Category: joy

Sunday 12/22 ~ A God who wants to make you his own

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #friendships, blessings, emptiness, healing, Heaven, Inspirational, joy, love, praise, Thanksgiving, worship1 Comment

The scripture for today, December 22 (12/22), is 1st Samuel 12:22 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Love Letters of Jesus & his Bride, Eccelsia-THUMBNAIL“For the sake of his great name, the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.”

Among all the pretend gods that people have worshiped, there has never been one who made people because he wanted someone to love and wanted them to be his children. Islam, for example, teaches Allah made man to have someone to worship him. Allah has 99 names, but none of them is love. It is the same with other purported gods. Buddhism and Hinduism have gods with no personalities at all; they are just the essence of the universe. So sad.

Oh, how much mankind misses by not opening up to the one and only God.  He wants you to be his child! He wants to lavish you with his love.

God made you because God is Love.  Love must have someone to love. That’s you, dear friend. That’s you!

Amazing love of God. It pleases him to make you his own. It pleases him! You the lowly. You the weak. You the inconsistent. You the sinner.

Let your soul be elevated by the God of Love. Let your heart be warmed. Let your spirit be touched with eternity. Then lift up your voice and shout, “My soul is overwhelmed with joy!”

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Love Letters of Jesus & his Bride, Eccelsia-THUMBNAILLOVE LETTERS OF JESUS & HIS BRIDE, ECCLESIA is a transliteration of the Song of Solomon.  The Bride and Groom write each other when one is lost and they are trying to find each other.  This is, in a sense, an allegory like John Bunyan’s works. They write after they have spent time together at their wedding feast. Footnotes throughout give life application verses from the New Testament for the symbolism of their betrothed life. Font is in beautiful papyri and each page has a bride watermark.  A beautiful gift for newlyweds, anniversaries, even teenagers to help them consider the sacredness of marriage and loyalty.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://amzn.to/34PAKBS

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Wednesday 12/18 ~ The heavenly temple

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, blessings, church, eternity, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, joy, patience, praise, Thanksgiving, things1 Comment

The scripture for today, December 18 (12/18), is Hebrews 12:18ff as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-REV-Cover-No Logo-KINDLE-lg-thumbnail“You have not come to a mountain [Sinai] that cannot be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storms; to a trumpet blast….The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’ “

“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a NEW COVENANT….”
The first paragraph refers to Mount Sinai in Arabia on which Moses received what was called the Law of Moses ~ not just 10 commandments, but over 600 ~ over a 40-day period. It was a terrifying experience for everyone. The second paragraph refers to Mount Zion where the temple was built in Jerusalem by the Jews.

Next, the writer of Hebrews shows that Jesus took mankind higher than either physical mountain through his new agreement with us. He took us from the Old Agreement of the Law of Moses to the New Agreement of the Law of Grace. He took us from the physical to the spiritual. The Christian Jerusalem is in heaven where angels and the living God dwell (Revelation 21).

Why would anyone want to dip into the old Law of Moses to get justification to do showy things in worship when Christian worship is so much more simple and spiritual? Why would anyone want to rebuild the Jewish temple when the temple is in the heavenly Jerusalem? Let us climb down off that old mountain of the Law and physical temple and soar with the angels to the spiritual, the heavenly.

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0-REV-Cover-No Logo-KINDLE-thumbnailREVELATION: A LOVE LETTER FROM GOD unravels all the confusion and logically takes you through each chapter and how they all link together in order.  The key is to understand the symbolism of the numbers.  I love the number 1000 because it is 10 X 10 X 10 which means all-inclusive X all-inclusive X all-inclusive.  Revelation is a beautiful book of love. It is a love letter to you from God.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://amzn.to/34yGgsz

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Monday 12/9 ~ God is so proud of you!

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #Handicaps, attitude, blessings, discouragement, governments, Inspirational, joy, power, praise, problems, Thanksgiving, victory, weaknessLeave a comment

The scripture for today, December 9 (12/9), is 2nd Corinthians 12:9 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE Thumbnail“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Oh, how much we need to be reminded of this scripture. Everyone has weaknesses of some kind. Do you complain about the hand you were dealt? Do you lament the country you were born in, the family you were born into, the physical limitations you were born with, the mental, emotional or physical deficiencies you ended up with?

This is your chance! Your grand and glorious chance. Those weaknesses! Go around others with the same weakness you have with joy in your heart, gladness on your lips and a continual gleam in your eyes!  Let God’s strength shine in your weakness!

When people begin to sympathize with you, interrupt them and tell them how much God loves you, and how much God loves them! Encourage your “encouragers.” Let them go away from you with a new understanding of the blessings of weakness! And perhaps be a little more thankful for their own weaknesses.

Lucky you! You are one of the chosen!  God will be glorified in you.  He is so proud of you!

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0-Mefiboset-KINDLE ThumbnailMEFIBOSET: CRIPPLED PRINCE was the grandson of King Saul crippled for life the day his grandfather and crown prince father, Jonathan, died.  Denied the throne at age 11 when his uncle, the last King of Israel died, his family sent him far away from the king’s enemies. Through the years, he avoided being killed by doing tricks upside down on his crutches. He successfully wooed a girl in Ur where they were first introduced to frisky camel rides and the unexpected.  An inspiring book for everyone who is handicapped.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://amzn.to/3518cGB

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Sunday 12/1 ~ Treasures in the heart of God

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, discouragement, eternity, faith, Heaven, Inspirational, joy, Loss, problems, victory, weaknessLeave a comment

The scripture for today, December 1 (12/1), is Jeremiah 12:1ff as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-New“Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you to decide. Now let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil men so happy? You plant them. They take root and their business grows. Their profits multiply, and they are rich. They say, ‘Thank God!’ But in their hearts, they give no credit to you. But as for me ~ Lord, you know my heart ~ you know how much it longs for you. And I am poor, O Lord!”

Now compare this with Job 15:20-24:

“All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless through all the years stored up for him. Terrifying sounds fill his ears….He despairs of escaping the darkness; he is marked for the sword. He wanders about ~ food for vultures; he knows the day of darkness is at hand. Distress and anguish fill him with terror.”

These two passages contradict each other. So what is the problem? The words spoken in Job were by Eliphaz, one of Job’s well-meaning friends who took it upon himself to help Job figure out why he had lost all his wealth, all his children, and all his health. Was Eliphaz right?

At the end of the book of Job, is this: “The Lord…said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends because you have not spoken of me what is right.” Then God ordered Eliphaz and his friends to sacrifice seven bulls and rams (not small sacrifices), then ask Job to pray for them so God “will not deal with you according to your folly.”

When we read scripture, let us be careful to investigate its context and ALL other scriptures on the same subject. Only then can we have the whole picture. Only then can we avoid religious folly.  And truly know the heart of God.

(And, by the way, always remember, this earth is not your home. You’re just passing through. Treasures beyond comprehension are being laid up for you right now in your permanent home ~ heaven.)

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0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-NewCOME FLY WITH ME is novel 8 in THEY MET JESUS  series.  Persecution of Jesus ended in his death, but it was his greatest triumph. Persecution continued with his twelve and would the rest of their lives. But, the reward at the end of the race.  Oh, the reward. Heaven in all its splendor and being with Jesus once again. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://amzn.to/2OZFOxK

 

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Tuesday 11/26 ~ Welcome Home

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, death, eternity, faith, forgiveness, Heaven, joy, Scripture, victory, worship1 Comment

The scripture for today, November 26 (11/26), is John 11:26 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-New” ‘ And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ “

Jesus was talking to the sister of his close friend, Lazarus, who had just died. Of course, we understand he was talking about spiritual death ~ the death of our souls. And death in the original Greek means separation; so in the case of our souls, it would be separation from God.

Revelation 20:6 & 14 refers to the second death of our souls which is the lake of fire. So what is the first death of our souls?

In John 3:3 Jesus said we must be born again of water and the spirit. Romans 6:4 says “we were therefore buried with him through baptism into death [of that sinful life] in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a NEW LIFE.”

Ah, the thought of living on inside the walls of salvation in heaven where Satan can never touch us again. The thought of walking and talking with God and never growing tired of it. The thought of singing with God with pleasure unending.

How reassuring to us when Jesus said believers’ souls would never die. Oh, glorious thought.

And so, day by day I keep on walking and keep on walking. I’m on a journey.  It will not end until, at last, I hear those words, “Welcome Home”.

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0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-NewCOME FLY WITH ME is the last novel in the series THEY MET JESUS. Jesus has come back to life and visited with many people.  Once, he interrupts his own funeral and has a conversation with all 500 in the past seven books for whom he changed their lives.  But mostly his time is with his Twelve.  They must be in charge after he leaves.  They have their ups and downs. The GRAND FINALE is when John visits heaven.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………..  https://amzn.to/2pWXy4u

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Monday 11/25 ~ Come death. Be my door.

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, death, eternity, faith, Fear, Heaven, Inspirational, joy, rest, Thanksgiving, victoryLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 25 (11/25), is John 11:25 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-THUMBNAIL“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.’ “

This has always been puzzling to me: People who have been Christians all their lives find out from their doctor they are going to die, and they weep and beg God to keep them alive. Why?

Heaven is your final destination, not earth. You claim you want to go to heaven, but you do not want to do what is necessary to get there. Death is the door to heaven. Death is not the end, but the beginning!

Why would anyone want to cling to this life in this world with all its problems? Why would anyone who claims to be a Christian wail and cry? Is it because living here is like living in a dark cave and we cannot imagine life with light and color and warmth? Where is all that faith you claimed to have? Where are all the songs you have sung with gusto like, “When We All Get to Heaven”, “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder”, and “I Shall See the King”?

Be willing to look death in the eye and say, “Jesus has conquered you! I will close my eyes here and open them again to behold my Creator and my Savior!” Oh, happy day!

 

Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-THUMBNAILTHE ROAD TO HEAVEN begins in the despair of the Garden of Eden, progresses to another garden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and finally to heaven itself.  It begins with Satan and ends with Jesus.  It begins with death and ends with life.  It begins with the long journey from Adam’s and Eve’s sin and ends with hallelujahs in heaven, our home. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://amzn.to/34eO4Ap

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Sunday 11/24 ~ Let your soul soar with thanksgiving

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, blessings, ego, faith, Heaven, Inspirational, joy, knowledge, Scripture, teaching, Thanksgiving, truth, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 24 (11/24), is Ezekiel 11:24 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

OldOldTunes-Thumbnail“The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia in the vision given by the Spirit of God.”

Symbolism in the Bible is God’ is God’s way of getting deeper into the meaning of something for our human understanding.

For example, how did the Holy Spirit move people? Not by making them fall down, but by lifting them up. Ezekiel was the prophet who experienced this most often, and the Spirit never made Ezekiel swoon and fall down. It always lifted him up. Literally.

Jesus said in John 14:17 that he would send the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth. And in John 17:17 he said, “Your [God’s] Word is Truth.”

The Word of God does throw some people off symbolically but not physically, and that’s because they don’t like everything it says. So, they, in turn, throw the Bible down in a symbolic sense.

Even today, the Word of God lifts up the soft-hearted and receptive. If we let it, the Word of God can turn our lives around (in a symbolic sense ~ we don’t physically turn around) and our souls can soar to the throne of God (in a symbolic sense, not literally).

Be careful when reading something in the Bible that is symbolic to not turn it into something literal. Symbolism is there to convey a greater understanding of God that cannot be put into human words.   Keep on reading the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit continue to lift you up.

These are God’s parables in phrase form instead of story form.  What would we do without the Walls of Salvation, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God?  So, let God lift you up. Let your soul soar with gladness.

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OldOldTunes-ThumbnailTHE OLD OLD STORY SET TO OLD OLD TUNES contains 80 Bible songs set to folk tunes ~ 40 on the Old Testament and 40 on the New Testament.  Easy and fun to sing.  Remember “The Old Grey Mare, She Aint What She Used to be”?  That’s the tune for “Abraham, Sarah, they ain’t what they used to be.”  Then there’s “Farmer in the Dell” which becomes “Jonah got burped up”.  Give one to each teacher of children in your congregation. Also great for parties, homeschoolers, grandparents entertaining the little one on visits, for long trips in the car with children.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://amzn.to/35FhiJd

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Friday ~ How on earth could they live to be 900?

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, faith, family, Inspirational, joy, praise, Scripture, Thanksgiving, victoryLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 22 (11/22), is Genesis 11:22 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

02-Noah-KindleThumbnail“When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.”

How can it be that people could live so long in the early centuries of the world? Isn’t that stretching things a bit? Isn’t it just folklore? Here’s more.

Noah had his first son at age 502 (Genesis 5:32, 11:10). Noah lived a total of 950 years (Genesis 9:29). Noah’s son, Shem, had his first son at age 100 and lived a total of 600 years (Genesis 11:10-11). Now we have Serug, the 7th-generation grandson of Noah, who had his first son at age 30 and lived a total of 230 years (see above).

Do you see the trend downward of ages after the flood? Most of Noah’s life was lived before the flood. Some of Shem’s life was lived before, but most of it was after the flood. All of Serug’s life was after the flood.

Many scientists believe that the earth originally had a constant cloud covering like the planet Venus does. Genesis 2:5-6 says it had not rained yet, but a mist rose to water everything. The King James Version of the Bible regarding the flood in Genesis 7:11 says the windows of heaven were opened. Genesis 8:2 says the windows of heaven were stopped.

Notice, it did not say the windows of heaven were closed; they were just stopped, meaning it could rain again periodically after that. If indeed, Earth did have a constant thick cloud covering before the flood, then humans would have been protected from radiation from the sun, and therefore could live longer. After the change in Earth’s atmosphere after the flood, humans beings exposed to more radiation would have lived shorter lives.

Something to think about…. And, one more thought ~ rainbows wouldn’t be possible with a constant cloud covering. The flood brought us rainbows! (Genesis 9:13). 

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02-Noah-KindleThumbnailA CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES:  NOAH is a familiar story for children. This 85-page storybook has big writing for the early reader and hyphenated long words to help pronounce them.  It takes your child from Noah’s normal life to a life of building a boat on dry land and being laughed at, the family’s year on their boat and descending to dry land with no one in the world but this one family. Oh, and tells of their wonder at a blue sky and, yes, the very first rainbow.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/37wDDtR

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Sunday 11/3 ~ Our daily bread

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, blessings, Daily, Inspirational, joy, praise, teaching, Thanksgiving, things, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 3 (11/3), is Luke 11:3 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-Cover-Thumbnail“Give us each day our daily bread.”

This is part of the ideal prayer that Jesus taught his followers to say. People claim to agree with it. But do you completely?

Do you feel like it is your hard-earned money that bought that bread? Do you claim it is your ability to cook that created that bread? Do you claim it was the hard work of the farmers and their equipment that brought you the grain from whence the bread is made? Or the mills that ground it into flour? Or the stores that brought the flour to the consumers?

Ultimately you must look past all of this to that which is beyond your control. It is God who makes the sun shine down upon the seed. It is God who makes the rain come down to water it. It is God who places life in the buried wheat germ for it to reproduce with a flourish.

Many activities of man bring you your daily bread. But ultimately it is God the Creator who makes it all possible. He not only makes it possible for good people, but he brings bread also to the bad. He loves everyone.

Thank you for loving me. You show it every day in the earth I trod, the food I eat, the birds that fly around me for my entertainment. You are in my every delight, my every movement, my every song. I am surrounded and protected by your high walls of salvation, your waters of life, and your light of truth.  How can I thank you for all you have done for me?

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00-Cover-ThumbnailFUN WITH BIBLE NUMBERS includes 525 math problems from the Bible beginning with Genesis and concluding in Revelation.  Did you know Solomon put three trillion dollars worth of gold just in the Holy of Holies in the Temple?  Did you know Jesus walked on water 3 1/2 miles in a storm to get to his apostles’ sinking boat?  Did you know Jacob and Esau were 15 when grandfather Abraham died?  Did you know Isaac died just ten years before his son took the family to Egypt?  Trivia for bulletin fillers, Bible class ice breakers, homeschoolers, retirees, prisoners, family devos, etc.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/32gIcoF

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Saturday 10/26 ~ Creating with God

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, good works, Inspirational, joy, praise, Thanksgiving2 Comments

The scripture for today, October 26 (10//26), is 1st Corinthians 10:26 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

3 Great Kings Kindle-Thumbnail“For ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.’ “

This is a thanksgiving scripture.

The beautiful part of God’s creation is that he left a lot of it undone for us to finish. After all, we are created in his likeness.

He left the stones and clay in the ground so that we could dig it up and build cities. He left the wool on the sheep so we could shear it and make warm garments. He left the trees growing tall so we could hew them and build barns and houses. He left the gravel in the ground so we could harvest it and build roads.

He left the ore in the ground so we could mine it and make skyscrapers, airplanes, ships, trains, automobiles. He left the water in the lakes and seas so we could capture it and create power and transportation ways. He left the beautiful stones unseen so we could dig them up, shape them, polish them, and make beautiful decorations.

Yes, we were created in the likeness of our Creator. He loved to create. So, do we. So, whenever we make something good from his creation, we honor him.

 

3 Great Kings Kindle-ThumbnailA CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES:  SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON.  Saul created the crown, David created the songs, Solomon created the temple.  Great for children’s Bible classes, homeschooling, grandparents, aunts, uncles, church libraries.  Ten chapters in large font with aids or early readers.  THINK & DO at the end of each chapter.  Get the whole set of 10 STORYBOOKS for birthdays or Christmas.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2pfFCSb

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