Today is the first time in 79 years I have not celebrated our birthday with my twin brother. I miss you.
Month: May 2019
Monday 5/13 ~Just for you
The scripture for today, May 13 (5/13), is 1st John 5:13f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: That if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
Ah, to know you have eternal life. It’s easy to say. “I’m so happy because I have eternal life.” Easy to say. But do you really believe it?
I hear Christians everywhere lament their death. “Whew, I could have died in that car crash” “Oh, no, I just took the wrong medicine and it will kill me.” “Hurry, get me to the hospital before I die!”
Yes, life here is precious. But it is only the bud of the flower, the spark of the fire, the whisper of the song. Our life here is like living in a dark cave.
Why would a truly believing Christian fear walking through that marvelous door where Jesus himself awaits their arrival?
True, part of looking forward to heaven is knowing what it looks like. Revelation gives you a hint but it is symbolic. Cling to what you know and believe. Rush to the door out of the cave in anticipation for the world you were always meant to live in.
Some people say, “But I want to be here to watch my children or grandchildren grow up.” What then? To watch them graduate and get a job and start having babies? When does it end?
Stop right now. Take a deep breath. Ask God to forgive your doubts and selfishness and putting things and people before him. Then look up. Look up! He is there waiting for you. His hands are reaching out to you. Those hands that were nailed to the cross for you. His hands that are now full of healing and tenderness and glory just for you.
STEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR gave up his life when he was probably in his 20s. He was a deacon, so left behind a wife and small children. It was his choice. He was a coward at 17. What changed him? How? What did it take for him to walk into that Sanhedron courtroom, knowing he would not walk out alive? Toward the end, he saw Jesus in heaven. He saw the door and rushed through it. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2vYFWV3
#inspiration, #prayer, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth, #HEAVEN, #faith
Sunday 5/12 ~ He’s pretty good at that wisdom thing
The scripture for today, May 12 (5/12), is 1st Kings 5:12 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
“The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him.”
God makes a promise of wisdom to Christians today. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Amazing! God doesn’t sit around and tell certain people, “You really messed up. Your life is full of turmoil. Now you come to me expecting me to get you out of your mess.” No, God does not throw your faults in your face. It’s no use dwelling in the past; that is history.
He is ready and willing to provide guidance for the present and future, the now and later. But how can you know God’s wisdom? He certainly does not make you guess.
He put everything he wants you to know in his Word, the Bible ~ examples of people who did and did not mess up their lives ~ and words of advice. All you have to do is open it and ask God to help you understand it and apply it with wisdom.
God promised. Check him out. He’s pretty good at that wisdom thing.
MICHEL: THE FOURTH WISEMAN: Believing a new god had been born with the appearance of THE STAR, King Phraates demands his wise men advisors to tell him who that god is so he can get on his good side. They search the world for the meaning of the star while Michel keeps telling him the answer is right in their own backyard in their archives written by his ancestor. They refuse to listen to Michel’s wisdom. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2vRiqJE
#problems, #troubles #inspiration, #prayer, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth
Saturday 5/11 ~ So ask. Again.
The scripture for today, May 11 (5/11), is 1st Peter 5:11 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
God has the power to do more for you than you ever dreamed. He can take you in new directions in your life; arrange for you to meet wonderful people; provide the ability to overcome not-so-good things in your life.
All you have to do is ask. Perhaps more than once. Perhaps many times. But he wants you to ask. Why?
Parents sometimes tell their children “no” the first time they ask for something. Maybe it’s because children need to find out for themselves how badly they want something. It’s in the asking they find out. So, God waits for the request. Sometimes the request never comes. And so, the blessing never comes.
Remember, God has the power. He probably has something (in his eyes) special in mind for you. So, ask. Again.
A CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES: ABRAHAM reminds us of the greatest man of faith in the history of mankind. Though it is written for a child, it wouldn’t hurt more adults to read it as a gentle reminder that we must keep asking and keep waiting. Be patient. Your big blessing will come. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2w0XYX3
#patience, #inspiration, #prayer, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth
Poster for “Search for the King”
I’m so excited to share this with you. After working with my illustrator for two months, the poster for my pilot is finally done. Isn’t it beautiful? Hopefully, this will become a TV series. Think Highway to Heaven.
DID YOU CATCH THE PLOT? After a riot, two first-century nerds with a list of qualifications set out to find the God-King and are beaten and robbed, get lost, and attacked by snakes. When they finally find him they are shocked.
TARGET: Teen and young adult “Nones” who have no religious affiliation and think Jesus cannot make their every-day life better. They are curious about him, but are not likely to watch an overtly religious show. 60% of the “Nones” are 18-29-year-olds. 56% of young “Nones” are males. These episodes are designed to meet them where they are.
Website for the series is here. Check it out. https://comeflywithme-tv.com/
If you’re interested in the progress, why don’t you come on over to our fb page? https://www.facebook.com/groups/COMEFLYSWITHME/
COME FLY WITH ME is the name of the series hopefully this will be the beginning of.
Friday 5/10 ~ You’re not home yet
The scripture for today, May 10 (5/10), is 1st Peter 5:10 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong and firm and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever.”
This earth is not meant to be your paradise, to be your eternal home. This earth is just the foyer. God stands at the door to heaven and calls you.
Are you too busy watching over things here to look over at his door? Are you too caught up with temporary things of this world to stop and listen for God?
Is there too much noise in your life? The noise of problems with job, home, family, government, neighbors, health? The noise of getting a better job, home, family, government, neighbor, health? Remember, you are only in the foyer.
Life is not always easy. Do you have the stamina to not be sidetracked? Do you have the fortitude to keep walking toward God’s door?
God can make you strong and firm and steadfast if you will stop the noise and listen for him. God can make you strong and firm and steadfast if you keep your eyes on his door.
You’re not home yet.
RHODA is part of my BIBLE KIDS series. Rhoda is lovable but silly and sometimes gets carried away with what she is doing. So, when Peter knocks on the gate, she runs to tell everyone and leaves him out in the street huddling in the shadows hoping no soldiers spot him. At the end of each chapter is “Think and Do” for the child to apply it to their daily life. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2PWNEbC
#job, #house, #neighborhood, #family, #government, #health, #inspiration, #prayer, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth
Thursday 5/9 ~ Freedom is not free
The scripture for today, May 9 (5/9), is Matthew 5:9 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.”
Jesus, the only begotten Son of God (Christians are adopted sons) was a peacemaker. He came to earth to help us make peace with God. After all, “all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It only takes one sin to be a sinner. And God cannot dwell with sin. What was the solution?
Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. These wages we earn are from Satan because Satan is the originator of death. In Old Testament times, God told people to kill a perfect animal in their place to pacify Satan who was holding mankind hostage. So, people kept having to do it. The death Satan really wanted was the death of God. He would not release mankind until God paid the terrible ransom price ~ his death. So, when the time was right, Jesus came to earth and lived that perfect life that is impossible for us to live as the perfect Lamb of God. Then he allowed himself to take our punishment for our (not his) sins and collect the death wage in our place.
His was the final sacrifice. Our freedom was not free. Jesus had paid the ransom to Satan to set us free. (Then, of course, God tricked him and that body Jesus was in came back to life.) But freedom is not automatic. Satan gets us back unless we believe Jesus did that and follow him. Now we are no longer slaves of Satan. We are adopted and become children of God.
Jesus was a peacemaker between God and man. You, too, can be a peacemaker. You can help people be at peace with themselves. You can help them be at peace with each other. And you can help them be at peace with God. Thereby, you can share in what God’s begotten Son was.
THEY MET JESUS: SHADOW OF DEATH tells, not only of the terrible price Jesus had to pay Satan to free us but also how it affected both his friends and enemies. Read it. It will change your life. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2vPZFpW
#wages, #sin, #kidnapping, #Satan, #ransom, #death, #crucifixion, #heaven, #hell, #victory, #inspiration, #prayer, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth
Jesus Christ is how we understand ourselves
Last time we saw that Jesus Christ is how we understand God. Now we’re going to see how Jesus reveals who we truly are in Him. This is important because how we see ourselves affects everything we think about and do in this life. John tells us “as Jesus is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). But do we actually believe this about ourselves?
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Wednesday 5/8 ~ Keep on walking and walking and walking until…
The scripture for today, May 8 (5/8), is Psalm 5:8 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
“Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness, because of my enemies ~ make straight your way before me.”
An enemy would like nothing more than to get into a good fight with someone. Do not let that happen. You have better things to do than argue with people.
Set your eyes, not on your enemy, but on the Lord. The path of enemies will take you on all sorts of side trips that lead to dead ends. The path of God rises up before you ~ straight and direct. Never let your attention stray from that path.
Keep on walking on the path of God.
And keep on walking,
and keep walking,
and walking, and walking…
….until, at last, you walk right through the gates of heaven.
THEY MET JESUS: COME FLY WITH ME is the last book in this series. What was Jesus’ actual resurrection like? How did his apostles handle him being gone permanently? It took them 19 years to break loose and leave Jerusalem. Maybe they needed time for their children to grow up. Then what happened to them? To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2vIUCaW
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Tuesday 5/7 ~ He truly does
The scripture for today, May 7 (5/7), is 1st Peter 5:7 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Oh, how hard life can be sometimes. We wonder why God doesn’t stop all the bad things. But, if there were no evil and bad things happening, we would have heaven on earth. Satan is the Prince of this world. Jesus said so.
How many times in a week are you anxious about something? Your job, your home, your children, your neighbors, your government, your health? How many times in a day? Are they heavy? Sometimes almost too heavy to bear?
Name them to God. Tell him all about them. Go into as much detail as you like. Then put them all on his shoulders. That’s what he wants you to do. He will carry those burdens for you.
Yes, this is not heaven on earth. But Jesus provides a way for us to escape in a spiritual way to the other world in heaven. Of course, you don’t have to escape; he doesn’t force you. But always he calls out to you, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Why? He cares for you. He truly does.
THEY MET JESUS: HEARTS AFIRE. This is novel three in the 8-novel series on the life of Christ and 100 people he met. By now, he has recruited his apostles and the word is spreading: He cares for us! TO BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2PXauQs
#anxiety, #problems, #troubles, #relief, #depression, #persecution, #jobloss, #peace, #loveofJesus, #inspiration, #prayer, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth
