Month: January 2017

Scripture for Tuesday, January 24 (1/24)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, Death of Jesus Christ, faith, forgiveness, Heaven, Inspirational, judging, Satan, Saved from hell, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 24, is Jude 1:24 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

REV-Cover-Kindle“To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy ~ “

God is perfect, and so cannot dwell with faults and imperfection. We have faults. Romans 3:23 says everyone sins. And Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. But God always has wanted us to live with him. What a dilemma!

God solved our problem at great expense. He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth who lived the faultless life for us. Then God offered His perfect Son, His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place.

After that, God told the world that He would consider us “without fault” vicariously through Jesus. He’s already paid the penalty for our sins. All we have to do is believe He did and follow his instructions to keep us out of hell.

How amazing ~ God’s love for us!

#Crucifixion, #Sin, #Punishment, #Wages, #Forgiveness, #Heaven, #Hell, #Satan, #Jesus

Scripture for Monday, January 23 (1/23)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, blessings, Daily, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, prayer, Scripture, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 23, is Romans 1:23 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

campbell-cover-kindle-lg-medium“….and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”

Do you ever wish you could see God, touch God, look God in the eye? Everyone has. And we may wonder why we can’t.

If this were the case, then God wouldn’t be God. He wouldn’t be omnipresent (present everywhere). He would only be able to listen to one prayer at a time, and the rest of the world’s prayers would go unheard.

Let us be grateful our God is so great that He cannot be limited. He is so great He cannot be pictured. He is so great that He fills heaven. He is so great that He fills our hearts and our souls.

#Omnipresent, #Omniscient, #GodIsEverywhere, #Prayer

Scripture for Sunday, January 22 (1/22)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn church, Death of Jesus Christ, forgiveness, Heaven, Inspirational, Saved from hell, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 22, is Ephesians 1:22 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 5-FLOOD GATES-Cover-Print“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

What makes this so interesting is that the church is the body of Christ. And what else is the church? Matthew 16:17-18 says the church is the kingdom of heaven. Ephesians 5:25 & 32 says the church is his bride. Revelation 21:2, 9-10 says the church bride is the new Holy City Jerusalem. Colossians 1:18 says Jesus is the head of his body ~ the only head ~ on earth and in heaven.

And what does Jesus think of the church? Ephesians 5:25-27 says he loved the church so much that he gave himself up for her, to make her radiant ~ no stains, no wrinkles, no blemishes.

Why would anyone not want to be part of this?

Such love.

Such eternal love.

#ChurchOfChrist, #BodyOfChrist, #HeadOfTheChurch, #KingdomOfGod, #ChurchOfGod, #BrideOfChrist, #KingdomOfHeaven, #NewJerusalem

Scripture for Saturday, January 21 (1/21)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, death, Death of Jesus Christ, faith, healing, Inspirational, judging, persecution, SatanLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 21, is Job 1:21 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

changes-in-worship-cover-medium“ ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ “

Job had every reason to turn against God. In one day his entire wealth was stolen from him, nearly all his servants were killed by an invading army, and all his children died in a storm. Why hadn’t God protected him if he loved him so much?

We often forget that Satan exists also. Just remember, whatever Satan does, God can undo.

On a physical level, Satan is the accuser (Revelation 12:10), but God is the forgiver. Satan can cause us to get sick, but God can heal. Satan can cause us to die, but God can bring us back to life. Satan can make us miserable in this world, but God can take us to a better world.

Shall we leave God to fight Satan alone? We were made in his image.  And how do we fight Satan? Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

On a spiritual level, sometimes we are not only separated from material things but sometimes we are forced to be separated from other Christians. What can be the result? God’s kingdom arises in yet another place. James wrote to the Jewish Christians “scattered among the nations” (James 1:1). Peter wrote to “God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered.…” (I Peter 1:1).

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” There’s more….

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
Neither angels nor demons,
Neither the present nor the future,
Nor any powers,
Neither height nor depth,
Nor anything else in all creation
Will be able to separate us from the
Love of God
That is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:37-39)

How can we be “more than conquerors” unless we have something to conquer? How can we have “victory in Jesus” unless we have something to be victorious over?

Each of us has periodic assignments from God. What bad thing has happened in your life lately? That is your assignment.

Or, must Jesus bear the cross alone?

#Troubles, #Trials, #Problems, #Loss, #Death, #Tragedy, #Lament, #Conquer, #Assignment, #Satan, #God, #Overcome, #Love, #Desertion

Scripture for Friday, January 20 (1/20)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, faith, Inspirational, Scripture, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 20, is 2nd Peter 1:20f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Life-Changing-Scriptures-Cover-medium“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Isn’t this interesting? It’s a definition of prophecy. Prophecy is Scripture. It isn’t just telling the future. It’s telling the mind of God. Sometimes in the Old Testament God warned his people that if they did so-and-so, this would happen, but if they did such-and-such, that would happen.

But ultimately all prophecy was telling people how much God loved them and wanted them, in the long run, to be happy. The Old Testament has much of that in it, and all the New Testament does. It is your Creator’s Words.

You are so blessed that you do not have to guess what is on God’s mind. Many other religions have to guess ~ Hinduism, Buddhism, and so on. But you have God’s very own words in black and white to read over and over whenever you like ~ prophecy which is Scripture.  

Read it. Absorb it. Love it. It was written by the Lover of your Soul.

#Bible, #Scripture, #Prophecy, #WordsOfGod, #HolySpirit, #MindOfGod, #Truth

 

Scripture for Thursday, January 9 (1/9)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, Daily, faith, forgiveness, good works, Inspirational, judging, persecutionLeave a comment

 The scripture for today, January 19, is James 1:19a as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-COVER-KINDLE“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

There was a book published a few years ago entitled, Hurt People Hurt People. Have you ever wanted to say something like, “How dare you think you know how bad I feel!” or “How dare you think you understand the  ordeal I went through!” or “How dare you treat me like that!”?  Those are accusing words. And what do they accomplish?

We may feel justified in explaining how bad we were treated by someone. But, in reality, it makes the hurt keep going and going and going…. Perhaps this is a cycle you’ve been in for a long time with someone. Who is going to stop the cycle?

Satan is the accuser (Revelation 12:10).  God is the forgiver.  Even Jesus forgave his killers. When we have been hurt, let us be ready to listen to the other person’s hurt instead of accuse. And in the process, “bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

#Sympathy, #Anger, #Accusing, #Listening, #Hurt, #Forgiveness, #Humility

Scripture for Wednesday, January 18 (1/18)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, forgiveness, Inspirational, Satan, Saved from hellLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 18, is Isaiah 1:18 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 7-SHADOW OF DEATH-Cover” ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ “

When did this become possible? Revelation in the New Testament explains in 7:14 we make our robes white by washing them in the blood of the Lamb.

What lamb? John the Baptist introduced the world to the Lamb. When he saw Jesus walking toward him in front of a crowd, he announced, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

What made Jesus the Lamb of God? Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. In the Old Testament era, God allowed us to kill an animal in our place whenever we sinned. So for centuries, we would sin and sacrifice an animal, sin and sacrifice an animal and on and on, for we never could quit sinning.

Finally God offered one last sacrifice for all times. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper (Communion), he did so during the Jewish Passover feast where they ate their meal of lamb. There is no mention that Jesus and his apostles ate the usual lamb. Instead, he passed around the usual wine and said from now on it represented his blood as the sacrificial Lamb. And he passed around the usual bread and said from now on it represented his body as the sacrificial Lamb. (Mark 14:12 22-25).

Sunday is the most special day of the week for Christians. Why? The early Christians under guidance of Jesus’ apostles “broke bread” for the communion every first day of the week (Acts 20:7). May we always make this the central part of our worship on this special day. We can never do it too often. We can never too often say, “I’m sorry my sins caused You to go through your terrible death.” We can never too often say, “Thank You.”

#Sacrifice, #LambOfGod, #Sin, #Death, #Punishment, #Blood, #White, #Scarlet, #BloodRed, #Forgiveness

Scripture for Tuesday, January 17 (1/17)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, Daily, faith, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 17, is James 1:17 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 4-FOLK HERO-COVER“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Do you sometimes feel slighted because other people get more gifts on special occasions (or even between special occasions) than you do?

No need to feel that way. Christians get the goods ones. Christians get the perfect ones. We get them all! And our heavenly Father will never stop showering us with those “good gifts,” those “perfect gifts.”

These gifts are good and perfect because they are forever gifts. And what can be better than that?

#gift, #present, #gratitude

Scripture for Monday, January 16 (1/16)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, Daily, death, forgiveness, healing, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 16, is Ruth 1:16ff as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

inside-cover-medium“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

Although Ruth was talking to her mother-in-law after the death of her husband (Naomi’s son), this can be and sometimes is quoted by the bride and groom at their wedding. If only it were quoted more often. Not only at weddings, but at anniversaries. At birthdays of children and parents. During arguments, and low times and hard times and discouraging times.

These are the words of love ~ deep genuine, unselfish love. Let us so love one another that deeply.

#Love, #Marriage, #Family, #Friends, #Ruth, #Naomi, #Wedding, #Anniversary

Scripture for Sunday, January 15 (1/15)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, faith, good works, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 15, is Galatians 1:15f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

PAUL COVER-KINDLE-“But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles….”

Isn’t this amazing! God knows before you are born what you will be doing for him later in life. He does not force you to do so, for we have free will. God knew Paul’s future ~ that he would become a Christian. So he set him apart to preach among the Gentiles (non-Jews).

God knows ahead of time whether you are willing to obey what he tells you to do in his Bible and not what other people tell you to do. If you are willing, then he has work set aside for you.

You may not think your life has been very exciting. You may be waiting for God to give you a big important job to do for him. But the truth is, you ~ in your seemingly mundane life ~ may already be doing what God set aside for you to do.

Never underestimate yourself and what God can accomplish through you by his grace.

#Foreknowledge, #Assignment, #ChristianLife, #Birth, #LifeWork, #GraceOfGod