This is my assignment?

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-Ah, my Lord God. I try to comprehend what you did for me, but I cannot. You saved me from hell! I was headed straight for it along with all of mankind. I could not pay the ransom. The ghastly trinity ~ Sin, Satan, and Death wanted the death of God. So, you gave them what they wanted. But it backfired on them.  It took you only three days to conquer them all  ~ Sin, Satan, and Death.  You are strong with the power of the ages. In your right hand is Truth, in your left is Life. You ride on the wind, you leap between stars. You do whatever is necessary to protect us. For me, God? For me?

Father, I have been complaining a lot lately. Complaining about food I got at the grocery store that I didn’t realize was spoiled until I got home. Complaining about the weather. Complaining about the way a relative spoke to me. Complaining about the traffic and gasoline prices. Lord, it was actually you I was complaining about. This is where you want me to be. Complaining is akin to accusing. Satan is THE accuser. Lord, make Satan get away from me so I’ll stop complaining. And can you forgive me?

My God, you have been my comfort through so many things and over so many years. Must I praise you for all the horrible things I’ve lived through? You say I must and so I do. I am reminded that you have given everyone their assignments, and these have been mine. At each stage of my life you have given me different assignments. I agonized under some of them. I cried and screamed, and yet you would not release me.  I thank you for them all, Lord.  Truly, I do.  They made me stronger, didn’t they? I made Satan a little weaker, didn’t I? Together we did it.  Together forever.

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00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE was just that. This historical novel follows him from his early years at the Temple school to enjoying Jesus’ crucifixion, to torturing Christians, then his own self-torture alone in a black room for three days comprehending the horrid things he had done.  After that, he can never do enough to make it up to his Lord. Go with him as he endures highway thieves, harrowing wrecks at sea, snow storms, starvation. Feel his beatings and whip lashings break through his skin.  Hear him as each time, he cries out, “Jesus!  This is for you!”  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  http://bit.ly/PaulUnstoppable   

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God treats us the way we treat him

Today, it is hard to thank you.

0-Bk3-HeartsAfire-COVER-Kindle.medium-newYou, Almighty God, are all powerful. You hold the world in your hands.  You lead mankind forward and people follow you kicking and screaming because Satan convinces so many that you hate us and do not want us to have fun. You do not let Satan’s accusations discourage you and stop you. You are more powerful than him. You never forsake us. For thousands of years you have worked out your master Plan to permanently disarm Satan. Even now you limit what he can do to us. You send your angels to stand between Satan and us in battles in other realms, other worlds, we are not even aware of.  You are the Lord of all the lords Satan controls. You are King over all the kings Satan manipulates. Your divine majesty resonates around your throne, encircles the world, and comes to rest in my soul.

Lord, it is hard to thank you for things today. Yes, I have a decent place to live, nice things, my health, the weather is still warm. But what is it all for if I cannot help save the lost and help them stay saved? Sometimes I can hardly stand it thinking about friends and even strangers who are bored with you or resent you or even hate you and do not realize what Satan has in mind for them. How can I see them self-destruct like that?  Today I am struggling. I need to thank you for…what shall I thank you for? The sun is shining, the corn is harvested, a bird is singing to me outside my window. Over there is a butterfly and in that direction is a squirrel scavenging for things to store over the coming winter.  Songs. I thank you for songs. I shall now sing you a song and will feel better. Yes, thank you for songs. And that butterfly.

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0-Bk3-HeartsAfire-COVER-Kindle.thumbnail-newHEARTS AFIRE is biblical historical novel three in the THEY MET JESUS series.  They’ve been dreaming and praying for the God-King to come for thousands of years.  He’s not quite what they expected, but at least he’s here.  Now, perhaps the impossible can become possible. With hearts afire, they dare to hope.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  

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Through the long-haul

09-Jonah-KindleMediumAh, how I adore you, Jehovah God. You are so good. You have stood by mankind through the long haul. You did not make us and then forget us. You have, for so long, been patient. So long. Never giving up. Always here. Always forgiving and blessing, forgiving and blessing like waves on a seashore.  When I turn from you, you always bring me back.  How can you love us despite how rebellious we can be against you?  You are like a lighthouse shining your light in the dark storms of my life, trying to help me find my way to safety. Holy Father, Light of the World, I fall at your feet unworthy of such love. In tears of both shame and gladness I worship you.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for making it possible for my sins to be erased. Thank you for forgiving so many secret sins ~ sins in my heart that no one else knows about. My sins of attitude are so many. I am weak in my sinfulness but you are strong in your forgiveness. I can never thank you enough for staying with me as I struggle through life.  You are my rock foundation and my fortress of faith.

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09-Jonah-KindleThumbnailA CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES: JONAH.  Jonah was a good prophet, but needed a lesson in humility and forgiveness.  True, Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was so cruel, captured enemies were tortured.  But not now.  The new king was only 14 years old.  His heart was still good.  He wanted to restore honor to his kingdom. Blame this young king for what his ancestors had done?  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/2DZZyzZ

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Do you have anything to conquer?

Supper-Front Cover-MediumThe scripture for today, September 13 (9/13), is Psalm 9:13f as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“O Lord, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, that I may declare your praises…and there rejoice in your salvation.”

Life is a mixture of highs and lows. You sometimes experience difficult things ~ some minor, some major. Do you let them define your entire life? Do you cling to them, never getting over them, never letting them go, and reliving them over and over in your mind?

You cannot be “more than a conqueror” (Romans 8:37) unless you have something to conquer. You cannot have “victory in Jesus” unless you have something to be victorious over.

God said he can make “all things work together for good” to those who love him (Romans 8:28). He did not say bad decisions will end up with the best result. He said even the worst situation he will turn in to some kind of good for you.

Today, with the courage of God in your heart, the love of God in your soul, and the might of God in your very being, rise up! Rejoice! Thank God for your problems.  It is only when you have problems that you can experience victories.

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Supper-Front Cover-ThumbnailTHE LORD’S SUPPER:  52 READINGS WITH PRAYERS.  Great for men presiding over the Lord’s Table during worship, or for individuals to read as meditation while partaking.  The inclusive forward explains with scripture why we have the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this: https://bit.ly/2Vhacqn

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Out of disaster came beauty

02-Noah-KindleMediumThe scripture for today, September 12 (9/12), is found in Genesis 9:12f in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come. I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

 On the technical side, how can it be that there was never a rainbow before Noah’s time? Genesis 2:5b-6 explains, “The Lord God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.”

Up until the time of Noah, people lived to be several hundred years old. Christian scientists have said that, before the flood, the earth had a constant cloud covering with a thick ozone layer that created the greenhouse effect of vapors and protected man from the aging process. It was much like Venus.

So rainbows were not possible when the sun could never break through the ever-present clouds. It was because of a terrible worldwide cataclysm that the beauty of the rainbow was made possible.

On the faith side of this story, we see a man who had such faith in God that, although he probably had never seen rain, believed it would happen. Such amazing faith! Later, through the pain of losing his stubborn extended family in the flood, he was blessed with the lives of his direct family members. Then God gave him one more reward ~ the rainbow ~ that he could not only enjoy in his generation but generations even today.

Out of disaster came beauty.

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02-Noah-KindleThumbnailA CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES:  NOAH.  Did you realize that Noah’s oldest son was born the year he began building the ark?  Can you imagine growing up with a father everyone laughed at?  Can you imagine how many hundreds of trees they had to chop down and haul back over over the years and how many hundreds of trips they had to make to the tar pits so they could line their ship and make it good and water tight?  Great for home schoolers, grandparents, birthdays, Christmas, just because.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  http://bit.ly/HeroNoah

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Teasing and Tantalizing

10-Daniel-KindleMediumI praise and laud you, my God, for you perform great things for me, greater than I realize. You are always doing something to help me that I do not know about. You are concerned about me in ways beyond my comprehension. You say the war is not against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers in spiritual places ~ Satan’s angels, Satan’s demons, Satan himself. What have you defended me against? What have you sent your angels to intercede for me over? I may never know, but this I do know: You will always protect me from forces too strong for me and will never make me face anything I cannot handle. My mind staggers to comprehend it all, and so I worship you.

Thank you, Jesus, that you gave me eyes that can see.  I have a friend who has never been able to see.  I cannot describe color to that person because they have no idea what I am talking about. I long to share the delight of color, but it is not possible. That is what you go through in trying to describe our life in your world, heaven, isn’t it? I shall try but realize you have wonderful surprises awaiting me when I arrive.  Thank you for teasing and  tantalizing me with promises of delights I cannot begin to imagine.

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10-Daniel-KindleThumnailA CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES: DANIEL includes ten stories about how this amazing men got along with every king who reigned during his long life.   THINK & DO at the end of every chapter.  Large print and syllable dividers for long words aid the early reader. Can be understood by three-year-olds. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………  https://bit.ly/3ikTm4j

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One step closer. Or am I?

Golden Cover-KINDLE-thumbnailEach day, Oh Lord, I am one step closer to you. One step, one hour, one heartbeat closer to my eternal home with you. Closer to the gate that swings wide for me. Closer to the golden street of purity and the crystal sea of divinity.  Closer to that home you are preparing for me and to your great white throne. Closer to the Tree of Eternal Life, the River of Life. One step closer to seeing you face to face, to singing my praises to you, to worshiping at your feet. At last I will lay down the cross I have been bearing, and enter sweet rest with my Maker, my Protector, my God.

Ah, thank you, Lord Jesus, for all you gave up to save me from Satan. You entered a human body so you could overcome sin and then overcome death. You performed miracles so no one would doubt who you were.  You fulfilled prophecies about you made centuries earlier so no one would doubt who you were. Most people hated you. You were too good for them and they knew it.  They taunted you, mocked you, spit on you, slapped you, pulled out hairs from your beard, beat you, scourged you, and tortured you to death. You went through it willingly in order to free me ~ and them ~ from Satan’s clutches. People today are still lashing out at you. They are still trying to kill you.  They do not realize you have already conquered the world. They do not realize you reign supreme now and then. Open their eyes, Lord.

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Golden Cover-KINDLE-thumbnail365 GOLDEN BIBLE THOUGHTS: GOD’S HEART TO YOURS is book 1 in the TOUCHING GOD trilogy.  Beautiful gift set with original art on the cover.  Or get a copy for yourself.  Revealing God’s heart and soul and your spirit.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/33obxBJ

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Knowing as much as you think you do

3 Great Kings Kindle-ThumbnailThe scripture for today, September 9 (9/9), is Zechariah 9:9 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“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 capital 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 you blindly follow whatever our religious leaders tell you? Do you know the scriptures as well as you think you do?

Glory in learning new things about your King of Glory.

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3 Great Kings Kindle-ThumbnailTHREE GREAT KINGS is book 8 in A CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES series.  Saul, David, and Solomon all had their faults, but God made them great.  “Think and Do” at the end of each chapter.  Large font and dashes between big words for the early reader.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/35zgqZR

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Praying for Nero

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

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

Have you prayed for your 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 of this writing, Nero was Caesar. First-century historian Tacitus said this about Nero in his Annals 15:44: “But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called “Christians” by the populace.

“Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular.

“Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.”

If the Apostle Paul could pray for such a government leader, can you not follow his instructions? Why don’t you stop and pray for your own government right now?

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00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-ThumbnailSTEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR is a novelized version of life as it may have been for Stephen who, history tells us, lived in Antioch of Syria, then Cyrene in Libya, then Jerusalem of Judea.  He was a deacon when killed, so had a wife and children, probably young. What could drive a young man to give up his whole life ahead of him?  When he went into the Sanhedrin chambers, he knew they’d never let him live.  What stirred within his young heart?  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  http://bit.ly/stephenmartyr

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