Category: ego

Smarter than God

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, Daily, ego, humility, Inspirational, judging, knowledge, power, Scripture, truthLeave a comment

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-MediumThe scripture for today, September 2 (9/2), is Job 9:2 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Though one wishes to dispute with Him [God], he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.”

There are so-called sophisticated intellectuals in the world who want to come up with all the answers about God. Many even make God in their image instead of we being made in God’s image. They try to reduce God to complete human understanding.

I smile sometimes when I hear TV evangelists declare, “God likes it when you…” or “God approves when you…” or, “God thinks…” and they’re all different.  He must look down on it all, shake his head, and think, “You know nothing.”

This was Satan’s temptation and Eve’s desire ~ to know everything God knows. She bought into Satan’s lie.  How can we even begin to figure out God?  There are two trillion galaxies out there ~ not stars but galaxies. And one hundred thousand stars in each galaxy.  And God is larger than them all. Dispute with the all-knowing God?

That cannot be! If we could understand everything about God, He would not be God! He has told us everything about Himself in his Word that he wants us to know and that we are able to comprehend.  Actually, He has poured out his heart to us in His Word.

Let us rejoice that there are things about God we do not understand. Let us rejoice that there are events in our life that we do not understand with our finite minds. Let us rejoice that such a God loves us in our finiteness. He said so Himself.

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Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS provides one proverb and a passage from one of the other wisdom books ~ Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon ~ for each day of the year.  It is a companion to 365 GOLDEN BIBLE THOUGHTS AND 365 PRAYERS, all gift-book quality.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/3i1Y4TY

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Who are you, anyway?

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, ego, faith, judging, knowledge, Scripture, teaching, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, August 25 (8/25), is John 8:25 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-MEDIUM” ‘Who are you?’ they asked. ‘Just what I have been claiming all along,’ Jesus replied.”

They knew who Jesus was.  He had made people’s arms and legs grow back, he had fed multiple-thousands on a plate of food, stopped storms, and brought lifeless people back to life.  They knew! 

Besides this, they knew the prophecies. They told King Herod he was supposed to be born in Bethlehem and that he was to be a descendant of King David. They knew babies were slaughtered after his birth. They knew he would live in Galilee and teach in parables. They knew all this.

But they kept asking Jesus who he was because they wanted a different answer than the obvious one.

 Jesus and his apostles tell you certain things in the Bible. Sometimes, you read them over and over and still don’t get the point. Perhaps you have been blinded by well-meaning religious leaders or family or friends who tell you over and over, “It doesn’t mean what it says.” Are you wanting a different answer than the obvious one?

Dare to read the teachings of Jesus and his apostles in the New Testament with open eyes and open heart. When you read something, just accept it. Your soul is at stake. These are the words of the God of the universe, your Creator, the Lover of your soul, and the only one who can let you into his home ~ heaven. 

Do you prefer that God fit your mold, or you fit God’s ~ that of his child? Dare to follow what God has been telling you all along.

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Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-THUMBNAILTHE ROAD TO HEAVEN discusses the long road from the first sin in the Garden of Eden, takes you to the cross, and ends with “our glorious body”.  Some 500 scriptures referred to.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/3leP9AZ

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/the-road-to-heaven/

And They Wept

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #friendships, attitude, discouragement, ego, emptiness, Enemies, ethics, family, forgiveness, healing, humility, judging2 Comments

04-Isaac&Jacob-KindleMediumThe scripture for today, August 10 (8/10), is Nehemiah 8:10b as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

After exile over 70 years for forsaking God, the Jews were led by Ezra and Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and rebuild the wall. On a special day, Ezra read the Law of Moses to all the people.

And they wept.

They were so embarrassed and so sorry they had betrayed God. The above scripture quotation is from that occasion.

But many people find it too humiliating to admit to others they were wrong. Others find it easy to repent, but never regroup and pull themselves up so they can try again. Still, others say, “What I’ve done is so bad, God could never forgive me.”

God can perform miracles. That means he can forgive the greatest sinner. So grieve. Ask for forgiveness. Then start over fresh ~ innocent in the eyes of God.

Remember, when you feel weak, the joy of the Lord is always your strength. And it is magnificent.

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04-Isaac&Jacob-KindleThumbnailISAAC & JACOB is storybook #4 in A CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES.  You would think a little lie wouldn’t hurt.  Or even a big lie.  But Jacob’s lie cost him everything. It disrupted his entire family.  His twin brother tried to kill him.  He was gone from home for 20 years and during that time he lost his mother.  Talk about a dysfunctional family. But God healed them.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  http://bit.ly/2LacnWf

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/a-childs-bible-heroes-book-4-isaac-jacob/?frame-nonce=1e7c6b1760

Splendor from the oil of mercy

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, attitude, Bible, ego, ethics, judging, love, praise, prayer, Satan, Saved from hell, sin, Thanksgiving, worshipLeave a comment

Golden Cover-KINDLELord, when I first heard your Words, they seemed rough and uncaring. Then I scraped away my resentments and bad habits. Oh, my. Your Words seemed not so bad after all.  Then I brushed away my ego. And wonder of wonders.  I saw your Words were for my benefit. Excitedly, I polished them with the oil of mercy and revealed a splendor I had not imagined. In your Words I saw the beauty of your holiness. I saw the epitome of love and majesty and glory. I am sorry for misunderstanding you for so long. Let me now share your holiness and grace with others.

Ah, my Lord, as I came out from my childhood, I began to sin ~ usually sins of attitude like jealousy, impatience, But sometimes I gossipped in order to make someone else look bad and me good, or I borrowed something and never gave it back, or I disobeyed my parents.  As I grew older, my sins were more sophisticated.  And I could not stop.  I still cannot.  Neither can anyone else.  You could have condemned me and left me in the hands of Satan. Instead, though you are my Judge, you also became my Public Defender, and I became a Christian.  You saved me from Satan’s punishment instead. I fall at your feet unworthy.  Lift me up, Lord, so I may always be yours.

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Golden Cover-KINDLE-thumbnail365 GOLDEN BIBLE THOUGHTS: GOD’S HEART TO YOURS is book one in the TOUCHING GOD series.  Beautiful art work on the cover and ancient papyrus print inside.  Buy all three for a wedding gift, new parents, birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas. For all ages.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/33obxBJ

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/golden-bible-thoughts-gods-heart-to-yours-touching-god-series/

Deep into the mind of God

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, ego, ethics, humility, Inspirational, Life of Christ, Scripture, teaching, truthLeave a comment

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

0000-BK 1-StarSong-CHILD'SCartoonCover-Medium“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 lied to each other.  They 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 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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01-StarSong-CHILD'SCartoonCover-SmallSTAR SONG is book one in the storybook A CHILD’S LIFE OF CHRIST.  “Think and Do” at the end of every chapter giving the child something to do to apply what they just read to their life.  Great for the early reader with hyphens between syllables of long words.  Great for grandparents and homeschoolers.  Great for birthdays and Christmas to give all 8 books in the set.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/3hK3K5b

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/a-childs-life-of-christ-book-1-star-song/

But they acted so holy

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, Bible, church, ego, humility, knowledge, praise, Satan, teaching, worshipLeave a comment

Our scripture for today, July 21 (7/21), is Matthew 7:21ff as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-Thumbnail“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “

Evil doers?  Church people evildoers?  There are hundreds of denominations and sects out there all contradicting each other. It’s impossible for them all to be right. They cannot all be on different roads going to the same place. They cannot all be pleasing God if we decide opposing things please him.

You can never rely on what someone else says just because they look and act holy and say all the right holy words and phrases and pray such holy-sounding prayers. You must never rely on your religious leaders to tell you what to believe. Shall you take their opinion or God’s opinion?

Romans 10:1 in the Bible mentions some people who had a lot of zeal for God, but were lost because it was not according to the proper knowledge.

Well, how do you get God’s opinion? Read the Bible for yourself! Use a concordance (lists every word in the Bible and every scripture with that word ~ Bible Hub has one on the internet) and look up your chosen subject.  Then, having found the truth, why not go back to your religious leaders in love and try to teach your teachers? Some just might listen to you.

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00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-ThumbnailWORSHIP THE FIRST-CENTURY WAY is a collection of scriptures (1st-century Christians), statements of famous theologians going back centuries, and statements of 2nd-century Christians about the way God wants to be worshiped, not the way we want to “worship” him. The reader is taken gently step by step toward understanding and acceptance.  It ends with a history of the churches of Christ mostly in Europe from the third to the 18th century.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/1107-2/my-book-worship-the-first-century-way/

Intellectually Lazy

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #friendships, attitude, church, ego, faith, judging, knowledge, Scripture, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, July 6 (7/6), is Mark 7:6f as found in the New Testament of the Bible.   

“He [Jesus] replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ ”

It is the trend today to say that all religions ~ even those who teach opposing things ~ are right, and all are good. It is the trend today to say all gods are the same God, and we are all going to the same heaven if we’re at least pretty good.

It’s not that simple. Jesus did not say this. Well, then, how do we know which religious things we are taught and do today are from God and which from men?

You are smart. Don’t be lazy.  Read the holy books of all major world religions for yourself. Who knows? What you have been told all your life may be wrong.  Do the other holy books have built-in proofs they really originated from God?  Perhaps scientific, archaeological, ancient inscriptions, prophecies fulfilled? Here is a website with those holy books on it:  https://www.sacred-texts.com  Here is a website with nearly 400 proofs the Bible is from God:

casagrandechurchofchrist.com/bible-proofs/

If you conclude the Bible is true, use a concordance and do a study of everything the Bible says about any topic. That way, you will have God’s opinion, not men’s. Here is a website with an online Bible concordance and it’s easy to use: bibletab.com 

You can find out for yourself,~ you can KNOW ~ whether what you were told to believe by family, friends, and leaders is what God told you to believe.  Stop being intellectually lazy.  Your eternity depends on it.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT: 592 VERSES EXAMINED.  There is no other study of the Holy Spirit in existence like it.  Look at every verse in the Bible about God’s Spirit and know for sure.  It is time to stop chasing after people’s favorite sayings and beliefs and learn the truth.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/3f1c9ju   

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/1107-2/my-book-the-holy-spirit-in-365-scriptures/

Twelve Trillion Dollars

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, ego, Heaven, truth, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, June 30 (6/30), is 1st Kings 6:30 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.”

About 50 years ago, it was figured that Solomon put $3 trillion worth of gold in the temple to line the ceiling, walls, and floor. And that figure would probably be around $12 trillion today. Talk about streets of gold in heaven!

There are some people today asking for money to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Even if they accomplished it, what would it do for Christians? The book of Hebrews in the New Testament explains to the Hebrew (Jewish) Christians that they no longer need or want the temple. Why? Hebrews 8:13 says, “By calling this covenant (Testament) ‘new’ he has made the first one [Old Testament] obsolete.”

Let’s look at the temple in a spiritual sense through the eyes of a Christian ~ and of Jesus himself in Hebrews 9.  1 “Now, the FIRST  COVENANT  [TESTAMENT]  had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 7 Only the High Priest entered the inner room [Most Holy Place]…and never without blood.…. 11When Christ came as High Priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle [temple] that is not man-made. 12. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood [He being the Lamb of God ~ John 1], having obtained eternal redemption. 24. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered HEAVEN  ITSELF. For this reason, Christ is the mediator of a NEW  COVENANT  [TESTAMENT].’

Why in the world would anyone want an imitation temple and holy of holies made with hands back in Jerusalem again, along with all the animal sacrifices on the altar, and priests who would have to be of the Tribe of Levi, and tithing and all the other over 600 laws of Moses? It makes no sense.

Thank God, we live in a more spiritual age ~ the age of Christ and the temple of heaven itself.

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WORSHIP THE FIRST CENTURY WAY is one of a pair on worship. The other is WORSHIP CHANGES SINCE THE 1ST CENTURY.  Each chapter is about a different form of worship and quotes the Bible, famous theologians, and 2nd century Christians.  Written for religious leaders of all denominations.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/37akvlF

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/1107-2/my-book-worship-the-first-century-way/

Invincible Faith

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #friendships, attitude, Death of Jesus Christ, ego, faith, good works, healing, Heaven, persecution, SatanLeave a comment

The scripture for today, June 29 (6/29), is John 6:29 , as found in the New Testament of the Bible.

“Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: To believe in the one he has sent.’ “

Yes, it is true that the gift of salvation is just that ~ a gift, a free gift. That’s because God was the only one powerful enough to overcome Satan.  Satan wanted God’s death as a ransom in order to free you from your bondage to him. God gave Satan what he thought he wanted because it resulted in Jesus destroying the power of Death.

And it is true that you cannot be good enough to earn salvation from Satan because you don’t know how to be sinless, and heaven can only be occupied by the perfectly sinless. Satan is always lurking in the shadows to lure you back. It only takes one sin to be a dinner.

But at the same time, James 2:18 says, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” In other words, there are things you need to do to obtain salvation. You have to believe there is a gift for you somewhere, walk over to it, reach out, and grasp it.

Believing is a work because you have to find and spend time listening to or reading the Word before you can believe. And Jesus himself said believing (faith) is a work.

How do you go about obtaining faith? By believing what other people tell you to believe? Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing/reading the Word of God ~ the Bible. It is going directly to God’s Words to find out for yourself. It takes a little bit of work to read through it. But then, you can know that what you believe is really what God said.

What a marvelous, delightful, magnificent thing it is to find out what this invisible God did for you and to bask in the glory of such knowledge through invincible faith.

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NAAMAN’S MAID is storybook #3 in A CHILD’S BIBLE KIDS.  Often it is the children who teach the grownups.  This little girl has so much faith, she was sure her master could and would be healed by the prophet Elisha.  Such examples the little children are for us.  “Think and Do” at the end of each chapter. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/38dRhmK

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Can they just turn it off?

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, ego, family, love, sacrifice, ThanksgivingLeave a comment

The scripture for today, June 22 (6/22), is Ephesians 6:22 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Joseph-Cover-Thumbnail“I am sending him to you for this very purpose: That you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.”

Have you sent a letter to anyone in your family lately even if they don’t have email just to see how they are? How about your elderly parents, your grown children, aunts or uncles, nieces or nephews? Do they love you? If they do, they are going to worry about you until they hear how you are. Or do they only hear from you when you need money?

I have a letter written by my great grandmother to her daughter (my grandmother) saying (besides the usual chit-chat), “You never write.”  I have another letter written a generation later by my grandmother to her daughter (my mother) saying, “You never write.” And I have a letter from my mother saying to her daughter, “You never write.”

Each generation goes through this. We grow up, go out on our own, get busy, and forget to write our loved ones. They spent somewhere around 20 years raising you, taking care of you, making sure you were clean, your clothes decent, you did your homework, you got along with your friends, your scratches were healed, you ate right. How can they devote that much daily time and energy (both physical and emotional) on someone until they are grown, and then just turn it off? Just quit caring? They cannot.

So today, sit down and write a letter to someone who helped raise you. If you think you don’t have anything to say, you really do. Tell them what you had for lunch yesterday, what song on the radio you heard, where you went, who you saw. Just chit-chat things. All they want is to know how you are. Then they will feel a lot better. Because they love you.

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0-Joseph-Cover-ThumbnailJOSEPH THE OTHER FATHER speculates what it might have been like for Joseph to raise the Son of God.  Several months before Jesus’ crucifixion, he was rejected in Nazareth and they said, “Isn’t (present tense) this the son of the carpenter?”  Jesus apparently did not try to save his step-father’s life with a miracle and keep him from heaven. What kind of things did Joseph talk to Jesus about on his death bed?  What precious memories?  To BUY NOW, click a book cover to PASTE THIS……….  https://bit.ly/30FFlbC

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