December 28 ~ Things in the Bible not really in the Bible…and a few surprises

 

Oops of the Day 

The Law of Moses is still in effect today.

Book of Leviticus – Matthew 5:18  –  Colossians 2:14 – Hebrews chap. 8-9 – Hebrews 14:16  –  John 19:28-30  

Fact of the Day

No! There were 600 commandments in the Law of Moses, not just the famous 10.  This old covenant required stoning people to death for adultery, offering blood sacrifices, donating 1/3 of their income to God, etc., etc.  Jesus nailed them to the cross. Jesus said not one dot of the Law of Moses would end until all is fulfilled.  Jesus fulfilled them all.  How?  He actually kept the Law of Moses perfectly and never sin.  And he fulfilled every prophecy about him in the Old Testament.  

When someone is in shock, the worst thing you can give them is a drink; it almost always causes immediate death.  Our creator and savior knew this. His body was in shock on the cross.  The last thing he did was to ask for a drink, then announce “It is finished” – “It is completed” – ‘It is fulfilled”. 

December 26 ~ Things in the Bible not really in the Bible…and a few surprises

 

Oops of the Day 

Demon possession has always existed and is as common today as it was during Bible times.

Matthew 4:24  –  Matthew 9:32  –   Matthew 10:1  –  Matthew 12:22  –  Matthew 17:18  –  Mark 5:1-20  –  Luke 4:33-36  –  Luke 10:17  –  Acts 6:16-18

Fact of the Day

No! Examine the Bible.  God allowed demons to reveal themselves only during the lifetime of Jesus and his apostles.  Jesus ordered them out to show his power over Satan. 

Notice, he did not do exorcisms and beg them to come out.  They were afraid of him.  He ordered them.  He commanded them.  He never begged them.

There is no mention of demon possession in any writings after the time of the apostles including the “Apostolic Fathers” or “Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History.”  Demons having access to our world ceased by the end of the New Testament.

December 26 ~ Things in the Bible not really in the Bible…and a few surprises

 

Surprise of the Day

Why were James and John, two of Jesus’ apostles, his closest friends?

Matthew 4:21-22  –  Matthew 27:56  –  Mark 16:40  –  John 19:25

Fact of the Day

James and John were sons of Zebedee.  At the cross later was the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Her name was Salome, and she was “the sister of Mary”.  James and John had known Jesus all their life.  They were cousins! Mary and Joseph were their aunt and uncle.

December 24 ~ Things in the Bible not really in the Bible…and a few surprises

 

Oops of the Day

Everyone has to walk through the valley of the shadow of death when they die.

Matthew 4:16  –  Psalm 23:4

Fact of the Day

No!  For the Christian, light has come to the shadow of death.  Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, said so when he prophesied the soon-coming Messiah – Jesus.

December 24 ~ Things in the Bible not really in the Bible…and a few surprises

 

Oops of the Day

Jesus just happened to be walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, saw these two strangers – Peter and Andrew – and told them to follow him.  So they dropped everything and did.  Such faith!

Matthew 4:13 & 18-20  –  John 1:44  –   Luke 5:10

Fact of the Day

No! Peter and Andrew lived in Bethsaida.  By then, Jesus had moved from Nazareth to Capernaum, a fishing town just a little way up the coast from Bethsaida.  James and John (who were related to Jesus) were their fishing partners. 

July 4 ~ Things in the Bible Not Really in the Bible…and a Few Surprises

ENJOY OUR NEW SERIES

A Different Oops Every Day

Button-Divider Line

WHEN WAS LIGHT CREATED?

Genesis 1:3-5 – Genesis 1:14-19

OOPS:   The Genesis account of the creation is wrong.  God could not have created light on the first day since he did not create the sun until the 4th day.

FACT:    This is assuming the earth is the center of the universe. But it is not. The earth is a tiny spec in the universe. The entire universe does not depend on earth’s sun – just one of the stars created the fourth day. Beginning the first day, God’s glory shined brightly.

Wisdom, understanding, & God’s opinion

The scripture for today, July 2 (7/2), is Proverbs 7:2ff , as found in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Medium“Keep my commands, and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call understanding your kinsman.”

It is popular today for people to reject Christianity because they don’t like rules. That is not logical. Everything in life has rules ~ getting tired, and having to sleep is a rule, eating to stay alive is a rule, not running your car into someone else’s car is a rule.  True Christianity has the same kind of logical rules.

But it seems, everywhere we turn, we are given differing religious rules and way too many. They cannot all be true, yet people who give them seems to be so good. They all pray and do good deeds and never kill, cheat, or steal.

How can they all be right when they contradict each other? Preachers and creeds and elders and dogmas. No wonder people are turned off by “organized religion”.  When it comes down to it, only God’s opinion counts.

So how do we get God’s opinion? We look up everything in the Bible using the keyword we are concerned about. We look it up for ourselves and decide for ourselves. We do not let other people decide for us.

Well, how do we find all those verses? By using a concordance, which is like a large dictionary listing all the words in the Bible and what verses carry those words. It is the size of a large-city telephone book. You can also get it on the internet free here:  http://bibletab.com/

So today, look up something about Christianity you have always been curious about. It will open up a whole new world for you. Then you’ll have wisdom, understanding, and God’s opinion.


All praises belong to you, my Lord and my God, for your intelligence and wisdom. You put together this whole material world. What I learn about this world you created helps me understand better your spiritual world. What I learn about life in this world helps me understand true life in your world. How awesome and amazing it all is.  How awesome and amazing you are. More than I can grasp but tantalizing and testing me to try.  And you smile. It is what you planned for me to do. You wanted me to touch you.

And it rained a little bit last night. The night before the sky was so clear with no moon and the stars glistened like diamonds. Oh, the enchantments you bring with the changes in the sky, each good in their own way. Storm clouds, rainbows, funny-shaped clouds, sunsets and sunrises. Ah, my Lord, thank you.

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Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS.  This second of the trilogy, TOUCHING GOD, provides a daily short saying from the ancient sheik, Job, from King David’s psalms, and from his son King Solomon’s Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Job lived some thousand years before David and Solomon; yet we see the same wisdom of God shines forth in every millennium of mankind. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/365PearlsOfWisdom            https://atomic-temporary-67613881.wpcomstaging.com/365-pearls-of-wisdom-gods-soul-to-yours/

 

The Divine Boomerang Effect

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-MediumThe scripture for today, June 23 (6/23), is 2nd Chronicles 6:23 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty and so establish his innocence.”

Did you notice here that God brings down on our head what we do to others? It includes how we treat him too. If we don’t have time for God, God doesn’t have time for us. If we put God last, he puts us last. If we refuse to forgive others, he refuses to forgive us. This is the boomerang effect. Here are several scriptures that reflect God doing to people what they do.

“The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. The Lord is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.” (Psalm 9:15-16)

“In his arrogance, the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.” (Psalm 10:2).

“The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts.” (Psalm 37:14-15)

“Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused.” (Psalm 140:9)

“He mocks proud mockers.” (Proverbs 3:34)

“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” (Proverbs 6:27)

“If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.” (Proverbs 26:27)

“Woe to you, O destroyer, you have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you have not been betrayed. When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.” (Isaiah 33:1)

“According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes.” (Isaiah 59:18)

“I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices.” (Ezekiel 7:8)

“As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.” (Obadiah 1:15)

In the meantime, we’re to leave punishment to God. And, if you are falsely accused of anything, God will declare you innocent. His is the important judgment.

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Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS.  Most of the warnings in today’s devo come from the “Wisdom Literature” of the Bible.  This second of the trilogy, Touching God, provides a daily short saying from the ancient sheik, Job, from King David’s psalms, and from his son King Solomon’s Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Job lived some thousand years before David and Solomon; yet we see the same wisdom of God shines forth in every millennium of mankind.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:   https://bit.ly/365PearlsOfWisdom    https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/365-pearls-of-wisdom-gods-soul-to-yours/

 

The Unknown Future

The scripture for today, June 20 (6/20), is Matthew 6:20f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-MEDIUM“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In describing heaven, terms are used like pearls, diamonds, emeralds, gold, and so on. So, certainly, God is not against riches. Otherwise, he would not have described heaven with those terms.

So, what is the problem? Ask yourself, “If I lost everything tomorrow, could I face life?.”  You may say yes, but what about your friends? They may not want to associate with someone with nothing. So, it is not only a greed problem but a social problem. It is a problem of losing both your possessions and your friends.

Some have solved this problem by moving out into the country where possessions and social status don’t mean so much. Or you could stay where you are and just change your choice of friends. Your new friends may be truer friends than you ever had before and may need you more.

Lastly, if you lost your job, your car, your home ~ your identity ~ would you be so devastated that you would contemplate suicide as some have done? Or would you be able to look around and see what you can do without being paid and a job to occupy your time?

There are always things you can do for others. Is that truly where your heart is? In that case, loss of everything would not bring catastrophe. Rather, it would give opportunity to reveal what stuff you are made of deep down inside where your true treasure is ~ in your heart.

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Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-THUMBNAILTHE ROAD TO HEAVEN.  It’s a long road.  It began in the Gaden of Eden.  What has it taken to get you forgiven?  It’s been a long battle between God and Satan, both of which are trying to get you on their side.  And the logistics God worked out:  He’s always fooling Satan.  Satan does not understand God. So, even though he thinks he is winning, he is not. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://bit.ly/Road-To-Heaven                                           https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/the-road-to-heaven/

Tears Blended with Your Blood

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-MediumLord, you never forget me. You have so much to do in the universe to keep the stars in their heavens, the planets in their orbits, and the seas in their bounds. More, you are always thinking about me. I am always on your mind. You watch me and do all that is necessary to guide me, though you leave the choice up to me. You are so boundless in knowledge and wisdom, yet you respect my decisions ~ right or wrong. Even when my decisions are wrong, you do not interfere. You give me room to think and change my mind. I lift up my hands in praise to you. You are the Great God of the universe, Ruler of heaven & earth and King of my heart. 

Your eyes were so sleepy on the day you were born. Ah, what a journey you had made. By the time the wise men found you, your eyes were big and wide and full of curiosity.  As you grew up, your eyes looked intently at what was around you and a vague memory approached of you having made it all. As a full-grown man, your eyes looked with pity on the sick, the crippled, the diseased, the handicapped and you healed them all. Then one day those eyes were filled with tears as you looked down from the cross at people bragging they were at last killing you. Those tears blended with your blood fell on the hearts of mankind. I kneel before you, my tears mingling with yours and I worship you.

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0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-ThumbnailTHEY MET JESUS:  SHADOW OF DEATH. The priests thought they had killed him.  The Romans thought they had killed him. Satan thought he had killed him.  Wrong. They had all been wrong.  You cannot kill God.  In holy defiance, he re-entered that mangled body, renewed it, and came back to life to live on forever.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://bit.ly/ShadowOfDeath-7 https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/historical-novel-about-jesus/book-7-shadow-of-death-adults-childs-versions/