Scripture for Sunday, August 20 (8/20)

The scripture for today, August 20 (8/20), is Proverbs 8:20 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible.

inside-cover-medium“I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice.”

Interestingly, the original Hebrew of “way” is customary path, and the original Hebrew of “paths” is customary road.

If we had a house out in the country, it would have paths leading to and from it. These paths are taken in our day-to-day life without much thought. We live out our principles and moral standards pretty much the same every day on such paths. How about you? When the rains come, how well does your path hold up?

Unless we are hermits, our path eventually takes us onto a major road where we must make major judgments. Does your path equip you to make major judgments, right decisions when you reach the road? If it doesn’t, your life will constantly be bogged down in deep ruts you can’t get out of and jarred by the bumps all over the road that you cannot avoid.

Some people’s lives never get onto a decent smooth road because their judgments are seldom right.  They become emotionally involved and wish for an outcome that cannot possibly occur, so give up and stay in their rut. Or they make wrong decisions based on immediate gratification which keeps their life full of bumps and bruises.

What kind of road does your daily path take you to? Is your life in constant turmoil because you make bad choices?   Ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”. After all, Jesus said, “I am the Way” (John 14:6). He is standing in that right and just road right now.  Do you hear him? He’s calling you. 

Shhh.  Listen.  Do you hear him now?

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Scripture for Wednesday, August 16 (8/16)

The scripture for today, August 16 (8/16), is Romans 8:16 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0000-BK 1-StarSong-Cover-new-Medium“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

This is so similar to the scripture of a few days ago on how to know if the Spirit is living in us. We can use the same approach to determine how the Spirit teaches us that we are God’s children.”

Once again, John 14:17 says the Comforter Jesus sent us was the Spirit of Truth. And Jesus said in John 17:17, God’s Word is Truth. So, it is through God’s Word that we are taught how to become God’s children. We do not have to guess!

This is what is so wonderful about Christianity. The Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, Shamanist and many other religions leave the followers to guess because their “god” has given them no instructions. Ninety-nine percent of them believe they are not children of God and saved because they can’t be perfect, so have to be reincarnated thousands of times to try to be perfect. The Muslim religion says followers are slaves, and they won’t know until the Day of Judgment if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds.

In all other world religions, followers never know if they are children of God and saved. Praise God! He has given us The Map, the Way ~ the Holy Bible, God’s Word in written form.

Such solace. Such comfort. Such reassurance.

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Scripture for Monday, August 14 (8/14)

The scripture for today, August 14, is Romans 8:14 as found in the New Testament of the Bible.

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Medium“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Well, how are we supposed to know the Spirit is leading us? Is it guesswork? Does it depend on our emotions and how we are feeling that day? It doesn’t seem fair of God to leave us guessing.

But God does not make us guess. Jesus said in John 14:16,17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever ~ the Spirit of Truth.” And in John 17:17, praying to God the Father, Jesus said, “Sanctify them by the Truth; Your Word is Truth.”

Jesus said we are sanctified by God’s Spirit, God’s Truth, God’s Word. How? Not by feelings. Not because someone else said so. Not by touching it or carrying it around in our pocket. But by reading it and following it. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”. That is how the Spirit leads us.

We don’t have to guess. We just follow. Then we are sons of God ~ not slaves of God, but sons!

How blessed we are.

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Scripture for Sunday, August 13 (8/13)

The scripture for today, August 13 (8/13), is Isaiah 8:13f as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Bk3-HeartsAfire-COVER-Kindle.medium-new“The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary.”

“Holy” in both the Hebrew and Greek means someone or something set up as very special. Who or what do we daily set up as someone or something special? Do we in a sense “worship” that person or thing? Whoever or whatever we worship, we become a slave to. Are we a “slave” to anything in our life? Is there something we cannot control because it controls us? Are we a slave to attention or food or money or power or clothes or houses or cars or etc?

Then, when there is a tragedy in your life, can you rely on those things to get you through? Who or what will be your sanctuary in times of trouble? Will you be able to say, “The Lord Almighty…he will be my sanctuary”?

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Scripture for Saturday, August 12 (8/12)

The scripture for today, August 12 (8/12), is John 8:12 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-THEY MET JESUS-Medium-front cover“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ “

Jesus had only about six months left to live. He knew the religious leaders were after his life out of jealousy. Before going to Jerusalem, he told his brothers, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me” (John 7:7). Knowing people were wanting to kill him, he slipped into Jerusalem after everyone else got there (John 7:10, 14). Then suddenly he appeared in the middle of the Temple complex ~ the size of many football fields. He knew he was safe as long as there was a crowd.

Jesus answered some private questions, and then “he cried out, ‘You know me! You know where I am from!’ ” (John 7:28). They knew he was born in Bethlehem as predicted.  Still, they denied it.

Every day of this feast, a priest would ceremonially pour out some water to represent the water that poured out of the rock when the Jews wandered in the wilderness. But on the last day, the priest did not do this, for it represented their ancestors finally arriving in the Promised Land. It was on this last day of the feast that Jesus “stood and said in a loud voice…  ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him!’ ” (John 7:38f)

First thing the next morning at dawn he returned to the Temple court.  Maybe it was a beautiful sunrise. When the sun was up and the crowds returned, he shouted something else to everyone, “I am the light of the world!” (John 8:12).

He had compared himself to the water ceremony of the day before, and now he was comparing himself to the new dawn. There he was. God the Son crying out to humanity. Come to me! I am doing everything I can to help you! Won’t you come? Please listen to me! Please come! I can save you from hell!!!

Such stubborn love.

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Scripture for Friday, August 11 (8/11)

The scripture for today, August 11 (8/11), is Romans 8:11 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-Medium“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living IN YOU, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives IN YOU.”

But how do we know the Spirit is IN US? Death literally means separation. Physical death means separation from this body on earth. Spiritual death means separation of our soul from God who is Life. Whenever we sin, our soul dies. It happened to Adam and Eve who didn’t think God meant it when he said, “In the day you eat of the fruit, you will die.” They could no longer walk and talk with God in the garden because they were now separated from him, spiritually dead. With that eventually also came physical death.

There are certain spiritual laws that cannot be broken. For example, it is impossible for God to lie. It is also impossible for God to sin. Therefore, God cannot co-exist with sin. We sin. Another law is that sin demands death. For centuries, God allowed mankind to sacrifice an animal in their place to take their death punishment. But it was just a temporary fix. Finally, he sent the Word in bodily form to be sacrificed in our place and take our death punishment. Now, all we have to do is be IN JESUS which is accomplished by baptism: Galatians 3:26 says this.

What is the role of our spirit? When we die, we say our spirit has left our body. So, as long as we are alive, it means our spirit is still IN US We are not conscious of our spirit being in us; we just know it is because we are still alive. In the same way, when we become Christians God’s way (not man’s way), God’s Holy Spirit enters us and is IN US; Acts 2:38 says so. This is when we become spiritually alive; Romans 6:3-4 says so.

We are not overtly conscious of God’s Spirit being IN US, but we know it is true because our soul is now alive. Forever alive.

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Scripture for Wednesday, August 2 (8/2)

00-COVER-KINDLEThe scripture for today, August 2 (8/2), is Matthew 8:2 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lor if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.’ “

People in Jesus’ day who had leprosy had to live outside of town in what we would call a leper colony. And if someone without leprosy started getting close to them, they were required to call out, “Unclean! Unclean!”

But here was a man who apparently pushed his way through a crowd where he didn’t belong. He didn’t ask Jesus if he could heal him; he asked if he was willing to. After all, he was “unclean”. Remarkably, Jesus said yes.

Then Jesus did another remarkable thing: He touched the man. He touched the leprosy. Not only was he willing to be seen with an unclean man, he was willing to touch him.

Jesus still does this today. When we come to him with a diseased heart wondering if we are good enough, Jesus reaches out across the centuries and touches us. And his voice echoes across the centuries and says, “I am willing.”

No matter how much sin mars your life, Jesus still today can say, “Be clean.”

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Scripture for Tuesday, August 1 (8/1)

The scripture for today, August 1 (8/1), is Romans 8:1 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

worship-the-first-century-way-cover-kindle“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

There are a lot of religious groups out there in the world who control their people with fear. If you don’t do such and such, it proves you aren’t spiritual enough. If you do such and such one second before you die, you’re going to hell.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the congregations in Galatia (today’s Turkey) and warned them with tears:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel ~ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached [past tense] to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again:

If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God? Or am I trying to please men? ” (Galatians 1:6-10).

Are you sure you are IN Christ Jesus? Do your church leaders dance around scriptures they wish weren’t in the Bible and tell you they don’t really mean what they say? What do they do with Romans 6:3-4? How do they handle Acts 2:38 so it doesn’t say what it says? How about I Peter 3:21 and Acts 22:16?  Do you do what these scriptures say and for those reasons or what is popular? Do your friends speak for God or do you let God speak for himself? Our friends will be judged by God like everyone else. Listen.  Do you hear? That is God speaking to you.

Oh, to be sure we are indeed IN Christ Jesus. This is our longing. Our hope. Our reason for being.

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Scripture for Wednesday, July 26 (7/26)

The scripture for today, July 26 (7/26), is John 7:26 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Medium“Here he [Jesus] is speaking publicly [in the temple], and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ? But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”

These people standing around the temple refused to believe in Jesus because they chose to disregard a scripture that all Jews knew about. They said no one would know where the Christ (the Messiah) would come from. But they did know. It was in their own scriptures ~ Micah 5:2

But you, Bethlehem…out of you will come for me the one who will be ruler over Israel.”

Are you sometimes like all those people standing around in the temple? Do you sometimes make up your mind about something religious; and even if the Bible says something different, you refuse to acknowledge it? Does your ego sometimes get in the way? Or are you afraid of pressure from your friends?

As you read the Word of God, open wide your heart and mind. Indeed, sometimes your friends and your stubborn will get in the way. Don’t let them come between you and God. Walk the beautiful path God has created for you.

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Scripure for Tuesday, July 25 (7/25)

The scripture for today, July 25 (7/25), is Hebrews 7:25 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

FunWithBibleNumbers-Cover-Kindle“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him [Jesus] because he always lives to intercede for them.”

Indeed, all of mankind is invited to come to God through Jesus. There are scriptures in the Bible about being chosen by God. But when you check the original Greek, it means you are being invited by God. If a company puts out a newspaper ad inviting people to be interviewed for hiring, the company can only choose those who accepted the invitation and go to them.

And something else stands out in that verse. Jesus is our intercessor, our mediator. Why would we want anyone lower than Jesus to be our intercessor when Jesus will do so himself?

How amazing! In one sentence we see that God the Father invites all of mankind to come to him to be saved completely and that God the Son/Word is our ever-present intercessor.

Such love. Such divine love. It is beyond comprehension. All we can do is fall on our knees and whisper, “Thank you.”

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