Saturday 9/6 ~ Set free to give out of love

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

NF-WorshipChanges-WorshipFirst“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. They want your money for selfish reasons. But tithing was part of the Law of Moses, which we no longer keep.  If we pick one item, we have to pick them all including stoning people.  Let’s look at Law-of-Moses tithing:

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 out of love.

(And, by the way, what percent of your congregation’s contributions goes for other things besides salaries and the church’s building?)

 

 

NF-WorshipChanges-WorshipFirstWORSHIP CHANGES SINCE THE 1st CENTURY and WORSHIP THE 1st-CENTURY WAY One book takes you year by year exactly when the changes were made, who made them, and what they did to protesters.  The other book takes you through all phases of worship the way Jesus’ own apostles did.  You’ll be surprised at how many things you thought were always done didn’t happen until even a hundred years ago.  To BUY NOW, click a book or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2Olcwfo

 

 

From former atheist John Clayton

Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope.

“The past 25 years we have seen science verify the fact that before the physical creation in which we exist there were a large number of things being carefully and intelligently produced. We are just beginning to understand from a scientific perspective how electric charge, magnetism, mass, gravity, and time were created.

‘Science has demonstrated to us that there are dimensions beyond the three dimensions we know about, and that those dimensions have a relationship to us. Scientific discussions about string theory and brane theory argue about eleven spatial dimensions. Studies of light have taught us that two-dimensional objects like photons behave differently than us three-dimensional beings. Understanding that God is not limited as we are allows us to understand more about why God created us. It helps us to understand the nature of our moral choices and why after our physical bodies no longer function we have an existence beyond the physical.

9/6/19 ~ The son is the father and is God who created himself

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

Was Jesus God-COVER-kindle-thumbnail“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!”

This is one of the most amazing scriptures in the entire Bible explaining how God is One and self-existent. It is as astounding as John 1:1,14 that says, “In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

This child predicted to be born unto us was both Father and Son and God. He created Himself. He was self-existent.

He is the image of the invisible God, God materialized  ”For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Colossians 1:15, 19; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4). The men who saw Jesus Christ saw God (John 12:45, 14:9). God’s blood (God’s Word in flesh) was shed on the cross (Acts 20:28).

In America, we sometimes say about a son, “he is the spitting image of his father.”  Jesus said, “If you want to look at the Father, look at me.” God is a Spirit but created us in a material world. So, sometimes God materialized in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, he materialized as Jesus.

This is so amazing. And we have been so blest beyond full comprehension.

 

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Thursday 9/5 ~ Then stand. And act.

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

Applied Christianity“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.’ “

Who in the world are these eight men?  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 you do that? Can you stand and call out to people around you, “Stand up and praise the Lord your God”? Yes, you can. You can write letters to the editor, you can encourage other students of the Bible, you can start Bible studies in your home or even the internet for adults or children, you can take scripture tray favors to a hospital or nursing home.

In what way can you tell people around you to “stand up and praise the Lord your God”? List for yourself some ideas. Then stand. And act.

 

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Wednesday 9/4 ~ Shhh. Listen. Do you hear?

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

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-Thumbnail“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 God should feel obligated to take them to his 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. They don’t like his few 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. What confusion!

Ultimately, heaven is God’s home, not yours. 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 you 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 you perfect by proxy.

But it’s like a boomerang. God treats you the way you treat him. If you don’t take time for God, he doesn’t take time for you. If you don’t like to spend time praising him, he doesn’t spend time praising you. Actually, if you don’t really like anything about God, you would be miserable in heaven.

God never forces himself on anyone. He loves you even when you do not love Him.  So, he keeps on calling, “Come back!  Come back to me!  I can keep you safe.”  Shhh. Listen.  Do you hear Him?

 

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Tuesday 9/3 ~ God in you

The scripture for today, September 3 (9/3), is 1st Kings 9:3 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

3 Great Kings Kindle-Thumbnail“The Lord said to him, ‘I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.’ “

The New Testament builds spiritual concepts on the basic material patterns of the Old Testament. For example, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1st Corinthians 3:16). This is the temple God wants now, not the old material temple of the Old Testament.

Just as there was just one material temple of God in the Old Testament, God looks upon each Christian individually as though you are the only temple. He is with you constantly and hears your every word, your every song, your every prayer.

Is your heart troubled today? Is your heart joyful today? Are you at peace with everything around you? Do you see conflicts you do not know how to solve?

God’s eyes and heart are with you. God sees and watches out for you in everything you do. He knows your cares, your heart’s desires, your joys, your worries. God’s eyes and heart are forever with you. Why? God is living in you, for you are God’s temple!

 

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Monday 9/2 ~ Understanding God

The scripture for today, September 2 (9/2), is Job 9:2 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail“Though one wishes to dispute with Him [God], he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.”

There are so-called sophisticated intellectuals in the world who want to come up with all the answers about God. Many even make God in their image instead of we being made in God’s image. They try to reduce God to complete human understanding.

I smile sometimes when I hear TV evangelists declare, “God likes it when you…” or “God approves when you…” or “God thinks…” and they’re all different.  He must look down on us, shake his head, and think, “You know nothing.” 

This was Satan’s temptation and Eve’s desire ~ to know everything God knows. She bought into Satan’s lie.  How can we even begin to figure out God?  There are two trillion galaxies out there ~ not stars but galaxies. God is larger than them all. Dispute with the all-knowing God? 

That cannot be! If we could understand everything about God, He would not be God! He has told us everything about Himself in his Word that he wants us to know and that we are able to comprehend.  Actually, He has poured out his heart to us in His Word.  

Let us rejoice that there are things about God we do not understand. Let us rejoice that there are events in our life that we do not understand with our finite minds. Let us rejoice that such a God loves us in our finiteness. He said so Himself.

 

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Sunday 9/1 ~ My constant companion

The scripture for today, September 1 (9/1), is Psalm 9:1 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Silver Cover-KINDLE-thumbnail“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.”

I knew a lady many years ago who talked to God all day as though he was sitting or standing beside her, whether she was cleaning floors, washing dishes, going shopping, or had just received a telephone call. She talked to God about everything she was doing. God was her constant companion.

Your throne, oh God, rises above and far beyond everything I know or can comprehend.  Glory greater than the brightest star radiates from you.  The dome of the universe is your mantel of holiness. Rays more dazzling than the sun shoot out, penetrating the darkness surrounding my soul and bringing me into everlasting day. A path of mercy you make for me lighted up with love. I tread that path day by day knowing it leads to you. With all my filthiness, you allow me near. How I worship you.

Thank you, God, for a good summer. We had somewhat of a drought, but my plants were strong and most survived. How I love walking through my garden and pulling up a radish to nibble on, a strawberry to devour, a handful of peas to feast on. I did nothing to make them grow except keep the weeds away. You are the one who took my tiny seeds and turned them into delicious food for my table. That’s when I feel a little like a creator with you. Thank you, my Lord, for all this.

 

Silver Cover-KINDLE-thumbnail365 SILVER-WINGED PRAYERS: YOUR SPIRIT TO GOD’S is one of the TOUCHING GOD trilogy.  The other two are daily scripture thoughts and daily wisdom. Part of today’s thoughts is taken from September 1 of this prayers book.   Perfect for CHURCH LIBRARIES, WEDDINGS, SHOWERS, BIRTHDAYS, CHRISTMAS.  To buy now, click a good cover or past this:  https://amzn.to/30ZfQiV

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Saturday 8/31 ~ Be daring. Check it for yourself.

The scripture for today, August 31 (8/31), is John 8:31f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, then the truth will set you free.’ “

Myriads of people call themselves believers in or disciples of Christ; in other words, Christians. What is Jesus’ definition of a believer or disciple? He explained, IF we hold to his TEACHINGS, then we are his disciples.

It’s not automatic? So being born into a Christian family doesn’t automatically make me a Christian? Being born in a Christian nation doesn’t automatically make me a Christian? Owning a Bible doesn’t automatically make me a Christian? Believing Jesus is the Son of God doesn’t automatically make me a Christian? (Demons believe that and aren’t Christians.)

“But, Jesus,” you might say, “I really feel like I’m a Christian.” And Jesus replies, “Hold to my teachings, then you are really my disciple.”

Do you know what Jesus’ teachings are? Do you take for granted everything your preacher and teachers and relatives and friends tell you is true? Does everyone tell you something different? How about reading the New Testament? How about refraining from saying, “I know it says that, but it doesn’t mean that. My preacher told me so” ?

Be daring!  Forget everything you have been told. Read Jesus’ teachings for yourself and hold to them, THEN the truth will set you FREE.

 

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Does God Exist?

This outstanding ministry was begun by John Clayton, former atheist and associate of Madolyn Murry O’Hare.  He became a biology teacher to make a living.  He travels the world with his lectures and never charges. He is very effective with university students and will stay and answer their questions all night if he has to (and has done).  John’s website is full of materials you can order free, including videos.  He began this ministry nearly fifty years ago and it is still going strong. Click the header picture to go to his website.

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The 2nd Quarter 2019
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to provide evidence to open-minded, thinking people that God does exist — that the Bible is his word and that science and belief in God are compatible. The author of this material is a former atheist who came to belief in God through science. He was a science teacher specializing in physics and earth science. It is our contention that those who deny the existence of God have either not seen the evidence, or have embraced bad science and/or bad theology in making science and faith enemies. In addition to the quarterly journal to the left, the Does God Exist? program offers DVDs, CDs, courses, books, and other materials. Our booklets, sheets, and many things online are free. Our books and video materials are available at our cost or on loan — please see our catalog. We are only interested in evidence and education — not in a religious, theological, or philosophical debate. We do not pretend to have all the answers, but for over 40 years we have been presenting evidence at university programs, town meetings, and in printed and audio/video materials. We invite your questions and will do our best to help you find constructive answers.

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