For the WHOLE FAMILY: Life-Enhancement, Biblical Historical Novels, Textual Studies, Story Books, Puzzles, Songs, & Scholarly Research Books
The scripture for today, March 18 (3/18), is Ephesians 3:18 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“…[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 (3/17), 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 their 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 everything. Sing about springtime or winter snow. Sing about family and friends. Sing about puppies and bullfrogs and trees. Sing about heaven. Sing about that mutual love between you and God.
It will delight him…
…and quiet your soul.
The scripture for today, March 15 (3/15), is Colossians 3:15 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“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 gave them a way to help it along: Sing.
Today, let us sing. Sing to each other. Sing in unison to unify your heart with others. Sing in harmony to harmonize their lives together. Sing to show thanksgiving for your brothers and sisters.
What a wonderful way to mend a rift. Sing. 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 others. You do not want to cause pain to your heavenly Father when his children do not get along. Let us join each other ~ and sing!
The scripture for today, March 14 (3/14), is Philippians 3:14, as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Toward the end of Jesus’ sojourn on earth, he knew that, out of jealousy, the religious leaders were trying to kill him. So for a while, he stayed out of Jerusalem where the religious headquarters was. 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. But he pressed on.
“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?
Can you press on? Or are you throwing away your prize?
The Scripture for today, March 13, Is Ezra 3:13 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
“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.
Today, 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’s heart calling your heart.
.
1 ~ Joseph Is Born
2 ~ 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
Joseph’s brothers did not like him. As a boy, he had dreams of them bowing down to him and that made them madder. So, they sold him to become a slave in the far-away kingdom of Egypt. He even spent many years in prison. But he never complained. Then he was made almost a king himself and his brothers bowed to him.
The scripture for today, March 12 (3/12), is Ezekiel 3:12 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
“The Spirit lifted me up and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound ~ May the glory of the Lord be praised in his dwelling place!”
This is quite interesting because, despite some who preach being “slain in the Spirit,” the Spirit does not make people fall down. The Spirit lifts people up. The Spirit did this to Ezekiel on several occasions; always, if he was sitting or lying down, the Spirit lifted him up onto his feet.
There are so many things we think we know about the Bible, but when we begin to investigate, it just isn’t there.
>What about Joseph dying after Jesus turned 12? When Jesus was rejected after preaching in Nazareth a year before his crucifixion, they mentioned Joseph in the present tense.
>Or the Holy Land always having been desert? The Bible tells of nine forests plus those on mountains.
>Or the prodigal’s brother? As the oldest son, he was going to inherit the entire estate, but his insane greed wanted his brother’s party too.
>Or David being just a boy when he killed Goliath? He had already killed a lion and bear before that, and big Saul’s armor fit him.
>What about “Doubting Thomas”? The other apostles refused to believe before they saw Jesus alive again. More, when Jesus wanted to go to Jerusalem, his apostles said no, but Thomas said, “Let us go to Jerusalem so we may die with him.”
>Or everyone going inside the temple to worship? Only priests were allowed inside the building. Commoners worshiped in the courtyard.
>Or Bethlehem being a little town? It was a fortified walled city.
What excitement to read the Bible for yourself and discover its treasures for yourself. Open it. Read it. Be delighted.
The scripture for today, March 11, is Ecclesiastes 3:11 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
“…He has also set eternity in the hearts of men….”
People have always thought about eternity. Everyone wonders sometimes why we are here and what happens when we die. All people hope to live on.
That instinct is God speaking to us saying, “Yes, there is an eternity, and I want to be part of yours.”
Indeed, there is a God-shaped emptiness in the heart of man. God wants to fill it. We want him to.
But how bad do we want him to? If we spend each day so busy pursuing things and pleasures and power, it’s easy to forget about him. Then our heart aches, and we do not understand why.
It is eternity calling out to you still. It is God calling out to you still. Listen! He’s calling you in His Word ~ the Bible. Open it and listen. Shhh. Don’t you hear him?
The scripture for today, March 8 (3/8), is Philippians 3:8 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ.”
Wow! Paul, who wrote this, considered everything he had previously owned and every position he had ever held as rubbish ~ garbage ~ compared with belonging to his Lord.
Paul apparently came from a well-to-do family since he was born in today’s Turkey but went to school in Jerusalem. He also apparently held a position in the Jewish ruling body, the Sanhedrin, since he could vote on whether to execute someone. So he probably owned a lot of things and had an honored position. The King James Version of the Bible says he considered it all as dung ~ manure.
Where are your priorities? What do you spend most of your time on? The stuff you just have to own, exciting things you just have to do, the power you just have to claim? All to enhance the little inch of your life on earth?
What if a storm destroyed your house, your car, and all your stuff tomorrow? What if you were banned from a sport you love tomorrow? What if a rumor destroyed your career with all its power tomorrow? Then what?
Where are your priorities? What do you spend most of your time on? The stuff you just have to own, exciting things you just have to do, the power you just have to claim? All to enhance the little inch of your life on earth?
Or could you consider the deep and unconquerable love of Christ Jesus your Lord the most valuable thing in your life? Could you accept your loss, take advantage of it, and unleash a different kind of life for Jesus with no regrets?
The scripture for today, March 4 (3/4), is James 3:4 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“Take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.”
James, in this scripture, is talking about the tongue being a small thing, but it can get our entire lives into a lot of trouble. Once we say things, we cannot take them back.
What do you spend your day saying to people? You do have a choice. People do more good things than bad things. Do you respond to them with more good or more bad words? It is your choice.
When you compliment someone, they will take heart and try to do that good thing even more. When you berate someone, they will lose heart and probably do the bad thing again. Years ago there was a saying, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” Are your words honey or vinegar?
Jesus said out of our heart comes our words. If you normally say nice things to others, it shows you have a nice heart. If you normally say hard things to others, it shows you have a hard heart. Jesus also said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Starting now, when you launch out into a new day, go of your way to say small nice things to people. The rudder of your tongue may be small, but oh how powerful it is. It could help guide someone through a storm you don’t even know about. How powerful your words are.
