Tag: sin

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, Inspirational1 Comment

The scripture for today, March 9, is Ephesians 3:9f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

HS-COVER-KINDLE-GOLD“To make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ever wonder why God created the world? Here it is. The “mystery” as expanded upon in this book, is Jesus paying the price for our sins and setting us free so that we have full forgiveness ~ and it is available to everyone in the whole world.

Who does God want to explain this to? Rulers and authorities in heavenly realms ~ angels, demons and Satan. You see, Satan does not want anyone to be forgiven. He spends a lot of time and energy encouraging people to sin through the wrong kinds of fun or power, for he doesn’t want to be the only one going to hell. But God is more powerful than Satan. Even when Satan is successful and we sin, God just negates it and forgives us. There is nothing that Satan can do that God cannot undo.

God is great!HS-COVER-KINDLE-GOLD

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, March 5, is Titus 3:5 in the New Testament of the Bible:

WORSHIP THE FIRST-CENTURY WAY-COVER-KINDLE

God is perfectly good and cannot dwell with imperfection. How, then, can we ever live with him in his heaven? After all, as hard as we try, we cannot be perfect. But God loved us so much that he solved our dilemma. He sent his Son to live that perfect life that is impossible for us to live.

Then, his perfect “Lamb of God” took our punishment for our sins by paying the fine. Romans 3:23 says the wages of sin is death ~ physical death (separation from this world) and spiritual death ( separation from God). Jesus took all of God’s anger, terrors, rage, fury saved up from the beginning of time and about to burst ~ all hurled down on sin to destroy it. That would have destroyed us, but Jesus took it all for us. And that included being completely separated from God. At the worst of it, Jesus cried out to God, “Why have you FORSAKEN me?” That’s when Jesus died spiritually. It was we who deserved to be forsaken by God.

Sin and its power now destroyed, God said if we do as Jesus did and follow what he said, he will consider us perfect also. Such amazing, amazing love!

And this washing mentioned here. It is interesting that here is the “washing of rebirth”, for in Acts 22:16 it says, “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins” and in Romans 6:4, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism in order that…we too may live a new life [rebirth].” God took care of the hard part. He gave us the easy part.

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, February 5, is Ephesians 2:5 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“[God] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions ~ it is by grace you have been saved.”Crucifixion

Every time we sin, our spirit ~ our soul ~ dies a little more. Every time we steal, cheat, torture, murder. We say we don’t do such things. Well, how about every time we stretch the truth (lie), go over the speed limit (disobey the laws of the land), close our eyes to someone we know is in need (selfishness), lose our temper, indulge in coarse talk, call someone names, refuse to forgive?

It is true that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and our wages every time we sin is death (Romans 6:23). We certainly do not deserve to live with a sinless God. Nor can we. But by his grace, he made a way possible to consider us sinless.

In Old Testament times, people killed a perfect animal to die in their place, but it was only a temporary fix. Then God sent his perfect Son who never sinned ~ the Lamb of God ~ to lie down on the altar of the world at the cross. There he died spiritually and physically in our place for the things we in the world did wrong, all while the world raged at him.

Yes, while we were still dead in our sins, Jesus died for us. He can also make us spiritually alive. If we will actively seek him.

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 30, is 1st Corinthians 1:30 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Bkgd-desert-rainbow

What is wisdom from God? Here it is spelled out. It is three things. Let’s look at it backwards. When we are redeemed from our sins, we gain God’s holiness and God’s rightness. We don’t know how to be sinless, so we cannot have righteousness and holiness on our own. But Jesus knew how, and so became sinless for us.

We cannot let what He did for us drift by. That is not wisdom. Wisdom is to follow Jesus so He can give us His sinlessness (at least in the eyes of God). What a privilege He has given to us! And how unworthy we are!

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 24, is Jude 1:24 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

WORSHIP THE FIRST-CENTURY WAY-COVER-KINDLE“To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy ~ “

God is perfect, and so cannot dwell with faults and imperfection. We have faults. Romans 3:23 says everyone sins. And Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. But God always has wanted us to live with him. What a dilemma!

God solved our problem at great expense. He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth who lived the faultless life for us. Then God offered His perfect Son, His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place.

After that, God told the world that He would consider us “without fault” vicariously through Jesus. He’s already paid the penalty for our sins. All we have to do is believe He did and follow everything He said and did to the best of our ability.

How amazing ~ God’s love for us!

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, October 27 (10/27), is Mark 10:27 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-COVER---Star-Song---flat“Jesus looked at them and said,  ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God: All things are possible with God.’ “

Can we be perfect? God let mankind try for many centuries to be perfect.

To one group of people he gave over 600 laws and said, “If you keep these, you will be perfect.” But, as hard as the Jews tried, no one could keep the Law of Moses perfectly.

To the rest of the world he basically said, “Try to figure out for yourselves how to be perfect.” So they tried all kinds of religions, but with all of them, they could not be perfect.

Finally, mankind was ready for Jesus. He came to earth and lived that perfect life that is impossible for us to live. He became the perfect Lamb of God, and became our sacrifice for our sins, for Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death.” He paid the price for us.

So now, according to Romans 6:3-4, just as Jesus died on the cross, we too can die to our sinful nature ~ the part of us that sins and doesn’t care. Then, just as Jesus was buried in his tomb, we too can be buried in a watery tomb of baptism. And finally, just as Jesus was raised up out of his tomb the Savior, we rise up out of our watery tomb the saved.

Then God considers us perfect too. God cannot associate with sinners in his heaven. He can only have perfect people in his heavenly home. Impossible for us to live there with him some day? Yes. But, God sent Jesus to fix that problem. With God, nothing is impossible.

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, October 15n(10/15), is Deuteronomy 10:15 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-COVER---Star-Song---flat“Yet the Lord set his affection on your forefathers [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob] and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants [Jews], above all the nations, as it is today.”

Mankind has spent millenniums trying to figure out how to be perfect so we can deserve heaven.

God gave us that opportunity the first several thousand years of mankind. Some people of the world he left alone to figure out on their own how to be perfect; they developed many kinds of religions. But to the Jews he sent the Law of Moses containing over 600 intricate laws which, if kept perfectly, would make them perfect. In both cases, no one could be perfect.

Then, when mankind was willing to admit we cannot be perfect, God sent Jesus to us to live that perfect life that we finally acknowledged is impossible for us to live. Now, all we have to do is follow Jesus and be IN Jesus (Galatians 3:27) for the forgiveness of our sins, and God will consider us perfect too.

God sets his affections on all of us. What a plan! Oh, how he loves us.

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, October 11 (10/11) is Psalm 10:11 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Cover-KINDLE“He says to himself, ‘God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.’ “

Most of us believe in God in some form. And we believe that God knows what we do. But do we sometimes bury our belief in God in our subconscious mind so we can go around and do things we know are wrong? Do we believe we won’t get caught, and we can slide into heaven doing whatever we want?

In other words, do we justify our favorite sins? Or do we justify our sins of omission ~ good things we should be doing, but are not ~ under the excuse that we don’t have time to do good to others?

God loves us more than we can ever imagine. He never forgets us. The only things he doesn’t approve of are things that will ultimately hurt us and which he calls sin. Therefore, we can conclude that pleasing God is ultimately, at the end of all things, pleasing ourselves.

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, September 17 (9/17), is Nehemiah 9:17 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore, you did not desert them.”

Such love! We rebel against God (who is only trying to save us) over and over because we don’t want anyone telling us what to do, and God forgives over and over. I Peter 3:9 says “The Lord…is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

God could turn us all into robots and force us to obey him. But that wouldn’t be Love. God is Love, and he cannot go against his own nature. And so he follows us around and pleads over and over, “Follow my Son into safety!”

How he hurts when we do not; how he smiles when we do.

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, Inspirational1 Comment

The scripture for today, July 23 (7/23), is 1st Corinthians 7:23 in the New Testament of the Bible.

“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.”

Who were you bought from?  Satan.  Romans 3:23 says everyone sins and falls short of the glory of God.  God, who is perfection, cannot dwell with us.  It would be like light dwelling with darkness.  It cannot be done.

But God loved you so much, he figured out a way to make you sinless.  He sent his son, Jesus, to live that perfect life that is impossible for you to live.  Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death.  So Jesus drew those wages in your place.  He took the blame for all your sins onto himself, and died spiritually and physically in your place.

Then God told the world through his Bible that, if you will believe this really happened and follow his will for you, he will consider you perfect too.  Until that happens, you are a slave to what men tell you to do ~ and of Satan.

You were bought at great price ~ the blood of Jesus Christ.