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

0-Cover-KINDLE“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 must responsibility, you aren’t given any responsibility, you have been passed over for promotion by someone less qualified than you.

Think not that you are working for the person who supervises you. S/he is only human. 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.

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.

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

0-BOOK 3-HEARTS AFIRE-COVER“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.”

The name of this Old Testament book comes from the word “lament” or mourn. Jerusalem has just been destroyed and everyone except the poorest has been taken away to be slaves in another country ~ Babylon (today’s Iraq). Jeremiah, the prophet and author of Lamentations, is allowed to stay with those left behind.

Jeremiah had spent years warning people of the coming destruction of their country due to their 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.

It is at this point that Jeremiah utters bravely, “We are not consumed.”

Are there things going on your life that seem to be consuming you? Look up. God is still there. He still loves you.

When we have the love of God, we have the courage to take the next step and the next and the next. We have the courage to keep walking and to hold our head high. Nothing and nobody can ever take away the love God has for us. With his love, we can never be consumed.

The scripture for today, March 20, is Revelation 3:20 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 4-FOLK HERO-COVER”Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

A couple days ago we read how the love of Christ is everywhere. But he will not force himself on you. He calls to you and knocks on the door of your heart and mind. If you have too much noise going on in your life ~ coming and going to work, coming and going to clubs, coming and going to education and training and hobbies, you cannot hear him. If the radio and television and phone and movies are blaring all the time with no silence, you cannot hear him.

Stop what you are doing right now. If there is any background noise, turn it off. Sit in silence a moment. Read a scripture about the life of Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) if you have a Bible, and let him knock on the door of your heart. In such silence you will be able to hear him.

He’s calling you! Do you hear?

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

CHANGES IN WORSHIP-COVER-KINDLE”The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.”

The little book of Habakkuk was written during a period when the leaders were oppressing the 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 pretty much asks the same question again. God tells him to put in writing (a prophecy) of what God plans to do to the oppressors.

That done, Habakkuk’s faith is renewed. His faith is strong again. So strong that he feels as though he is “on the heights.”

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 when everything seems to be going wrong, read the little book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament and know that God is still in control, he has not forgotten you, and he has special plans for you.

The scripture for today, March 18, is Ephesians 3:18 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

HS-COVER-KINDLE-GOLD“…[you] may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.’

We can never escape! It’s everywhere! The love of Christ! No matter where we go! It follows us! His love is behind us and ahead of us. It is above us and below us. His love will never,

never,

never…

let us go!

The scripture for today, March 17, is Zephaniah 3:17 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Oldoldstory-COVER-KINDLE“The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

God sings? It’s right there in the Bible! God sings! We were created in his image. Everyone has music in his or her heart. We inherited it from God.

Therefore, today while riding or walking somewhere, or just sitting at home, why not join God and sing? Sing about salvation. Sing of a mutual love between you and God.
It will delight him…

…and quiet your soul.

The scripture for today, March 15, is Colossians 3:15 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Bible Puzzles for Young And Old-Cover“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

Paul was encouraging the Christians at Colossae to get along with each other. After all, they were all members of the one body ~ the one church. In the next verse he even told them to sing to each other; not only get along, but be thankful their brothers and sisters were who they were.

What a wonderful way to mend a rift. Begin singing. Sing with the person you are not getting along with. Watch the smile on your face drift over to them. Watch the smile on their face rise up out of a heart that really does want to love you.

Let not little things interfere with your love for each other. You do not want to cause pain to your heavenly Father when his children do not get along. Let us please each other ~ and sing!

The scripture for today, March 14, is Philippians 3:14, as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 7-SHADOW OF DEATH-Cover“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus knew that, out of jealousy, the religious leaders were trying to kill him. So for awhile he stayed out of Jerusalem where the religious headquarters was. But eventually the time came for him to put himself in their hands. Was it easy for him to do? Definitely not! For he knew his death would be by torture.

“They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished while those who followed were afraid” (Mark 10:32).

Jesus pressed on. He did not want to go through the crucifixion. Hebrews 5:7 says that “during the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death.”

As difficult as it was for him, Jesus pressed on toward the goal to win the prize. But the prize was not for himself; it was for us ~ eternity in heaven instead of hell!

None of us has to go through what he did for our salvation and avoidance of hell. Our little bit of sacrifice is nothing by comparison. Shall we throw away the prize Jesus sacrificed so much for so we can have a little more fun, accumulate a few more things, be a little more important to our friends?

Are you throwing away your prize?

The Scripture for today, March 13, Is Ezra 3:13 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Cover-Kindle-small

Solomon’s great temple had been destroyed and the Jews forced to go to Babylon. Now, 70 years later, they were back and had rebuilt the temple. The older Jews who had seen Solomon’s temple wailed in grief because it was not nearly so grand as Solomon’s. The younger ones shouted for joy because at least they now had a temple again. So the laughing of the young people and the crying of the old people mingled.

Sometimes the laughing and crying around us get too loud and put our lives in confusion. We don’t understand what is going on.

Sometimes the laughing or crying is our own. Sometimes we need to get away from the loud laughing and crying.

Turn off the television. The radio. The phone. The computer. Don’t answer the door. Go into a room where you can be alone in complete silence. Then pick up the Bible and begin to read Luke about the life of Christ, or Philippians about peace, or the Psalms about overcoming adversity, or James about the direction your life is going. Read the whole book in one sitting.

Be still. Hear it now?

It is God calling your heart to his heart.

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

0-BOOK EIGHT-COME FLY WITH ME-Cover“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 were so proud of it that you would stop at nothing to take care of it and make sure that it lasted forever? 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 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 that you can last forever.