Month: September 2017

9/11 ~ It awoke a sleeping giant

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It awoke a sleeping giant.

Sept. 11-Twin Towers

So did this.

crucifixion

Scripture for Sunday, September 10 (9/10)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn faith, Inspirational, power, Scripture, Thanksgiving, truth, worship1 Comment

The scripture for today, September 10 (9/10), is Psalm 9:10 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-REV-Cover-No Logo-KINDLE-medium“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

What if we had a friend who we never called by name? It was always “Hey, you”. Our friendship wouldn’t last long because the other person would feel like we weren’t friends after all. Makes sense.

So, what does “Lord” mean in the original Hebrew language of the Old Testament? It is Yahweh, translated in the Greek as Adonai.

In Exodus 3:15b God told Moses what his name was: ” ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers…This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.’ “

And what does Yahweh mean? Exodus 3:14 explained, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM THAT I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites; ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” God is the great I AM.

Jesus explained it this way just before his death in John 14:6, ” ‘I AM the way and the truth and the life”.

We do not have just any god. Our God has a name. He is I AM, he is self-existent, he is life.

And so we worship him ~ the Lord our God.

Scripture for Saturday, September 9 (9/9)

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The scripture for today, September 9 (9/9), is Zechariah 9:9 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Life-Changing-Scriptures-Cover-medium“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Most people think Jesus riding on a donkey made him humble. Not at all. Donkeys and Mules were rides of kings.

Judges 5:9-10 says, “My heart is with Israel’s princes….you who ride on white donkeys.” Supreme Judge Jair led Israel 22 years and had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys (Judges 10:3-4). Supreme Judge Abdon, who ruled Israel 8 years, had 70 sons and grandsons who rode on 70 donkeys (Judges 12:14).

II Samuel 18:9 says Absalom, King David’s son, rode on a mule. In I Kings 1:33,38,44, David ordained that his son, Solomon, ride on his own mule through the street as one proof that he chose Solomon to be the next king.

The people of Jerusalem knew Jesus was not only riding the ride of kings when he entered their capitol city, but he was also, at last, fulfilling the centuries-old prophecy they all knew so well (today’s scripture).

This is the humility that Jesus did exhibit: He rode on the colt of a donkey.

Do we blindly follow whatever our religious leaders tell us? Do we know the scriptures as well as we think we do?  Oh, how much praising we miss out on! 

Scripture for Friday, September 8 (9/8)

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The scripture for today, September 8 (9/8), is Daniel 9:8 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE Medium“O Lord, we and our kings, our princes, and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.”

Daniel is praying for his countrymen. Have you prayed for your countrymen and government lately?  I Timothy 2:1 & 2 says “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone ~ for kings and all those in authority.” At the time Paul wrote this, Nero Caesar, who led the persecution of tens of thousands of Christians, torturing many to death, was the king over the Roman Empire. Paul prayed for him.

All your life, have you done nothing but complain about your government? Isn’t it time to stop complaining and start praying? It is hard to pray for someone and they stay your enemy.

Then, pray for your countrymen. Pray for forgiveness for what your country is doing wrong. Pray with thanksgiving for what your country is doing right. All countries—regardless of how great or small—have both. Humbly ask on behalf of your countrymen for forgiveness of whatever shames them, comfort for whatever losses they feel, and gratitude for everything that is right.  Be proud of whatever country you live in.  Do not leave. Stay and help it be even better. Be patriotic.

Prayer: Our Most True Selves

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Vince700's avatarLets talk about life and why we are alive!

by Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel, 

In our own lives, prayer is often confusing and ill-defined. It is distorted and neglected. It is a burden and an obligation. It is reduced to another habit of being a “good” Christian. Prayer is another thing to “work on” or “keep up” in our spiritual life. It is a method in the quest for a more fulfilling, happier life.

In all of this the primary question remains:

What is prayer?

We fail to see that our definitions begin with misguided presumptions, and we continue to perpetuate the same superficial view of prayer facing my intimidated youth group students.

Therefore, the answer to our primary question, “What is prayer?” we have to turn to Jesus. Jesus is the pray-er. The symphony of His life was guided by an unceasing prayerful note. He did not pray out of duty. He did not pray under the…

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Scripture for Thursday, September 7 (9/7)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, blessings, good works, Inspirational, Scripture, Thanksgiving, truth, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, September 7 (9/7), is 2nd Corinthians 9:7 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

 
0-BK 5-FloodGates-Cover-Medium-New“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”


There are many religious leaders who insist that Christians tithe. But that was part of the Law of Moses.

Actually, the Jews were required to give more than a tenth. (1) Deuteronomy 26:12 said the Jews had to give an extra tithe every three years for their welfare program. So, if someone tithed $900 a year, s/he would have to tithe an average of $300 more per year for the welfare program, equaling $1,200 year. If the yearly income was $9000, this would take it up to 13.3% a year. (2) Also, according to Leviticus 27, they had to pay for their vows, which in many cases were really special prayer requests. (3) They also had to buy animals for sacrifices for intentional sins, unintentional sins, and sins requiring restitution. (4) If they wanted to thank God for anything, they had to buy grain for a sacrifice (Leviticus 1-5). If they didn’t have to buy the animals or grain, they had to take them out of their own supply, thus depleting their own “pay check.” (5) And every time one of their flocks or herds had a first-born, they had to sacrifice it ~ another depleting of the “pay check.”

So the good Jew under the Law of Moses did not just tithe. He ended up giving about one-third of his income.  Galatians 5:3 says that, if we keep one part of the Law, we have to keep all of it. There were over 600 burdensome commandments in the Law of Moses!

In today’s scripture, Christians are being released from this burden. Instead, they are being told to decide in their own heart. Christians are released from serving and giving through obligation and set free to serve and give through love.

Scripture for Wednesday, September 6 (9/6)_

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn faith, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, Life of Christ, Scripture, truth1 Comment

The scripture for today, September 6 (9/6), is Isaiah 9:6 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible.

0000-BK 1-StarSong-CHILD'SCartoonCover-Medium0000-BK 1-StarSong-Cover-new-Medium“For to us a child is born! To us a son is given! And the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!”

Notice the Godhead is represented in this one child.

Wonderful Counselor: John 14:16f says, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever ~ the Spirit of Truth” ~ God the Spirit. Jesus was the Counselor for a while. Philippians1:19 refers to the Spirit of Christ being with us.

Everlasting Father: Philippians 2:6 said Jesus was in the form of God. 1st Peter 1:2 calls Jesus “our God and Savior”.  1st Timothy 3:15-16 says God was revealed in the flesh.  2nd Corinthians 6:16 says God said he would dwell with us and walk among us. John 1:1,14 says the Words of God became flesh and dwelt among us.

Prince of Peace: Matthew 2:6 says Bethlehem will not be the least among princes, for out of it will come a prince. When Jesus was born, the angels announced there would now be peace on earth (Luke 2:14). In John 14:7 Jesus said, “my peace I give you.”

In summary, Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity [KJV says Godhead] lives in bodily form.”

They are like a coin. The top looks one way, the bottom looks different, and the edge looks still different. The coin has three looks but is one. If you try to take away one of the three, you take away the entire coin. Or, if you put your voice in the body of a tape recorder, you do not become two, you are still you and you are still one.

This is so amazing. And we have been so blest.

Some thoughts about living through tragedy

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Dear friends. I have just read several Facebook posts where someone is going through terrible things because of what a loved one did.  Seemingly everything is crashing down around them and it is hard to even take the next breath.  Believe me, if you have lived very long, you have experienced it.

How do you get through it without letting it destroy you, even for a little while?  Let your logic take over. When your emotions are wounded so bad you feel you cannot face your tragedy another minute, let your logic take over.  

Instead of thinking about how this other person is dragging you into something terrible and being angry at them for what they are doing to you, develop “righteous indignation.” Instead of thinking, “s/he did me wrong,” think, “what s/he is doing is against the laws of God.”  The first is your emotions doing the thinking, the second is your logic doing the thinking. Your logic doesn’t have feelings that can be hurt.

David went through this in Psalm 42, the one that says, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”.  In this psalm, his heart (logic) is having a talk with his soul (emotions).  Let’s listen in:

DAVID’S EMOTIONS:  As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”….

DAVID’S LOGIC:  Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him….

DAVID’S EMOTIONS: O my God, my soul is in despair within me….

DAVID’S LOGIC: Therefore, I remember you from the land….

DAVID’S EMOTIONS: Deep calls to deep at the sound of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have rolled over me.

DAVID’S LOGIC:  The Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and his song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.

DAVID’S EMOTIONS:  I will say to God my rock, “Why have you forsaken me? Why do I go mourning?”

DAVID’S LOGIC:  Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him.

Scripture for Tuesday, September 5 (9/5)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, good works, Inspirational, Scripture, Thanksgiving2 Comments

The scripture for today, September 5 (9/5), is Nehemiah 9:5a as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

00-cover-kindle-medium-new“And the Levites ~ Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherabiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah ~ said ‘Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.’ “

Here are eight men who probably none of us have ever heard of. We know nothing about them before this event and nothing about them after this event. But they are forever memorialized in the Bible because, on this one day, within this one hour, in this one moment in time they “stood on the steps of the temple…and called with a loud voice” (Nehemiah 9:4) for the people to “stand up and praise the Lord”.

Can we do that? Can we stand and shout to people around us, “Stand up and praise the Lord your God”? Yes, we can. We can write letters to the editor, we can encourage other students of the Bible, we can start Bible studies in our home or even the internet for adults or children, we can take scripture tray favors to a hospital or nursing home.

In what way can you tell people around you about their Creator and everlasting God? Today, in some way only you can do, stand up and praise the Lord.

 

 

Scripture for Monday, September 4 (9/4)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, death, Heaven, Inspirational, judging, prayer, Saved from hell, Scripture, truth3 Comments

The scripture for today, September 4 (9/4), is Daniel 9:4 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-Medium“I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands….’ “

A lot of people in the world think that God should feel obligated to take them to heaven. After all, they are fairly good, and better than some. God couldn’t possibly in all good conscience turn them away.

Yet, their entire life they resent God. Mostly they don’t like his commands; they don’t want anyone telling them what to do or not do. Or they claim to love God but create their own commands that just aren’t in the Bible, making themselves God.

Ultimately, heaven is God’s home, not ours. He is not obligated to invite anyone into His home. Besides, only perfection can live with God who is perfect. It only takes one sin to make us an imperfect sinner.

So how do we become perfect? That’s where God’s awesomeness is demonstrated. By following Jesus who was perfect and never sinned, and obeying Jesus’ few commands, God considers us perfect by proxy.

If we don’t have time for God, he doesn’t have time for us. If we don’t heed God’s Words, he doesn’t heed our words. It’s so simple to understand. Do we believe it?