Friday 8/9 ~ Taking the death penalty for someone else

The scripture for today, August 9 (8/9), is 2nd Corinthians 8:9 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-Thumbnail“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

Such love!

Jesus gave up streets of gold for streets full of trash. Gave up a heavenly mansion for a barn. Gave up the ability to be everywhere at once, to being confined to a body. Gave up eternal bliss for thirty-three years of pain and struggle. Gave up adoring angels for crowds that hated him. And finally, he gave up sinlessness to take the blame for your sins and allow himself to take the soul and body death penalty for your sins.

What more can be said about God who materialized for you and snatched you out of Satan’s jaws? Unless perhaps it is ‘What have you given up for him lately?’.

 

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-ThumbnailSHADOW OF DEATH is a novel about the last day of Jesus’ life including two slow-motion chapters about his six hours on the cross and ending with the hopelessness felt by his shattered followers.  This THEY MET JESUS series is a commentary in narrative form.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2OXZjd8

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Thursday 8/8 ~ The God of Second Chances

The scripture for today, August 8 (8/8), is Zechariah 8:8 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-“I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”

The Jews had done terrible things against God. They had worshiped terrible idols that required ghastly things be done in their honor such as setting up brothels with so-called “priests” and “priestesses” and sacrificing their children on an altar of fire. They had nailed the doors of the Temple closed. They had broken every one of God’s rules. They had sworn at him, rejected him, hated him.

So, God punished them with 70 years of exile in Babylon. What a light punishment for what they had done!  Still, it was the boomerang effect. They had rejected God, so God rejected them.

But it was not permanent. God is love and has no choice but to discipline, then give people a second chance. Isn’t He amazing ~ that God of ours who loves us so mightily? The God of Second Chances?

 

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE hated Jesus. He rounded up every Christian he could find and imprisoned, tortured, and executed them.  But Paul made a turnaround. He became a dynamic soul-saver, enduring torture and death threats himself for decades. Why? He finally believed in the true God of Second Chances.   To BUY NOW click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2ONm2sD

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Wednesday 8/7 ~ The Boomerang Effect

The scripture for today, August 7 (8/7), is Hosea 8:7 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE Thumbnail“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.”

This is the boomerang effect. You throw a boomerang into the air and no matter how we throw it, it always comes back to us. Just like a boomerang, God treats you the same way you treat him.

If you draw near to God, God draws near to you (James 4:8). If you don’t have time for God, God doesn’t have time for you. If you don’t want to do what he says, God doesn’t want to do what you say. If you reject God, God rejects you.  Here are some verses about the boomerang effect:

Psalm 9:15-16; Psalm 10:2; Psalm 37:14-15; Psalm 140:9; Proverbs 3:34; Proverbs 6:27; Proverbs 26:27; Isaiah 33:1; Isaiah 59:18; Ezekiel 7:8; Obadiah 1:15.

The same is true with how people treat each other. If someone mistreats you, someday their mistreatment will boomerang right onto themselves.

On the other hand, if you treat others well, often it is a wakeup call to them. Huh?  S/he smiled at me? Hmmm.  I think I’ll try that.  Boomerang!

 

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE ThumbnailMEFIBOSET: CRIPPLED PRINCE was the grandson of King Saul and son of Crown Prince Jonathan, both killed in battle.  Sett was next in line to be king but was denied his throne.  Enemies followed him wherever he went but he refused to be bitter. When they insulted them, he blessed them. Though crippled all his life, he stood up and conquered hearts. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2GvdIqU

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Tuesday 8/6 ~ Was Jesus God?

The scripture for today, August 6 (8/6), is 1st Corinthians 8:6f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Was Jesus God-COVER-kindle-thumbnail“Yet for us, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord [Word], Jesus Christ, through whom all things came [by a Word] and through whom we live [by the Word]. But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols.”

Was Jesus God?  As God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he warned, “The day you sin you will die.”  They sinned and immediately their souls died.

What is death? Technically, it means separation. For the soul to be separated from God, it can only be one other place: With Satan.  Satan told God, “You want them back? You pay my ransom demand.”  What was the ransom? God’s death.  So, God put his Words in a human body and walked with us on earth once again (John 1:1-2,14).  Then God ransomed us with his blood (Acts 20:28).

(Of course, after Satan released mankind (though mankind can return to Satan if they choose), Jesus played a trick on Satan and came back to life ~ re-entered that body.)

Just as you have a mind/will, a body, and a spirit, God does too.  Some object and say, “Was Jesus praying to himself?” and “Why did he have to obey his Father?”.  Your words do not just take off speaking on its own.  Your mind ~ your will ~ tells your lips what to say. Your lips have to obey your mind, your will. 

What about Jesus being God’s Son? You create your words, you beget your words. Your words are your brainchild. But your brainchild is still you.

I have written an entire enlightening book on this called WAS JESUS GOD?  It is fascinating and wonderful. And, yes, Jesus was God.

 

Was Jesus God-COVER-kindle-thumbnailWAS JESUS GOD (WHY EVIL?) recalls the events in the Garden of Eden with the fall of mankind and the beginning of God’s plan to ransom us from Satan. It progresses from there to show all the natural ways Jesus was God, then our road today to follow him right into heaven.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2yFYiM1

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Monday 8/5 ~ Go ahead. Choose.

The scripture for today, August 5 (8/5), is Romans 8:5 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Applied Christianity“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

How are you supposed to know what the Spirit desires? Certainly, God doesn’t leave you to guessing.

Jesus said in John 14:17 that he was going to send the Comforter ~ the Spirit of Truth. And in John 17:17, talking to the same people, he said, God’s Word is Truth. Amazingly simple.

Do people tell you to just let the Spirit move your heart.?  By researching all verses in the Bible where someone’s heart was moved, it was always by God the Father, not God the Spirit. Isn’t that interesting? Not what most of us have been told.

If you want to know what the Spirit desires, then find out what the Word desires. God has given you the Bible full of examples of every possible circumstance and experience of life ~ what works and what doesn’t work.

You may have many good possibilities to choose from. Do you pray and pray about a major decision, believing there is only one right choice?  God gave you free will.  If your choices are all good, then any one of them you are most comfortable with is the right one for you.

Do you believe Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for the best”?  It does not say that. It says “for good”.  Even if you choose from wrong possibilities, God will turn it in to some kind of good for you.

So, go ahead and make your decision. You can always rely on what the Bible says, which is exactly what the Spirit desires.

 

Applied ChristianityAPPLIED CHRISTIANITY:  A HANDBOOK OF 500 GOOD WORKS is loaded with ideas for individuals, whether old or young, fit or handicapped and for congregations of all sizes. Some LADIES BIBLE CLASSES are studying through it. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2OGMjsj

 

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Sunday 8/4 ~ They lost everything

The scripture for today, August 4 (8/4), is Acts 8:4 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”

Sometimes your plans get scattered, your dreams shattered. You lose your home, your job, your chance at an education, your savings, your family.

Satan loves to discourage you. He’s good at it. But Romans 8:28 says God can make something good come out of all things, even the bad.

Do you use your circumstance in life as an excuse to not share the Good News of how to be saved from hell and go to heaven instead? 

If you use the excuse you don’t have time, then lose your job, would you share the gospel then? If you use the excuse your upper-class neighbors are all agnostics, then lose your home, would you share the gospel with middle-class neighbors?

Your circumstance may change, but you would be the same person you were before. What is the likelihood you would be any different if your life was “scattered”?  If your old excuses were no longer valid, would you then share the Good News?  

The people in Jerusalem who feared martyrdom ran for their lives and lost everything.  Their concern for the souls of others never wavered. 

Today, consciously look around for someone to share the gospel with.  Afraid your friends will reject you? Then go to a fast-food place or a park or a bus stop, find someone sitting alone, and tell a stranger. No matter where your dreams and ambitions scatter to, you can still “Seek and save the lost.”

 

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE was just that. They beat him, stoned him, lashed him, told lies about him, imprisoned him, turned entire cities against him. He was stubborn. He was loyal. He was determined to save people’s souls.  They would have to kill him to stop him. They finally did, but not before he had saved countless thousands from hell.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2OzFMQ3

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Saturday 8/3 ~ Utter Amazement

The scripture for today, August 3 (8/3), is 1st Corinthians 8:3 as found in the New Testament of the Bible.

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail“But the man who loves God is known by God.”

How can God know us all individually? Just how does God do it? There are multiplied millions of us. All praying with our own set of problems, usually thousands of us at once. All singing our various hymns. All trying to do right in the name of God.

  • Where can I go from your Spirit?
  • Where can I flee from your presence?
  • If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
  • if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
  • If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
  • if I settle on the far side of the sea…
  • Psalm 139:7-9

This Creator of the entire universe, the Maker of stars and sunflowers and little puppies and unfathomable oceans, knows each person who loves him. Not “knows about”, but KNOWS!

With all that is going on in the world, yea even in the universe, he still knows which ones of us love him, and he takes the time to fix things in our lives, hold our hands, bless us with just what we need.  All tens of thousands of us at once. How does he do that?

How large he is. How small we are.

          Utter amazement!

                    And so we worship him.

 

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS is book #2 in the TOUCHING GOD series.  Each day it gives you one of Solomon’s proverbs and a passage from one of the other “wisdom” books of the Bible ~ Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon.  A beautiful gift book.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2KeXUec

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Friday 8/2 ~ He still reaches across the centuries

The scripture for today, August 2 (8/2), is Matthew 8:2 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-THUMBNAIL“A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.’ “

People in Jesus’ day who had leprosy had to live outside of town in what we would call a leper colony. They were incurable. And if someone without leprosy started getting close to them, they were required to call out, “Unclean! Unclean!” 

But here was a man who apparently sneaked into town where he didn’t belong, went up and down streets where he didn’t belong looking for Jesus, pushed his way through a crowd where he didn’t belong.

Once he found Jesus, he didn’t ask him if he could heal him; he asked if he would. After all, he was “unclean”. Remarkably, Jesus said yes.

Then Jesus did another remarkable thing: He touched the man. He touched the leprosy. Not only was he willing to be seen with an unclean man, and have a conversation with an unclean man, he was willing to touch the unclean man.

Jesus still does this today. When you come to him with a diseased heart wondering if you are good enough, Jesus reaches out across the centuries and touches you. And his voice echoes across those centuries ~ “I am willing.”

No matter how much sin mars your life, Jesus still today wants to touch your incurable heart and say, “Be clean.”

 

Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-THUMBNAILTHE ROAD TO HEAVEN begins with the problem of sin and evil and works its way step by step from the Garden of Eden to Golgatha and on to heaven. Thought-provoking and reassuring.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2KdVOuT

 

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Thursday 8/1 ~ Your longing, your hope, your reason for being

The scripture for today, August 1 (8/1), is Romans 8:1 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-Thumbnail“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

There are a lot of religious groups out there in the world who control their people with fear. If you don’t do such and such, it proves you aren’t spiritual enough. If you do such and such one second before you die, you’re going to hell.

They put burdens on you that just are not in the New Testament. By making you feel guilty, they make you depend on them for your salvation and that boosts their ego. The Apostle Paul wrote to the congregations in Galatia (today’s Turkey) and warned them with tears:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel ~ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached [past tense] to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again:

“If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God? Or am I trying to please men? ” (Galatians 1:6-10).

Are you sure you are IN Christ Jesus? Do your church leaders dance around scriptures they wish weren’t in the Bible and tell you they don’t really mean what they say? Or add things that the scriptures say nothing about? Are you sure they aren’t people pleasers instead of God pleasers? What do they do with Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:27, I Peter 3:21? Look them up. Do your church leaders try to explain them away?

Ah, to be sure you are indeed IN Christ Jesus and can someday live in his world. This is your longing. Your hope. Your reason for being.

00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-ThumbnailWORSHIP THE FIRST-CENTURY WAY is book two of the series WANDERING SOUL, ENTITLED HEART, AND THE SIDETRACKED CHURCH.  Each chapter is about one form of worship. It begins with quotes from famous theologians, ends with quotes from second-century theologians, and all in between is scriptures and prayers for understanding. WRITTEN FOR UNBELIEVERS.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2GECkNW

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Wednesday 7/31 ~ That Great Gettin’-Up Morning

The scripture for today, July 31 (7/31), is 1st Corinthians 7:31b as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-New“For this world in its present form is passing away.”

How easily that which you have slaved for over a period of years can pass away. It can happen as a result of fire, flood, storm, war, economic crisis. Every day something in this world “is passing away.”

Life plods on and on. It seems so slow and so long ~ Year after year, month after month, minute after minute.  If you live to be 90 (not uncommon these days), that means nearly 33,000 times you get up in the morning, 100,000 times you eat a meal, some 25,000 times you may leave your house and go to work to earn a living. On and on.   

You were put here on earth for a reason:  To prepare yourself for the other world.  That is our real home. That world will never end for good or for bad. It will never pass away. It’s hard to stay focused on the other world when there are so many things that need to be done to survive in this world.

The other world seems so far away. But you will be there before you know it. 

What are you working for day after day? Are you making time to prepare for “That Great Gettin’-Up Morning” when you say goodbye to this world forever?   What are your plans for today? How about this week?  How often do you worship?  

Here is a link to hear singing of “That Great Gettin’-Up Morning”  http://bit.ly/2Mxfqf1

 

0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-NewTHEY MET JESUS:  COME FLY WITH ME is the last of 8 novels on the life of Christ. In this last novel, Jesus is alive again and spends 40 days appearing to people. The apostles begin the church, spend nineteen years in Jerusalem, then scatter. It ends with old crippled John’s visit to heaven and view of hell. And Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me…I will give you rest.” To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2ZxCYE4

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