Category: Bible Study

There are two ways to read and understand the bible: (1) read it for what it says (understanding) and (2) what it says to me (Application) (11 Timothy 4:16,17). The Bible is an historical account of specific events and people. But it was recorded to provide guidance to any who would read it. I encourage you to read the following verses from Psalm 118 and put your name in the space provided (_______).

___vs. 1 “Oh (__ ___) give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

—–vs. 2 ” Let Israel (_____) say ” His steadfast love endures forever.”

___vs. 3 ” Let the house of Aaron (_____) say, ” His steadfast love endures forever.”

___vs. 4 ” Let those (____) who fear the Lord, say, ” His steadfast love endures forever.”

___vs. 5 ” Out of my distress I ( ____) called on the Lord; the Lord answered me (_____) and set me (_____) free.”

___vs. 6 ” The Lord is on my (……….) side; I (______) will not fear. What can man do to me (_____) ?

And now read perhaps most famous scripture verse in the Bible, John 3:16.

” For God so loved the world (_____), that He gave his only Son, that whoever (_____) believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world (_____) but in order that the world (____) might be saved through faith in him .”

As you read the Bible always read it and understand it as God’s message to you personally.

Reader, if you understand who God is and you want to know Him personally, please do what this verse tells you to do and pray this prayer: “—- If you ( _____) confess with your (____) mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your (____) heart that God raised Him from the dead, you (____) will be saved. For with the heart one (____) believes and is justified and with the mouth one (____) confesses and is saved—“ ( Romans 10:9,10)

Now you must pray and ask God to bring someone into your life who can help you live for Him.

Jesus Christ was and is no ordinary human being. He was and is at the same time Son of man and Son of God. Millions of people over the centuries have chosen to believe his teaching, to follow him and to be identified by his name: Christian.

In much of the world today, Christ is rejected, Christians persecuted, and the Bible forbidden to be owned or read. Yet people around the world, when given the opportunity, still choose to follow Jesus. Why?

Here are only a few of the reasons why.

+ In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. +He is the image of the invisible Go +By Him all things were created. +All things were created by Him and for Him. +He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. +God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him. +And through Him God reconciled to Himself all things…… by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. +Once we were alienated from God and were enemies because of evil behavior. +Now we are holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusations ( From the Bible Colossians chapter 1).

The invitation is clear and open to all who choose to accept and follow Jesus.

Jesus said: ” Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

If you are not in God’s family trust Jesus today and join the ranks of the faithful believers from centuries past and present, and God will bless you and your family.

If this is all new to you but want all that Jesus offers, pray this simple prayer, ” Jesus bring someone into my life that can explain to me more fully how how I can live to please you.”

The wonderful thing about the love of God is that it is unconditional.

…..God’s love was not given to us because we are good. The Bible says: “But God demonstrated his love for us in this: while we are still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

…..God does not give us his love because we loved him. The Bible says: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4: I 10).

…..The love of God is different than human love. God’s love lasts forever. The Bible says: ” …. I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness” (Jeremiah 31: 3).

…..Also, the love of God withstands all difficulties. The Bible says: ” Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger of sword…. neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8: 35,39).

…..And what a thrill to know that the love of God is not restricted to one nation of people to the exclusions of all others. God’s love is for the world.

Jesus said: ” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

This is the same God who: ” ….made the heavens and the earth and the seas and everything in them” (Acts 4:24).

And this God loves you and wants you to know him!

New reader, if you fear that God does not love you, He does. He wants you love him also. If you feel you are not worthy, please pray this very simple prayer: ” God in heaven, I know I am not lovely, but that you love me and You want to change my life. Please bring someone who can give me direction and instruction on how to know you and how to express my love for you.”

Most everybody follows and wants to be like somebody.

And that somebody is a different because each one of us is different. We all have those people that we have looked up to with a desire to be just like that person That person is usually one tho had been recognized for great achievements. Whether you are male or female there is that one person you look up to and admire very much. Two such people come to my mind.

The first person to really love me is my beloved wife of 65 years, who is now with the Lord. She loved and cared for me with a love that is only exceeded by one other.

The second person to really love me came earlier when I was a young man I in the United States Navy in Sasebo, Japan. He had fixed his love on me even before I was born. He is the one in the Bible that is spoken of as Jesus of Nazareth.

He changed my life and I will praise Him as long as I live. I will sing praises to Him even with my dying breath.

The reasons why I love and praise Him are as many as the grains of sand that cover the seashore. They are as many and as varied as the snowflakes on winter day.

I have listed below 10 reasons why I love Him. These are written by the Psalmist in Psalm 148 NLT. Also, I would encourage you to read the entire Psalm.

(1) But happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper; whose hope is in the Lord their God. (vs 5)

(2) He is the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. (vs. 6)

(3) Who gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. (vs. 7a)

(4) The Lord frees the prisoners. (vs. 7b)

(5) The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. (vs. 8a)

(6) The Lord lifts the burdens for those bent beneath their load. (vs. 8b)

(7) The Lord loves the righteous. (vs. 8c)

(8) The Lord protects the foreigners among us. (vs. 9a)

(9) He cares for the orphans and widows. (vs. 9b)

(10) The Lord will reign forever. (vs. 10)

And finally , I love him because He first loved me and gave himself for me. (1John 4:19)

As you read this blog and have had your life changed, stop now and just say “thank you Lord.”

Reader, if this is all new to you but you want to know more just pray this very simple prayer, “Jesus, I want these things in my life. Please bring someone to help me understand and to teach me how I can know you.”

Two thousand years ago Jesus’ disciples asked him a very serious question: “…. will there be any signs ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world? (Matthew 24:3).

Jesus answered further in Matthew 24 that there would be signs to indicate the end of the world. He said there would be in the latter days: (1) wars and rumors of wars (2) famines (3) pestilences (4) earthquakes and (5) Christians arrested, persecuted, and killed.

Does this sound familiar? It should. In the world today : There are (1) rumors of war in the Middle East and elsewhere. (2) In the world 2.3 billion people go hungry. (3) Disease and sickness threaten the world. (4) In 2024 approximately 9,000 people died due to earthquakes, worldwide. And, (5) Christians around the world are consistently arrested, persecuted, and put to death .

All these occurrences are signs that the end of the world is near and then judgment.

This is the bad news.

However, there is also good news. The Bible says that: ” The Lord is…. not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

And the way of repentance is very clear: ” Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Act 16:31).

If your faith is in Jesus, praise God! If you have not trusted Jesus, by faith, do it today. The time is short!

Dear reader, if you recognize the world as described here and do not know what to do to escape the coming judgment, pray this very simple prayer: “ God I do not know very much about you, but I agree with what you say about the world and I want to believe. Please send someone into my life to help me.”

Is there cause for alarm in the world today? YES!

Families are drifting into poverty and banks are failing…. Local governments are underfunded, and states are facing bankruptcy…. Nations worldwide are becoming insolvent. Both natural and man-made disasters are taking a toll on human life

This is all bad news, and we all know there is still more to come, but there is also good news.

The first part of this good news is that we need not depend on the events of this world for our happiness and security.

” Jesus said, ” Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

The second part of this good news is that a person’s status in the world system in no way contributes to the acquisition of this peace.

The prophet Isaiah wrote: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” (Isaiah 55:1).

Jesus said:” Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11: 28).

Let me encourage you to live in this world system, and prosper, but do not expect the world system to satisfy your heart. Put your faith in God through Jesus and enjoy victory over the world. This is a choice you must make.

My dear reader, if you do not have peace in your life but want this peace that only Jesus can give, pray this simple prayer: ” God, I have success in this world, but no peace in my heart. I ask you to change my life and bring someone who can tell me more.”

God has made many promises to his children in the Bible, and He always keeps his promises. I have listed below just a few of those promises

Numbers 23:19: ” God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change his mind.”

God promises that his love for us will never cease. ” I have loved you with an everlasting love”(31: 3).

He promises to hear and answer our prayers. “Call to me and I will answer you” (Jeremiah 33:3).

He promises forgiveness. ” If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9).

He promises to guide us. ” I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go” (Psalm 32:8).

He promises to give us strength ” I will strengthen you and help you” (Isaiah 41:10).

He promises peace. ” Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14: 27).

He promises joy. ” I have told you this so that my joy may be in you” (Hebrews 15 :11).

He has promised that He will never leave us. ” Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13: 5).

He promises his grace in every situation. ” My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

He had promised to take his children to heaven to be with Him. ” I am going to prepare a place for you….. I will come back and take you to be with me…” (John 14:2,3).

These are some of God’s promises to His children. It is my prayer that you have put your faith in Jesus and are a child of God. As his child, you can claim these promises.

If these are not a part of your life, but you want them, pray this prayer: ” God, I don’t know you, but I want to, and I want all these in my life. Please reveal yourself to me or send someone to help me.“

There is a common saying that there are only things certain in life: deaths and taxes. This is only half true: all will suffer death; however, not all people pay taxes.

Actually, there are only two things certain that all people will face: death and judgment. The Bible says: “…… it is appointed for man to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9: 27).

The first thing certain, death, is no respecter of persons and this is a statistical fact. Death is a great common denominator. Every person, with but two exceptions, who has ever lived, has died.

Death is not concerned with a person’s wealth, wisdom, or personal, political or social status. death claims all.

The second thing certain, judgment, is also no respecter or persons.

The Bible says: “ So then each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

How then, do we prepare for death and judgment?

How to prepare for death I suggest the following: (1) make a will, (2) pay off debts so your family will not be burdened and, (3) make any funeral arrangements that family will have to make.

How to prepare for judgment, I suggest the following: avoid it altogether.. The Bible is very clear on how to do this. ” I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Hiim who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned: he has crossed over from death to life ” (John 5 :24)

When we trust Jesus as our sacrifice for sins, we will never face the judgment and condemnation of God.

If you have not put your trust in Jesus, do it right now and thank Him for saving you.

If you are reading this account of God’s love for the first time but have no idea of what to do, let encourage you to say this simple prayer: “God, I do not know you, but I want to. Please send someone to help me, and I ask this in Jesus’s name.”

Don Haskins was a basketball coach at Texas Western College, a small college in South Texas. During his career of 38 seasons his team won 719 games.

In 1966 this small college team stunned the basketball world by defeating the large and powerful University of Kentucky for the national championship. A major upset. However, Haskins’ coaching had nothing to do with winning games and everything to do with shaping lives.

A Dallas sportswriter said this of Don Haskins: ” At the end of a man’s life, it’s not what he has accomplished during his life– the houses, the cars, the cash –but the lives he has touched. That’s really the only legacy we leave.”

The writer goes on to say that we can’t begin to know how many lives Haskins touched over those 38 years.

This is true and w You know first decisions Hi sweetheart hat was the legacy that Jesus left…. lives changed.

The Bible says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come” (II Corinthians 5:17).

And again: ” In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God’s grace…..” (Ephesians 1;7).

Of all the miracles, wonders and signs that Jesus did, his lasting legacy is the countless millions of lives He changed.

Our legacy also must not be only of houses, cars and cash, but by seeing other lives changed as we share Jesus with them.

What legacy are you leaving?

Dear reader by legacy I mean that which you will be leaving for your children when you die. The best you can leave them is the knowledge of Jesus. If you do not know Jesus pray right now this very simple prayer. ” Jesus I don’t know you but I want to. Please reveal yourself to me that I might have eternal life and pass this on to my children.”

One of my favorite verses of Scripture is Deuteronomy 31:8.

” The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you: He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

What this verse means to me:

(1) God goes before me. He knows and dictates what the future holds for me.

” For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, ” plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29: 11).

(2) He will be with me. I do not have to face life alone. When there are hard times, He is there to help. When there are times of rejoicing, He rejoices with me.

” And surely, I will be with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28 :20).

(3) He will never leave or forsake me. God will never go off and leave me to face life alone. He will always be with me to guide and encourage.

” Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13: 5).

(4) I am not to be afraid. I have no reason to be afraid. The Creator God loves me. He is all powerful and He is trustworthy in every circumstance of life.

” The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid” (Hebrews 13:6).

(5) I will not be discouraged. Many times when I do not understand what is happening, I get discouraged. But God loves me and is in control. There may be darkness in my life now, but one day there will be light.

“ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41: 10).

Trust In this God who loves and cares for me. Also, He wants you to know Him and the peace He can give.

Dear reader if this is all new to you, but you want this in your life, please pray this very simple prayer: “God, I do not know you, but I want to. Please help me. Please send someone to teach me.”