Scripture for Tuesday, February 28 (2/28)

The scripture for today, February 28, is Jeremiah 2:28 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Life-Changing-Scriptures-Cover-medium“Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah.”

Today we think the whole thing is ridiculous. How could people believe in a multitude of gods? Further, how could people make statues of them as though anyone knew what the gods looked like? On top of that, many of them looked like dumb animals. But apparently, it was the popular thing to do. In fact, a person discovering yet another god would be highly esteemed. And it seemed logical that the more gods one believed in, the more holy a person was. Or the bigger the statue of a god in one’s home, the more dedicated a person was.

We today call them myths ~ things that were made up out of people’s imaginations. Yet they thrived in their time. Why? Because of “mass hypnosis” in a sense. Because we are social beings and we don’t like being ostracized. We want to be accepted.

Do we do the same thing today? There are evangelists on television who draw crowds of hundreds and thousands. They seem so right and so holy. Yet they contradict each other. So, it cannot be a measure of rightness and holiness that a lot of people believe something.

The measure must be the Bible. Remember, no matter how many thousands upon thousands follow a religious leader, that leader will be judged by God just like everyone else.

Let us read the Bible for ourselves. Let us study the Bible for ourselves. Let us not search the scriptures for something to prove our opinion right, or a certain leader right, or our family right, or a particular religious idea right. Let us try to erase all our preconceived religious notions, and read with an open mind what God himself has to say to us.

 It is possible to know for sure.

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#knowledge, #truth, #Bible, #Scriptures, #myths, #facts, #lies, #fabrications, #idols, #church, #Christianity, #evangelists

 

Scripture for Thursday, February 23 (2/23)

The scripture for today, February 23, is 1st John 2:23 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Bible Puzzles for Young And Old-Cover“No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

Have you ever wondered how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit can be three but one? They are kind of like a coin.

The top of the coin looks one way and helps us identify it. The bottom of the coin looks another way and provides something for the coin to sit on. The edge of the coin looks yet another way and holds the two sides together. But, if you take away any one part of the coin, you take away the entire coin. Three, yet one.

Another way to look at it is that both the Son and the Spirit have been called the Word of God. John 1:1-14 says Jesus was the Word, and was God come to us in flesh. Then Jesus in John 14:17 said that he was going to send ANOTHER comforter, the Spirit of Truth. And in John 17:17 Jesus said God’s Word is Truth. So, Jesus was the Word we could watch, and the Spirit is the Word we can read.

Yet another way to look at God being three yet one is like H2O ~ Water, Snow, Ice. Three manifestations of the same thing.

How wonderful!

#HolySpirit, #GodTheFather, #GodTheWord, #GodTheSpirit, #Worship, #Scripture, #Bible, #Truth

Scripture for Wednesday, February 15 (2/15)

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

HS-COVER-KINDLE-GOLD“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.”

Eventually, we will all present ourselves to God. We can do it as an honored worker ~ someone who does good works and spreads the gospel and is not ashamed to do them.

We can also present ourselves to God as one who reads the Word of Truth (the Bible) with an open and honest heart. Pilate who crucified Jesus once asked, “What is truth?”. Today people still ask that question. But we don’t have to guess. God gave us the answers. It is all written down.

If you have a Bible with a concordance or index in the back, you can look up certain key words and find out for yourself what the Word of Truth says about any subject. It is not for others to tell us, but for God himself to tell us. This way we get it first hand, and that’s a lot easier. It’s easy to “correctly handle the word of truth,” with just you and God.

#Truth, #Bible, #WordOfGod, #Concordance, #ChainReference, #WordOfTruth

Scripture for Monday, February 13 (2/13)

The scripture for February 13 is Philippians 2:13 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

inside-cover-medium“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

Here is another related verse: “The Lord opened her heart to respond” (Acts 16:14). God the Father moved people’s hearts throughout the Bible ~ Old Testament and New Testament. But he never moved hearts to do what they were not already inclined to do. He does not go against someone’s will, for he gave everyone free will.

If you are struggling to know the will of your religious leaders and friends, you struggle alone. If you are sincerely struggling to know God’s will and do it, the Father will help you.  If you are struggling to act according to the purpose of your religious leaders and friends, you struggle alone. If you are sincerely struggling to act according to God’s good purpose, the Father will help you. If you have a sincerely open heart, God can move you closer to himself so that he can work in you and through you on earth.

He will always tell you what to do through his Word ~ the Bible. You do not have to guess. It covers every possible situation you could ever face and shows you his good purposes. God the Father will work in you if you let him.

#FreeWill, #OpenHeart, #Heart, #Problems, #Decisions, #Struggles, #Direction, #WordOfGod, #Bible, #Purpose, #WillOfGod, #ReligiousLeaders, #Help

Scripture for Thursday, February 2 (2/2)

The scripture for today, February 2, is Matthew 2:2 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

000-BOOK 1-STAR SONG-PRINT COVER-Small“[the Magi/Wise Men] asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

There are people who believe the “star of Bethlehem” was in the east. But the star wasn’t in the east; the wise men (Magi) were in the east.

Many believe the star led the wise men the whole way. But Matthew 2:9 & 10 says, “After they had heard the king [Herod], they went on their way, and the star they HAD seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”

The wise men saw the star while they were in the east and headed in the direction it came from. After they were in Jerusalem, the star reappeared ~ the star they HAD seen in the east. They rejoiced when they saw the star again, not because it had been with them the whole time, but because it had reappeared.

There are so many things about the Bible that we have heard all our life and just assume are true. Investigate things for yourself. Never take a teaching about the Bible for granted. You are smart. Check things out yourself.

#Bible, #Trust, #Gullible, #Naive, #Examination, #WiseMen, #BethlehemStar, #Christmas, #Herod, #Orient, #Magi

Scripture for Friday, January 20 (1/20)

The scripture for today, January 20, is 2nd Peter 1:20f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Life-Changing-Scriptures-Cover-medium“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Isn’t this interesting? It’s a definition of prophecy. Prophecy is Scripture. It isn’t just telling the future. It’s telling the mind of God. Sometimes in the Old Testament God warned his people that if they did so-and-so, this would happen, but if they did such-and-such, that would happen.

But ultimately all prophecy was telling people how much God loved them and wanted them, in the long run, to be happy. The Old Testament has much of that in it, and all the New Testament does. It is your Creator’s Words.

You are so blessed that you do not have to guess what is on God’s mind. Many other religions have to guess ~ Hinduism, Buddhism, and so on. But you have God’s very own words in black and white to read over and over whenever you like ~ prophecy which is Scripture.  

Read it. Absorb it. Love it. It was written by the Lover of your Soul.

#Bible, #Scripture, #Prophecy, #WordsOfGod, #HolySpirit, #MindOfGod, #Truth

 

Scripture for Sunday, January 8 (1/8)

The scripture for today, January 8, is 1st Peter 1:8 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 4-FOLK HERO-COVER“Though you have not seen him, you love him! And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him! And are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy!”

This was written by Peter, one of Jesus’ apostles, when he was old. Peter had seen Jesus for himself. He was an eye-witness.

After Jesus returned to heaven, it was the job of the apostles to tell people about him and repeat his words. They spent the rest of their lives doing just that. Oh, the joy they found when people believed, even though they had not seen him; and not only believed, but loved.

Thank God, these apostles wrote the New Testament so we would never have to guess what Jesus was like and never have to guess what his words were, even after the apostles died. In fact, we have the advantage because we do not have to wait for an apostle to come visit us and tell us. We can read about Jesus for ourselves over and over as many times as we like right in our home.

Yes, we have not seen Jesus. Yet, with his life and words before us, we believe. And we love. What inexpressible and glorious joy!

#Faith, #JesusUnseen, #Witnesses, #Apostles, #Gospel, #NewTestament, #Bible, #Love, #Joy

Scripture for Saturday, January 7 (1/7)

The scripture for today, January 7, is 2nd Timothy 1:7 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Luke-Slave&Physician KINDLE Cover“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”

Have you discovered some new truth in the Bible (new to you)? People fear the unknown. Do not fear it. Embrace it. Then share with others this new-found truth. The word “timidity” is sometimes translated “fear.” Remind your friends of that new truth enough times that it is no longer an unknown and no longer something to be feared.

Do we fear reprisal among our church friends or leaders if we stand up for some new truth we have found in the Bible? God can help you.

God can give you the courage to speak out with power, with love, and with self-discipline as you explain that new-found truth.

Then be patient. God said, “My word will not return to me void” (Isaiah 55:11).

#Bible, #Scripture, #Truth, #Courage, #Fear, #Persecution. #Power, #Love, #SelfDiscipline

Scripture for Sunday, January 1 (1/1)

The scripture for today, January 1, is John 1:1f, 14a as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

000-BOOK 1-STAR SONG-PRINT COVER-Small“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning….The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

Genesis 3:8 says God walked on earth in the Garden of Eden. When Jesus came, God once again walked with us. But when Jesus left, did he leave us with no one to walk with?

Jesus said in John 14:17 that he was going to send another Comforter ~ the Spirit of Truth. And in John 17:17 he said God’s Word is Truth. So, just as Jesus was the Word that people could watch, the Spirit is the Word that people can read.

We do not have to guess what God is wanting us to do. We have it written down to read, and consider, and contemplate, and re-read as many times as we want.

If you have a Bible in your home, why not read it through in a year beginning today? There are suggested schedules on the internet. Or you could even divide up the number of pages in your Bible by 365 to know how many pages to read each day.

Just remember, every time you get out your Bible and read it, once again God is walking with you.

#WalkWithGod, #GodInFlesh, #Jesus, #Holy Spirit, #Bible

Scripture for Monday, December 12 (12/12)

The scripture for today, December 13, is Ecclesiastes 12:13 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Life-Changing-Scriptures-Cover-medium“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

When the King James Version was published in the early 1600s, they italicized all words that were not in the original language of the Bible. The word “duty” above was not in the original. Translators inserted it to help us understand the original. But perhaps, in this case, it did not help. Fearing God is the whole of man ~ not our duty, but our essence.

Fearing the Lord is a gift. Isaiah 11:2 predicted regarding Jesus: “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him ~ 

“…the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,”

“…the Spirit of counsel and of power,”

“…the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”

Solomon had tried everything to find happiness, as he explained in his book of Ecclesiastes ~ Pleasure (ch. 2), hard work (ch. 3), advancement (ch. 4), riches (ch. 5). None brought him true happiness.  Eventually, he concluded that only one thing can bring that happiness deep down inside where no one and no situation in life can touch it ~ God. God is the whole of man ~ if we let Him be.

Why? Ecclesiastes 3:11 explains it richly: “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” Another way to view this is “There is a God-shaped emptiness in the heart of man.” 

Fill your mind with the Word of God. Then God will fill your heart and being, and make you feel full.

#Wisdom, #Understanding, #Happiness, #Fulfillment, #HardWork, #Wealth, #Emptiness, #God, #Bible, #Stuff, #Prestige, #Fame