Category: judging

Saturday 12/7 ~ We are never alone

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, Daily, discouragement, emptiness, faith, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, judging, Loss, love, Scripture, truth1 Comment

The scripture for today, December 7 (12/7), is Luke 12:7 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Jesus had just said that God knows every sparrow individually. Amazing! This God of ours, this Creator of ours, this soul-lover of ours knows everything that is going on in his world, and knows everyone in his world, regardless of where we are in the world.

There are some two trillion galaxies out there. Within each galaxy, there are one hundred thousand stars. And God is larger than all of it.  He permeates his world ~ small and great.

Not only does He know everyone, but He knows our name, our likes, our dislikes, our struggles, our joys, if we bump into a door, how much we paid for groceries this week ~ everything. He is with us where ever we go. There is no place we can go that he is not there.

We are never alone.

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0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-ThumbnailTHE HOLY SPIRIT: 592 VERSES EXAMINED.  Are all the things we’ve heard about God’s Spirit really true? This book covers every verse in the Bible. If it’s not there, it’s not true. The manifestations of God’s Spirit is broken down among the verses into topics. The Holy Spirit is not complicated. People have made it so.  Great for Bible classes or personal reading.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://amzn.to/2rsi3Xt

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Friday 12/6 ~ God’s pride and joy

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, church, Daily, ego, good works, humility, Inspirational, judging, power, praise, weakness, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, December 6 (12/6), is 1st Corinthians 12:6 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”

00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-ThumbnailThis is Paul talking about spiritual gifts and jealousy.  Later in this chapter, Paul explains, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’  On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (12:21f). He further explains, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body….” (12:13).

For ambitious people in the church who “fight” for position, this is hard to take. Standing in front with a microphone are the most sought-after positions in the church.  Such positions have the potential of making you famous.

Sorry, folks. Not to God. To God you are dispensable. The church could easily survive without you. God could easily get along without you. So, get control of your ego. Huh?

Do you really and truly believe this? Those who do the seemingly menial works (the “weaker”) are indispensable to God ~ you who take food to the bereaved, who read the Bible to the sick, who clean the bathrooms, who daily pray for members and the lost, who give a tract to a friend, who share a bulletin with a neighbor, who send a thinking-of-you card to a lonely person, who mow the church building lawn, who pray with someone who has just told you of a problem, who watch the nursery, who periodically quote a Bible verse to a friend in distress ~ such works that are in the background ~ the ones that don’t make it into the “schedule of worship,” the bulletin, the newspaper, the church periodicals, the billboards are the ones who are indispensable.

To you who are jealous of people who get to have a more public position in the church and stand in front of the congregation and” lead” don’t be. Take heart. God is working more in you than them. Further, public approval by people is their reward. Your reward is from God himself.

You may seem weaker to the others, but to God you are strong. You are mighty. You are God’s pride and joy.

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00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-ThumbnailWANDERING SOUL,  ENTITLED HEART, & THE SIDETRACKED CHURCH: WORSHIP THE 1ST-CENTURY WAY covers every phase of our worship.  Each chapter begins with quotes from famous theologians like Luther, Calvin, Wesley, etc. and ends with quotes of 2nd-century Christians. In between the readers is taken one step at a time from what the common pattern is and gently leads to a better way, the first-century way.  Written for denominational leaders. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://amzn.to/36f2vVR

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Tuesday 12/3 ~ I just got out there and did it

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, blessings, church, Daily, discouragement, ego, good works, Inspirational, judgingLeave a comment

The scripture for today, December 3 (12/3), is Romans 12:3 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Applied Christianity“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”

The context of this verse is members of a congregation getting along with each other. He explains that each person is given certain gifts such as serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing and so on (12:6-8).

Within congregations, disagreements can come about because one person has an idea about a good work, and someone else has a different idea about it, and still, someone else says some other good work should be done. All sincerely believe their way is the best form of outreach, and each wants a committee to be formed to carry it out. Then egos tend to get involved.

Perhaps the best way to judge whether you are thinking of yourself more highly than you ought, is to ask yourself this:  If I moved away or if I died, would this congregation survive without me? Of course, it would.  Keep praying, Lord, help me see myself as others do.

It does not matter if you can get a committee formed to help you.  If your heart is set on a certain good work, you can always do it alone. You do not need a committee.  If your heart is truly set, stop waiting for others whose hearts may be on something else. If your heart is truly set, get out and do it.

Perhaps others will see your results and want to join you later. Perhaps not. Just keep following your heart. Be true to your heart. Be true to the souls that will be helped because you got out there and just did it.

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Applied Christianity

APPLIED CHRISTIANITY: A HANDBOOK OF 500 GOOD WORKS is great for church libraries or a new Christian, teenagers. Even ladies’ Bible classes are using it for their class book.  Full of every kind of good work suggestions including how-to’s for every age and every physical condition. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://amzn.to/2YbbrIY

 

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Saturday 11/30 ~ What Adam & Eve did Right

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, death, Death of Jesus Christ, ego, Enemies, eternity, faith, forgiveness, Heaven, judging, Satan, Saved from hell, sin, temptation, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 30 (11/30), is Proverbs 11:30 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Michel-COVER-Kindle-Thumbnail“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.”

Remember back in the Garden of Eden? Going by the age of their three sons, Adam and Eve were in the Garden close to one hundred years.  Instead of centering on what they did wrong, look at what they did right.  They were sinless for nearly a century! Hardly any of us can accomplish that in 100 minutes.

Just think. Walking through a garden lush with the beauty of holiness.  Walking through a garden with the water of life to drink. Walking through a garden with God (materialized) himself.

How many times did that snake Satan, upright like a king’s scepter and perhaps with a crown of gold and ruby on his head, make his way gracefully through the garden, laughing and enjoying the company of newly made humans? How many times did he coil up his tail like a maelstrom spiraling through the heavens full of light and beauty as he watched the couple enjoy the fruit of the garden? How many times did this magnificent creature sway back and forth, back and forth as cobras do as he spoke hypnotic words to make them feel like gods?

“Oh, look at the fruit on that tree over there? God told you never to touch it, but God is wrong.  Go ahead. Touch it. That’s right. Did anything bad happen to you? Of course not, because God is wrong.  How about touching it with your lips? That’s right. You’re not really eating it. You’re just touching it. Smell it too. Have you ever smelled anything so wonderful? God doesn’t want you to have it. He knows you will learn what evil is and then be as smart as him. God is jealous of you. Go ahead. Take a tiny bite. It won’t hurt you.  See there? Are you dead like he said you would be? No. You are still alive. God is a liar. I am the only one who tells you the truth. I am on your side. God hates you. Sure, go ahead and take another bite, and Adam might like some too.  It’s harmless. Do not believe anything God says. He hates you. I am the only one who loves you.”

How many thousands of times did Adam and Eve chase him off, only to have him back in their lives a few hours later? How many thousands of times did they try to resume what they were doing and try to put him out of their minds? How many times did they do it right? One stumble was all the enemy needed.

That was a long time ago. Now the Tree of Life, which God withheld from Adam and Eve, is in heaven waiting for them. Waiting for you.

And as you wait, win souls.  Snatch them out of the beautiful flower-strewn web of mankind’s enemy number one. He is still out here, still beautiful, still suave, and still lying.

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0-Michel-COVER-Kindle-ThumbnailMICHEL: THE FOURTH WISE MAN lived a few miles from the Garden of Eden where the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers meet.  It was now under water.  Michel descends from Daniel. His dream is to buy what was the Garden of Eden, restore it, and bring people to it to meditate and pray so that perhaps God will return and walk the earth again. Little did he know that is what was happening over in Bethlehem.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://amzn.to/2Y9Z4wQ

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Wednesday 11/27 ~ Teach the teachers?

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, church, eternity, faith, judging, knowledge, patience, Scripture, teaching, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 27 (11/27), is Mark 11:27f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Titus-Cover-Lg Thumb“…the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him [Jesus]. ‘By what authority are you doing those things?’ they asked. ‘And who gave you authority to do this?’ “

Of course, the answer to their question is that no one needs authority to teach God’s Word. You do not have to be “ordained” by someone else who is a teacher. Actually, you do not have to be “ordained” by another preacher to preach although elderships sometimes laid their hands on people to send them out as missionaries. But that is all. Now, what about you as a teacher?

As you learn more of the Bible, consider teaching your community’s Bible leaders and teachers. Have the courage to speak up and quote something in the Bible which that church may not be following? Then, when your religious teachers and leaders go to you wanting to know by what authority you teach something new, be ready for them with the scriptures.

Periodically tell them about this newly-discovered truth in private ~ gently and respectfully ~ again and again.

Just remember leaders often take longer to accept a new teaching. It may take them months or years to accept it. Keep on keeping on. And be patient with them.

Pray for your community’s religious teachers and leaders.  Ask God to touch their hearts. He will not go against their natural nature, but if they have honest hearts, it will work. Plant the seed, and God will give the increase (1st Corinthians 3:16). God said, “My Word will not return to me void” (Isaiah 55:11).

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0-Titus-Cover-Lg ThumbTITUS: THE ARISTOCRAT was born in a city of privilege, Antioch in the province of Pisidia in today’s Turkey.  He was educated.  When he became a Christian, Paul turned him into an arbitrator and sent him to “teach the teachers” in CORINTH of Greece, then the island of CRETE, and finally up in today’s area of Albania. Timothy brilliantly figured out who was lying to him, how to persuade those fake apostles to leave, how to keep under control imitating the Roman empire with its vestal virgins (nuns) and head bishops. All the while, he endures his own personal tragedies and eventually rises above them.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://amzn.to/2MRwnmn

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Thursday 11/21 ~ Too small to matter

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, blessings, discouragement, emptiness, faith, Inspirational, judging, patience, power, victory, weaknessLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 21 (11/21), is Acts 11:21 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-“The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”

What had just happened? A few Christians in Phoenecia (today’s Lebanon), Cyprus (the Mediterranean Island) and Cyrene (in today’s North Africa), went to Antioch, a city in Northern Syria near the southern border of today’s Turkey. There they established a congregation.

This little congregation ended up being the home congregation of Paul and Barnabas for many years. It started small; we don’t know the size it grew to. Regardless of the size, it had foresight and eventually did great things.

Perhaps you live in a town full of churches, but you’ve compared them with the New Testament, and none of them follows the original pattern. Perhaps you have even given up going to church because of this problem. What is stopping you from beginning a little congregation after the New Testament pattern in your home?  

New Testament churches were simple ~ not elaborate like those mega-churches out there. And those simple churches have always been dynamic in their simplicity. Who knows but that your new little congregation will someday produce a Paul or a Barnabas. Who knows?

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00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE had everything against him when he headed into pagan territory.  No priest was going to let a stranger come in and ruin his income, his power, his prestige.  He went anyway. He preached in this city and was beaten. He preached in that city and was stoned. He preached in other cities and was whipped, imprisoned, starved, lied about, scorned.  But in each city, he left behind a little congregation that grew and flourished.  He never let smallness matter.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/333nV6c

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Tuesday 11/19 ~ A little self-reflection

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, church, ego, Holy Spirit, humility, judging, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 19 (11/19), is Ezekiel 11:19 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

00- Worship Changes KC COVER-thumbnail“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.”

Although the 600+ commandments in the Old Testament /Covenant Law of Moses were nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 8:10-13), God has always had laws to keep us safe. In the New Testament/Covenant era, he does not have a lot of laws, but he still has them.

What is our worship like? Is it full of things God never asked us to do? Does our worship elevate God or ourselves? When we’re done worshiping, do we say, “We were so great!” or “God is so great!”?  Do we worship to make ourselves feel good or to make God feel good?

We add all kinds of things to our worship that were commanded only under the Old Testament/Covenant Law of Moses, or things we think would “add to the effectiveness” of our worship. If, for example, it’s okay to add things to our singing and praying because then they would sound better, then it is okay to add lemon pie to the Lord’s Supper because then it would taste better.

Again, the question: Who are we worshiping and trying to please? God or ourselves? Do we deep down have a heart of stone, but put on our halo and say, “Surely not me”?

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00- Worship Changes KC COVER-thumbnailWORSHIP CHANGES SINCE THE FIRST CENTURY looks at all the ways we worship today, thinking worship has always been that way.  Many of the ways we worship today were enforced by burning protesters at the stake.  This book gives the exact dates the changes were made.  Dare to read this book then give it to a religious friend.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2CZsdAS

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Saturday 11/16 ~ Falsely Accused No More

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, Death of Jesus Christ, faith, Fear, Inspirational, judging, persecution, sacrifice, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 16 (11/16), is John 11:16 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

EASTER Strip-MetJesus“Then Thomas…said to the rest of the disciples, ‘Let us also go that we may die with him.’ “

Have you ever been falsely accused?  This apostle is most often and wrongly called “Doubting Thomas.” We’ve all heard the story about Thomas being absent when Jesus appeared to the other apostles, then later said he wouldn’t believe Jesus was alive again unless he could touch him. Well, the other apostles hadn’t believed until they saw him either.

After returning to life, Jesus first appeared to the women. Then, “when they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others…But they did not believe the women because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:9-11).

Now let’s look at our scripture for today. In the months before Jesus’ death, he had been traveling everywhere except to Judea where Jerusalem and the religious leaders were. Those leaders had plans to kill Jesus, and everyone knew it. Then Lazarus got sick just six miles from Jerusalem and his sisters begged Jesus to come heal him. It was dangerous for Jesus to go there. He didn’t go and Lazarus died.

John 11:7-8 says, “Then he [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’ ‘But Rabbi,’ they said, ‘a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?’ “

After explaining that he needed to get to Lazarus, it was Thomas who bravely spoke up and said, “Let us also go that we may die with him!”

Later, when Thomas did finally see Jesus, he was the first to call him “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

Doubting Thomas? Far from it! Brave Thomas. Devoted Thomas. Thomas who was willing to follow his Lord to the death. Thomas who was the first to call him God. That was the real Thomas.

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EASTER Strip-MetJesus

PROMISE KEEPER, SHADOW OF DEATH, COME FLY WITH ME are the complete Easter Story.  In these, Thomas plays a major role as he encourages the other apostles to not be afraid but follow Jesus to the death.  And meet his twin sister who shares his faith.  To BUY NOW click the book covers or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2OKZLLL

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Friday 11/15 ~ Kingdom of Hope

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn church, death, ego, governments, judging, knowledge, persecution, power, Scripture, teaching, worshipLeave a comment

The Scripture for today, November 15 (11/15), is Revelation 11:15 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00- Worship Changes KC COVER-thumbnail“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever!’ “

 You belong to a kingdom/nation in this world. It is not perfect. Its leaders can sometimes do very bad things. And you wonder how you can stand some of the terrible things that sometimes happen within a government.

But your worldly kingdom/nation is not the only one you can live in. Colossians 1:13 says Jesus “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Rescued! Brought you! Past tense! The kingdom isn’t something in the future. It is here now. And it goes by yet another name. Verse 18 says, “And he [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church.”

So, when you sometimes become discouraged about your kingdom/nation in this world that you live in, take hope. You can have dual citizenship! For there is another kingdom here, a spiritual one. The king of that kingdom will love you. Forever love you.

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00- Worship Changes KC COVER-thumbnailWORSHIP CHANGES SINCE THE 1ST CENTURY is half of a series, “Wandering Soul, Entitled Heart, and the Sidetracked Church.”  Many of the ways people worship today and think are so sweet are the result of governments stepping in and mandating the change. They imprisoned or executed anyone objecting to the change.  Changes in worship came about amidst agony.  Investigate your habitual ways of worshipping. How did they come about?  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2NTsJHb

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Wednesday 11/13 ~ Just pick a religion you like

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, eternity, faith, forgiveness, Heaven, judging, knowledge, Saved from hell, Scripture, teaching, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 13 (11/13), is Zechariah 11:13 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ ~ the handsome price at which they paid me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter.”

The book of Zechariah is full of prophecies about Jesus, especially circumstances surrounding his death. Compare the above scripture with this written five centuries later when Jesus was betrayed and crucified::

“Then one of the Twelve ~ the one called Judas Iscariot ~ went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him [Jesus] over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty silver coins” (Matthew 26:15).

and….

“When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests….So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself….So they [chief priests] decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners” (Matthew 27:3, 6-7).

The prophet Zechariah wrote this prophecy some five centuries before Jesus. The prophet had been long dead before it was fulfilled. This could not possibly have been contrived to fit such a distant future ~ the exact sum Judas was paid, the money being thrown into the temple and then given to the potters.

This is only one of many proofs. The Bible is the only religious book in the world with built-in proofs it is of divine origin.

Why not keep a list of the prophecies so you will be prepared when a friend says, “All religions are right. Just pick one you like”?

 

CHRISTIANITY OR ISLAM: THE CONTRAST quotes from the Quran and Bible on the same subjects.  The middle explains things Muslims are told Christians believe that we do not believe such as God marrying Mary and having Jesus.  It ends with statements from 100 Muslims who have decided Jesus really was the Son of God.  Can be given to a Muslim without offending them.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/33K7DAv

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