in all things.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Mark 8:36 (King James Version)

Have you ever wondered about the value of your soul, or why Jesus did what He did to save it?

God created the heavens, the earth, the moon, and the stars. He separated the light from the darkness. He created greeneries—living and creeping things and the ultimate Garden of Eden. Then He formed man. All that God did in His Creation seems to follow similar patterns except when he got to the man. He gave the man a special personal, intimate gift directly from inside of God Himself. When he breathed His breath of life into the nostrils of the created being, man instantly became a living soul. Have you ever thought that your soul is a very personal gift from God, highly valued by Him, and highly desired by God, the devil and men?

What will you give in exchange for your soul?

Think about it.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

1 John 4:20 King James Version

John is challenging us with the following thought: You say you love God. That’s good because God so loved the world that he gave us Jesus His Son. God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly. Jesus said, If you love me, keep my commandments.

This Scripture is a commandment, a directive, and a biblical fact: you cannot love God unless you love your brother. You might say that some folks are very unlovable, not to mention unlikable. However, according to God’s interpretation, everyone is worthy of love. He commands those of you, who believe to love one another, rather than always taking offense, accept the wrong and pray for your brother. Rather than insisting that someone always pays his own way, you pay from time to time. Sometimes tell the hardest, most difficult person (in Christ) you know, that you love them and you’re praying for them. Mean it and do it.

There are so many wonderful opportunities to love the brethren. As Jesus said, "Love thy neighbor as thyself. Talk is cheap; anyone can say, I love God." Even the most desperate sinner might proclaim his love for God, but only a true believer can show his or her love for God by loving others—especially those of the same faith.

Children, love one another.

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 14:21 (King James Version)

Contrary to what many of us have seen modeled and sadly have ourselves modeled is the strong internal emotional action that we call love and being in love. As soon as something happens to which we take exception, our good feelings are often replaced with disdain, rejection, and manipulation. This thing, as just defined, that we call love is not love at all. It is a personal emotional gratuity we extend to someone who is on our good side and remains extended as long as the on our good side condition is intact. It is surprising how some people when asked if they love God or Jesus generally answer with a resounding yes without hesitation. That yes is because of what He does for me, gives me, pays for me, helps me, me, me, me, my, my, my. But if you asked, Do you have and keep the commandments of Jesus? the same group of people often seem confused. They ask, What do you mean or what does that have to do with anything? You could then follow up and ask, Do you love the brethren? That is what Jesus commanded us to do.

1 John 3:18 says: My little children, let us not love in word neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Paraphrased, in the featured Scripture, John 14:21 means Jesus said he who loves me is the one who does what I say and his rewards will not be worldly possessions, or favors and comforts, but my Father’s love. He will also be rewarded with my love, says Jesus, when I manifest my presence in that person’s life in a real and unmistakably knowable way.

There’s nothing more important in this world and the world which is to come than Jesus Himself and His commandments. O Lord please help us to love as you commanded.

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.

Romans 12:9–10 (King James Version)

Webster’s dictionary defines dissimulation as, Hiding under false appearance, to put on the appearance of, to put on a false appearance, or to conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretense. A synonym is to disguise.

This Scripture tells us to let or allow love to be just what it is, don’t call hate love, and stay away from deceptive pretense. If love is missing from your heart, talk to the Lord about it and let Him address that condition. Think about this: a known enemy can be a better friend to you than a false friend. You never have to wonder about what your enemy wants; he wants your demise. The most dangerous person to you and me is the wolf dressed up like a sheep. He can get closer than any known enemy.

At first glance he or she looks like a sheep, sounds like a sheep, seemingly smells like a sheep, and acts calm and dumb like a sheep. Then, as soon as the time is right, you become wolf’s food without ever seeing it coming.

Our responsibility as believers can only be accomplished