Category: Inspirational

Scripture for Monday, August 22 (8/22)

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

0-Luke-Slave&Physician KINDLE Cover“Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?”

There is a very beautiful African-American spiritual of unknown origin that many of us have sung. 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.

Have a blessed day.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: WRITE A POEM TODAY ABOUT YOUR FAITH. MAKE IT AT LEAST FOUR LINES AND SHARE IT.

#ShareGospel

Scripture for Sunday, August 21 (8/21)

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The scripture for today, August 21, is Ezra 8:21a as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 6-PROMISE KEEPER-Cover-Createspace“There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God.”

In our modern society, does anyone fast anymore? Not drinking our food (juice) for a day and calling that a fast, but a true fast where we drink only water to stay hydrated, but that’s all. And we turn off all computers, phones, radios and televisions for the day.

Jesus said in his sermon on the mount, “When you fast….” (Matthew 6:16). He didn’t say, “If you fast….” No, he assumed his followers would fast. Do we?

If we do, do we do it as a group? Does anyone else know about it? They shouldn’t know unless they are the reason for our fast. Fasting is an act of self-restraint. It belongs to the sphere of humble self-discipline. It is strictly a personal and private matter.

All moral and bodily restraint, all humbleness of body and spirit are represented by fasting, and it is a complete failure of self-restraint to want to show the world our self-restraint. An unknown author wrote this:

Let us keep our fast within,
Till heaven and we are quite alone;
Then let the grief, the shame, the sin,
Before the mercy-seat be thrown.

Fasting is a way of starving ourselves temporarily, a way of saying, “God, I would do this and more for you; I would die for you.” Or, “God, I would trade lives with this person I am fasting for to give them rest if it were possible. I would even die for this person.” It is a deep expression to God that goes beyond words.

Also, when we fast, our minds are freed from trying to digest food, so we can think clearer and deeper. And we can face ourselves more honestly. Just what are we deep down? Do we truly love God as much as we claim? Do we truly love our families as much as we claim? Our neighbors? Our fellow Christians? Our enemies?

It is a time of self-reflection and self-honesty. And thereby we can grow closer to God.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: LOOK AT YOUR CALENDAR AND MARK IT FOR THE DAY YOU WILL FAST.

#fasting, #prayer

Scripture for Saturday, August 20 (8/20)

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The scripture for today, August 20, is Proverbs 8:20 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Bible Puzzles for Young And Old-Cover“I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice.”

Interestingly, the original Hebrew of “way” is customary path, and the original Hebrew of “paths” is customary road.

If we had a house out in the country, it would have paths leading to and from it. These paths would be taken in our day-to-day life without much thought. In the same way, we live out our principles and moral standards pretty much the same every day on such paths.

But eventually, these paths can merge into major roads. Now we have to make major decisions. Our life decisions on such roads must be based on justice.

It is sometimes hard to make right judgments because we can get emotionally involved and start wishing for an outcome that cannot possibly occur. In those cases, we must stand back and consider, “What would be the just thing to do if someone else had to make this decision?”.

We could also ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?”. After all, Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, the Life” (John 14:6).

DISCUSSION QUESTION: IN MAKING A DIFFICULT DECISION, HOW WOULD IT HELP TO ASK YOURSELF “WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?”

#Decisions

But We See Jesus!

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For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying:

“What is man that You are mindful of him,
Or the son of man that You take care of him?
You have made him a little lower than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor,
And set him over the works of Your hands.
You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”

For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Hebrews 2:5-9 (NKJV)

When I was…

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Scripture for Friday, August 19 (8/19)

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

Questions You Have Asked2-Cover-Kindle“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 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. God says “they have no light of 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 we ask?!

How safe we can feel as Christians. God has given us all we need.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: DO YOU EVER CHECK WITH ANCESTORS OR FORTUNE TELLERS? ARE YOU WILLING TO STOP?

#FortuneTellers

Scripture for Thursday, August 18 (8/18)

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The scripture for today, August 18, is Mark 8:18f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-Heroes-Alone-COVER-KINDLE“Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember when I broke [in pieces] the five loaves for the five thousand [hungry people]? How many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

Economic and political times are uncertain and unstable right now for a lot of people. How much do we worry about it? Planning is good. But worrying? Has God forsaken you in the past?

Sit down and make a list of every time you made it through a bad period of time in your life. How did God get you through it then? This is your proof.

Remember your proof.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: SOMETIMES HELPING SOMEONE ELSE HELPS A PERSON THROUGH THEIR OWN PROBLEMS. WHAT COULD YOU DO?

#problems, #instability, #faith

Scripture for Wednesday, August 17 (8/17)

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The scripture for today, August 17, is Romans 8:17 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

PAUL COVER-KINDLE-“Now if we are children, then we are heirs ~ heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (see also Galatians 3:16)

I Peter 4:12-14 says we should not be surprised when persecution happens, “as though something strange were happening to you.” If we are insulted because of Jesus, we are blessed.

Notice, we are co-heirs with Christ IF we share in his suffering. Have you shared in Jesus’ sufferings lately? Have you ever in your entire life shared in Jesus’ sufferings? If not, you haven’t told very many people about Jesus loving them, or stood up for Jesus when people around you were making fun of him or using his name as a swear word.

Are you sinning by omission? Do you huddle with your church friends all the time and brag that all the friends you have are Christians? Jesus didn’t. Jesus went out to “seek and save the lost.” Are you seeking?

Some time today, say something to someone about Jesus ~ someone in a store, at work, a neighbor, a fellow passenger on a bus. They probably won’t insult you. This may be exactly what they’ve been looking for. But if they do insult you, accept it graciously. Then go on your way feeling honored to be a “co-heir with Christ” by “sharing in his suffering.”
Try it. You will be glad you did.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: If you have never suffered for Christ, why? What will you do to remedy it? When?

#suffering, #Christianity, #martyrdom

Scripture for Tuesday, August 16 (8/16)

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The scripture for today, August 16, is Romans 8:16 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Life-Changing-Scriptures-Cover-medium“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

This is so similar to the scripture of a few days ago on how to know if the Spirit is living in us. We can use the same approach to determined how the Spirit teaches us that we are God’s children.”

Once again, John 14:17 says the Comforter Jesus sent us was the Spirit of Truth. And Jesus said in John 17:17, God’s Word is Truth. So it is through God’s Word that we are taught how to become God’s children. We do not have to guess!

This is what is so wonderful about Christianity. The Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, Shaminist and many other religions leave the followers to guess because their “god” has given them no instructions.

Ninety-nine percent of them believe they are not children of God and saved because they can’t be perfect, so have to be reincarnated thousands of times to try to be perfect.

The Muslim religion says followers are slaves, and they won’t know until the Day of Judgment if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds. In all other world religions, followers never know if they are children of God and saved.

Praise God! He has given us The Map, the Way ~ the Holy Bible, God’s Word in written form. Such solace. Such comfort. Such reassurance.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU READ THE BIBLE ALL THE WAY THROUGH?

#Bible, #ChildrenOfGod, #Slaves

Scripture for Monday, August 15 (8/15)

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The scripture for today, August 15, is Romans 8:15 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE Medium“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.”

I knew someone a long time ago who went through a period of being afraid of everything, something she just could not control. Then she found this scripture and applied it to all her fears. She had read it many times before, but this time was able to apply it to her constant fear. She thought to herself, “Stop being afraid! You are a child of God! He is right there with you. Be brave now. And rest in God.”

Are there times in your life when you are a slave to fear? Perhaps it is fear of the dark. Or fear of losing health. Or fear of strangers. Or of a certain nationality. Or of losing a job or home. Or of losing a loved one.

Stop being afraid! Children of God are not afraid. God is right there with you. Be brave. And rest in God.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: WHAT ARE YOU MOST AFRAID OF. HOW COULD THIS SCRIPTURE HELP YOU?

#Fear. #Courage, #Boldness, #Rest

Featured on “Book of the Day” Today.

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00-COVER-KINDLE

 

 

Featured on BOOK OF THE DAY, today, Book 1 in the “Intrepid Men of God” Series, “LAZARUS: THE SAMARITAN.” http://bookoftheday.org/