The scripture for today March 24, is 1st John 3:24 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

HS-COVER-KINDLE-GOLDThose who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

Some people think we can tell that we are obeying God and he is therefore in us by how we feel, by our emotions. But emotions are fickle. We can feel great one day and sad the next and frustrated after that, then great again. It can be confusing to rely on how we feel as to whether or not God’s Spirit lives in us.

Jesus said in John 14:17 that he was going to send us the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth. And in John 17:17 Jesus said God’s Word is Truth.

Now that makes more sense! We can know by reading the Bible ~ God’s Word ~ and following it. God thought of everything. His Word is clear, and that is how we know we have obeyed him and he lives in us.

How grateful we are for his Bible. No guessing.

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

000-BOOK 1-STAR SONG-PRINT COVER-Small“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 2-DREAM MAKER-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:

New Testament Parchment”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 telephone 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?

Scripture for Thursday, March 19
Since I sent you March 19th scripture on the 17th, here is the scripture for the 17th:

Musical Notes-2
The scripture for today, March 17, is Zephaniah 3:17 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“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 18, is Ephesians 3:18 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Header-Jesus' Hands In Clouds“…[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 19, is Habakkuk 3:19 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

”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 0-BOOK 3-HEARTS AFIRE-COVERHabakkuk 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 16, is John 3:16 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Crucifixion“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Many people have heard that there is such a scripture as John 3:16, but they do not know what it says. And among those who do know what it says, many do not understand what Jesus dying on the cross has to do with going to heaven.

It is important for us to read the entire Bible so we can understand the isolated scriptures we hear or read. There was a song written several years ago called, “No Man Is An Island.” No scripture is an island either. Just as every person influences other people in some way, every scripture influences other scriptures.

The meaning of John 3:16? Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is [spiritual] death.” Jesus, the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God, died spiritually and physically in our place for our sins, so that we would not die forever. Such an amazing scripture ~ John 3:16. There are other amazing scriptures in the Bible. Give it a try.

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

Crucifixion“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:

Old Testament Scroll“No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.”

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 telephone. 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.