Category: Bible

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0-BOOK 5-FLOOD GATES-Cover-PrintThe scripture for today, December 18, is Hebrews 12:18ff as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“You have not come to a mountain [Sinai] that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storms; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.’ The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’ “

“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a NEW COVENANT….”

The first paragraph refers to the mountain on which Moses received what was called the Law of Moses ~ not just 10 commandments, but over 600 ~ over a 40-day period. The second paragraph refers to a different mountain where the Temple was later built in Jerusalem.

Then it shows that Jesus took it beyond the physical so that the Christian Jerusalem has come out of heaven where angels and the living God dwell (Revelation 21).

Why would anyone want to dip into the old Law of Moses to get justification to do showy things in worship? And why would anyone want to rebuild the old Temple in Jerusalem when the new Jerusalem is in heaven? Let us not think of what pleases us, but what pleases God.

Scripture for Thursday, December 17 (12/17)

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The scripture for today, December 17, is Revelation 12:17 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 3-HEARTS AFIRE-COVER“Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring ~ those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

Verse 9 says the dragon is also the serpent which is also Satan.

There are some people who seem to be enraged all the time. We may never be able to change that person. But we can direct their anger. If they want to be enraged at someone, let them be angry at Satan. Let them go to war with Satan. Let them rage at everything he is doing. Let them lash out at everything he stands for.

So think about the people you know who are extremely angry at the church or at God. Tell them that Christians must be spiritual warriors and they could become a Christian soldier of the Lord.

Some people just cannot get rid of anger in their life. They may mellow in their old age, but that mellowness is a long way off. Show them how much Satan is enraged at them and how much God loves them. Show them how to get on God’s side, enroll in the army of the Lord, and use their anger against Satan.

Does it work? Paul said in 1st Timothy 1:13, “I was a violent man.” Yet, he converted people all over southern Europe, as he “fought the good fight”.

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The scripture for today, December 16, is Romans 12:16 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 2-DREAM MAKER-COVER“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”

Who do we associate with? Just people who are like us?

Do we consider people richer than us as greedy, uncaring and uppity? And people poorer than us as lazy, users and lowlifes?

Do we consider people smarter than us as having their heads in the clouds? And people duller than us as incapable of understanding anything important?

Do we consider people stronger than us as egotistical show-offs? And people weaker than us as not worthy of notice?

How this hurts our Savior who died for everyone. We are all sinners. We all need the same saving grace.

Let us live in harmony with all. Let us make everyone ~ both those “above” us and “below” us ~ feel the love of God through us. And equal.

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The scripture for today, December 15, is Hebrews 12:15 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-COVER-Thumbnail“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

Bitterness can cause us to miss the grace of God. Bitterness only causes trouble for ourselves and others, and defiles us. Bitterness comes from our thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought (Romans 12:3), and forgetting that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Bitterness also leads to either bullying or shunning, and ends in broken relationships. It all causes us to miss the grace of God.

The opposite of bitterness is forgiveness. Forgiveness does not mean we condone what someone else has done. It means we let go of it and let God handle it. It means we wish the best for the offending person or situation. We can wish even the most hardened criminal will some turn to God and turn his life around. God forgives us as we forgive others.

Forgiveness lifts weights off of us until we feel as though we could soar. Forgiveness takes the clouds away and brings back the sunshine. Forgiveness makes sure we do not miss the grace of God.

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The scripture for today, December 14, is 1st Samuel 12:14 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

00-Heroes-Alone-COVER-KINDLE“If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God ~ good!”

The Jews had just insisted on having a king rule over them instead of a supreme judge. Samuel replied and said IF. IF they serve and obey the Lord, and IF they both (people and king) follow the Lord, then it is good.

Today as then, some people live in a nation where the king/government does not follow the Lord. What to do? Galatians 5:22 tells us to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled, for “against such things there is no law”.

Is it hard to do this when crooked officials are getting all the advantages and you are being cheated? Indeed it is. It may seem they are on top of things. In reality, they are at the bottom. Never ever let others drag you down to their level. It is not worth it. Keep your eyes on God!

Hold fast!
Stand firm!
Do the right thing!

In the end, they will lose. You and God will win. And that is good!

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The scripture for today, December 13, is Ecclesiastes 12:13 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Old Testament Survey-Cover-Kindle“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

When the King James Version was published in the early 1600s, they italicized all words that were not in the original language of the Bible. The word “duty” above was not in the original.Translators inserted it to help us understand the original. But perhaps in this case it did not help. Fearing God is the whole of man ~ not our duty, but our essence.

Fearing the Lord is a gift. Isaiah 11:2 predicted regarding Jesus: “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him ~
“…the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,”
“…the Spirit of counsel and of power,”
“…the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”

Solomon had tried everything to find happiness, as he explained in his book of Ecclesiastes ~ Pleasure (ch. 2), hard work (ch. 3), advancement (ch. 4), riches (ch. 5). None brought him true happiness. Eventually, he concluded that only one thing can bring that happiness deep down inside where no one and no situation in life can touch it ~ God. God is the whole of man ~ if we let Him be.

Why? Ecclesiastes 3:11 explains it richly: “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” Another way to view this is “There is a God-shaped emptiness in the heart of man.” Fill your mind with the Word of God. Then God will fill your heart and being, and make you feel full.

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The scripture for today, December 12, is 2nd Corinthians 12:12 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

HS-COVER-KINDLE-GOLD“The things that mark an Apostle ~ signs, wonders and miracles ~ were done among you with great perseverance.”

This is so interesting. These are not things that mark Christians in general, but the Apostles.

Jesus told his Apostles that, when they taught the world about Jesus and baptized them, miracles and signs would accompany the believers (Mark 16:17). The miracles and signs followed conversions of believers by the Apostles to whom he was speaking.

Acts 3:6f and 9:40f involved healing by the Apostle Peter, and Acts 20:9f involved healing by the Apostle Paul which they performed to prove their words were the Words of God.

In Acts 6:5-6, the Apostles laid their hands on seven men to serve the church in a special way. Of those men, Stephen performed miracles (6:8) and Philip performed miracles (8:5-7), both to prove their words were the Words of God.

In Romans 1:1,11, the Apostle Paul said he wanted to visit the Christians in Rome so he could impart some spiritual gift. In 1st Corinthians 1:6-7 the Apostle Paul said he imparted spiritual gifts to Christians in Corinth.

We have no examples in the New Testament of anyone other than an Apostle passing on the power to perform miracles. Even the writings of the “Apostolic Fathers” in the late 1st and early 2nd century say things like “Even down to those times there were a few miracles being performed including raising the dead.”

Yes, the reason for the miracles was to prove the words of the miracle performer were the Words of God (which had not yet been written down). It was this way with Jesus, and this way with his Apostles. Now that we have the New Testament (Jesus’ and his Apostles’ teachings in written form) we no longer need the miracles.

They were “marks of an Apostle.” The miracles including, healing, renewing the maimed (making limbs grow back), and bringing people back to life. All of them.

Interesting, isn’t it?

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The scripture for today, December 11, is Romans 12:11 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
00-Heroes-Alone-COVER-KINDLE

Sometimes we get physically tired and our spiritual zeal wanes along with it. We just want to rest. Well, while we rest, we can always become prayer warriors.

When you see friends, ask them, “How was your week/day/month?” Don’t ask them how they are, for they will probably reply, “Fine.” But if you ask how their week has been, that gives them something to talk about. They’ll tell you of things they have been doing. Regardless of what they say, reply, “May I pray for your success in….” or “I’d like to pray for your….”

What the world needs is prayer. Many people have never in their entire life heard someone tell them, “I am praying for you.” Be the first. Open up their lives to the love of God.

Prayer is powerful, especially when you are not praying for yourself all the time, but rather are praying for others. Do you have a prayer list? How many are on it besides yourself? Ten? Fifty? A hundred? Five hundred? Is that too many to cover? Not at all. How long does it take to read 500 names in earnest, sincere prayer? You may say, “But just mentioning a name is so meaningless; it’s too simple. God expects me to explain all I know about this person’s problem and then do some begging.” No he doesn’t; not with everyone. Prayer is so very, very powerful, that just mentioning a person’s name will bring this person before the very throne of God.

Then, even when you are tired and lack physical zeal, your soul can rise up with spiritual fervor to heaven itself.

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The scripture for today, December 10, is Job 12:10 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Oldoldstory-COVER-KINDLE“Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?”

Let’s talk a moment about teenagers. Many adults joke that their teen is 16 going on 60. In other words, they think they know it all, even more than their parents.

Let’s look at the situation this way. They may have bodies that have grown to that of an adult. But minds grow much slower, and they must give their minds a chance to catch up!

As adults, it is our responsibility to help their minds catch up. Know enough about the Bible that you can apply scriptures to their activities and interests and friends. You may wish to make a list of your teenager’s activities, interests and friends, and then list a scripture next to each. Proverbs is an excellent book to start with. Then when the occasion arises, be ready (even if you have to sneak into the other room a minute to consult your list) to instill some wisdom.

This way, it is not you speaking, but God speaking. God said, “My word will not return to me void” (Isaiah 55:11). And God is older and wiser than all of us.

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The scripture for today, December 9, is 2nd Corinthians 12:9 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-Heroes-Alone-COVER-KINDLE“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Oh how much we need to be reminded of this scripture. We all have weaknesses. Do we lament the hand we were dealt? Do we lament the country we were born in, the family we were born into, the physical limitations we were born with, the mental, emotional or physical deficiencies we ended up with?

This is your chance! Those weaknesses! Go around others with the same weakness you have with joy in your heart, gladness on your lips and a continual gleam in your eyes! Let God’s strength shine in your weakness!

When people begin to sympathize with you, interrupt them and tell them how much God loves you, and how much God loves them! Encourage your “encouragers.” Let them go away from you with a new understanding of the blessings of weakness!

And perhaps be a little more thankful for their own weaknesses.