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

sign click here for all my books

#eyewitnesses, #NewTestament, #JesusChrist, #crucifixion, #resurrection, #Easter, #HolyWeek #blog, #inspiration, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth

Friday 4/12 ~ You will be astounded

(Sorry for some of my messages being delayed. I must be doing something wrong. I’ll double check from now on.)

 

The scripture for today, April 12 (4/12), is Colossians 4:12 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Silver Cover-KINDLE-thumbnail“He is always wrestling in prayer for you.”

Do you have fast-food prayers? Drive in, ask for something for yourself, and drive out two minutes later?

How about trying gourmet prayers ~ where you gather many ingredients, not just one? They take longer but are very special and rewarding.

Your menu is your prayer list. People on your list don’t even have to be people you know personally. They can be from the newspaper, teachers at a local school, government officials, your neighbors, your congregation. List people by name. Pray for them by name.

Then tell these people you are praying for them. You may think you’ll get some strange looks, but mostly, even from the unreligious, you will get a smile and a whispered thank you. Some will actually reply, “No one has ever told me they were praying for me.” After a while, you will begin receiving word from people you are paying for, “Guess what? Your prayer worked.”

Prayer is powerful and wonderful. God loves to answer prayer. It is most wonderful when it centers, not on what you want for yourself, but on struggling in prayer for other people.

One by one you will begin seeing amazing answers in the lives of those you pray for. Don’t believe it? Give it a try. You will be astounded.

Image result for "Buy the book" button red365 SILVER-WINGED PRAYERS: YOUR SPIRIT TO GOD’S is one prayer per day which includes praise, forgiveness, and thanksgiving. Prayers of request not included so you can personalize yours. Beautiful gift set of three in the TOUCHING GOD series.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2GcvQVi

sign click here for all my books

#prayer, #struggling, #thanksgiving, #blog, #inspiration, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth

Wednesday 4/10 ~ Small Beginnings

The scripture for today, April 10 (4/10), is Zechariah 4:10 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0000-BK 1-StarSong-Cover-new-Thumbnail“Who despises the day of small things?”

We tend to admire big things ~ big buildings, big empires, big trees, big causes.  Sometimes it is difficult to remember that those things started out small.

Have you been wanting to accomplish something big? All buildings started out with one board or one stone. All empires started out with one person. All big trees started out as one seed. All big causes started out with one dream.

Perhaps your dream started out small but stayed small. That doesn’t mean it will always be small. It may become big years from now, or even in someone else’s lifetime. Don’t despise what you have now.

Have you been putting off trying to make your dream reality because it won’t be big and people will laugh at you and you will get depressed?   Do not fear it. Have faith in it.  Plant that small seed.  Do not despise it. Embrace it. Nourish it. 

Make today the day of your new beginning. Launch your dream. Soar with it, even if you’re the only one

Image result for "Buy the book" button redTHEY MET JESUS: STAR SONG is the story of everyone involved in Jesus’ birth and how it affected them.  Little did they know at the time this tiny baby would grow up to change the world. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2G3Ote7

sign click here for all my books

#small, #impossible, #dreams, #seed, #empires, #one, #patience, #giants, #blog, #inspiration, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth

Saturday 4/6 ~ Your heart will soar

The scripture for today, April 6 (4/6), is 1st Corinthians 4:6 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“…learn from us the meaning of the saying, ‘Do not go beyond what is written.’ Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.”

Periodically through the Bible there appears this same warning for us to not “go beyond what is written.” 2nd Peter 1:20 says prophecy is scripture. Prophecy was needed before the New Testament was written, but no more after that, for by then, the prophecy of the apostles had been written down and were being passed around.

It is important to find out if what we are being taught is “beyond what is written.” It can be done. How? Simple. Use a concordance. A concordance is the size of an unabridged dictionary and includes every word in the Bible alphabetically, and every scripture that contains each word. Many libraries have one. Or you can order one from your local bookstore. There are some concordances on the internet too. Here is one:  http://bibletab.com

You are an intelligent person. Don’t take for granted what others tell you, no matter how holy they look and act and how much they smile at you or threaten you.  Check things for yourself. Read the Bible for yourself. Decide for yourself whether any of your church leaders have gone “beyond what is written.” You can do it: Find out for sure.

It is liberating. Your heart will soar and your soul will embrace God in a whole new way.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redTHE HOLY SPIRIT: 592 VERSES EXAMINED covers every verse in the Bible about God’s Spirit. No guessing. No pet theories. No opinions but God’s. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2UmP3xo

sign click here for all my books

#knowledge, #lies, #counterfeits, #falseteachers, #churchleaders, #gullible, #blog, #inspiration, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth

Saturday 3/23 ~ It’s so unfair!

The scripture for today, March 23 (3/23), is Colossians 3:23 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-LUKE-KINDLE Cover-Thumbnail“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Perhaps you are in a job that is unfair ~ you are given too much work, you are underpaid, you are not given enough work, you are given too much responsibility, you aren’t given any responsibility, you have been passed over for promotion by someone less qualified than you. Still, it is the only job available to you right now;  you need this job no matter what.

Think not that you are working for the person who supervises you. S/he is only human and comes to work with all their past experiences influencing them. You are working for God. You are representing God. If you are being treated unfairly and smile anyway, others will wonder why. Keep smiling and keep working. Others will keep noticing.

Hard to do?  Of course. But eventually, someone will ask you, “How can you keep going?”. Then you can tell them how you have God’s approval, and that makes you feel like number one. Therefore, nothing anyone can say or do to you can ever make you feel otherwise.

So, keep on keeping on. The world notices.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redIn 1st-century Rome, physicians were always slaves, usually to a rich family, although the Roman legions began using physicians also. That means LUKE was both SLAVE & PHYSICIAN.  There was no fairness in a life of slavery. Slaves were always spoils of war. I traced what battles Roman legions had when Luke would have been young and found the 10th Legion was in today’s Holland. Therefore, this is where I begin the story of Luke as a child and watch him go through the confusion of many gods until he meets the Apostle Paul.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2vdCh5T

sign click here for all my books

#unfairness, #employment, #ego, #blog, #inspiration, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth

Friday 3/22 ~ Just keep walking and walking

The scripture for today, March 22 (3/22), is Lamentations 3:22 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE Thumbnail“Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.”

Jeremiah had spent years warning people of the coming destruction of their country and beloved Jerusalem due to their selfish sinful life and taking advantage of each other. He endured taunts, reprimands, imprisonments, and threats to his life.  Now it has happened. All hope is gone. Nothing left but ashes.

There were innocent people who suffered as a result.  Would those innocents let Satan get his way and destroy their lives, their spirits, their souls too?  It is at this point that lamenting Jeremiah utters bravely amidst his own tears, “We are not consumed.”

Are there things going on your life that seem to be consuming you? Do you feel utterly hopeless?  Do you feel as though life may not worth living anymore? Look up. God is still there. He still loves you.

When you acknowledge the love of God, you have the courage to take the next step and the next and the next. You have the courage to keep walking and walking and to hold your head high. Nothing and nobody can ever take away the love God has for you. With his love, you can never be consumed.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redMEFIBOSET: CRIPPLED PRINCE was denied the throne, crippled to never walk again at age 5, and hounded by his grandfather King Saul’s enemies his whole life. Rather than be consumed with bitterness, he always found something to smile about.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2FtblEJ

sign click here for all my books

#rebellion, #governments, #ego, #persecution, #loss, #discouragement, #hope, #blog, #inspiration, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth, #Mefiboset, #KingSaul, #KingDavid, #Jonathan

Thursday 3/21 ~ Fixing our conscience

The scripture for today, March 21 (3/21), is 1st Peter 3:21 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-Thumbnail“This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also ~ not the removal of dirt from the body but the answer of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus’ part in saving us was to collect from Satan the wages of our sins through his terrible death. Our part is to believe he did. Then to confess it to others. Then to repent of the sins that he died for. Some people call this process (and it is a process) giving their heart to the Lord.

But many people go through life wondering if they were sincere enough when they gave their heart to the Lord. What is in one’s mind long ago sometimes becomes a fuzzy memory. So, they re-give their heart to the Lord all over again periodically throughout their life.

Do you wish that verse wasn’t in the Bible? Instead, thank God, he has given you something you can do, an action to prove you were sincere enough, more than a long-ago state of mind. He gave you an action to reassure your conscience toward God ~ “baptism that now saves you”, the same baptism wherein you are reborn to live a new life (Romans 6: 4).

Image result for "Buy the book" button redWould you like to worship the same way Jesus’ apostles did? Each chapter in WORSHIP THE FIRST–CENTURY WAY recalls a different phase of their worship with quotes from the Bible.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2FtEqQC

sign click here for all my books

#conscience, #baptism, #salvation, #newbirth, #blog, #inspiration, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth

Tuesday 3/19 ~ God has not forgotten you

The scripture for today, March 19 (3/19), is Habakkuk 3:19 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

05-Joseph-KindleThumbnail“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.”

Ah, such reassurance. The little book of Habakkuk was written during a period when the leaders were oppressing the desperate poor. Habakkuk complains to God, “Why do you tolerate wrong?”. God answers that he’s getting ready to put an end to it. Not satisfied, Habakkuk asks the same question again.

God’s answer renews Habakkuk’s faith. Perhaps he asked himself, “Why had I worried so much?” “Why had I felt so abandoned?” “Why had I thought God didn’t notice?” “Why had I decided God didn’t really care?”

Everyone grows impatient when leaders are doing wrong. But we must understand that we see just part of the problem and that God is waiting until the right time to put an end to it ~ a time when people are so desperate with helplessness that even unbelievers can’t help but know God intervened.

So, when times come in your own life that everything seems to be going wrong, read the little book of Habakkuk and know that God is still in control, he has not forgotten you, and he even has special plans for you.

Related image

A CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES: JOSEPH ~ To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2HH7vJQ

  • 1 ~ Joseph Is Born
  • 2 ~ He Dreams
  • 3 ~ He Goes Away
  • 4 ~ Egypt Far Away
  • 5 ~ Another Lie
  • 6 ~ Life in Prison
  • 7 ~  Pharoah
  • 8 ~ Being Hungry
  • 9 ~ Reunions
  • 10 ~ The Impossible

sign click here for all my books

#discouraged, #unfairness, #depression, #hope, #forgotten

Sunday 3/10 ~ A part of you

The scripture for today, March 10 (3/10), is Colossians 3:10 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail“And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

Did you ever make something with your hands and it was your pride and joy?  Were you so proud of it that you would stop at nothing to take care of it and make sure it lasted forever? Yes, you had a few rules about its care. You had a few rules about who could touch it and who couldn’t. You had a few rules about whether it should be kept at high or low temperature and should or shouldn’t be exposed to water. You were its creator and it was, in a sense, a part of you.

Do you resist knowing the Bible because you think of it as being full of rules from a God who doesn’t really like you and is just giving you a hard time so you can’t have any fun?

Think again. He made you. You are his pride and joy. He will stop at nothing to make sure you will last forever. He made a few rules for your daily maintenance.

He is your Creator. He loved you enough to make you, and you are a part of him. Now he wants to take care of you so you can last forever. Can you love him back ~ your Maker and the Lover of your soul?

Related image365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS is book 2 in the TOUCHING GOD series. Each day is a quotation from one of David’s psalms and one of Solomon’s proverbs. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2TIsbHC

sign click here for all my books

#maker, #creator, #care, #prideandjoy, #God, #blog, #inspiration, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth

 

Sunday 3/3 ~ What are you missing?

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

00-Hero Alone-COVER-KINDLE-Thumbnail” ‘But God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden and you must not touch it or you will die.’

This is a conversation Eve is having with Satan in the Garden of Eden. She was a little put out by God that he would withhold even one item from her. So, she misrepresented God. What God actually said was….

“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Eve had added to what God had said: “You must not touch it.”

Do you do that? When you get put out by someone, do you embellish a little and add a few little things to an event in order to make the other person look worse than they really are? Are you in the habit of making yourself a victim so you can get other people’s sympathy and maybe get other people to act on your behalf? Or perhaps you do it to “brag” how much worse your problem is far above all others’ problems, thus making yourself king or queen of all burden bearers?

1st Corinthians 13:5 says love does not keep a record of wrongs. If you have a feud going with someone, try breaking the cycle. 1st Corinthians 13:7 says love protects, always trusts, always hopes. Had Satan convinced Eve to stop loving God? 

It’s easy to do when God is made “the bad guy”.  It’s easy to stop loving others if they are always the “bad guy”.  What are you missing by not extending love even to those who are not nice to you? Who knows? Are you giving up paradise?

Image result for "Buy the book"YOU CAN BE A HERO ALONE is for isolated Christians. They may be in prison, in a university, a rest home, a shut-in, a country where Christianity is illegal.  Each chapter is about someone in the Bible who had to keep their faith alone. It includes questions at the end to give the isolated person something to do, and thought questions to help them plan for their future (even if it’s dying in the Lord).  To BUY NOW, click a picture or click this: https://amzn.to/2IPHB8G

sign click here for all my books

#lies, #problems, #troubles, #persecutioncomplex, #woe, #downtrodden, #accusing, #blog, #inspiration, #devotional, #worship, #vespers, #meditation,. #godliness, #Christianity, #JesusChrist, #church, #Bible, #Scripture, #HolyBook, #religion, #love, #truth