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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Why I Love The Bible

There was a time when reading the Bible was a very difficult thing for me. In those days the King James version seemed as foreign as Greek to me. My mother had taught me to read the Bible from an early age and to learn some popular verses of scripture such as John 3: 16. I also knew Psalms 23 and, of course, the Lord's prayer. I attended a Catholic school and there I was also made to memorize some verses of scripture and I became familiar with many passages. But I never saw the Bible as a necessary part of my life until I was saved and began studying the Bible in earnest. Now I can think of so many reasons why I love the Word of God.

1. The Word is Life
When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, He quoted from the Bible saying, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Again Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you , He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5: 24). There is life in God's word and as you read further you will see why.

2. The Word is a healer

In many places in the Bible we see that Jesus healed people simply by speaking His word over them. In some cases, He wasn't physically present when the healing took place. The centurion said to Jesus, "Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed" (Matthew 8:8).  Jesus said, "Go thy way ; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee" (v 13) . The man returned home to find his servant healed. Psalm 107 : 20 says, "He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."

3. The Word is a protector

"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word" (Psalm 119: 14). In the New Testament the word of God is compared to a sword, which is a weapon of warfare. "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: "( Ephesians 6: 17). In Hebrews 4:12, the writer says, "For the word of God is quick , and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

4. The Word cleanses us from sin

"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word" Psalm 119: 9 .  And in verse 11 it says, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." "Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me" ( v 133).

5. The Word gives us comfort

Paul says, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4). And again in 1 Thessalonians 4: 18, he says, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." Who can read God's promises and not feel comforted?

6. The Word educates us

There is no topic known to man today that the word of God does not address. The Bible deals with relationships, business, money, health, marriage, government, history and the future, to name just a few. Deuteronomy 11: 19 says, " And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up . "

So, let me encourage you to make Bible reading a part of your daily routine. Even if you're very busy during the day you can take a few minutes during your lunch hour to read maybe just one verse. And these days you can access the Bible from your cell phone so you don't have to carry around the Bible with you. If you begin to read the Bible daily it will soon become a habit you'll not want to give up. It will be "a lamp to your feet and a light to your path" (Psalms 119 : 105).




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Saturday, August 13, 2011

Let's Talk About Rejection

As a writer, I have suffered the pain of rejection as have many writers, even famous ones like Stephen King. Just this week I received a rejection for a query I sent out for my novel Coming Out of Egypt. I must confess, I had a little pity-party. But only for a brief moment. I quickly reminded myelf that rejection is never God's final answer, and that when we suffer rejection, God does have something better in store for us.

Have you suffered rejection? As a writer? An employee? A friend? A spouse? Take heart, you are not alone. Many famous people in the Bible suffered rejection, including Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who suffered the worst rejection of all when He died on the cross. But today I want to talk a little about Mary Magdalene - one of the most popular female characters in the Bible who was also rejected. Mary Magdalene was healed of demon possession by Jesus Christ, and after being healed she followed Him and ministered to Him.

She was at the foot of the cross when He was crucified and the next morning she went with another Mary to embalm His body with  spices. But to her great disappointment, the body was missing. As she sat there weeping, Jesus appeared to her and told her to go and let His disciples know He was alive. Ecstatic, Mary ran to convey the good news, not expecting to be rejected by the followers of Jesus. "Are you out of your mind?" they said to her. (John 20: 16 - 18).

The Bible doesn't say it, but is it possible that they still thought of her as a mad, demon-possessed woman? Other women named Mary are mentioned in the Bible, but only Mary Magdalene has the distinction of always being referred to her by her first and last name - the one who hails from Magdala, a city known for its prostitutes. However, God loved her and bestowed on her the honor of being the first to see Him as the risen Savior. We, too, are sometimes rejected when we try to tell others the good news of Jesus Christ. But when the world rejects you, remember that Jesus loves you and has a special place of honor for you. Don't give up. Keep on pressing on, ever going forward in faith.

To read more about Mary Magdalene and other popular women of the Bible, go to my webpage at http://www.outskirtspress.com/womenforallseasons to find out how you can get a copy of my book Women For All Seasons.
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Sunday, August 07, 2011

Blog Jog Day

Today I'm taking a little break from my normal posting to jog over to other blogs and have some fun. Blog Jog Day is an annual event when we bloggers support each other by visiting blogs and leaving comments. So, I invite you to browse my site and if you leave a comment, you will be entered in a drawing to receive a free copy of my new book Women For All Seasons, postage paid. If you would like to know more about the book you may visit my webpage at http://www.outskirtspress.com/womenforallseasons.

So, enjoy my site, and when you're done, please jog over to http://karencioffiwritingandmarkting.com/ to see what her blog has to offer. If you have the time you may also visit my other site at http://www.angelasfreelancewriting.com. Each blog should link you to another one, but if you get lost in the links you can always go back to the main Blog Jog Day Blog at http://blogjogday.blogspot.com/. Thanks and have a wonderful day!