Category: Biblical and Inspirational

Scripture: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Cor 5:17 NASB Easter—the Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, a King who made Himself a servant of the people—of those He loved. We know that resurrection signals we also, as new spiritual creatures created in and through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and ascension, will be lifted up into the heavenly places. This beautiful time ahead cannot be fully known by man. In fact, when a human tries to describe the heavenly realm… Continue reading

Scripture: “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Ps 34:1 NASB As our community recovers from the shooting incident that occurred on Wednesday, 2 April 2014, comfort can be found in the Lord and our salvation. I heard a news report that during a service off post where the leadership had some type of memorial for those lost, a church member asked the question “Why did this happen? Again? Many times in our lives, we will be immersed in stressful, chaotic, and sometimes devastating circumstances. If the cause is within your… Continue reading

Scripture: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Ps 51:10 KJV When I was a young lad, I learned this verse as a memory verse in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. If you look up the verse in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) today, the word “right” has been changed to “steadfast.” Which one is correct? Both are considered good translations of the Bible. Quick answer – they are both correct. Both are possible meanings of the Hebrew word in context. Let’s ask the Lord to continually to… Continue reading

Scripture: “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscious and a sincere faith.” 1 Tim 1:5. What are your goals in life? Paul had definite goals for his ministry of the Gospel to those who became his disciples. Paul’s goals were centered on spiritual things. And Paul did not set his goals up to be unattainable or unreachable to those he ministered. They are goals that every believer can achieve. Love from a pure heart – a heart not motivated by ulterior urgings or fleshly, selfish pleasures A good conscience – one… Continue reading

Scripture: “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” John 14:6 NASB Have you ever asked anyone for directions? How about using MapQuest or Google Maps? I’ve learned the secret for using Google Maps on my iPhone when I am driving. Plug it in to a charging port or the phone will be dead by the time you get to your destination! Why use Google maps? Because I don’t know the fastest and easiest way to get where I am going. However, with Google maps, I… Continue reading

Scripture: “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” Ps 37:23, 24 NASB Do you remember when you were young and your mom or dad held your hand when you walked with them? My parents used to do that quite a lot, especially from the time I began to walk until I learned to hear their call and obey. If you grow up in an Amish community, you can see the men walking… Continue reading

“Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Ps 119:11 NASB Speaking of memorizing scripture, have you put any of God’s Word in your heart permanently? It’s amazing how different having God’s Word stamped on your heart can be than just knowing the verse is somewhere in the Bible. “Well,” you say to yourself, “I know what it says. Sort of. Kinda. Well, you know, it’s in the Bible isn’t it? Why do I need to memorize it?” Often when we are in conversation with others, if we have to refer to our… Continue reading

 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” Matt 7:21-22 When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our heart is united with His. It’s like mixing together ingredients to bake a cake. Once you put them all into the bowl, mix them together and then bake them, they are united together and you can’t separate them. You have cake, not water, flour, oil, and other separate ingredients. Once your heart unites with Christ, you can’t separate the… Continue reading

Scripture: “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Ps 34:1 NASB Israel had a tradition of memorizing scripture – to them the first five books of the Bible or Torah. Therefore, when a rabbi spoke the first part of a scripture passage, like one of the books of the Bible, it was a reference to the whole passage. Jesus is thought by many scholars to have done this when he quoted the first verse of Psalm 22 from the cross. In today’s passage, the first verse is just the beginning of… Continue reading

“Greater love have no one than this; that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 Jesus spoke about this as a reference to His impending death. Many in our nation lay down their lives for their friends in the foxhole, vehicle or unit they serve with while having also committed to this sacrifice for the nation itself. The sacrifice is great, the ultimate a human being can give. As we honor those who have made that sacrifice for our nation and its principles, let us honor also the King of Kings who gave His life so that… Continue reading