Tag: heavenly

Posted in Believe it or not!, Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Photos, Scripture, Wisdom

How Reliable Is the Bible? – Part 3

Posted on by Katharine
British Library Add. MS 59874 Ethiopian Bible ...
Ethiopian Bible – Book of Matthew

The Bible is our only rule for faith and practice. If it is not reliable, then on what do we base our beliefs? Jesus asks for our trust, and that includes trust in what He says in His Word.

Faith.

Belief.

Trust.

Don’t those words demand some sort of unknown, unknowable?

Of course there are difficult passages in the Bible. Of course sincere men disagree over interpretations of the Bible.

These are the faults of man, not of God. Man is finite, and in his limited scope, tries to understand the Infinite and begins guessing and making up stuff, when he’d be better off simply trusting a bit.

God is complicated enough to make the entire universe with words. We should approach His words reverently and prayerfully, and when we find something we don’t understand, we should get over it.

Pray more, and study more.

Then if the mystery remains we humbly acknowledge our own limitations in the face of the perfect Word of God.

The Bible is an immeasurable source of authority. Taking 1500 years to write, yet consistent throughout, it is a library of books with 30 vastly different authors. Seers, vagabonds, kings, poets, slaves, fishermen, doctors, extremely wealthy and extremely poor–many never met or even heard of the others. Yet their words jive in ways no one could ever contrive. Their foretelling comes true and after centuries, later contributors are able to say, “THIS is what was spoken of by the prophets!” (Acts 2:16, among others)

This work IS the final interpretation of the truth. To consider the Bible apart from its one supreme purpose (the TRUTH) is to have a book and nothing more.

More tomorrow.

___________

image via Wikipedia

Posted in Believe it or not!, Inspiring, Scripture, Wisdom

Sunday Scriptures – Peaceful

Posted on by Katharine

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–
for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God and one mediator between God an men, the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time.

1 Timothy 2:1-6

Posted in Believe it or not!, Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Photos, Scripture, Wisdom

Strength Rising

Posted on by Katharine
English: Strongmen event: Log Lift. Equipment ...
Strongman Event: Log Lift

We once knew a man so strong, he could lift a FULL 50-gallon hot water tank and carry it out of our house. What must it have weighed?

He also lifted one corner of our barn when we needed to put a new pole under the roof.

On each occasion, we had only asked him if we could borrow a dolly or a housejack.

He shrugged.

He did not have those tools. Wonder why not?

He had strenth. He was accustomed to lifting motors from cars and rebuilding them, so his muscles were trained for heavy work.

What kind of heavy character-work would it take to develop that type of strength in character?

How do we achieve strength in character? Where does it come from?

As does physical strength, strength of character develops from use. Each undertaking begins with small steps toward small goals. Our friend could not lift a barn when he was 18, but he worked at developing that strength because he wanted to lift heavy things.

In the same way, the heavy points of character become easier to carry out when we have worked hard to develop the strength.

Think about it. What are you good at? I know a man who excels at arriving late. Likely it began with hitting the snooze button when he was a teen. I know a lady who organizes huge catering events, regularly. Likely that began with learning to cook as a teen. Be it good or bad, your most prevalent strengths, abilities, or skills began with a single step.

And your future most-prevalent-strength can come from a single step you take today.

Your new strength could be in forging forward, no matter the pain. Or you could specialize in giving up at the first twinge.

Your new strength could be in creating. Or it could be in destroying.

There is one strength that I wish we all could develop: the ability to give and accept help. So many refuse to give; so many refuse to accept.

There is One Giver of a bottomless well of all-conquering help, Who ever lives to help us. I am learning to accept His help, His strength, more each day, and to extend it to others–baby steps that could lead to a real strength, someday.

Will you join me?

The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 1 Corintians 1:25

_______________

image via wikipedia

Posted in Believe it or not!, Inspiring, Photos, Scripture, Wisdom

The Gift of Joy

Posted on by Katharine

What in the world is “joy to the world”?

MEGA JOY!!
MEGA JOY!! (Photo credit: Jeanette’s Ozpix)

People can be confused about life if they ignore the Owner’s manual. That’s okay as long as in our mistakes, we seek the Bible, where we find every necessary explanation.

Regarding joy, we find it is a gift from the Spirit of the Living God. (Galatians 5:22)

This gift, the angels tell us, seems to have come simultaneously with the birth of His Son. (Luke 2:10) Amazing, going far beyond the usual joy at a successful birth of a son, this joy seems to know no bounds, and is the soul’s antidote to the worst of evil. (Matthew 5:11-12)

Limitless, unrestrainable joy can be ours. Like a deep current under the surface waters of the streams of our lives, we can have this hidden, mysterious constant: joy.

But only if we have the Spirit that is Holy. Our having joy depends on nothing less.

For this reason, we find all sorts of encouragement to contentment in God’s Word.

Paul showed us that he had arrived at being able to possess himself with contentment, no matter what the circumstances. (Philippians 4:11-12) Lots of incredibly hard things happened to Paul, (2 Corinthians 4:8-9) so we should consider him a reliable instructor in contentment, and he encouraged us to be content, no matter what.

Contentment is a choice, and depends on our obedience, and nothing less.

Ah, but happiness—where does it fit? Jesus was not always happy, (Luke 13:34) and neither was Paul. (Acts 23:1-3) Happiness is a normal, natural response to our happenings. It is a feeling, an honest reaction, to life, and nothing more.

When we lose something, be it possessions, reputation, or loved ones, we are not happy. No.

We can draw, though, upon that miraculous joy, ever residing in the core of our beings (if we actually have it, have that gift of Jehovah God’s Spirit.) We can rise above happiness to contentment, on the strength of that joy.

Not all things bring happiness, but we can learn to walk in contentment, if only we receive the gift He stands ready to give us—true joy.

_________________

Image by Fergal of Claddagh via Flickr

Posted in Inspiring, Scripture

Sunday Scriptures – Between

Posted on by Katharine

When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.
Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future, he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan–

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Isaiah 8:15 – 9:7

Posted in Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Scripture, Wisdom

Sunday Scriptures – Self Portrait

Posted on by Katharine

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:11-12