everlasting

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.

- John 6:47 (NKJV)

 

Can you imagine sitting in a classroom and having a teacher tell you that he or she guarantees something to be true, if you believe it to be true?
I had a teacher in high school that loved to antagonize students when they got a wrong answer by telling them that if they believed in their answer, it would be right, then he would promptly fail them.

It makes me thankful that all people aren’t like that, heck if we believed everything to be true, we’d have dragons and unicorns walking the earth right now!
It’s good that Jesus was telling the absolute truth, and He won’t fail us. 
If we believe in Jesus, we have real eternal life! 
Deciding to believe is the pivotal moment in our lives, the decision we make definitely affects the outcome.
I’m working on Christmas ornaments right now (I know, it’s July) and one says, “Who needs Santa when we’ve got Jesus?”
Yes, indeed. 
Dragons and unicorns are super cool, but they can’t give us everlasting life. 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

sometimes I can’t

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.

- Psalm 8:1 (NIV)

 

Some days I just can’t.

There are days when this whole world just feels like it is coming down around me, that I just can’t take another step.

I have so many resources available to me including pastors, friends, family, people I can turn to when I just can’t pick myself up anymore.

My first go to though, is the Bible because I will always find encouragement there.
The encouragement I find usually leads me to song.
Music just soothes my soul and so much of the contemporary Christian music just speaks to me, and I end up singing out loud.

I may sing with tears streaming down my face, but I am comforted by singing His glory.

Don’t let the world bring you down, reach out to someone, anyone, a friend, or a stranger (there are a lot of hotlines out there to help if you need it).

Never ever give up.

Jesus died for you; do you think for one moment He won’t hold you when you are hurting?

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

not just any hand

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

- Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

 

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt something was guiding you to a specific place or conversation or thing?
Or felt a nudge and looked up in time to see something spectacular or in time to avoid a tragedy?
How about that feeling that you get, something just isn’t sitting right with you, so you change plans or direction.
Now I wonder how many times that was the hand of God protecting us, strengthening us, calming our fear.

God is with us, always, and we don’t need to be concerned or worried, He will give us the strength we need, He will help us and hold us when we fall.
It’s not just any hand that is protecting us, it is the hand of God. 
He loves us. 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

my soul isn’t dead

If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have been among the dead.

- Psalm 94:17 (NLV)

 

It is weird to think about your soul dying.
But I think that we have all felt it at some point in our lives. 
I know that personally I have struggled and cried out for help many times, not knowing that God was there every time.

But I was so overcome by grief or anger that I could not hear Him.
I feel like my soul has died many times, that I just have nothing left in me to give.
This weekend was a traumatic comedy of errors for my family, I personally spent hours crying over stuff that was completely out of my control.
But God got me through it, some how, just like He does every single time. 
How do I know this? 
Because I am still here, my family is safe. 
I wake up every morning because He gives me another day. 
It is well with my soul. 
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. 
How great Thou art. 
The everlasting God. 
Yeah, those are all songs, and they are all true. 
My soul will not die because I have God on my side. 

And there is nothing I can’t get through because He is there.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

all hands man your your battle stations

You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.

- 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NKJV)

 

“All hands man your battle stations”
On U.S. Navy ships, this announcement made over the public address system right after a klaxon. 
The announcement may include additional instructions or the route of travel and is a signal that everyone on the ship must be in their assigned position as quickly as possible to prepare for combat.
Wouldn’t it be great if we had that sort of warning or announcement when battles come to us?
So many of us are fighting battles with everything we have, and we quickly become exhausted, wishing that we had an army or navy that we could call to arms during these times.
We have an army; we do not have to face our struggles alone. 
Nothing can stand against us when we trust in God. 
There are so many song references that I can make here: 
Phil Wickham – Battle Belongs released in 2021
Lauren Daigle – Rescue released in 2018
Bethel Music – Raise a Hallelujah released in 2019
I could go on for days, but the point is we are not alone. 
He can move mountains if we let Him. 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

my plans

The Lord knows all human plans; He knows that they are futile.

- Psalm 94:11 (NIV)

 

A friend of mine is a photographer, she does mostly wildlife and landscapes, talented enough to have captured some amazing photos.
She has given me permission to share her photos occasionally, so when you see a watermark “Pam Reynolds Photography” on the photos I post on social media, you know that is her work.
The Lord knows our plans, I certainly see this in my everyday life, sometimes I think God says “oh you think so, huh?  Watch this.”

I know he doesn’t really, but it sure seems that way on occasion.
So, my friend Pam, she recently posted that her morning was not planned, but she woke up early for whatever reason, made coffee and hopped in her car to drive to a little valley where she had seen some gorgeous foggy sunrises.
This particular morning there was no fog, so she drove around and hoped God would give her a view somewhere.
Boy did He deliver. 
She said, “This is somewhere. Unplanned. At least by me.” 
She may have planned a foggy sunrise picture, but God wanted her to see things through a different lens.
I think that is a great idea – instead of seeing things as bad when they don’t go according to OUR plans, maybe we should consider that God wants us to view things through a different lens.
Maybe this would make us accept our broken plans a little easier. 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

Link to the picture I am referencing today: 

https://www.facebook.com/share/YJ3EkJxFjzZzv6UM/?mibextid=NoJtEM

Link to my friend’s photography page: 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559651136650&mibextid=LQQJ4d

the fool and the wise

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

- 1 Corinthians 1:27 (NIV)

 

We don’t have to be brilliant or powerful to be a believer in Christ.
In fact, how often have we heard it said, “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called”?
Yet so many people out there continue to rely on their own intellect, wealth, or social standing instead of trusting God.
In Paul’s day many people did not believe that Christ was crucified for us because He was crucified – they thought that any god that would die on a cross to save people would be foolish and weak.
And people who believed this would also be considered foolish and weak. 
Only those who are called by God to believe in the Gospel can see the strength and wisdom in this act of love that Christ went through.
God certainly does choose foolish and weak people to come to Him through Christ, how do you think we got here?
But the shaming part – when a person considers themselves above others, those who think they are too wise or strong to believe the Gospel, God is showing those people how foolish they really are.
Paul himself was chosen, after years of executing believers, to lead others to Christ.
Perhaps the world would view Paul as an idiot because he believed in Jesus. 
Maybe we still see people that occupy service positions, are not well-educated, or do not have money, rank, or social standing as losers.
I’m confident that there are people that still see today’s Christ followers as foolish.
In truth though, by God’s grace, it is those of us who believe that see clearly and we are the wise and strong.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible