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. 

November 6 ~ Things in the Bible not really in the Bible…and a few surprises

Surprise of the Day

How do we Explain God’s Eternal Nature?

Isaiah 9:6-7

Fact of the Day 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The child will be a Son

The Son will also be the Counselor (Holy Spirit)

The son will also be the Father

The son will also be God

July 5 ~ Things in the Bible Not Really in the Bible…and a Few Surprises

ENJOY OUR NEW SERIES

A Different Oops Every Day

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Did Adam and Eve Actually Walk through the Garden with God?

Genesis 18:1-19:1, 29; Genesis 22:11-12; Genesis 16:9-13; Genesis 32:24-30;

Numbers 12:8; Numbers 22:22,31; Joshua 5:13-15;

Judges 6:12-16; 21-22; Judges 13:3,6,12-22; I Kings 19:7-9;

Daniel 3:24-25;  John 1:1 & 14.

OOPS:   It is impossible and blasphemy to claim God ever materialized on earth in human form.

FACT:    God materialized  to Adam and Eve regularly.  He appeared as a human often described as the Angel of God but called Lord or God by the people he appeared to.  He appeared to Abraham twice, Hagar, Jacob, Moses, Balaam, Joshua, Gideon, Samson’s mother, Samson’s father, Elijah, Shadrach-Meshach-Abednego In the Old Testament. And one more time in the New Testament. 

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.

A little extra seeking and knocking

Strip of InspirationalAh, how can I praise you enough, Jehovah God? You are so good to me. You poured out your heart to the world in your Bible. How lucky I am to have a copy of it and live where anyone can have as many copies as they like. Lord God, I adore you. You are so high, I delight to follow you and try to reach up as high as you do. You’re never quite so far that I cannot sometimes touch you. To know you is to love you. You are my God and will be forever. 

Thank you, God, for freedom to study your Book of all books.  I have a copy of your very own words. How amazing. Every word is so fascinating. You pour out your heart and withhold nothing of your plans, emotions, and doings. And thank you for the exhilarating gift of mind that allows humans to know of your existence and to understand who you are. Thank you for making me so much in your image that I have your same emotions, instinctively long for wisdom, and delight in creating. Thank you for all that I am.


The scripture for today, July 7 (7/7), is Matthew 7:7 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”

How beautiful. The Creator of the universe pays attention to each and every one of us. How does he do it? How does he even sort us all out when thousands of us are praying to him at the same time?

But sometimes you may think he is not listening to your prayers. It takes time to answer some of them. If I am praying to meet my future husband or wife, God may have to move him or her from the other side of the country, get a new job for him or her and arrange for the two of you to “accidentally” bump into each other. This is just one example.

At other times you may ask for something like winning a ball game. When Jesus said whatever we seek will be given to you, he had already explained that you must “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). So, within that context, God will give you your heart’s desire.

Maybe today, you can do a little bit of extra seeking and extra knocking.


Strip of Inspirational TOUCHING GOD SERIES is a trilogy including (1) 365 GOLDEN BIBLE THOUGHTS: GOD’S HEART TO YOURS, (2) 365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS; (3) 365 SILVER-WINGED PRAYERS: YOUR SPIRIT TO GOD’S.  A perfect way to begin or end your day. Or read one inspiration in the morning, one at noon, one in the evening.  To BUY NOW, click the book covers or paste this:  http://bit.ly/TouchingGod-Series         https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/touching-god-series/

 

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/