Daily Inspirations

  Good morning. Jesus then calls His 12 disciples. He gave them authority to cast out unclean spirits, and to heal every kind of disease and sickness. He tells them to not go to any place except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They are to preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. They are to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely they have received, and freely they were to give. They were to do exactly the same things that Jesus was doing. God gave to us freely, and we are to give to others freely. People who are not of God charge for their services. That does not mean that we do not support ministries. They were not supposed to take along provisions for their journey – they were to trust God to supply. “I send you out as sheep in the midst of the wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues.” There will be opposition to...

  Good morning. After raising the little girl from the dead, Jesus passes on from there, and is followed by two blind men. “Have mercy on us, Son of David”, they cry. Son of David is one of the expressions denoting the Messiah. In this version, Jesus does not ask them what they want. He asks if they believe that He is able to do this. They say yes, and He touches their eyes, saying, “be it done to you according to your faith.” So we have the woman and the two blind men healed because of their faith. The little girl was raised from the dead because of Jesus’ faith. “Don't tell anyone”, Jesus says to them. Could you be quiet, if you had been blind and Jesus just healed you? I know I couldn't. Besides, people would notice that they could now see. Then Jesus comes across a demon possessed man. He cast out the demon, and everyone marvels - except the Pharisees. They said that He cast out demons by the ruler of the demons. He could do no right in their eyes. It sounds like the mainst...

  Good morning. Jesus arrives at the synagogue official’s house. Remember that in Matthew the little girl was already dead, but in another gospel she was at the point of death. In that version while on the way to the house, someone came and told the official that his daughter was dead. Imagine that it is your daughter. You have but one hope – and that is Jesus coming and healing your daughter. He is delayed by the healing of the woman. Because of that your daughter is dead. Not only would you be heartbroken because of the death of your daughter, you would probably be angry that Jesus stopped and healed the woman. Two words that can cause someone a lot of anguish – if only. “If only that woman had come at a different time”. “If only Jesus had said wait a little bit until I heal his daughter”. If I only – . That's what Martha and Mary said to Jesus when He came to Lazarus's house. We say that too often. If only we had not done this, or if only God had intervened in time. It's...

  Good morning. The disciples of John came to Jesus and asked “why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” ( Remember that we are not supposed to fast to be seen by men, even though the Pharisees did.) Jesus told them that the attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, but days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. John was still alive, but was probably in prison. He then talks about not putting a patch of new cloth on an old garment, nor new wine in old wineskins. As He is talking, a synagogue official comes and says, “my daughter has just died ( In another gospel, it says that she is at the point of death.); but, come lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” While they are going, a woman who had been suffering for 12 years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, “if I only touch His garment, I will get well.” It doesn't say that ...

  Good morning. Picking up where we left off: some of the scribes said to themselves, “this fellow blasphemes.” Just imagine the headlines if the main stream media had been around in those days. Throughout His time of ministry Jesus could do nothing right in some peoples’ eyes. Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, “your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “rise, and walk”? If you say “your sins are forgiven”, who will know whether or not that statement is fulfilled? But if you say rise and walk, the man better rise and walk or everyone will know you are a fake. “But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins – rise, take up your bed, and go home.” If Jesus were an evil person, how could He heal the man? The multitudes approved, though the scribes did not. As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office. (remember that Matthew wrote this) Someone has pointed out that Jesus saw ...

  Good morning. I hope everything is well with you. After facing the storm going to the other side, of course everything is great, right? Well Jesus meets these two demon possessed men. In another gospel is says just one. They were exceedingly violent, and no one could pass by where they were. They cry out "what do we have to do with You, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Notice that they recognized Him as being the Son of God. They recognize that there is going to be a time when they will be subjected to torment. They are concerned that the He has come there specifically to start the torment ahead of time. They asked to be cast into a herd of pigs, and Jesus permits them. The pigs run into the water and die. The men watching the pigs run into the city and tell everything, including the incident of the demoniacs. The people of the city come and beg Him to leave. The owners of the pigs just lost a lot of money. Everyone from the city is afraid of someo...

  Good morning. Hope you have a great day. Remember that Jesus had given orders that they should depart to the other side (of the lake). While Jesus was asleep in the boat, there arose a great storm, so that the boat was covered with the waves. This was no afternoon shower; it was one of those “make the palm trees bend over and touch the ground" kind of storms. And Jesus just slept through it! He had confidence in His Father to protect Him. The disciples, however, were not confident. They were focusing on the circumstances and not on the word Jesus had given them. They awoke Jesus saying, “save us, Lord; we are perishing!” Jesus had told them to go to the other side; so they should've been confident that they would make it. They did not even think about all of the miracles that Jesus had just finished doing. But even if they had, they probably would've said “well that was one thing, this is something entirely different”. The same thing happens to us. God tells us to do so...

  Good morning. Now they come to Peter's house where Peter's mother-in-law is sick with a fever; and Jesus heals her. People bring all of their sick relatives and friends for Jesus to heal. Matthew does not mention this, but Mark says that Jesus came from the synagogue before going to Peter's house. That would mean that the people could do no "work” until evening - they could not carry their sick friends and relatives to Jesus. Jesus healed all that were sick. That was to fulfill the prophecy “He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases.” That means yours, and your family’s. Jesus saw a crowd around Him. Today, if an evangelist saw a crowd, he/she would give a sermon and take up an offering 😇 (did you realize that Jesus never took up an offering?). Jesus gave orders to depart to the other side. Who would do that? A scribe comes and says that he will follow Him wherever He goes. Who knows what his motives were? You have the same kind of thing today....

  Good morning. After all those wonderful words we've been talking about, Jesus comes down from the mountain. He is met by a leper. "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” There were different skin diseases back then that were called leprosy, but they were not necessarily the awful thing we are familiar with. The people were still considered unclean. Of course you were considered unclean if you touched someone who had leprosy. Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” He was immediately cleansed. Jesus told him to tell no one but to go follow the law: show yourself to the priest, and present the offering that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. That would be hard to do – not telling anyone. What would you do? Me, I would run home and tell my family and friends. What would they do? They would probably hug me! That would probably make them unclean, since no offering had been made. I might wind up not even going to the pri...

  Good morning. Now some pretty strong words. 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. There are a lot of people who claim to be Christians, but they do not act according to what is written in the Bible. You've heard the old saying – “just because you are in a garage, does not make you a car; and just because you are in a church building does not make you a Christian”. But it gets even stronger. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons; and in Your name perform many miracles?” (One would think that they would certainly enter the kingdom of heaven). Here is why they won't: and then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me you who practice lawlessness. A key thought: everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And you know a...

  Good morning. So if we ask God for something, should we be concerned that He might give us something bogus? If our children ask us for something, we do not dare give them something harmful or useless. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! However you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the law and the prophets. And that of course is known as the golden rule. Most people live their lives as: do unto others first before they do it unto you. And now a verse that goes against the philosophy that there are many paths to God. Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. Many say that they are searching for a path to God. You don't have to search for a path. There is on...

  Good morning. Uh Oh – here's one that we tend to fail in observing. Do not judge lest you be judged. It is easy to find the faults in others. Sometimes we look for them so that we don't feel so badly about the ones that we have. He/she is terrible for doing thus and so! We can pick out the tiniest detail where they have failed to meet the mark. Sometimes though, it is the mark that we ourselves and not God have instituted. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. We use a strict “ruler” to measure other people by; but we use a lax one to measure ourselves by. He then goes on to talk about the speck and the log in eyes. Do you need something – then do the following. Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. The margin notes that it means to keep asking and to ...

  Good morning. OK so we are to not seek the things that the Gentiles eagerly seek. What do we seek? Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. I'm getting ready to throw a little mathematical logic at you. The way this is translated can be interpreted to have His kingdom and His righteousness as two separate items. In other words, you have to seek both. That would mean that you could seek one and not the other. In reality, that is not possible. The word translated “and” occasionally is translated as “even” or “namely”. So I believe that it should be translated seek first His kingdom, namely (or even) His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. This would be backed up by Romans 14:17. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Who knows, perhaps one of those “ands” could be translated namely or even). So part of what the kingdom is, is righteousness. As...

  Good morning. The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear (or healthy), your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches). Too many Christians try to serve both – but it won't work. There will always be a conflict between riches and God. God wants you to use any riches that you have to promote His kingdom. That does not mean He wants you to live on barely get along street. However, it is too easy for great wealth to become what you put your faith in, instead of in Him. It will then become your master. It seems like you never have enough of it and will do anything to obtain more. Whatever your eye sees, you will want (lust of the eyes). For this reason I say to yo...

  Good morning. Jesus then gives us what is known as the Lord’s prayer. It ends with: forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Notice that our forgiving others is in the past tense. We do it first, and then He does it. For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. Remember that those words are not equivalent to: if we don't forgive, then God won't forgive us. However Jesus then adds those very words. If you do not forgive men, then you're Heavenly Father will not forgive your transgressions. He then talks about not fasting to be seen by men, but by God. Then some verses that a lot of Christians do not follow. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Too many Christians are trying to get things and money here on earth. The problem is that those things and money become what you put your faith in. You trust them for your security and no...

  Good morning. Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. Back then they were probably more ostentatious than today. Now it is a little bit more subtle. We probably do it more on Facebook than in public. We say that this thing or that thing is evil, and we don't do that! When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. We would not dare do anything like that. There may be some people who would put an envelope in the special offering with flare so that people would notice that they had contributed. Jesus said to give them in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. He then says to not be like the hypocrites when you pray - they do it in public to be seen by men. We should go to our prayer closet; and our Father who sees in secret will repay us. We don't need to...

  Good morning. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Many times Christians and non-Christians ask: “how can a loving God allow bad things to happen to good people?” They should also ask the companion question: “how can a just God allow good things to happen to evil people?” Good or bad things happening to you does not depend on whether you are a good or a bad person. Good happens to both; and bad happens to both. Sometimes, however, God intervenes in the situation. He either prevents the bad or at least helps a good person in a bad situation. He can also turn a good thing into a bad situation for a bad person. Why doesn't He do it all the time? There is no universal one size fits all answer. I remember a tape of Kenneth Hagin that I listened to. He had prayed for a relative to be healed so that he would not have to have an operation. In the end the man had to have the operation despite his prayer. Hagin asked God w...

  Good morning. You have heard that it was said “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for tooth”. But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Sometimes I like to imagine scenes in the Bible. Perhaps you have imagined this one yourself. Imagine that you are standing face-to-face with someone and they slap you on the right cheek. I read somewhere that this means slapping with the back of the hand. This actually makes sense. In order for them to slap you with the palm of their hand, they would have to slap you with their left hand (Picture that in your mind). That's not impossible, but only 10% of the world is left-handed – so it's not very likely. So let's assume they slap you with the back of their right hand (Picture that). Now imagine turning your head slightly to the right so that your left cheek is facing them. It is now impossible for them to slap you with the back of the right-hand (of course they cou...

 Good morning. Now Jesus says: you have heard “you shall not commit murder” and “whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court”. That makes sense – everyone can agree with that. But then: everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court. Whoa - wait a minute! I'm not so sure about that. ( He goes on from there). He says we are to be reconciled with our brother, especially before presenting our offering to God. If some part of your body makes you stumble, get rid of it. He did not mean that literally. Of course no part of your body can make you stumble. It's what's inside of you that makes you stumble. He talks about making vows. Let your statement be, “yes, yes" or “no, no”; and anything beyond these is of evil (He did not say is evil). When we say yes or no, that should be the end of it. That word alone should be good enough. People think that if they are more emphatic than a simple yes or no, that it will seem like they are more sincere a...

  Good morning. Continuing with the thought of a light: nor do men light a lamp, and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. God did not “light” us, and then hide us. We are not secret agents. We are to – let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. We are to lead people to Christ by our actions. The people of the world are watching us. A part of each person in the world wants us to succeed. They want to believe that Christianity really works – and will work for them. A part also wants us to fail. They want to say “see it doesn't work” so that they won't feel badly about the way they act. Our light reveals the darkness that is in them, and they try to hide from it. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law or the prophets – He came to fulfill them. Until heaven and earth pass away, not even the smallest part shall pass away from the Law until all is ac...

  Good morning. You are the salt of the earth! If the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? That is so true with Christians today. They are supposed to add flavor to the world around them; but they need to have flavor added to them. They could just not show up, and the world would be no different. That kind of salt is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. That's a very bad destiny for someone who is a Christian. Not only are you salt: you are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. The world is very dark and needs our light. Remember: it is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness. There are a lot of Christians though who do just the opposite. They decry all of the bad things that they see in the world; but they don't let their light shine before men. We are a city set on a hill. We are not supposed to be hidden; we are supposed to infiltrate the world and show them what t...

  Good morning. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (contrary to the logic that some preachers use on other scriptures, that does not mean that if you have not been persecuted for the sake of righteousness that the kingdom of heaven is not yours. That is called the inverse and is not equivalent to the original statement.) That does not mean that if you have been persecuted for political reasons or other things that the kingdom of heaven is yours. Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. All of those things usually go along with being persecuted for the sake of righteousness. And what are we supposed to do? Rejoice and be glad – are you nuts? The reason we should rejoice – Your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. In other words, you are in good company. There are some people...

  Good morning. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. I'm sure you have experienced people who are not merciful to others – they don't cut them any slack. I see it with professors concerning their students. They of course give perfect assignments and grade them perfectly; so 69.9999999 is a D. I sometimes wonder how they feel when some entity judges them that way. Do they accept that without complaint, or do they beg for mercy? Of course this is talking about much more serious things. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. In John it says that no man has seen God. The only begotten God has explained Him. There are two main words in Greek that mean clean/pure. This is the stronger of the two. In the other you could have two pure things mixed together, and it would still be considered pure. Sometimes it is translated holy. In this one you can have only one pure item. You have heard of being single minded; this would mean being single “hearted”. B...

  Good morning. John the Baptist has been taken into custody, and now Jesus comes preaching the same thing that he did “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He then calls Peter and Andrew his bro telling them to “follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He then gets James and John. He preaches and heals, and multitudes follow. He then gives the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Of course, poor in spirit does not mean “oh woe is me”. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Our strength and power is in Christ, not in ourselves. We cannot do it on our own – we need His help. There are too many Christians who think that it is up to them to live the Christian life. But if it were, then they could brag about it. It is all His doing. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Think of a time when you most des...

 Good morning. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. You must be careful about taking translations literally; but the way it reads the whole purpose was to be tempted by the devil. After He had fasted 40 days and nights, then He became hungry. I don't know if the 40 nights was included to show that He did not break the fast with an evening meal like the Muslims during Ramadan. Then the tempter came to Him and said “ if You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” (Lust of the flesh) 40 days prior a voice from heaven said that He was God's beloved Son. Did the devil visually appear to Jesus or was it just a voice in His head? In all three cases that occurred, Jesus answered with the word. Man does not live on just bread but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Then the devil takes Him into Jerusalem and has Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple. Again the questioning of who He is, only this time the devi...

 Good Morning.  So Joseph awakens and does what the angel told him to do. Jesus is born in Bethlehem and the magi come looking for him. Herod tries to trick them into finding out where the baby is and telling him. The star that they had seen in the east shows them the way. They come into the house and see the baby with His mother. (I'm sure you've heard this before – they did not come to the manger.) They give Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. You may or may not know that myrrh is part of the holy anointing oil. Frankincense is part of the holy incense burned to the Lord. God warned them in a dream to go home a different way. Joseph has another dream with an angel telling him to take Jesus and His mother and go to Egypt. He does so immediately. Herod kills the babies. Joseph has another dream and the angel tells him to go home. Joseph hears that Herod’s son is ruling in Judea and is afraid. God warns him in a dream – and he goes to Nazareth. John the Baptist comes pr...

Good Morning .  I am going back to the book of Matthew. Now I'm sure you remember that Matthew starts with the genealogy of Jesus. That can be kind of boring, so most people skip it. There are a couple of interesting things, one of which is that Boaz’s (The dude that married Ruth) mother was Rahab. She was from Jericho not Israel, so it is not surprising that he married a foreigner also. It also shows that Jesus’ ancestors included people who were not descendants of Abraham - they were Gentiles. It then talks about Mary being with child by the Holy Spirit and Joseph wanting to put her away secretly. He was told by an angel to not do that, and that the child's name should be Jesus - for it is He who will save His people from their sins. Names of people were very important in those days. They revealed something about the person. For example Abraham's name was changed from Abram, when he was about to become the father of a multitude. Jacob's name was changed to Israel, whe...

  Good morning. Moses wraps up Abraham ’ s life with the following: Abraham took another wife (the dude is over 100 ), whose name was Keturah. Moses then lists the sons that Abraham had through her, one of which was Midian (we will see this name again later). Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac; but to the sons of his concubines, he gave gifts while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. Abraham lived 175 years. That meant Isaac was around 75 years old when Abraham died. Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people. Then his sons Isaac and Ishmael (he was close to 90) buried him in the cave where Abraham buried Sarah. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac who lived by Beer-lahai-roi. Previously Isaac was blessed because God blessed his father, Abraham. Father thank You that You take care of every detail of our lives, even those we are unaware of.

  Good morning. Meanwhile back at the ranch… Isaac had come from going to Beer-lahai-roi (this is the place where Hagar took Ishmael when she was chased away from Abraham - it means the well of the One who sees me and who lives); for he was living in the Negev. He went out to meditate in the field toward evening; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. When Rebekah saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel and asked the servant, “ Who is that man walking in the field to meet us ? ” “He is my master.” She took her veil and covered herself. The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. She became his wife, and Isaac loved her. He was comforted after his mother’s death. By the way, he was about 40 years old at that time. Fade to black – the Hallmark Christmas movie is over. Of course not everything turns out that way in our lives. Father we again thank You that You have everything under control. Help us to be attentive to Your voice every day.

  Good morning. “We will call the girl and consult her wishes.” She could ’ ve said no, but what girl in her right mind would do so? You didn’t pick someone because you loved them; in fact, many times the girl had no voice in the matter. “Will you go with this man ? ” We will find out what she says after the commercial. “I will go.” They sent away their sister and her nurse (I am sure it ’ s not what we mean by a nurse. She probably was charged with educating her in the proper way to manage a household). They blessed her and said, “May you become thousands of 10,000, and may your descendants possess the gate of those who hate them.” In a sense it was fulfilled through Rachel and Jacob. Then Rebekah arose with her maids and followed the man (The family must have had some means, since she had a nurse and maids). So the servant took Rebekah and departed. What was going through her mind as they journeyed - “I hope they have good cable reception. I wonder if there is a mall nearby?” Fat...

  Good morning. “So now if you ’ re going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” Then Laban (her brother) and Bethuel (her father) replied, “The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.” Everything is settled, right ? As we will see, it ain ’ t over till it ’ s over. Abraham’s servant brought out articles of silver and gold and gave them to Rebekah, and various things to her brother and mother. They spent the night and in the morning the servant said, “ Send me away to my master.” “Let The girl stay with us a few days, say 10; afterwards she may go.” “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” Tomorrow we will see how this Hallmark Christmas movie ends. Father meet the most urgent request of the reader ...