Author: Inspirations By Katheryn

I am kind of a world traveler. I have lived in Korea, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Tokyo, Canada, Afghanistan, India and USA. I remember when President Kennedy was assassinated, watched the first human walk on the moon, Alaska became a state, President Kennedy & Martin Luther King were shot, and the first human walked on the moon. I remember when the first Star Wars movie came out, 900 religiously misguided humans committed suicide in Guyana, when Microsoft was "invented" and the Ayatollah Khoumeini took over Iran, kicked out western companies (employers) and returned his country to the dark ages. I WAS THERE WHEN MOUNT SAINT HELENS BLEW. I remember when the Berlin Wall fell, the Internet was created, the first warm-blooded animal was cloned (a sheep) and the Hubble Telescope was launched - all in the 1980s. And you?

Scripture for Wednesday, August 3 (8/3)

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

HS-COVER-KINDLE-GOLD“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, sometimes thousands of us at once. All singing our various hymns. All trying to do right in the name of God.

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 know us!

How large he is. How small we are.
Utter amazement!
And so we worship him.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: IF YOU COULD SEE GOD, COULD HE BE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD AT THE SAME TIME?

Scripture for Tuesday, August 2 (8/2)

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

PAUL COVER-KINDLE-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. 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 pushed his way through a crowd where he didn’t belong. He didn’t ask Jesus if he could heal him; he asked if he was willing to. 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, he was willing to touch him.

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

No matter how much sin mars your life, Jesus still today can say, “Be clean.”

DISCUSSION QUESTION: IS THERE ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE THAT MAKES YOU FEEL SO UNCLEAN JESUS CANNOT HEAL IT?

Scripture for Monday, August 1 (8/1)

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

CHANGES IN WORSHIP-COVER-KINDLE“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 Romans 6:3-4? Look it up and compare.

Oh to be sure we are indeed IN Christ Jesus. This is our longing. Our hope. Our reason for being.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: WERE YOU EVER TOLD SOMETHING BY YOUR RELIGIOUS LEADER THAT TURNED OUT NOT TO BE TRUE?

Scripture for Sunday, July 31 (7/31)

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

0-Cover-KINDLE“For this world in its present form is passing away.”

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

What are we working for day to day? That which can so easily pass away? Or that which is eternal and will never pass away? What are your plans for today? Think about it.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: WHAT ETERNAL THING CAN YOU WORK ON EVERY DAY?

Scripture for Saturday, July 30 (7/30)

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The scripture for today, July 30, is John 7:30 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 2-DREAM MAKER-COVER“At this, they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him because his time had not yet come.”

Even though during the last year of his life, many people wanted to kill Jesus out of jealousy or fear or pure meanness, he was never afraid to keep teaching. Why? Because he knew his life was ultimately in the hands of the heavenly Father.

Do we feel fear sometimes because of things going on around us? Do we fear failure, or ruin, or false rumors, or even imprisonment or our life? Remember, each life is in the heavenly Father’s hands.

So do not fear. Keep on keeping on. Hold fast. Stand firm. Do the right thing. Stand up for Jesus. His Father will not let you come to any harm. And, if some day, your time does come, know that God has everything under control. And God will never, ever, ever stop loving you.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU FEAR RIGHT NOW? WHAT CAN HELP YOU CONTROL IT?

Scripture for Friday, July 29 (7/29)

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The scripture for today, July 29, is Ecclesiastes 7:29 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Cover-KINDLE“This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.”

We begin our lives upright ~ sinless. But as we grow out of innocent childhood, we begin to want recognition, money, and to make our surroundings beautiful. And we tend to scheme to get them.

True, God does not want to deprive us if we can obtain these things. But Solomon (who wrote this), with all his worldwide fame, wealth, and beauty, still felt empty. Actually, we can even read the Bible and go to worship and still feel empty. Why? Because we need to add good works to our faith (James 2) ~ helping others with the same enthusiasm that we pursue recognition, money, and beauty.

Sometimes to fill our emptiness, we need to just return to our early childhood when we saw life through innocent eyes. Through simple eyes. Through eyes that believe so easily in God, and so easily love him.

Sometimes as we progress through life, let us return to that more innocent way of life.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: IS THERE SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE YOU HAVE BEGUN TO BE OBSESSED ABOUT? DO YOU THINK YOU SHOULD TRY TO BACK OFF FROM IT AWHILE TO GET A FRESH PERSPECTIVE?

Scripture for Thursday, July 28 (7/28)

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The scripture for today, July 28, is 2nd Samuel 7:28 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Oldoldstory-COVER-KINDLE“O Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.”

What a beautiful praise. Praising God is different from thanking him. It is acknowledging him for His traits ~ not for what He does, but what He is.

He is trustworthy!
He is able to hear all our prayers at once!
He is everywhere and all knowing!
He is perfect love!
He is anxious to forgive!
He considers us his children!

Today, let us praise Him.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: THANKING GOD CENTERS ON WHAT HE HAS DONE. PRAISING GOD CENTERS ON WHAT HE IS. NAME AN ATTRIBUTE OF GOD NOT LISTED ABOVE.

Scripture for Wednesday, July 27 (7/27)

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The scripture for today, July 27, is Luke 7:27 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 3-HEARTS AFIRE-COVER“This is the one about whom it is written: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ “

“The way” could also be considered “the path” or “the road”. To prepare “the way” would be to straighten out the curves temporarily leading in the wrong direction, or clear out the stumbling rocks, or fill in the jarring ruts made when it rains.

We can prepare “the way” ahead of crises for our loved ones by example, by being a true friend, by prayer, by sharing the Word of God. Life is hard. Are we always preparing “the way” for people we know?

Today think of someone for whom you can begin to prepare “the way”.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: TELL ABOUT A TIME WHEN SOMEONE PREPARED THE WAY FOR YOU TO GO THROUGH A DIFFICULT TIME.

Scripture for Tuesday, July 26 (7/26)

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The scripture for today, July 26, is John 7:26 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

000-BOOK 1-STAR SONG-PRINT COVER-Small“Here he [Jesus] is speaking publicly [in the temple], and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ? But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”

These people standing around the temple refused to believe in Jesus because they chose to disregard a scripture that all Jews knew about. They said no one would know where the Christ (the Messiah) would come from. But they did know. It was in their own scriptures ~ Micah 5:2

“But you, Bethlehem…out of you will come for me the one who will be ruler over Israel.”

Are you sometimes like all those people standing around in the temple? Do you sometimes make up your mind about something religious; and even if the Bible says something different, you refuse to acknowledge it? Does your ego sometimes get in the way? Or are you afraid of pressure from your friends?

As you read the Word of God, open wide your heart and mind. Indeed, sometimes your friends and your stubborn will get in the way of walking the beautiful path that God has created for you.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: DO YOU KNOW OF A BIBLE VERSE THAT YOUR FRIENDS TELL YOU DOESN’T MEAN WHAT IT SAYS? WHICH ONE?

Scripture for Monday, July 25 (7/25)

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The scripture for today, July 25, is Hebrews 7:25 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Luke-Slave&Physician KINDLE Cover“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him [Jesus], because he always lives to intercede for them.” 

Indeed, all of mankind is invited to come to God through Jesus. There are scriptures in the Bible about being chosen by God. But when you check the original Greek, it means you are being invited by God. If a company puts out a newspaper ad inviting people to be interviewed for hiring, the company can only choose those who accepted the invitation.

And something else stands out in that verse. Jesus is our intercessor, our mediator. Why would we want anyone lower than Jesus to be our intercessor when Jesus will do so himself?

How amazing! In one sentence we see that God the Father invites all of mankind to come to him to be saved completely, and that God the Son is our ever-present intercessor. 

Such love. Such divine love. It is beyond comprehension. All we can do is fall to our knees and whisper, “Thank you.”

DISCUSSION QUESTION:  IS IT TRUE THAT WE DO NOT CHOOSE GOD, BUT GOD CHOOSES US?  DID YOU EVER BELIEVE THAT?  WHY?  THE BIBLE SAYS “Choose you this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15).  AFTER READING THIS, WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?