Tuesday 5/21 ~ The Unimaginable Plan

The scripture for today, May 21 (5/21), is 2nd Corinthians 5:21 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-Thumbnail“God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

A lot of people do not understand what Jesus’ death has to do with going to heaven. The key is in Romans 3:23 that says “The wages of sin is death.” In Genesis, 2:17, God told Adam and Eve the moment they disobey him, they will die. When Adam and Eve sinned, immediately their souls died, and the bodies gradually died. That was the wages they collected for sinning.

It’s been happening to everyone since then. Why is God so strict?  He is trying to protect us from Satan. He is like a parent shouting, “Don’t go out into the street!”  So, during Old Testament times, God told people to kill an animal to placate Satan temporarily.  Apparently, it did but not forever.

 Hebrews says the blood of animals cannot truly take away (take the substitute punishment for) sins; they are remembered again every year (Hebrews 10:3-4).

Finally, John the Baptist announced Jesus was “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). This is what Satan really wanted. He had not yet put mankind in hell with him.  He was holding mankind for ransom.  He wanted God to die before he would release mankind from his hold. For 33 years, God’s Word took human form in Jesus and became one of us. Then he died in our place. In so doing, he collected our wages forever.

Jesus did two things impossible for us to do: Live a perfect life without sin, and come back to life after he died ~ both physically and spiritually. Why? So we could do two more things impossible for humans to do on our own: Release ourselves from Satan’s captivity and escape to heaven where we would be permanently safe.

But we have to believe this happened. As long as we do not believe it, even though Satan has opened the gate to release our captives, we must walk through that gate and through the gate of heaven.

It is not about being good enough. No one can do enough good works Satan has no choice to release us and God has no choice but to let us into his home, heaven. It only takes one sin to be a sinner.  God cannot exist with sin.

God begs us to come to him and follow him out of danger and into the safety of his heaven. It is not automatic. If we follow Jesus, God sees us as sinless. Jesus was perfect for us. What a plan ~ the things Jesus had to go through to free us.   What unimaginable love. 

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Tuesday 5/14 ~ You will not be able to stop

The scripture for today, May 14 (5/14), is 2nd Corinthians 5:14a as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-Thumbnail“For Christ’s love compels us….”

On a distant hill a very long time ago, something unbelievable happened.

Jesus ~ God materialized ~ died both physically and spiritually in your place! (Remember when he said God had forsaken him?) He knew you couldn’t come back from either kind of death on your own, so he did it for you. Such terrible things he went through for you so you wouldn’t have to and would fail.

Love is powerful! It causes you to do things for someone you love that you never wanted to do and never dreamed you could do.

How powerful is your love for Christ? And for those he was compelled to die for? Do you share his love with others? 1st John 4:18 says, “Perfect love casts out fear.”

Reach out to people who think Jesus will ruin their fun, or has too many rules, or could never forgive them, or wouldn’t stop a tragedy. If not in person, tell them in a note, a phone call, email, even a song. There are ways.

 Reach out. You can if Christ’s love compels you. You will not be able to stop.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redSTEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR became obsessed with the Lord he loved and for people around him who did not know about Jesus’ love. This young man was so compelled, nothing stopped him ~ not even death. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2QcCWhr

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Thursday 5/9 ~ Freedom is not free

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

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-Thumbnail“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.”

Jesus, the only begotten Son of God (Christians are adopted sons) was a peacemaker. He came to earth to help us make peace with God. After all, “all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It only takes one sin to be a sinner. And God cannot dwell with sin. What was the solution?

Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. These wages we earn are from Satan because Satan is the originator of death. In Old Testament times, God told people to kill a perfect animal in their place to pacify Satan who was holding mankind hostage. So, people kept having to do it. The death Satan really wanted was the death of God. He would not release mankind until God paid the terrible ransom price ~ his death.  So, when the time was right, Jesus came to earth and lived that perfect life that is impossible for us to live as the perfect Lamb of God. Then he allowed himself to take our punishment for our (not his) sins and collect the death wage in our place.  

His was the final sacrifice. Our freedom was not free. Jesus had paid the ransom to Satan to set us free. (Then, of course, God tricked him and that body Jesus was in came back to life.) But freedom is not automatic. Satan gets us back unless we believe Jesus did that and follow him. Now we are no longer slaves of Satan. We are adopted and become children of God.

Jesus was a peacemaker between God and man. You, too, can be a peacemaker. You can help people be at peace with themselves. You can help them be at peace with each other. And you can help them be at peace with God. Thereby, you can share in what God’s begotten Son was.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redTHEY MET JESUS: SHADOW OF DEATH tells, not only of the terrible price Jesus had to pay Satan to free us but also how it affected both his friends and enemies.  Read it. It will change your life. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2vPZFpW

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Wednesday, 5/1 ~ Declared perfect

The scripture for today, May 1 (5/1), is Romans 5:1 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Titus-Cover-Lg Thumb“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Of course, if we do not have faith in Jesus, we will not obey any of his commands. He said in John 15:14, “You are my friends IF you do what I command.”

How do we become his friends?  By obeying all his commands. But we have all sinned and fallen short God’s perfection (Romans 3:23) and the wages we earn from Satan with our sins is body and soul death (Romans 6:23).

That makes it impossible for us to live in heaven. Only the just ~ the perfect ~ can enter heaven. Otherwise, heaven wouldn’t be heaven. But how do we become perfect when the fact remains that almost daily we sin by actions, attitudes, and good things we leave undone?

Every time we sin, we come in the clutches of Satan, the originator of both body and soul death.  He holds us hostage. So, God came to us in flesh, paid our fine, our bail, and bought us out of the death prison of Satan. He got us out and declared us not guilty ~ perfect. But, it does us no good unless we believe he did that for us. 

What amazing God we have. We can scarcely comprehend it. It stretches our mind, our heart, our soul. Yes, it is a beautiful thing what God did for us so we can have peace with him. That was his part. Our part is to believe it, accept it, and actively follow it.

That, too, is beautiful.

TImage result for "Buy the book" button redITUS: THE ARISTOCRAT was born of privilege. His father was the city magistrate and Titus became a lawyer.  He searched until able to declare his clients not guilty. But his father forever declared Titus guilty for causing Titus’ mother’s death. He carried this with him until he learned about Jesus, the one who would forgive.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2vtKu5N

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Thursday 4/18 ~ What is unseen is most real

The scripture for today, April 18 (4/18), is 2nd Corinthians 4:18 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Was Jesus God-COVER-kindle-thumbnail“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

In a sense, what is unseen is the true reality. We cannot see love, but we see its influence, and it is stronger than anything in the world that we can see. We cannot see God, but we can see his influence, and he is more real than anything in the world that we can see.

Sometimes we all say we wish we could see God and touch God. But if that were the case, he wouldn’t be God, for he couldn’t be everywhere at once. He would only be able to hear the prayer of one person at a time, and only able to answer the prayer of one person at a time. By being unseen by human eyes, God can be everywhere.

It’s a hidden blessing!  Every one of us among the billions of people on earth can feel we are God’s special ones. Every one of us can feel his presence, his soul, his love.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redWriting WAS JESUS GOD? (WHY EVIL?) impacted me more than anything else I have ever written. The urgency of God materialized spilling his blood so Satan couldn’t punish me touched me indescribably. Today, heaven is more real to me than ever it was. How I long to be there right now. But God still has work for me to do. When that work is done, I will leave all of you behind. But I’ll be waiting for you to catch up with me so we can be together forever.  Katheryn.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2ULeFUS

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Monday 4/15 ~ Could you die for it?

The scripture for today, April 15 (4/15), is 1st John 4:15 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”

The New Testament was written by people who walked and talked with Jesus. They saw his miracles, they heard his amazing words. They were eye witnesses.

Several first- and second-century manuscripts still exist that were passed down from some who actually knew the eye witnesses. A few were even written during the late lifetime of the last living apostle, John. The Bible has more existing ancient manuscripts (over 5000) than any historical writing in the world.

Read the New Testament. It was written by inspired men with a passion that would not let them stop talking about this Jesus. He consumed their life when he was on earth, and consumed their spirit after he left.

Through the centuries, men and women have given their lives so that you today may have the writings (New Testament) of those eye witnesses in our own language and read it for yourself. Many were ridiculed and tortured terribly and then died a long excruciating death so that the apostles’ testimony could live on.

Do not take for granted your New Testament ~  the words of Jesus’ eye witnesses. Jesus lived and died for you. Those witnesses, in a sense, also lived and died for you. Read what they testified to. Then, live, and if necessary, die for it.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redPAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE loved people’s souls so much, after they beat him for telling them about Jesus, he got up and told them again. Such stubborn love.  Follow him from his robust youth to bent and worn-out old age.  To BUY NOW click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2Gg3ppw

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Tuesday 4/9 ~ How perplexing

The scripture for today, April 9 (4/9), is 1st John 4:9f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-Thumbnail“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: Not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

How perplexing. We are stymied. There is no solution. We humans do not have the will to live perfect lives. We give in to sin. We can never get it right. Romans 6:23 says the wages we earn for sinning is death. In the Old Testament era, God held Satan at bay from us by telling people to kill an animal in their place whenever they sinned. But it had to be done over and over. Still, every time we sinned, our souls died a little more. Then came our rescue our solution. But the cost.  It was so high.  God sent his Son to us for a while with a body so his Son’s body could be killed (collecting our wages, the cost of our sins) in our place.

Finally, God invited mankind to bring our souls back to life through him ~ that is, become Christians. How do we become alive through Jesus? Of course, we know about believing Jesus was the Son of God and repenting of our sins. Also, Romans 6:4 says when we are baptized and come forth out of the Spirit’s watery womb, our souls are born again and we now have a new life.

Still, it does not stop there. We must try the best we can to live as Jesus lived, speak as Jesus spoke, love as Jesus loved. With Jesus living in us, we are his mouth, his hands, his feet. It is then that we offer our own bodies as daily sacrifices (Romans 12:1).

Ah, Lord God.  I want to do this. I truly do. Help me.  Help me.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redSHADOW OF DEATH is a novel centered around Jesus’ death. Two chapters are of the hours on the cross.  Feel the nails with him. Hear his cries. Sense his love.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2Utb8KQ

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Thursday 3/14 ~ Are you throwing away your prize?

The scripture for today, March 14 (3/14), is Philippians 3:14, as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-Thumbnail“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus knew that, out of jealousy, the religious leaders were trying to kill him. So, for a while, he stayed out of Jerusalem where the religious headquarters was. But eventually, the time came for him to put himself in their hands. Was it easy for him to do? Definitely not! For he knew his death would be by physical and spiritual torture.

“They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished while those who followed were afraid” (Mark 10:32).

Jesus pressed on. He did not want to go through the crucifixion. Hebrews 5:7 says that “during the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death.”

As difficult as it was for him, Jesus pressed on toward the goal to win the prize. But the prize was not for himself; it was for you and me ~ eternity in heaven instead of hell!

You do not have to go through what he did for your salvation and avoidance of hell. Your little bit of sacrifice is nothing by comparison. Or do you turn away from the prize Jesus sacrificed so much for so you can have a little more fun, accumulate a few more things, watch a few more tv shows, play a few more computer games, be a little more important to your friends?

Are you throwing away your prize?

Image result for "Buy the book" buttonSHADOW OF DEATH begins with Pilate trying everything he can think of to change the minds of the bribed mob. It ends with the unbearable sorrow of his followers who think all is lost forever.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2TSBrt2

  • Chap. 1 ~ Pilate:  Soaring to Nothingness
  • Chap. 2 ~ Simon the Libyan:  The Gauntlet
  • Chap. 3 ~ Crucifixion I:  The Substitute
  • Chap. 4 ~ Crucifixion II:  Victorious Dying
  • Chap. 5 ~ Two Thieves:  Stranger in Paradise
  • Chap. 6 ~ Joseph of Arimathea:  Sleeping Giant
  • Chap. 7 ~ Graveyard Sentries:  Dawn Eyes
  • Chap. 8 ~ Five Wealth Women II:  Breath of God
  • Chap. 9 ~ Peter:  Torch Flight
  • Chap. 10 ~ Big Little James & Alphaeus:  Desert of Sighs

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Wednesday 3/6 ~ Where’s your grace?

The Scripture for today, March 7 (3/7), is Titus 3:7 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Was Jesus God-COVER-kindle-thumbnail“So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

God wanted you to live in his home so much, he was willing to overlook your sins and pretend you are correct, law-abiding, perfect, just. When mankind sinned, we belonged to Satan. So, God materialized, came and ransomed you and me from Satan with his blood.  Then, he said, “Follow me. Obey my few commands. Then, in my eyes, you never sinned, you become just.

Not only just, but God put you in his last will and testament, what we call the New Testament. It contains his guidelines and what you will inherit. Your inheritance is explained in large part in Revelation ~ God’s heaven. And what an inheritance!

Now, how about you?  Do you ever justify other people who do wrong against you, are mean to you? Yes, even if they do the same wrong against you over and over?  Remember, you commit the same sins over and over and expect God to forgive you, to justify you over and over.  God will give you as much grace as you give others.  Where’s your grace?

Image result for "Buy the book" signWAS JESUS GOD?   Just as you have a body, a spirit in you that keeps your body alive, and a mind. Your mind tells your words what to say and your body what to do.  In the same way, the Father is the mind, the will.  The Holy Spirit is his life-giving force. The Son is his body and words and they must obey what his mind (Father) tells him to say and do.  Learn more in this book. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2IUzckE

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Tuesday 3/5 ~ Renewal & rebirth

The scripture for today, March 5 (3/5), is Titus 3:5 in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-Thumbnail“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

God is perfectly good and cannot dwell with imperfection. How, then, could we ever live with him in his heaven?  After all, as hard as we tried, we could not be perfect. Mankind was held hostage by Satan.

God loved us so much that he solved our dilemma. He sent his Son to live that perfect life that is impossible for us to live. Then, his perfect “Lamb of God” took our punishment for our sins by paying the ransom to get us out of the clutches of Satan.

Romans 3:23 says the earnings of sin is death ~ physical death (separation from this world) and spiritual death (separation from God). Jesus took it all for us. And that included being completely separated from God. At the worst of it, Jesus cried out to God, “Why have your FORSAKEN me?” That’s when Jesus died spiritually for a moment.  It was we who deserved to be forsaken by God.

Sin and its power now destroyed, God said if we go “through the washing of rebirth” we will be renewed by the Holy Spirit.

God does not leave us guessing. But how?   In Acts 22:16 Jesus said to Paul, “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins” and in Romans 6:4 he said through Paul, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism in order that…we too may live a new life [rebirth].”  Then we could start over pure and washed.

Washing of rebirth is no more “water salvation” than the cross was “wood salvation.”  Both were physical things that accomplished spiritual outcomes. God took care of the hard part. He gave us the easy part. And so we worship him with unspeakable gratitude that soars to the heavens and fills God’s throne room.

Image result for "Buy the book"Each chapter in WORSHIP THE 1ST-CENTURY WAY begins with quotes of famous theologians such as WESLEY, LUTHER, CALVIN, etc.  It ends with quotes from second-century Christians.  Each chapter is a different form of worship. There is even one on the announcements (good works)!  Full of good things for you to consider. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2ISNthC

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