attribution UnlockingTheBible and flickr
creative commons 2.0. attribution: dackelprincess, flickr.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Sunday, November 10, 2024
psalm 91. john 14: 1-6
I
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shade of the Almighty, Say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.”
II
Because he clings to me I will deliver him; because he knows my name I will set him on high. He will call upon me and I will answer; I will be with him in distress; I will deliver him and give him honor. With length of days I will satisfy him, and fill him with my saving power.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shade of the Almighty, Say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.”
He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare, from the destroying plague, He will shelter you with his pinions, and under his wings you may take refuge; his faithfulness is a protecting shield.
You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day, Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.
You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day, Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.
Though a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, near you it shall not come. You need simply watch; the punishment of the wicked you will see. Because you have the LORD for your refuge and have made the Most High your stronghold, No evil shall befall you, no affliction come near your tent.
For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go. With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You can tread upon the asp and the viper, trample the lion and the dragon.
II
Because he clings to me I will deliver him; because he knows my name I will set him on high. He will call upon me and I will answer; I will be with him in distress; I will deliver him and give him honor. With length of days I will satisfy him, and fill him with my saving power.
psalm 91
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
john 14: 1-6
attribution: Angie Thornton and flickr
Saturday, November 9, 2024
bible study
The New Testament is not chronological. I have found that studying the New Testament chronologically can be helpful.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_epistles
- Read the gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles first, including the introductions.
- Read Paul's epistles next in chronological order.
- then go back and read Mark, Matthew, John and the rest of the New Testament.
- "The Book of Revelation or Book of the Apocalypse is the final book of the New Testament (and therefore the final book of the Christian Bible). ... Revelation was written in the 60s, as there was a widespread belief in later decades that Nero would return.[18][5] "
| 36 | (31–36 AD: conversion of Paul) |
|---|---|
| 37 | |
| 38 | |
| 39 | |
| 40 | |
| 41 | |
| 42 | |
| 43 | |
| 44 | |
| 45 | |
| 46 | |
| 47 | |
| 48 | Epistle to the Galatians |
| 49 | |
| 50 | First Epistle to the Thessalonians |
| 51 | Second Epistle to the Thessalonians |
| 52 | |
| 53 | |
| 54 | First Epistle to the Corinthians |
| 55 | Second Epistle to the Corinthians |
| 56 | |
| 57 | Epistle to the Romans |
| 58 | |
| 59 | |
| 60 | |
| 61 | |
| 62 | Epistle to the Philippians |
| Epistle to Philemon | |
| Epistle to the Colossians | |
| Epistle to the Ephesians | |
| 63 | |
| 64 | First Epistle to Timothy |
| 65 | Second Epistle to Timothy |
| 66 | Epistle to Titus |
| 67 | (64–67 AD: death of Paul) |
d:Q123034, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Thursday, November 7, 2024
Isaiah 41:10
Keep silence before me, O coastlands;
let the nations renew their strength.
Let them draw near and speak;
let us come together for judgment.
Who has stirred up from the East the champion of justice,
and summoned him to be his attendant?
To him he delivers nations
and subdues kings;
With his sword he reduces them to dust,
with his bow, to driven straw.
He pursues them, passing on without loss,
by a path his feet scarcely touch.
Who has performed these deeds?
Who has called forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the LORD, am the first,
and at the last I am he.
The coastlands see, and fear;
the ends of the earth tremble:
they approach, they come on.
Each one helps his neighbor,
one says to the other, “Courage!”
The woodworker encourages the goldsmith,
the one who beats with the hammer, him who strikes on the anvil,
Saying of the soldering, “It is good!”
then fastening it with nails so it will not totter.
But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
offspring of Abraham my friend—
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth
and summoned from its far-off places,
To whom I have said, You are my servant;
I chose you, I have not rejected you—
Do not fear: I am with you;
do not be anxious: I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Yes, all shall be put to shame and disgrace
who vent their anger against you;
Those shall be as nothing and perish
who offer resistance.
You shall seek but not find
those who strive against you;
They shall be as nothing at all
who do battle with you.
For I am the LORD, your God,
who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, Do not fear,
I will help you.
Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
you maggot Israel;
I will help you—oracle of the LORD;
the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.
I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, full of teeth,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
to make the hills like chaff.
When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off,
the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the wilderness into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.
In the wilderness I will plant the cedar,
acacia, myrtle, and olive;
In the wasteland I will set the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,
That all may see and know,
observe and understand,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Present your case, says the LORD;
bring forward your arguments, says the King of Jacob.
Let them draw near and foretell to us
what it is that shall happen!
What are the things of long ago?
Tell us, that we may reflect on them
and know their outcome;
Or declare to us the things to come,
tell what is to be in the future,
that we may know that you are gods!
Do something, good or evil,
that will put us in awe and in fear.
Why, you are nothing
and your work is nought;
to choose you is an abomination!
I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes;
from the east I summon him by name;
He shall trample the rulers down like mud,
like a potter treading clay.
Who announced this from the beginning, that we might know;
beforehand, that we might say, “True”?
Not one of you foretold it, not one spoke;
not one heard you say,
“The first news for Zion: here they come,”
or, “I will give Jerusalem a herald of good news.”
When I look, there is not one,
not one of them to give counsel,
to make an answer when I question them.
Ah, all of them are nothing,
their works are nought,
their idols, empty wind!
let the nations renew their strength.
Let them draw near and speak;
let us come together for judgment.
Who has stirred up from the East the champion of justice,
and summoned him to be his attendant?
To him he delivers nations
and subdues kings;
With his sword he reduces them to dust,
with his bow, to driven straw.
He pursues them, passing on without loss,
by a path his feet scarcely touch.
Who has performed these deeds?
Who has called forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the LORD, am the first,
and at the last I am he.
The coastlands see, and fear;
the ends of the earth tremble:
they approach, they come on.
Each one helps his neighbor,
one says to the other, “Courage!”
The woodworker encourages the goldsmith,
the one who beats with the hammer, him who strikes on the anvil,
Saying of the soldering, “It is good!”
then fastening it with nails so it will not totter.
But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
offspring of Abraham my friend—
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth
and summoned from its far-off places,
To whom I have said, You are my servant;
I chose you, I have not rejected you—
Do not fear: I am with you;
do not be anxious: I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Yes, all shall be put to shame and disgrace
who vent their anger against you;
Those shall be as nothing and perish
who offer resistance.
You shall seek but not find
those who strive against you;
They shall be as nothing at all
who do battle with you.
For I am the LORD, your God,
who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, Do not fear,
I will help you.
Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
you maggot Israel;
I will help you—oracle of the LORD;
the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.
I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, full of teeth,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
to make the hills like chaff.
When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off,
the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the wilderness into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.
In the wilderness I will plant the cedar,
acacia, myrtle, and olive;
In the wasteland I will set the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,
That all may see and know,
observe and understand,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Present your case, says the LORD;
bring forward your arguments, says the King of Jacob.
Let them draw near and foretell to us
what it is that shall happen!
What are the things of long ago?
Tell us, that we may reflect on them
and know their outcome;
Or declare to us the things to come,
tell what is to be in the future,
that we may know that you are gods!
Do something, good or evil,
that will put us in awe and in fear.
Why, you are nothing
and your work is nought;
to choose you is an abomination!
I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes;
from the east I summon him by name;
He shall trample the rulers down like mud,
like a potter treading clay.
Who announced this from the beginning, that we might know;
beforehand, that we might say, “True”?
Not one of you foretold it, not one spoke;
not one heard you say,
“The first news for Zion: here they come,”
or, “I will give Jerusalem a herald of good news.”
When I look, there is not one,
not one of them to give counsel,
to make an answer when I question them.
Ah, all of them are nothing,
their works are nought,
their idols, empty wind!
isaiah 41
attribution: UnlockingTheBible and flickr
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
The Conspiracy Against Jesus - A Plan, A Plot, And Preparation – Matthew 26:1-5; 14-19; Mark 14:1-2; 10-16; Luke 21:37-22:13
"Man would like to think he is autonomous and can control what will happen in the future, but only God is autonomous and only God can control the future. Jesus was knowingly following precisely God’s predetermined plan.
The chief priests and elders along with Satan and Judas all were under the delusion that their plot would accomplish their purposes, and it would appear that way to them for a very short time, but in reality, though they were pursuing utter evil, they were still unwittingly accomplishing the predetermined plan of God. The truth of their utter failure to get rid of Jesus would be proved when Jesus rose from the dead just as He said He would. Their refusal to repent would seal their condemnation. They will be, as Romans 9:22 describes, vessels of wrath.
Those, who like the disciples, will follow the Lord’s commands, will be used of God to accomplish His will and will receive His praise. They will be vessels of God’s mercy upon whom He will make known the riches of His glory (Romans 9:23).
God’s is sovereign and He will glorify Himself in you as either a vessel of wrath or a vessel of mercy. The question is which will it be? Which do you want it to be? Remember, God gives grace to the humble, but He resists the proud."
attribution: Duccio di Buoninsegna, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Saturday, November 2, 2024
How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?
Have you ever wondered how many people have ever lived on earth? According to the National Institute of Corrections in 2020 it's somewhere between 117 and 121 billion people.
WOW! that's a lot of people! It makes me think of endless swarms of ants.
attribution: Mark Demers and flickr
Does knowing that you are only one of 120 or so billion people make you feel small?
How do we pray? Like we're one of 120 billion people? or do we pray like we're the center of the universe?
We should know better. Creator God is the center of the universe.
And how does Creator God think about each one of us?
attribution: Sharon Tate Soberon and flickr
Faith
Hope
Love
Friday, November 1, 2024
psalm 51
1 For the leader. A psalm of David,
2 when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
I
3 Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love;
in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions.
4 Thoroughly wash away my guilt;
and from my sin cleanse me.
5 For I know my transgressions;
my sin is always before me.
II
11 Turn away your face from my sins;
blot out all my iniquities.
12 A clean heart create for me, God;
renew within me a steadfast spirit.
13 Do not drive me from before your face,
nor take from me your holy spirit.
14 Restore to me the gladness of your salvation;
uphold me with a willing spirit.
15 I will teach the wicked your ways,
that sinners may return to you.
16 Rescue me from violent bloodshed, God, my saving God,
and my tongue will sing joyfully of your justice.
17 Lord, you will open my lips;
and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
18 For you do not desire sacrifice or I would give it;
a burnt offering you would not accept.
19 My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn.
I
3 Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love;
in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions.
4 Thoroughly wash away my guilt;
and from my sin cleanse me.
5 For I know my transgressions;
my sin is always before me.
6 Against you, you alone have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your eyes
So that you are just in your word,
and without reproach in your judgment.
7 Behold, I was born in guilt,
in sin my mother conceived me.
8 Behold, you desire true sincerity;
and secretly you teach me wisdom.
9 Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
10 You will let me hear gladness and joy;
the bones you have crushed will rejoice.
I have done what is evil in your eyes
So that you are just in your word,
and without reproach in your judgment.
7 Behold, I was born in guilt,
in sin my mother conceived me.
8 Behold, you desire true sincerity;
and secretly you teach me wisdom.
9 Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
10 You will let me hear gladness and joy;
the bones you have crushed will rejoice.
II
11 Turn away your face from my sins;
blot out all my iniquities.
12 A clean heart create for me, God;
renew within me a steadfast spirit.
13 Do not drive me from before your face,
nor take from me your holy spirit.
14 Restore to me the gladness of your salvation;
uphold me with a willing spirit.
15 I will teach the wicked your ways,
that sinners may return to you.
16 Rescue me from violent bloodshed, God, my saving God,
and my tongue will sing joyfully of your justice.
17 Lord, you will open my lips;
and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
18 For you do not desire sacrifice or I would give it;
a burnt offering you would not accept.
19 My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn.
III
20 Treat Zion kindly according to your good will;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
21 Then you will desire the sacrifices of the just,
burnt offering and whole offerings;
then they will offer up young bulls on your altar.
20 Treat Zion kindly according to your good will;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
21 Then you will desire the sacrifices of the just,
burnt offering and whole offerings;
then they will offer up young bulls on your altar.
attribution: New Life Church Collingwood and flickr
Thursday, October 24, 2024
repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God
"repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God"
Luke 20: 25
If Jesus was to appear to the citizens of our nation and say "don't vote", then what would you do? Would you vote anyway? Even if He explained that our government has failed its citizens? that our two party system of government has failed to live up to the lofty principles that our Founding Fathers intended for this nation? that present day USA is no more democratic than Caesar's Roman empire? a distortion that promotes killing instead of life and favors the rich over the poor.
God created life. Jesus tells us to take care of the poor (Matthew 25:40).
attribution: next sentence and flickr
Friday, October 18, 2024
1 John 1:9
The English word human (noun), "a human being", was derived in the 1530s from "human" (adjective). Its Old English equivalent is the word "guma".
I am a human being and so are you. We have a body and a soul. We have good points and bad. We all struggle with sin--except One.
Jesus is God who became fully human. He suffered and died for us to save us from our sins.
I don't know about you, but I can't wait to shed my human nature and become "new-man". No more sin. No more struggles. I can't wait to become a "new-man" in heaven.
We have only Jesus to thank.
attribution: Scripture As Art and flickr
Sunday, October 13, 2024
satan
Friday, October 11, 2024
romans 3 and 4: "all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God"
What advantage is there then in being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much, in every respect. [For] in the first place, they were entrusted with the utterances of God. What if some were unfaithful? Will their infidelity nullify the fidelity of God? Of course not! God must be true, though every human being is a liar, as it is written: “That you may be justified in your words, and conquer when you are judged.”
But if our wickedness provides proof of God’s righteousness, what can we say? Is God unjust, humanly speaking, to inflict his wrath? Of course not! For how else is God to judge the world? But if God’s truth redounds to his glory through my falsehood, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not say—as we are accused and as some claim we say—that we should do evil that good may come of it? Their penalty is what they deserve.
Well, then, are we better off? Not entirely, for we have already brought the charge against Jews and Greeks alike that they are all under the domination of sin, as it is written:
“There is no one just, not one,
there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
All have gone astray; all alike are worthless;
there is not one who does good,
[there is not] even one.
Their throats are open graves;
they deceive with their tongues;
the venom of asps is on their lips;
their mouths are full of bitter cursing.
Their feet are quick to shed blood;
ruin and misery are in their ways,
and the way of peace they know not.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that what the law says is addressed to those under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world stand accountable to God, since no human being will be justified in his sight by observing the law; for through the law comes consciousness of sin.
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed, through the forbearance of God—to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out. On what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith. For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too? Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Are we then annulling the law by this faith? Of course not! On the contrary, we are supporting the law.
Romans 3
attribution: Patrick Slaven and flickr
What then can we say that Abraham found, our ancestor according to the flesh? Indeed, if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works, he has reason to boast; but this was not so in the sight of God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due. But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record.”
Does this blessedness apply only to the circumcised, or to the uncircumcised as well? Now we assert that “faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” Under what circumstances was it credited? Was he circumcised or not? He was not circumcised, but uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal on the righteousness received through faith while he was uncircumcised. Thus he was to be the father of all the uncircumcised who believe, so that to them [also] righteousness might be credited, as well as the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised, but also follow the path of faith that our father Abraham walked while still uncircumcised.
It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For if those who adhere to the law are the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law produces wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “Thus shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body as [already] dead (for he was almost a hundred years old) and the dead womb of Sarah. He did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do. That is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” But it was not for him alone that it was written that “it was credited to him”; it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification.
Romans 4
Can anyone comprehend God's incredible and undeserved gift of salvation--saving us from punishment for our sins. What kind of Love is this? God asks for nothing from us other than that we believe. Who can call themselves a follower of Jesus, God, if we do not share Jesus' love for God and our neighbors by doing good works?
We walk by faith - YouTube
faith
hope
love
Monday, September 23, 2024
Matthew 13: 31-32
31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;
32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
attribution: Dane Vandeputte and flickr
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Mark 4: 35-41
35 On that day, as evening drew on, he said to them, “Let us cross to the other side.”
36 Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him.
37 A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.
38 Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
39 He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm.
40 Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
41 They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
36 Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him.
37 A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.
38 Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
39 He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm.
40 Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
41 They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
attribution: Will Humes and flickr
Monday, August 26, 2024
images
I hereby declare these images that I created be public domain as long as no alterations are made to them.
Monday, August 19, 2024
true confession
I believe in God--Father, Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I believe that God is the Creator of all things--including us. Only God can create something from nothing.
Sometimes I wonder why God made human beings. Human beings spoil God's creation with sin.
Jesus said if your hand, foot or eye cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matthew 18: 6-8, Matthew 5: 27-30, Mark 9: 43-48
The old testament includes several passages that say that it would be better to have never been born than to sin. Ecclesiastes 4: 2-3, Job 3: 16 and 10:19, Jeremiah 15: 10
When I look at the world around me I see a cesspool of sin. I'm part of that cesspool. Would have it been better if I had never been born?
attribution: chuck palahniuk and flickr
Monday, August 12, 2024
Christian Hall of Fame
Football, basketball, hockey--pro and college. even rock and roll. they all have their halls of fame.
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We admire sports figures for their accomplishments. Even rock and roll celebrities. Why not have a Christian Hall of Fame to admire the faith of great Christian men and women?
why not a Christian Hall of Fame? Mother Teresa, Maximilian Kolbe, Edith Stein, Billy Graham, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, James Dobson, etc.
attribution: Warren K. Leffler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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attribution: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R0211-316 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
attribution: Focus on the Family, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
Saturday, August 10, 2024
John 15: 18-27
18 “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.
20 Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
21 And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin; but as it is they have no excuse for their sin.
23 Whoever hates me also hates my Father.
24 If I had not done works among them that no one else ever did, they would not have sin; but as it is, they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But in order that the word written in their law might be fulfilled, ‘They hated me without cause.’
26 “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.
26 “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.
27 And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
attribution: Sharon Tate Soberon and flickr
Sunday, August 4, 2024
why do some suffer more than others?
one of my younger sisters has surgery tomorrow. it's not her first. she's had multiple surgeries during her life. she has von hippel-lindau syndrome disease.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access [by faith] to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance,
6 For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
9 How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath.
10 Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life.
11 Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
why do some people suffer more than others?
2 through whom we have gained access [by faith] to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance,
4 and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope,
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.
6 For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
7 Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
8 But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
9 How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath.
10 Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life.
11 Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Romans, chapter 5
Judy has great patience, endurance, proven character and hope. Her faith, hope and love inspire me.
God bless Judy, her husband Matt, her children Rachel, Drew, Rosemary and Daniel, and her grandchildren, as Judy is operated on again tomorrow.
attribution: Church Iglesia and flickr
Thursday, August 1, 2024
Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him,
2 but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 So to them he addressed this parable.
4 “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?
5 And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
2 but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 So to them he addressed this parable.
4 “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?
5 And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
6 and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
7 I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
Luke, chapter 15
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_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg){kind=link}
attribution: James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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