Thursday 8/22 ~ Our sad songs

The scripture for today, August 22 (8/22), is Jeremiah 8:22 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

00- Worship Changes KC COVER-thumbnail“Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?”

Jeremiah laments that his people have not returned to God for healing. Today, we weep over the hundreds of conflicting denominations and our nation that do not return to God. We pray, we weep, we sing our sad songs.

This beautiful African-American spiritual of unknown origin is one of those sad songs. You may be able to hear it sung a cappella here: http://bit.ly/1PfHxrI Here are the words to that spiritual:

There is a balm in Gilead
 To make the wounded whole;
 There is a balm in Gilead
 To heal the sin-sick soul.

 Sometimes I feel discouraged,
 And think my work’s in vain,
 But then the Holy Spirit
 Revives my soul again.

 If you can’t preach like Peter,
 If you can’t pray like Paul,
 Just tell the love of Jesus,
 And say He died for all.

Keep praying and sharing and singing.

 

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Monday 8/19 ~ Whispering & Muttering

The scripture for today, August 19 (8/19), is Isaiah 8:19f as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.”

It has always been a popular thing to do among some people to try to reach into the spirit world, the world of demons angels, and the dead. They may be very religious people. They may pray a lot and go to worship a lot and read the Bible a lot. But God’s word is not enough for them, so they delve into the other world.

People promote this for a business to make money. Others promote it to declare they are smarter than God.  Still others promote it to brag they’re not afraid of Satan and his hell won’t actually hurt. They attract people who fear they don’t know enough to live right.  They attract people who enjoy a challenge and being different. They seek the light in dark places.  They seek sunlight in the night. Today’s scripture says they don’t even come close to dawn.

Do you want to talk to someone in the other world? Pray. God is in the other world. Do you want someone in the other world to talk to you? Read the Bible. That is God talking to you from the other world. What more could you ask?!

Spiritualism isn’t feelings. Spiritualism is not “Look at me and how spiritual I am.” It’s a way of life. Whisperings and mutterings?  Don’t need them. God has given you all you need. And we love him for it.

 

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Monday 8/12 ~ I am your light. I am your water. I am your life.

The scripture for today, August 12 (8/12), is John 8:12 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0000-BK 1-StarSong-Cover-new-Thumbnail“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ “

Jesus had only about six months left to live. He knew the religious leaders were after his life out of jealousy. Before going to Jerusalem, he told his brothers, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me” (John 7:7). Knowing people were wanting to kill him, he slipped into Jerusalem after everyone else got there (John 7:10, 14). Then suddenly he appeared in the middle of the Temple complex ~ the size of many football fields. He knew he was safe as long as there was a crowd.

Jesus answered some private questions, and then “he called out, ‘You know me! You know where I am from!’ ” (John 7:28).

Every day of this feast, a priest would ceremonially pour out some water to represent the water that poured out of the rock when the Jews wandered in the wilderness. But on the last day, the priest did not do this, for it represented their ancestors finally arriving in the Promised Land. It was on this last day of the feast that Jesus “stood and said in a loud voice…  ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him!’ ” (John 7:38f)

First thing the next morning at dawn he returned to the Temple court.  Maybe there was a beautiful sunrise. When the sun was up and the crowds had returned, he shouted something else to everyone, “I am the light of the world!” (John 8:12).

He had compared himself to the water ceremony of the day before, and now he was comparing himself to the new dawn. There he was. God the Son crying out to humanity. “Come to me! I am doing everything I can to help you! Won’t you come? Please listen to me! Please come! I can save you!”

Such stubborn love.

 

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Wednesday 8/7 ~ The Boomerang Effect

The scripture for today, August 7 (8/7), is Hosea 8:7 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE Thumbnail“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.”

This is the boomerang effect. You throw a boomerang into the air and no matter how we throw it, it always comes back to us. Just like a boomerang, God treats you the same way you treat him.

If you draw near to God, God draws near to you (James 4:8). If you don’t have time for God, God doesn’t have time for you. If you don’t want to do what he says, God doesn’t want to do what you say. If you reject God, God rejects you.  Here are some verses about the boomerang effect:

Psalm 9:15-16; Psalm 10:2; Psalm 37:14-15; Psalm 140:9; Proverbs 3:34; Proverbs 6:27; Proverbs 26:27; Isaiah 33:1; Isaiah 59:18; Ezekiel 7:8; Obadiah 1:15.

The same is true with how people treat each other. If someone mistreats you, someday their mistreatment will boomerang right onto themselves.

On the other hand, if you treat others well, often it is a wakeup call to them. Huh?  S/he smiled at me? Hmmm.  I think I’ll try that.  Boomerang!

 

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Sunday 8/4 ~ They lost everything

The scripture for today, August 4 (8/4), is Acts 8:4 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”

Sometimes your plans get scattered, your dreams shattered. You lose your home, your job, your chance at an education, your savings, your family.

Satan loves to discourage you. He’s good at it. But Romans 8:28 says God can make something good come out of all things, even the bad.

Do you use your circumstance in life as an excuse to not share the Good News of how to be saved from hell and go to heaven instead? 

If you use the excuse you don’t have time, then lose your job, would you share the gospel then? If you use the excuse your upper-class neighbors are all agnostics, then lose your home, would you share the gospel with middle-class neighbors?

Your circumstance may change, but you would be the same person you were before. What is the likelihood you would be any different if your life was “scattered”?  If your old excuses were no longer valid, would you then share the Good News?  

The people in Jerusalem who feared martyrdom ran for their lives and lost everything.  Their concern for the souls of others never wavered. 

Today, consciously look around for someone to share the gospel with.  Afraid your friends will reject you? Then go to a fast-food place or a park or a bus stop, find someone sitting alone, and tell a stranger. No matter where your dreams and ambitions scatter to, you can still “Seek and save the lost.”

 

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Thursday 8/1 ~ Your longing, your hope, your reason for being

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

00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-Thumbnail“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 Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:27, I Peter 3:21? Look them up. Do your church leaders try to explain them away?

Ah, to be sure you are indeed IN Christ Jesus and can someday live in his world. This is your longing. Your hope. Your reason for being.

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Wednesday 7/31 ~ That Great Gettin’-Up Morning

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

0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-New“For this world in its present form is passing away.”

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

Life plods on and on. It seems so slow and so long ~ Year after year, month after month, minute after minute.  If you live to be 90 (not uncommon these days), that means nearly 33,000 times you get up in the morning, 100,000 times you eat a meal, some 25,000 times you may leave your house and go to work to earn a living. On and on.   

You were put here on earth for a reason:  To prepare yourself for the other world.  That is our real home. That world will never end for good or for bad. It will never pass away. It’s hard to stay focused on the other world when there are so many things that need to be done to survive in this world.

The other world seems so far away. But you will be there before you know it. 

What are you working for day after day? Are you making time to prepare for “That Great Gettin’-Up Morning” when you say goodbye to this world forever?   What are your plans for today? How about this week?  How often do you worship?  

Here is a link to hear singing of “That Great Gettin’-Up Morning”  http://bit.ly/2Mxfqf1

 

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Friday 7/26 ~ Blindfolded

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

000-COVER-KINDLE-Thumbnail“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. Walk the beautiful path that God has created for you ~ a path that leads you deep into the mind of your God.

 

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Thursday 7/25 ~ Sunday, Sunday

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

Supper-Front Cover-Thumbnail“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him [Jesus], because he always lives to intercede for them.”

How grateful are you that Jesus interceded or you on the cross and still does? Do you live for yourself ~ never reading God’s word, going on outings, shopping, or sleeping in on Sunday mornings, praying only in emergencies? Have you bought into the mindset that, if you don’t murder, steal big things, and only swear a little bit, God will suddenly let you into his home, heaven, when you die?  If you could care less about God in this life, you would be miserable in heaven. 

There are even those who do worship on Sunday mornings but forget why Sunday worship is different from worship the other days of the week.  According to Acts 20:7, the early Christians met on Sunday to (for the purpose of) break bread (the Lord’s Supper). Jesus said hours before his agony that we had to keep his supper ~ his little ceremony. Instead, do you disobey him and tell yourself it’s okay to spend worship time doing other things that are more interesting and so time-consuming there is no time left for Jesus’ little ceremony?

Remember what happened on Sunday? Jesus broke those unbreakable chains of hell for you on Sunday. He broke the indomitable power of death for you on Sunday. He came back to life forever for you on Sunday. But ballgames and shopping and sleeping in are more important, and showing off how good people can perform or make speeches during worship are more important?

Oh, Jesus, help me bury my selfishness. You gave up so much for me. I have grown so insensitive to it. Help me remember what you sacrificed for me in this little ceremony you set up for me.  Please forgive me for not meeting you at the cross every week in Your Supper.  You did so much and asked so little. Help me live for you. Help me live with you.

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Wednesday 7/24 ~ The Rock

The scripture for today, July 24 (7/24), is Matthew 7:24 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

The problem we have with putting into practice the Words of God is that we sometimes read blindly. We don’t see the significance of something. We may read it over and over for years and never see its significance.

Take, for example, the story of Jesus’ birth. We sometimes see pictures of baby Jesus in a stable with the shepherds and three wise men all gathered around him. But Matthew 2:11 says by the time the wise men arrived, Jesus and his parents were living in a house. Further, the Bible does not say how many wise men there were; it just says they gave three kinds of gifts ~ gold, incense and myrrh. And, Jesus’ age was close to two by then.

How about 1st Timothy 3:2?  “Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.” This word “overseer” is sometimes translated bishop, sometimes elder, and sometimes pastor. It’s all the same office. We might think at first glance that we believe all this. But do we glaze over the fact that he must have a wife? Hmmm….

Here’s another one. At funerals, we often quote Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me.” But for the Christian, there are no shadows in the valley of death. Jesus was born “to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:79).

Did you know the word “baptism” is never translated in most Bibles? It is a Greek word meaning immersion. Did you know the word “unknown” never appears next to tongues in the Bible? Did you know the word “tongues” is translated most places as languages?

Oh, so many things we overlook ~ meaningful things. Let us continue to study God’s Word daily with our mind and heart open to new things our religious leaders never told us so that we can build the house of our lives “on the rock.”


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