Tuesday 5/21 ~ The Unimaginable Plan

On May 21, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, Death of Jesus Christ, eternity, forgiveness, Heaven, sacrifice, Satan, Saved from hell, sinLeave a comment

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

“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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Thursday 5/9 ~ Freedom is not free

On May 9, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, Death of Jesus Christ, forgiveness, Heaven, Life of Christ, Satan, Saved from hell, sin, victory1 Comment

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

“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.

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Monday 4/15 ~ Could you die for it?

On April 15, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, Death of Jesus Christ, Enemies, faith, Heaven, sacrifice, Saved from hell, Scripture1 Comment

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

“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.

PAUL: 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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Saturday 4/13 ~ Someday you will smile and rise again

On April 13, 2019April 13, 2019 By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, emptiness, Enemies, ethics, family, Inspirational, Loss, persecution, problems, victory, weakness1 Comment

The scripture for today, April 13 (4/13), is Philippians 4:13 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Life is not easy. Plans are scattered, dreams are shattered, and even predictable every-day things sometimes give way to the unknown and unforeseeable. Maybe you have made bad decisions, or you weren’t prepared for emergencies, or you are an innocent victim of someone else’s problems.

There is Someone who knows everything that is happening to you and who will walk beside you down whatever path you find yourself. And, as amazing as it sounds, even if you lose faith in Him, He will not lose faith in you.

When you don’t feel like it, reach out to God. Pray, even if all you can think of talking about is how terrible things are right now. At least you’re talking. And read the Bible, for that is God talking to you. Keep the two-way communication going. Amidst your weeping when you fall, God will give you strength. And someday once again you will rise and smile again.

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Monday 4/1 ~ Rise Up!

On April 1, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, Heaven, persecution, Saved from hell, teaching1 Comment

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

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

Paul, imprisoned for spreading the word about Jesus? Now he wants others to follow his example, even if they end up in prison like him?

Did Paul’s incarceration stop the Christians he was writing to from spreading the word? More, did Jesus’ crucifixion stop them for fear they would be crucified too? Did early Christians decide it was too dangerous to tell people the way to escape hell and go to heaven? Never.

They loved people’s souls so much, they were willing to take insults, persecution, imprisonment and even death in the hopes their persistent love would eventually lead to people becoming Christians and being saved from eternal hell. They knew their “calling” as Christians.

How about today? Do you live a life worthy of your calling as a Christian? Do you stand up for Jesus and reach out to the lost, regardless of how they treat you? Or do you cower and use the excuse, “Once people see my godly life, they will ask me how to be saved”? How many times do the lost really do that?

Rise up! Stand tall as a brave soldier of the Lord. Dare to march into enemy territory and do everything you can to snatch the lost out of the claws of Satan.

No matter what they do to you.

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Monday 3/11 ~ Shhh. Do you hear him?

On March 11, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, emptiness, eternity, Inspirational, knowledgeLeave a comment

The scripture for today, March 11 (3/11), is Ecclesiastes 3:11 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“…He has also set eternity in the hearts of men….”

People have always thought about eternity. Ancient explorers often went out in search of the Fountain of Youth. Everyone wonders sometimes why we are here and what happens when we die. All people hope to live on.

That instinct is God speaking to us saying, “Yes, there is an eternity, and I want to be part of yours.”

Indeed, there is a God-shaped emptiness in the heart of man. God wants to fill it. We want him to.

But how badly do we want him to? If we spend each day so busy pursuing things and pleasures and power, it’s easy to forget about him. Then our heartaches, and we do not understand why.

It is eternity calling out to you still. It is God calling out to you still. Listen! He’s calling you in His Word ~ the Bible. Open it and listen. Shhh. Do you hear him?

365 GOLDEN BIBLE THOUGHTS: GOD’S HEART TO YOURS is a compilation of daily inspirational thoughts based on the date. For example, March is the 3rd month. Therefore, on March 16 (3/16), the verse for the day and following inspirational thought is John 3:16. This is the beautiful gift-book edition. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2J66kpA

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Wednesday 2/17 ~ A good person, a great person, a mighty person

On February 27, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, death, discouragement, ego, Inspirational, Loss, problems, victory1 Comment

The scripture for today, February 27 (2/27), is Jeremiah 2:27 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“ ‘Why do you bring charges against me? You have all rebelled against me,’ declares the Lord.”

Do you want God to make it impossible for someone to insult or lie or cuss at you? Do you want God to make it impossible for someone to fire you? Do you want God to make it impossible to kill you? Do you want to stop free will? If that were the case, we would all be robots with no will of our own.

More and more people are blaming God for bad things happening in their life. That is their excuse for rebelling against God and declaring he does not even exist. Their view of God is a Santa Claus or Genie in a Bottle who grants their every wish and keeps them from all harm. No one ever dies, no one ever sins, and it is heaven on earth.

What they want is for God to stop his laws of Nature whenever you want. If someone throws a knife at them, it suddenly turns to gelatin. If someone’s car is about to slam into them and kill someone, they want that car to suddenly be made out of feathers.

Other people sometimes blame God for bad things happening in their life because blaming is one of the ways they handle their grief. They don’t really want to blame God because they want to think God loves them. But there is no one else to blame.

No one else to blame? Oh, yes, there is. There is Satan. We tend to forget Satan is out there too. It is Satan who causes bad to happen, not God.

Is that what you’ve done lately ~ blame God for bad happening, then rebel against him? Or do you know someone who is going through many problems not of their doing or choosing? Are they blaming God and rebelling against him? Help them. Remind them of Satan.

People want to blame someone. They will be relieved to be reminded that Satan exists. Now they can put the blame where it belongs.

Let us not blame God for the bad. Instead, let us thank Him for the good. And for hard things in our life so we can build our spiritual muscles. How can we have Victory in Jesus unless we have something to be victorious over? How can we be More than Conquerors unless we have something to conquer? Are we cowards? Do we run from hard work and exercise?

Look up! God knows what he is doing. He wants you to become a good person, a great person, a mighty person. But you must do it his way.

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Monday 2/25 ~ Almost Home

On February 25, 2019February 25, 2019 By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, death, discouragement, faith, Heaven, Inspirational, victory2 Comments

The scripture for today, February 25 (2/25), is Revelation 2:25 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Only hold on to what you have until I come.”

Several years ago, my 91-year-old mother left this life. Some say that, at the moment of death, one’s life flashes before their eyes. In the case of my mother, at the moment of her death, her life flashed before my eyes.

I suddenly imagined her as a baby in her mother’s (my grandmother’s) lap. Then she was a toddler playing in their yard. Then I saw her in school, then as a young bride to my father, then at home with her husband and children gathered around her. Then I saw her as launching a career after we were grown, then retiring, then eventually going into the nursing home.

And when that brief moment of envisioning her whole life was gone, I whispered, “You made it, Mother! You made it! You never faltered. Through all those years of ups and downs, you never wavered in your faith that Jesus Christ was real and would accept you into heaven. You stuck it out. And now you’re home!”

May you live your life in such a way that, despite your ups and downs, you never wander from Jesus. Stick with him through every storm, every flood, every blast of tragedy, every tumbling of dreams. Hold on to what you have until the day you leave this temporary life and enter your true eternal life.

LAZARUS: THE SAMARITAN lived through all Jesus’ parables over 45 years. He was the Good Samaritan, his sister was the Woman at the well, a son was the Prodigal Son, his daughter’s wedding had 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins. He became rich, then after betrayal became Lazarus in “The Rich Man & Lazarus”. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2TbmHoH

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Friday 1/18 ~ Whiter than the snow outside your window

On January 18, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, Death of Jesus Christ, sacrifice, Satan, Saved from hell, worship2 Comments

The scripture for today, January 18 (1/18), is Isaiah 1:18 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

” ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ “

When did this become possible? Revelation in the New Testament explains in 7:14 we make our robes white by washing them in the blood of the Lamb.

What lamb? John the Baptist introduced the world to the Lamb. When he saw Jesus walking toward him in front of a crowd, he announced, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

How did Jesus become the Lamb of God? Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death, the wages being paid by Satan. In the Old Testament era, God pacified Satan temporarily by allowing us to kill an animal in our place whenever we sinned. So, for centuries, we would sin and sacrifice an animal, sin and sacrifice an animal and on and on, for we never could stop sinning.

Finally, God offered one last sacrifice for all times. This is what Satan wanted. In order to redeem us from our soul death, Satan wanted God to die. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper (Communion), he did so during the Jewish Passover feast where they ate their meal of lamb. There is no mention that Jesus and his apostles ate the usual lamb. Instead, he passed around the usual wine and said from now on it represented his blood as the sacrificial Lamb. And he passed around the usual bread and said from now on it represented his body as the sacrificial Lamb. (Mark 14:12 22-25).

Then Jesus ~ God on earth ~ went out and paid our ransom by dying. Then he tricked Satan and came back to life on Sunday, overcoming death forever.

Sunday is the most special day of the week for Christians. Why? The early Christians under guidance of Jesus’ apostles “broke bread” for the communion every first day of the week (Acts 20:7). May we always make this the central part of our worship on this special day.

It is snowing where some of you live. Look out your window or find a picture of snow. So white and pure and sparkling. So soft and quiet and peaceful. Oh, my Savior. You can make my soul this white? Whiter? I fall at Your feet and worship You.

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Sunday 1/13 ~ Come back! Come back! I miss you!

On January 13, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, Death of Jesus Christ, ego, eternity, forgiveness, Heaven, judging, sacrifice, Satan, Saved from hellLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 13 (1/13), is Habakkuk 1:13 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.”

This pretty much explains why no one deserves heaven. Going to heaven has little to do with doing so many good works God will feel obligated to admit you.

It’s all about sin. Only sinless people can be in heaven, for God cannot coexist with sin and still be God. Of course, you cannot be sinless. If nothing else, you have sins of attitude and neglect.

For thousands of years, God let mankind try any way they could to be perfect. Some people he gave the Law of Moses to, and some people he continued to let try on their own. Neither worked. No matter how hard we tried, no one could get it right.

The wages you earn for sinning is death (Romans 6:23). Remember in the Garden of Eden God warned, “The moment you sin, you die.” He was talking about souls dying and eventually bodies dying. Satan was now holding mankind hostage. Satan causes death, so sinners collect the wages Satan pays for following him.

But mankind was still being held hostage. He demanded the highest ransom imaginable: The death of God. Satan wanted to e God and this was the only way he could carry out his plan.

God held Satan off temporarily: He told them to kill an animal to die in their place. Even collecting the wages of sin, Satan still held mankind hostage. Mankind had to have all the chances possible to be perfect. But after millenniums, mankind still could not.

Galatians 4:4 says, “When the time was come, God sent his son.” Finally, when mankind understood everyone needed outside help, God sent Jesus. Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus lived the perfect life that was impossible for anyone to live; he was completely free of sin.

Then God seemingly gave in to Satan’s ransom demand to free mankind. God offered his son ~ God in the form of mankind. Finally, Satan got his wish ~ the ransom he had demanded: The death of God.

So, Satan freed mankind from his prison of soul death. But Satan was in for a surprise. His gloating came to an abrupt stop. God tricked Satan. You cannot kill Life. God returned to that human body and came back to life.

It was too late. Satan had already freed mankind.

That done, God ~ who can only dwell with sinlessness ~ was now able to allow obedient, faithful believers in Jesus into his home, heaven. For, through Jesus, we become sinless. Glory of glories!

But something terrible happened after that. People began selling themselves back into slavery to Satan (Romans 6:15-23). No! No! This cannot be! So God, through people who have resisted Satan’s lures of fun and riches, power and beauty, continually call out, “Come back! Come back to God! Come back. I miss you. God misses you….”

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