Shhh. Listen. God is calling you.

The scripture for today, January 11 (1/11), is 2nd Peter 1:11 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-Medium“And you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

How often do you forget that earth is not your home? As an old gospel song says, “We’re just traveling through.” Do you really believe that?

If someone told you tomorrow you were going to die, would you go into a panic? Would you beg God to let you live another ten or twenty years? Would you feel this was the beginning of the end?

To a true Christian, your dying is the end of the beginning. You have a whole “life” ahead of you in heaven. A never-ending life. Do you live like you believe it? Will you die looking forward to it?

Are you even a Christian yet? What is your life like? Do you even know what is in the Bible, God’s messages to you? Does the thought of heaven sound boring to you?  Do you even like God?

Stop and listen to the empty place in your heart (Ecclesiastes. 3:11).  Do you hear it?  Shhh.  Listen…  God is calling you.

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00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-ThumbnailSTEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR tells the story of a cowardly 17-year-old who would give his life as a sacrifice for others eleven years later.  What happened in between to this young man who tried everything to get idol worshipers around him to pay attention to God, but who always failed?  What happened to this young deacon who finally found the way by following Jesus with wife, children and everything to live for?  Why did he enter the Sanhedrin’s chambers, knowing what he had to say would be his death sentence?  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/StephenUnlikelyMartyr

 

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/books-more-biblical-historical-novels/book-7-stephen-unlikely-martyr/

 

The meaning of your life

– The scripture for today, December 8 (12/8), is Ecclesiastes 12:8 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

” ‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the teacher. ‘Everything is meaningless!’ “

0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Medium-NewAbout forty years ago, some Christians in England did a sidewalk survey in the downtown of a major city. One of their inquiries was: “What question about your life do you ask the most?.”  The answer almost always was, “Why am I here? What is life all about?.”

The entire book of Ecclesiastes is about all the things that the richest and most powerful man in the world did in order to have an enjoyable and fulfilling life: He built palaces and grand temples, he cultivated great gardens, he imported tons of gold and precious stones and fabrics from around the globe, he had numerous wives and mistresses, he built the largest army and navy in the world, he studied every possible subject. At the end, he said it was all meaningless.

The meaning of your life is that you were born to die and walk through a gate. This life is temporary. It is your proving ground. This life is the foyer of the life you will have eternally ~ a life in heaven or hell. You were not put here just to have fun, but rather to live in the very presence of your Maker and take many people as possible with you to the home of God, your Maker, the Lover of your soul. That is the meaning of life.

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0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-NewCOME FLY WITH ME is the last book in the 8-novel series, THEY MET JESUS. It begins with the resurrection of Jesus, his final ascension to heaven, the apostles going against the Sanhedrin, then leaving Jerusalem and scattering. The last chapter is of John the fisherman, now the political prisoner, seeing the master of his youth again, and a tour of heaven.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/FLY-WITH-ME

 

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/historical-novel-about-jesus/book-8-come-fly-with-me-adults-childs-versions/

 

Until you give me laughter and peace again

0-Joseph-Cover-Kindle-MediumLord, I am like the sheep that walk around afraid to drink from troubled waters, so you lead me to where the waters are calm and peaceful. When I cannot see you, I am afraid to follow a stranger, so you keep me confined so I am safe until your return. Though I walk around with no concern for possible dangers, you are right there with me to make sure I do not fall into that danger. Sometimes I become restless and fearful if I sense a storm is coming close. Then, Lord, I hear your heart singing to my heart, it calms me, and I lie down and rest in you.

The sun is shining, the frost is heavy, it is very cold out there, but I am inside warm, snuggled up, thinking, meditating and watching for the birds to discover the corn I put out for them. Ah, my Lord, I am tired these days and a little depressed. But I thank you for these times when I stop everything, back off, and contemplate. I know it is often at such times that we take a good look at ourselves selves, try to see ourselves as others do, and make changes for the better. So, I thank you for this little bit of unhappy time when I can learn better who I am and how to be more and more like you. And then, may I wait patiently until once again you give me laughter and peace again.

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0-Joseph-Cover-ThumbnailJOSEPH: THE OTHER FATHER is a novel in the INTREPID MEN OF GOD series.  Joseph is finally happy.  He and Mary are betrothed. What could possibly go wrong?  But that something did happen.  Had she betrayed him?  Joseph’s depression was devastating. Then he learned the truth and spent the rest of his life awed at his responsibilities of being the human father of the Son of God. But he rose top the challenge — most of the time. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/The-Other-Father

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/books-more-biblical-historical-novels/book-5-joseph-the-other-father/

Changeable, Enchanting and Delightful

0-Cover-MediumMy Lord, you think of everything ~ four seasons and different climates for a serendipity off change. Trees without their leaves show me their shear strength ~ tall and bold, standing strong after storms, holding snow on their shoulders, even when it turns to ice.  Reaching toward a gray sky from a stark earth, undaunted, sometimes for centuries. The trees I see out my window were seen by people before the invention of automobiles and airplanes and pre-prepared food and washing machines.  Standing sentry. Standing strong with a heart to live yet longer. Lord, you are that way and more. Even when you seem stark to some people, you are strong and have a heart to live forever. I praise you for all you are.

It is mid-November. We had a big rain yesterday, and suddenly there are no leaves on the trees. Before the rain they had leaves. So now they are going to sleep as the trees rest a while. I thank you for periods of rest. And for color indoors from paint and dye and the food harvested last month. And the warmth of the indoors to keep me until summer blossoms returns. How interesting and exciting you made our enchanting, delightful, changeable world. Thank you.

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0-Cover-ThumbnailFUN WITH BIBLE NUMBERS has 525 arithmetic problems covering every book of the Bible.  Great for adult or child pastime, bulletin fillers, class openings, homeschoolers, grandparents to keep around for when grandchildren visit, or even the local newspaper.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/FunWith-BibleNumbers

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/links-to-some-of-my-fun-bible-stuff/fun-with-bible-numbers/

As long as forever lasts

inside-cover-mediumYou are the God of my heart, my life, my soul.  I long to be with you some day. I have praised you in the past, I praise you now, I will praise you in the future and as long as forever lasts. You are the originator of all material things and all motion. You set the stars in motion and they have never stopped their movement for all these thousands of years. You are the First Cause of all that is good and right. You have made me in your image so I may have a sense of goodness and right ~ a sense of conscience ~ in my thinking and behavior.  I stand in awe of you.

Thank you, Lord, for interruptions in my life. Sometimes people have to get loud and make me stop what I am doing so I will pay attention to them. I get so absorbed in what I am doing day to day, I forget the rest of the world other than a casual hello or goodbye. Keep doing it, Lord.  Keep sending people to my door, to my phone, to my email, all intent on interrupting me. Thank you for sudden changes. They certainly do make life interesting, and you, my Lord, are always interesting.

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Inside-AUDIBLE-thumbnailINSIDE THE HEARTS OF BIBLE WOMEN includes the stories of twelve Bible women (1) in their ordinary life, (2) when a tragedy happens, (3) how they try to survive the tragedy.  Also available in audio form for listening in the car.  The stories are great for private reading or listening.  The thought questions and teacher’s manual are great for classes or ladies retreats.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/HeartsBibleWomen

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/1107-2/my-book-inside-the-hearts-of-bible-women/

A whole lot of seeking & finding

The scripture for today, November 9 (11/9), is Luke 11:9 as found in the New 0-michel-cover-kindle-mediumTestament of the Bible:

” ‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.’ “

Does this mean that, if you ask for your favorite team to win, they will win? Does this mean that, if you ask for a particular job, you will get that job? Or, if you have your eyes on a particular young man or young woman, you will marry that person?

In the context that Jesus said this, he had just taught his disciples what many call the Lord’s prayer. In that prayer, Jesus instructed us to ask for a little bit of the physical and a whole lot of the spiritual.

You might say, “Well, that doesn’t leave me much to pray for.” Oh, yes, it does. Shift your focus from yourself. It leaves the rest of the world to pray for. What about their little bit of physical and their whole lot of spiritual? How many people do you pray for? Not as a group, but by name? Not occasionally, but every day?

Well then, will God give you every one of the souls you pray for? God gives everyone free will. He does not force people to follow him. God provides opportunities for people you pray for, and he even moves their hearts. But he does not force them. You must still keep on praying, even when you feel like someone is hopeless. Maybe they are hopeless during your lifetime. But sometimes someone’s soul is saved after your death.

So, pray for others and never tire of it ~ a little bit of the physical and whole lot of the spiritual. A whole lot of seeking creates a whole lot of finding. God will answer in his own way. And that’s a promise.

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0-Michel-COVER-Kindle-ThumbnailMICHEL: THE FOURTH WISEMAN wanted to restore the Garden of Eden so God would walk the earth again as he did in the days of Adam and Eve.  This was his constant prayer. Instead, he was interrupted by a star.  At the end of his journey, he learned God was already walking the earth.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/Michel4thWiseMan

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/books-more-biblical-historical-novels/book-6-michel-the-fourth-wise-man/

Confusion

The scripture for today, November 2 (11/2), is Proverbs 11:2 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with hPearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Mediumumility comes wisdom.”

The word “disgrace” comes from Hebrew qalon, meaning confusion. It is also translated dishonor and reproach. But confusion is its first definition.

Pride is so hard to control. With the church or clubs or other organizations, do you think your ideas, your points of view, your ways of doing things are the right ideas, views, and ways?  Do you accuse others of not cooperating if it is your ideas, views, and ways they don’t go along with? Is it hard to give up your ideas views and ways for the sake of peace?

Even in doing daily business, does your pride show up? Do you become impatient with clerks in stores who do not help you, with other drivers on the road who are too slow for you, with people delivering things to your home who do not deliver them right to your door, with kids throwing rocks at things that belong to you, people who try to cut in line ahead of you, fellow workers who take credit for your work, and on and on?

Is it hard to sit by and let others be praised when you do better work than they do, or you work harder than they do, or they get the promotion you deserve?

How do you control your pride? Perhaps by comparing yourself, not with others around you, but with Jesus? In the same circumstance, what did he do?

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Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS. Part of the Touching God trilogy.  Each day you are given one proverb and a passage from one of the other “wisdom literatures” — Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon.  Beautiful gift set with original cover art.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/365PearlsOfWisdom

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/365-pearls-of-wisdom-gods-soul-to-yours/

Unstoppable

00-PAUL COVER-Medium-The scripture for today, November 2 (11/2), is Proverbs 11:2 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

The word “disgrace” comes from Hebrew qalon, meaning confusion. It is also translated dishonor and reproach.

Pride is so hard to control. With the church or clubs or other organizations, do you think your ideas, your points of view, your ways of doing things are the right ideas, views, and ways?  Do you accuse others of not cooperating if it is your ideas, views, and ways they don’t go along with? Is it hard to give up your ideas views and ways for the sake of peace?

Even in doing daily business, does your pride show up? Do you become impatient with clerks in stores who do not help you, with other drivers on the road who are too slow for you, with people delivering things to your home who do not deliver them right to your door, with kids throwing rocks at things that belong to you, people who try to cut in line ahead of you, fellow workers who take credit for your work, and on and on?

Is it hard to sit by and let others be praised when you do better work than they do, or you work harder than they do, or they get the promotion you deserve?

How do you control your pride? Perhaps by comparing yourself, not with others around you, but with Jesus? In the same circumstance, what did he do?

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00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE.  “Wow!  Oh Wow!” is how one reader responded after reading this.  Paul was so full of pride, it took Jesus himself to break him.   After that, he switched sides and took the torture and humiliation he used to dish out onto others.  But he had been so bad in his dedication to ruin others, he never felt as though he could ever do enough to make up for how bad he had been.  For Paul, it was never enough.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://bit.ly/UnstoppablePaul
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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/books-more-biblical-historical-novels/book-2-paul-the-unstoppable/

Me forgive?

05-Joseph-KindleMediumThe scripture for today, October 30 (10/30), is Hebrews 10:30 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ “

In the Law of Moses, people were expected to avenge those who did not follow the law. The vengeance was to be carried out by the person who had been hurt. Some things were even punishable by death.  Remember the “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” command? If someone kills your child, you kill theirs.

But, under Jesus, the Prince of Peace who “turned the other cheek”,  who forgave people torturing him to death, you must forgive people so God, in turn, will forgive you (Matthew 6:14).

What is forgiveness? It is not condoning the bad someone did. Forgiveness is letting go and letting God do any punishing that may be required. Forgiveness is wishing the other person well. You may not trust the other person to not do the bad thing again, and you may forever fear that person. But you can always hope and pray that their lives and hearts will change for the better someday. No one is so bad that you cannot wish them well and pray for them. That’s forgiveness.

Vengeance only prolongs the pain; vengeance is hard on you. So, as the old saying goes, “Let go, and let God.” God will do his part ~ the hard part. He has left the easy part for you.

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05-Joseph-KindleThumbnail

A CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES: JOSEPH. He was forced into slavery because of his brothers. He spent years in prison because of his brothers.  Did he become bitter? That would have been natural. But Joseph did not know how to be bitter.  His love for everyone drove him to always be forgiving. So, with a constant positive attitude, he became “prime minister” of all Egypt.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://bit.ly/ForgivingJoseph

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/a-childs-bible-heroes-book-5-joseph/

Until faith returns

 

00-LUKE-KINDLE Cover-Thumbnail God, you are worthy of praise for your creativity, your mind, your actions, your words. You are goodness and justice and mercy. You are might and power. You are tender and kind. How could I ever want a better judge to stand before at the end of my life?   I worship you.

Father, sometimes I lock people into one action they have done and assume they will always be like that. Help me see the whole person in everyone at all times. Please forgive me when I judge wrong and help me overcome it.

Thank you, Lord God, for hope.  Hope lives, even when faith is tired and beaten down. All things can become better in you either directly or indirectly. No matter what happens, there is always hope because there is always God. Thank you for leaning low when my faith is low and rocking me gently in your arms of hope. Thank you for being patient with me and lending me your strength until full faith returns.

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LUKE: SLAVE AND PHYSICIAN.  Yes, in Roman times, physicians were family slaves.  And slaves came from the losing side in war.  Luke could have been enslaved after the great Battle of Baduhenna Wood in today’s Holland as Lukvert.  In this novelized version of his life, he believes in the Nordic gods. But he cannot find them. When enslaved by the Romans, he learned of innumerable other gods.  His prayer was always, “Oh thousand gods”.  He even climbed Mt. Olympus, but Jupiter was not there.  Now he was ready to meet Paul.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/Lukephysician

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/books-more-biblical-historical-novels/book-3-luke-slave-physician/