Saturday 4/13 ~ Someday you will smile and rise again

The scripture for today, April 13 (4/13), is Philippians 4:13 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

000-COVER-KINDLE-Thumbnail“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Life is not easy. Plans are scattered, dreams are shattered, and even predictable every-day things sometimes give way to the unknown and unforeseeable. Maybe you have made bad decisions, or you weren’t prepared for emergencies, or you are an innocent victim of someone else’s problems.

There is Someone who knows everything that is happening to you and who will walk beside you down whatever path you find yourself. And, as amazing as it sounds, even if you lose faith in Him, He will not lose faith in you.

When you don’t feel like it, reach out to God. Pray, even if all you can think of talking about is how terrible things are right now. At least you’re talking. And read the Bible, for that is God talking to you. Keep the two-way communication going. Amidst your weeping when you fall, God will give you strength. And someday once again you will rise and smile again.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redLAZARUS: THE SAMARITAN becomes a slave in a copper mine who eventually owns his own lucrative mine, raises a family and loses everything. The surprise ending will knock your socks off. Has something to do with a pearl. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2G9A3cj

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Wednesday 4/3 ~ Discovering real truth

The scripture for today, April 3 (4/3), is 1st Timothy 4:3 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00- Worship Changes KC COVER-thumbnail“They [false teachers] forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.”

It is hard for you to think that smiling, humble, Bible-quoting, holy-looking church leaders could be false teachers and condemned by the God they claim to represent.  We want to think well of everyone. Isn’t that the way Christians are to think? But sometimes thinking well of someone and thinking well of the truth can clash.  Now you have a choice to make ~ a hard choice.

The Apostle Paul, warned of false teachers in the church that would come in the future. Indeed, it did happen. A time came when certain Christians were ordered not to marry, and not to eat certain foods (for instance, on Friday. They claim it is a sin to disobey them and don’t show you the scriptures they refuse to obey.

Remember, your church leaders are going to be judged by God just like everyone else. Always, as the Apostle Peter once warned, “We ought to obey God and not men” (Acts 4:19). Besides, do you think this is one reason people have turned against “organized religion”?

This is why it is important to read the Bible for yourself. Use a concordance to look up all scriptures in the Bible with any keyword and you will learn what is true and not true. Isn’t it time for you to sort through everything you have been told?  Isn’t it time for you to discover pure truth?

Image result for "Buy the book" button redWORSHIP CHANGES SINCE THE FIRST CENTURY is a year-by-year account of how things gradually changed and what the changers did to those who protested against them. Be prepared to be amazed. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2FQgMfM

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Monday 4/1 ~ Rise Up!

The scripture for today, April 1 (4/1), is Ephesians 4:1 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

Paul, imprisoned for spreading the word about Jesus? Now he wants others to follow his example, even if they end up in prison like him? 

Did Paul’s incarceration stop the Christians he was writing to from spreading the word?  More, did Jesus’ crucifixion stop them for fear they would be crucified too? Did early Christians decide it was too dangerous to tell people the way to escape hell and go to heaven? Never.

They loved people’s souls so much, they were willing to take insults, persecution, imprisonment and even death in the hopes their persistent love would eventually lead to people becoming Christians and being saved from eternal hell. They knew their “calling” as Christians.

How about today? Do you live a life worthy of your calling as a Christian? Do you stand up for Jesus and reach out to the lost, regardless of how they treat you? Or do you cower and use the excuse, “Once people see my godly life, they will ask me how to be saved”?  How many times do the lost really do that?

Rise up!  Stand tall as a brave soldier of the Lord. Dare to march into enemy territory and do everything you can to snatch the lost out of the claws of Satan.

No matter what they do to you.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redPAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE told people how to be saved from hell, knowing their leaders would try to kill him. Each time he was beaten and lashed, he would cry out, “Jesus! This is for you!”  To BUY this novel now, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2FG8tmL

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Friday 3/29 ~ Obscure Greatness

The scripture for today, March 29 (3/29), is Luke 3:29 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00- Worship Changes KC COVER-thumbnail“…the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi….”

Who in the world were these five men: Joshua, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, and Levi? Some were named after famous Jews, but no one in this list was famous himself. In fact, nothing else is said in the Bible about any of these men. They’re just a single name in a single but long list made in obscurity.

Who were they that they earned even one brief mention in the Bible?

They were ancestors of Joseph, the human “father” of Jesus. What else? They were born and survived long enough to have sons. Not important at the time? No, but eventually it was.

We read obituaries and sometimes wonder about our own. Our whole life reduced to born, married, had a job, had children, died. That’s it. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just another one of billions in the world having come and gone.

Hold on! Maybe not!

Maybe your life, as ordinary as it seems now, will someday serve a greater purpose through your descendant or someone you become friends with. In a later generation ~ maybe ten or twenty generations from now ~ someone may do something extremely important for souls of the world. And it was made possible because of your “unordinary life” way back in the early twenty-first century when you survived one day at a time.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redWORSHIP CHANGES SINCE THE FIRST CENTURY not only tells who made the changes but also those who resisted and were tortured to death.  We only know the names of many of them and nothing about their family and life. Meet those who attained obscure greatness. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2U5NWlG

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Saturday 3/23 ~ It’s so unfair!

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

00-LUKE-KINDLE Cover-Thumbnail“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 much responsibility, you aren’t given any responsibility, you have been passed over for promotion by someone less qualified than you. Still, it is the only job available to you right now;  you need this job no matter what.

Think not that you are working for the person who supervises you. S/he is only human and comes to work with all their past experiences influencing them. 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.

Hard to do?  Of course. But 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.

Image result for "Buy the book" button redIn 1st-century Rome, physicians were always slaves, usually to a rich family, although the Roman legions began using physicians also. That means LUKE was both SLAVE & PHYSICIAN.  There was no fairness in a life of slavery. Slaves were always spoils of war. I traced what battles Roman legions had when Luke would have been young and found the 10th Legion was in today’s Holland. Therefore, this is where I begin the story of Luke as a child and watch him go through the confusion of many gods until he meets the Apostle Paul.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2vdCh5T

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Sunday 3/3 ~ What are you missing?

The scripture for today, March 3 (3/3), is Genesis 3:3 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

00-Hero Alone-COVER-KINDLE-Thumbnail” ‘But God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden and you must not touch it or you will die.’

This is a conversation Eve is having with Satan in the Garden of Eden. She was a little put out by God that he would withhold even one item from her. So, she misrepresented God. What God actually said was….

“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Eve had added to what God had said: “You must not touch it.”

Do you do that? When you get put out by someone, do you embellish a little and add a few little things to an event in order to make the other person look worse than they really are? Are you in the habit of making yourself a victim so you can get other people’s sympathy and maybe get other people to act on your behalf? Or perhaps you do it to “brag” how much worse your problem is far above all others’ problems, thus making yourself king or queen of all burden bearers?

1st Corinthians 13:5 says love does not keep a record of wrongs. If you have a feud going with someone, try breaking the cycle. 1st Corinthians 13:7 says love protects, always trusts, always hopes. Had Satan convinced Eve to stop loving God? 

It’s easy to do when God is made “the bad guy”.  It’s easy to stop loving others if they are always the “bad guy”.  What are you missing by not extending love even to those who are not nice to you? Who knows? Are you giving up paradise?

Image result for "Buy the book"YOU CAN BE A HERO ALONE is for isolated Christians. They may be in prison, in a university, a rest home, a shut-in, a country where Christianity is illegal.  Each chapter is about someone in the Bible who had to keep their faith alone. It includes questions at the end to give the isolated person something to do, and thought questions to help them plan for their future (even if it’s dying in the Lord).  To BUY NOW, click a picture or click this: https://amzn.to/2IPHB8G

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Wednesday 2/20 ~ The Turncoat

The scripture for today, February 20 (2/20), is Galatians 2:20 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The apostle Paul wrote this. He had been an angry, spiteful, and hateful man in his younger days. He had been a terrorist and had even declared holy jihad against Christians.  He had gone around the country rounding up Christians, torturing them to get them to renounce Jesus, then sending them either to prison or to their death. He hated Christians.

But once Jesus got his attention and Paul realized he was persecuting those who could tell him the true way to heaven, he switched sides. Jesus had to do it himself because all the Christians were afraid of him. Then Paul, so to speak, crucified his old self, and let Jesus and his words live in him instead.  All the tremendous energy that he had used for hate was now used for love, and he turned his part of the world upside down for Christ.

Is there someone in your life or that you know of who is angry, spiteful, and hateful? Dare to talk to that person and tell them how much God loves them. S/he will argue with you and maybe even be meaner to you than ever. But when things calm down, try saying something else, perhaps about what Jesus did or said once in his life.

It may take you months or years. S/he will be curious why you keep coming back when s/he is being so mean to you. And eventually, this same person who uses all his enormous energy in a negative way, just might turn that same enormous energy around and use it for Jesus in a great way.

Give it a try. If you are crucified with Christ, then nothing anyone says can hurt you because your ego is dead. Keep trying to reach this enemy of Jesus. Keep trying to help this person become Jesus’ friend and defender.

You may be the only one in his or her world with the courage to do it. Keep trying. Cry in private after the insults, then take a deep breath and try once again. And once again. And again. Never stop. Who knows?

Image result for "Buy the book"PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE had to be stopped. He was on the wrong side. It took Jesus, personally, to stop him. He switched sides, then became unstoppable for Jesus. Each time he was beaten or lashed because of his stubbornness, he cried out, “Jesus! This is for You!”.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2JeHZZg
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Saturday 2/16 ~ A flaming hope, a large hope, a good hope.

The scripture for today, February 16 (2/16), is 2nd Thessalonians 2:16 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Michel-COVER-Kindle-Thumbnail“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Who were these people the apostle Paul was writing? They were suffering.  Physically they were suffering.  Some in their group had even been killed for their faith. Mentally they were suffering.  Would they be next? Would it be worth everything they were going through?

Spiritually they were struggling. The apostle Paul, who wrote this, had been through such struggles many times himself. He wanted to make sure their faith did not waver.

How? By praying that their persecution would stop? At no time in the Bible do we have an account of Christians pray that the persecution stop. What did they pray for? Boldness.

They could be bold if they knew Jesus Christ loved them personally. They could be bold if they knew God the Father loved them personally. They could be bold with eternal encouragement, strength.

“Just keep doing what you’ve been doing,” he told them.  With the strength God gives you, keep doing good deeds, good spreading the Word.” Persecuted? Yes.  Frightened? Yes. Frightened? Yes. Cowering? Never.

How about your life?

God’s encouragement never ceases. It is always there. There when you feel alone, when you feel forsaken, when you are frightened, when you feel helpless, when you feel hopeless.

God gives good hope. Sometimes things in your life may be going so badly you have trouble having faith in God. But you can still hope. The candle of your faith may be flickering, but your hope can still be a flaming hope, a large hope, a good hope.

Image result for "Buy the book"MICHEL: THE FOURTH WISEMAN was so obsessed with hope, he lost everything ~ his home, his wife, his father ~ to buy the Garden of Eden so God would walk the earth again.  Little did he know God was already walking on earth in Bethlehem. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2SSy8RY

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Friday 2/15 ~ I did my best

The scripture for today, February 15 (2/15), is 2nd Timothy 2:15 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

“Do your best,” Paul told a younger co-worker.  “Do your best.”

This was an apostle speaking. This was Paul who had endured multiple beatings with rods and lashings with whips. This was Paul who no one could stop.

He had endured floods and snowstorms, hunger and robbers on the road. Still, no one could stop him. He endured shipwrecks and even treading water a day and night in the sea. Nothing could stop him.e \

It seems with Paul, it was never enough. He was driven. When he was stoned and presumed dead, he got up and went back into the city! When he was imprisoned, he defied the magistrates who put him there and sang his sermons to the other prisoners. Nothing could stop him. Nothing could shut him up.

When he wrote this, he was now in prison. He had done his best. Now it was time for the next generation. He was handing the torch over to Timothy and the others.

“Do your best, Timothy. Don’t let them stop you. Never let them stop you. They are lost and don’t know it. Tell them, Timothy. Keep telling them, no matter how terribly they treat you. Keep telling them and keep telling them. Don’t stop, Timothy. Do your best.

“Some will stop what they are doing and listen to you. They will turn their life around. They will be there with you when it is time to be presented to God. They will be there with you, and with you they will say, “I did my best.”

Image result for "Buy the book"By the time PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE reaches 50, his back is so eaten up with scar tissue from all his beatings, he can hardly wear clothes on his back. The pain never ceases. But when he speaks, the whole world echoes with his powerful words.  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2SXyt5K

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Wednesday 2/6 ~ The Crown of a Victor

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

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE Thumbnail“He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.”

Do you feel like a loser sometimes? Once someone gets into that mindset, it is hard to break out. One dream after another has been shattered. One goal after another has been blockaded. One effort after another has been a failure.

The world can be a cruel place in which to live. It is ruled by Satan.

But look up! Victory is still possible! There is an old song called “Victory in Jesus.” We may be losers to our friends, but victors to Jesus. Just remember, we cannot have victory in Jesus unless we have something to be victorious over.

Life is hard. But each day problems face us and we refuse to give in, that’s victory. Each day we search God’s Word for answers in the right places, that’s victory. Each day we refuse to give up on Jesus despite opposition to him by those around us, that’s victory.

Satan hates it when you don’t give up. Satan wants you to, not only give up on yourself, but also give up on God.

Do not give up. Never give up. Turn to God who can help you with all your sins be blameless and victorious. Keep on fighting and walking, fighting and walking until at last you walk right through the gates into heaven and are given the crown of a victor.

Image result for "Buy the book"He was denied the throne, crippled at age 3, and chased by his grandfather King Saul’s enemies. He never lost his smile.  What a man!  To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2MQS9mp

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