“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
Psalms 16:11 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? I hope and pray that you are well. Today, I would like to talk a bit about joy. Do you feel joyful? Do you know what joy feels like? I think we may have fleeting moments of joy. I think we may be happy over this or that circumstance in our life. But, most often, it fades away as circumstances change. It is like, we can think about and imagine how sad it is to lose a loved one, but we never know until it happens to us. We can empathize and try to sympathize with our friends and neighbors as it happens to them, but we can’t truly know their sadness until it happens to us. On the flip side, we can hear about how joyous it is to have a child and to hold our baby in our hands for the first time, but unless we have a child and experience it for ourselves, we don’t truly know that joy. We can only imagine. So, with this in mind, we can start to imagine the monumental encouragement in this verse. We can only imagine what the psalmist is thinking or feeling. We can tell that he puts his trust in God and has great hope for the future and everything God promises. Let’s look at the first part of Psalms 16:11. It says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life.” The psalmist has great faith and trust in God. It doesn’t say, “Please, show me the path to life.” It doesn’t say, “Will you show me the path of life.” It doesn’t even say, “If I am good, you will show me the path of life.” The psalmist is very positive and sure of the outcome. He has complete faith and trust in God. Do we have such trust in God? In Matthew 21:22, it says, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” It seems to me that the psalmist shows that sort of faith in exclaiming that God will show him the path of life. Do we go to God with that same unwavering faith? The second part of Psalms 16:11 says, “In thy presence is fulness of joy.” I think this is where we need to consider that we don’t even know what joy means at this point. We may have experience a partial joy in different moments of our life. However, I don’t think we can even wrap our head around the idea of what “fulness of joy” could even mean in reality. We might think we can imagine a joy so magnificent and so total as being in God’s presence forever. I just don’t think it is possible to even imagine the joy we will feel. The last part of Psalms 16:11 says, “…at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” I am not sure if the psalmist could even know or imagine just how wonderful and majestic these pleasures may be. I don’t know that any of us can. However, we can see his belief, trust, faith, and passion in this verse. The psalmist may not have fully understood his own statement in Psalms 16:11. Although, he believed what God told him through prayer and scriptures about leading him to eternal life and the joy of being in the presence of God for eternity. Heavenly Father, Thank you for your infinite love and faithful guidance. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Help us to value your Word and take to heart your truth as did the psalmist is Psalms 16:11. Help us to pray and rejoice with the same confidence and faithfulness that the psalmist did. Thank you for showing us your ways and your love for us. Help us to love and appreciate all you do for us. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Psalms 16:11 (KJV): *What does Psalms 16:11 mean to me? *Do I know what “fulness of joy” really means? *Can I imagine what it would be to be in God’s presence forever? *Can I see and feel the belief, trust, faith, and passion of the psalmist? *Do I have this same sort of belief, trust, faith, and passion? *What does God want me to learn from Psalms 16:11? *How can I better heed the words in Psalms 16:11? Now, it is your turn. I am thankful that you are here. I appreciate your support and kindness. I hope and pray that I will find the belief, hope, faith, love, and passion that the psalmist shows in Psalms 16:11. I believe God is working on me with this. I hope and pray that you will find it also, if you haven't already. I look forward to reading your comments, thoughts, beliefs, faith, and testimonies. Please, feel free to leave a comment below or to contact me. I pray that you are finding value with the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations. I pray that it at least touches your heart and gets you to thinking or encourages you to read God's Word more. If you are finding value with the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with friends and family. Thank you. Also, if you haven't done so already, you may want to consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. Get my free gift of the "5 Reflective Questions to Delve Deeper into God's Word" by DUO Inspirations as my thank you. I pray it helps you to get more out of God's Word as you read it.
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“Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:54 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? I pray you are well, if not physically, then spiritually. Today’s verse may be difficult to understand. When one reads John 6:54, it might seem a bit cannibalistic. Whoever heard of eating someone’s flesh and drinking someone’s blood and having eternal life? I can imagine that back when the words were written, many people were wondering just that. At least now, over 2000 years later, we have had time to get used to the idea that this is the Bible. It is God’s Word. And, those who believe in God, mostly believe that to be true. I can only imagine what were going through the minds of the people who first heard these words when Jesus spoke them. What do you think? Now, let’s look at the meaning of John 6:54. As we know, Jesus often didn’t say things right out plainly. He often said things in parables or metaphors. The concepts He taught were difficult for people to understand. Not only that, but not everyone was meant to know and understand things right away. The first part of John 6:54 says, “Whoso eateth my flesh….” Jesus wasn’t talking about physically eating his flesh, so what did He mean? I think the key to knowing that is in looking at some of the other metaphors Jesus uses about himself. Earlier in the chapter, in John 6:35, Jesus says, “…I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” John 6:35 is similar to John 6:54 in that they both talk about taking Jesus in as nourishment. To me, John 6:35 states it a little more plainly in stating Jesus is the “Bread of life”. However, Jesus isn’t talking about physical nourishment, but spiritual nourishment. Another metaphor that speaks about Jesus can be found in John 1:14, which says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” So, is Jesus physically the Bible? Again, I believe it is a metaphor. Jesus knows all that is in the Bible. He spoke the same words. He knows and taught the same truth. Just like the Bible contains the physical words of God’s will and is often considered to be like a road map to eternal life, Jesus spoke the words that lead to eternal life. Yet, this metaphor goes a little more in depth, because Jesus is the key or way to eternal life. If one doesn’t believe in Jesus, his words, his miracles, his death and resurrection, his being Christ, his being our Savior, or all he did for us, one won’t have eternal life. So, how do we take Jesus in as nourishment? How do we benefit from the “Bread of life” and the “Word that was made flesh”? We get to know Him. We spend time with Him and build a relationship with Him. We read the Bible and learn all we can about Him and God’s will for us. We believe. Let’s now look at the second part of John 6:54 where Jesus says, “…and drinketh my blood…” Again, Jesus isn’t talking about literally and physically drinking his blood. No. I believe that Jesus is talking about following in his footsteps and following his ways. Blood is often a symbol for sacrifice. I believe that Jesus is saying here that we are to be willing to not only believe in Him, but also to give our physical life (if necessary) to follow God’s will for us and for the good of others. To me, John 6:54 is both similar to and points to Mark 12:30, which says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” If we spend time with Jesus, believe in Him, get to know Him, read the Bible, get to know God, and appreciate all that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit does for us, and be willing to follow Jesus even including sacrificing our physical life to do God’s will, then we are following this first commandment and will gain eternal life. Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving us so much that you gave us Jesus as our brother and Lord and Savior. Thank you for giving us Jesus as the Word and Way to eternal life. Thank you for the love and salvation you have given us. Help us to love you and show you our appreciation. Help us to follow Jesus according to your will. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for John 6:54 (KJV): *What does John 6:54 mean to me? *What does Jesus mean when he says, “eateth my flesh”? *What does Jesus mean when he says, “drinketh my blood”? *Do I understand John 6:54 or should I research and pray more? *How can I better live and follow the words in John 6:54? Now, it is your turn. Have I confused you yet? I feel like I John 6:54 is so in depth, that I could write a mini book or pamphlet on it. However, to me, the main point is that if we believe in Jesus and follow him with all that we have and do, if we love and appreciate what he did for us (all God does for us), then we will gain eternal life. What do you think? I am so glad you are here. May God bless you for your kindness and support. If you are finding value with the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with others. Maybe your family and friends, including your church family, will find value in it as well. Also, if you haven't already done so, you may want to consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. (You will get my free gift of the "5 Reflective Questions to Delve Deeper into God's Word" by DUO Inspirations in the process.) Thank you. 
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
Proverbs 17:22 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? How are you feeling? Are you happy in life? Do you have a positive outlook or a negative one? When stress hits, do you handle it well or do you let it handle you? It is good to self-reflect on such things once in a while. It is even better to pray and to ask God how you are doing in such areas. Now, that we have acknowledged our feelings and reflected on our outlook, let’s delve into God’s Word. The first part of Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine”. This verse is wonderful encouragement to have a positive outlook instead of a negative one. When you are happy overall, when you trust God and fear nothing but Him, and when you are able to find joy even though others cannot, you go a long way in staying healthy, not only emotionally, but spiritually and physically as well. Let’s look at the phrase, “like a medicine” for a moment. Medicine can sometimes be a controversial topic. Some believe that medicine, or at least man-made medicine does more harm than good. Others take medicine as needed and believe it is what is needed to help, if not cure their ailment and condition. However, we look at it, we know from the context that the author meant “medicine” to be a good thing just as a “merry heart” is a good thing and causes good things to happen. The second part of Proverbs 17:22 says, “but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” We have all probably felt down or depressed at one time or another. As people who have chronic depression can testify, being depressed can be debilitating not only emotionally, but also physically and spiritually as well. Even feeling down or depressed for a short time, we can sometimes notice how it changes our physical and spiritual health in a negative way too. I know there have been times when I have felt down or depressed and I felt old. I felt slow, unstable, unsure of myself, and hesitant. My posture was kind of hunched over and my body ached. I just felt bad overall. Have you ever felt like that? I hope you haven’t, but if you have, you know the feeling I mean. So, if we are down or depressed, how can we have the “merry heart” instead of the “broken spirit”? We can try things like listening to music, talking with a friend, smiling or laughing (even for no reason), taking up a hobby that we might enjoy, Christian fellowship, going to church, or any number of things. However, there is only one true way. Here are some verses that can help: “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and [that it may be] well with you, and [that] ye may prolong [your] days in the land which ye shall possess.” Deuteronomy 5:33 (KJV) “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (KJV) “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20 (KJV) “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10 (KJV) “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24 (KJV) “And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27 (KJV) So, if we are down or depressed, if we can only remember Proverbs 17:22 and other verses that encourage us to find joy in the Lord. It will be better for us not only emotionally, but also physically and spiritually as well. Before we think, “Oh, it is not my fault I am depressed. I can’t just be happy”, we have to remember that only part of that is partially true. The cause of our depression may not be something we did or created. And, while we may not be able to “just be happy”, all things are possible with God. We can’t do anything alone and that is good to remember. However, we need to pray and call on God for help. He can help us find the joy we need. We need to remember that as well. Heavenly Father, Thank you for being our Father in heaven. Thank you for loving in a way that we couldn’t even imagine. We know that you are a loving God, a Father of all Fathers, and we know that you only want what is best for us. If we are down and depressed, either for a short time or chronically, help us to remember your infinite love and to call on you to bring us out of our depression. Help us to find joy in You, Lord. Help us to remember your Word, in Proverbs 17:22 in times us despair. Be our strength and hold on for us, when we don’t know how ourselves. Touch our mind, our heart, and our spirit, so that we can see and appreciate your work in our life. Help us to reach up to you, even when we don’t think we have the strength to reach anywhere at all. Help us to find the hope and joy you want us to find. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Proverbs 17:22 (KJV): *What does Proverbs 17:22 mean to me? *Am I happy in life? *Do I have a positive or negative outlook on life? *Do I handle stress well or do I let stress handle me? *What can I do to live according to the words in Proverbs 17:22 better? *When I am down, do I pray and ask God to help me through it? *What can I do to remember to rely on God instead of letting things get me down? *What can I do better in order to have a “merry heart”? Now, it is your turn. I am so thankful that you are here. I pray that you are blessed by the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations. And, if you are depressed or down, I pray that this particular post touches you in a special way and I pray that you reach out to God for help, strength, and joy. He can help. Whether He helps supernaturally or gives you help through a verse, a thought, a song, a friend, or whatever, He can help. And, most of all, He WANTS to help. He loves you greatly! Please, feel free to comment below or contact me. Feel free to share your story, leave a prayer for those who may be suffering from depression or hardship, or just to let me know your thoughts on Proverbs 17:22. If you find value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with friends and family, so that they can as well. Also, if you haven't done so already, please consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. You will also receive, as my gift, "5 Reflective Questions to Delve Deeper into God's Word". Thank you for you kindness and support. 
“Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord:
this shall not be unto thee.” Matthew 16:22 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? Let’s look at Matthew 16:22 today. This verse kind of baffles me in many ways. Jesus had already asked Peter who he says that Jesus is earlier in the chapter (Matthew 16:15) and Peter answers correctly in Matthew 16:16 as we can see: “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The part that baffles me is, if Peter knows who Jesus is at this point, why would he be so bold as to rebuke him and to his face no less? I am not trying to be self-righteous or anything, but I don’t know if I could do it so boldly like that, if at all. Could you? In the second part of Matthew 16:22, Peter says, “Be it far from thee, Lord.” I wonder if Peter was trying to be kind and saying, “I hope it isn’t so. I hope they won’t kill you.” Looking at just the middle part of Matthew 16:22, it kind of sounds like Peter is trying to be kind. However, this is why we need to put each word, phrase, and verse into perspective. We need to look at the whole and not just a verse, phrase, or word out of context. In the last part of Matthew 16:22, Peter flat out tells Jesus, “this shall not be unto thee”. I wonder why Peter thought that he knew better than Jesus in that matter. Peter is human and can’t tell what is going to happen in the future and certainly not better than Jesus. Did Peter think that he could stop it or that Jesus would stop it somehow? What do you think Peter was thinking when he spoke the words written in Matthew 16:22? It may sound that I am trying to judge Peter or trying to be self-righteous. That is not my intention. I believe it is important to not only read the Bible, but to also ponder and reflect upon the words and meaning. We can learn quite a bit by the actions of those depicted in the Bible. We can read about what they said and did, then ponder and pray about why or how they did it and what God is telling us through their experience. Another reason that I am not trying to be self-righteous or judge Peter is that I know he is human and humans make mistakes. I also know that I am human and make mistakes. Plus, I know that it is not my place to judge Peter. The real question for us is, “How do we ‘rebuke’ Jesus with our words or actions?” We may not think of it in that way, but I am guessing at times, we do “rebuke” Jesus through actions or words. Through our actions and words, there are many ways we tell Jesus, “No, it isn’t true. We know better. Our way is better than your way. I want to do it my way and not your way.” Maybe the verses that baffles us the most are the ones about which we need to pray the most. It could be that God uses our emotions and thoughts to point us in the direction we need to look to reflect on our own words and actions. What do you think? Heavenly Father, Thank you for your infinite wisdom and love. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to save us and to be the ultimate roll model in how we should live. Help us to be not only mindful and respectful of that, but to also praise you and honor Jesus’ words instead of to try to do things our own way. Help us to follow Jesus and not contradict his words and your will for us. Help us to learn the message you are giving us. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Matthew 16:22 (KJV): *What does Matthew 16:22 mean to me? *What does “rebuke” mean to me? *What made Peter think that he could rebuke Jesus? *What did Peter mean by his words spoken to Jesus in Matthew 16:22? *Could I have rebuked Jesus to his face like that? *What actions or words of mine can be considered as rebuking Jesus? *What is God telling or showing me in this verse? *How can I better adhere to the message in this verse? Now, it is your turn. I am thankful that you are here. I pray that you are blessed by the Faith Blog. I want to say that I have been blessed to be called to write it. There is quite a bit to take in with today's post. I pray that you ponder it and pray about it. I look forward to your comments, ideas, and feedback. Please, comment below or feel free to contact me. Your ideas are important and they allow us all to learn from each other. If you find value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please consider sharing it so others can find value in it as well. You may have friends, family, and church members who may be interested in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations. It is also a great stepping stone in starting to read the Bible. I do encourage you to read the Bible for yourself and not just take the word of others about what it says. Also, if you haven't already done so, I encourage you to consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. Then, you don't have to remember to look back each week to read the new post. Not only that, but you get a free gift for doing it to help you delve deeper into God's Word. God bless. 
“Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.”
Proverbs 13:13 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? Last week I pondered the words in Psalms 119:127 and how the psalmist cherished God’s Word more than the finest gold. You can read it here. Proverbs 13:13 is similar to Psalms 119:127 in that it too shows that we are to cherish God’s Word and commandments. Let’s look at the first part of Proverbs 13:13 (KJV). It says, “Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed.” What does the “destroyed” mean? To tell you the truth, I am not sure I want to find out. However, if we truly think of God as our Heavenly Father, we know that like any good parent, He only wants what is best for us. His Word will lead us to this goodness. “Destroyed” could be hardship in this life, as in if we don’t follow God’s Word and kill someone we could be sent to jail or even sentenced to death. I would guess that would be a way of being destroyed. Or, maybe we don’t follow God’s Word and we don’t trust Him, so we worry ourselves to death. That could be a way of being destroyed. While these extreme examples of how not listening to God and how they can destroy us in this life, the worst way it can destroy us is in eternal life, or shall I say eternal death. It may be difficult to deal with the consequences of not following God’s Word in this life, I can’t imagine suffering the consequences in the eternity. I don’t want to be destroyed in this life or in eternity. Do you? Now that we know we don’t want to be destroyed, let’s look at the second part of Proverbs 13:13 (KJV), “but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.” It might be nice to know that the word “commandment” here doesn’t just refer to what we call the “Ten Commandments”, but to God’s Word and commands or will for us in general. I believe it means not only what God commands us in scripture, but also through prayer. What about you? Another word to look at in the second part of Proverbs 13:13 (KJV) is the word “feareth”. What does “feareth the commandment” mean to you? Usually, when I think about “fear” I think about being so afraid of something that I don’t want to be near it. I want to turn and run away from something that I fear. (Insert a picture of a snake chasing me as I think, “feet don’t fail me now.”) However, this isn’t the meaning here. After all, God wants us close to Him and not far from Him. God wants us to cherish His word, to know it, read it, listen to it, and love it always. God doesn’t want us to run away from His Word. This kind of fear is more of a reverence and respect. It is a fear of going against it, because of the terrible consequences, such as destruction and eternal death. It is like an extreme desire of wanting to do the right thing, to not disappoint God, and to follow His will, not only because we don’t want the consequences of doing something wrong, but also because we love Him and we know He loves us. I like the last part of Proverbs 13:13 the most. I like the part about …”he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded”. I like the idea of being close to God throughout eternity. That is the ultimate reward for those who follow His Word. It is also another great reason to read the Bible. If we don’t know God’s Word, it is difficult to fear or follow it. Two posts in a row about cherishing and following God’s Word. Can you tell that I am encouraging you to read scripture for yourself and follow God’s will for you? Like I said before, I am finding that the more I read God’s Word, the more I do cherish it. Heavenly Father, Thank you for being our Father in Heaven. Thank you for you holy Word and for giving us a path to you. Help us to read and follow your Word as a way of life, this life and eternal life with you. Help us to take in, understand, and cherish your Word. Help us to be closer to you, now and in eternity. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Proverbs 13:13 (KJV): *What does Proverbs 13:13 mean to me? *What does “despiseth” mean to me? *What does “destroyed” mean to me? *Do I despise God’s Word? *Do I cherish God’s Word? *How do my actions show what I think of God’s Word? *What does “feareth the commandment” mean to me? *Do I fear the commandment of God? How do I show it? *What does “shall be rewarded” mean to me? *How can I better live according to the words in Proverbs 13:13? Now, it is your turn. I am thankful that you are here. I pray that you are finding value and even being blessed by the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations. I look forward to your comments. I enjoy reading your thoughts, understanding, and ideas. It helps us all to learn. If you are finding value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with friends, family, and church family. Thank you. Also, if you haven't already, please consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. At the same time, get the free gift of the "5 Reflective Questions to Delve Deeper into God's Word" by DUO Inspirations. Thank you. 
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? Before I get to today’s passage, I would like to kind of ponder the scene during the Sermon on the Mount for a bit and the words relayed to us by Matthew, especially during the beginning. What do you imagine the Sermon on the Mount looking like? Obviously we weren’t there and don’t really know the look and feel of the Sermon on the Mount. However, I kind of imagine that Jesus was sitting on a rock or outcropping of some sort. His closest friends and followers were sitting next to Him. These closest friends and followers probably came to the Sermon on the Mount with Jesus. Then, a crowd of people from the general public probably sat out from there. People in the crowd were probably made up of various groups of people. Some may have heard about Jesus and wanted to hear Him speak. Others may have been there in hopes of being healed. Others may have been there to “spy” in order to go back to the Pharisees and gossip about what Jesus said. We don’t know. Yet, when Jesus spoke the words in Matthew 5:3-10, I believe He was probably speaking rather loudly, so the crowd could hear Him. (I don’t think they had a public announcement system back in the day, especially one that could be used on a mountain. I do wonder if Jesus was speaking through a horn or something to help His voice carry or if supernaturally He made it so everyone could hear Him.) Although, when Jesus got to the words in Matthew 5:11-12, I can sort of imagine Him leaning in with a tender loving look on His face and telling his closest followers, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (KJV) Or, maybe He was speaking to the whole crowd, but wanted to reinforce the fact that they would be persecuted if they followed Him, yet they are in good company because the prophets were persecuted. They weren’t alone. Maybe Jesus wanted to reinforce the fact that they will be rewarded in heaven for following Him. When I think of verses such as Matthew 5:11-12, I think of the persecution of the early church and people like Saul who were persecuting the Christians as we read about in Acts 8:3 (KJV), “As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.” I can’t imagine being persecuted in that way or to the point of death. Can you imagine someone coming into your home and forcing you to jail, not because you did something wrong, but because of your belief in God and in Jesus being the Son of God, the Christ and your Savior? I look at the strength of those who have gone before us who did in fact endure all kinds of evil and persecution for following Jesus, even to the point of death, but didn’t sway in their belief. I pray that I can have that sort of endurance, faith, and belief, under any level of evil and persecution. The most difficult part of this passage for us to understand and live out may be the beginning of Matthew 5:12 (KJV), “Rejoice: and be exceeding glad…”. We, as humans, don’t usually enjoy or feel glad about being persecuted. We don’t enjoy being picked on, abused, talked about, put down, shunned, ignored, or neglected for any reason. We don’t like being hurt in anyway. This way of thinking doesn’t come naturally to the human way of doing things. So, how and why can we think about rejoicing when we are persecuted as followers of Jesus? Well, I would say the first reason why to do it, would be because our Lord and Savior told us to do it. Trusting in God and praying for help in being able to rejoice will be the answer in how we can do it. I noticed that in Matthew 5:12, the prophets are mentioned, whereas they are not mentioned in Matthew 5:10 in almost the same sentiment. Is it because Jesus wanted to relate this important sentiment in a way that they would understand and in the way that would mean something special in the eyes of His very human followers. I can imagine that the Jewish people of the New Testament read the Old Testament and admired the words of the prophets and the fact that they saw those words coming true throughout their history. I can imagine they may have grouped the prophets in a group of godly people. Jesus may be using this thought to show that those who are persecuted for following Him, will join the prophets in the group of godly people. They will be in the heavenly group and not the worldly group. Even more importantly, we will be in God’s family. It is definitely a joyful thought and worth rejoicing in knowing that you are part of God’s family and will be greatly rewarded. God’s Word has many verses encouraging us and reminding us that no matter what sort of hardship, hurt, persecution, and even death we may go through in our earthly lives, it doesn’t compare to the reward we will get in heaven as His followers. (This is one of the reasons we read the Bible, so we can know these verses and remember them in time of need.) Heavenly Father, Thank you for your Word and your encouragement. Thank you for sending Jesus to us to teach us and to show us the way to you. Help us to stay strong throughout all the evil, hardship, and persecution we endure especially in following your Son, Jesus. Help us to follow His example, and endure no matter what, so that we can join you in heaven as well. I ask you this in His Holy name, Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Matthew 5:11-12 (KJV): *What does Matthew 5:11-12 mean to me? *What is the difference between these verses and Matthew 5:10? *What was it like for the prophets and people in biblical times to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake? *Was I persecuted for righteousness’ sake? *If I was persecuted, when and how? How did it feel? How did I deal with it? *Does it help to know that the prophets were also persecuted? *Do I rejoice during times of persecution? *What can I do to better live according to the words in Matthew 5:11-12? Note: If you enjoy this post, you may want to read the posts in The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations. *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 1 *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 2 *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 3 *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 4 *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 5 *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 6 *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 7 *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 8 Now, it is your turn. I am thankful you are here and would enjoy reading your thoughts, ideas, comments, and suggestions. Let me know in the comments below or feel free to contact me. If you are finding value, please feel free to share the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations with family and friends. You may also want to share it with your pastor and church family. Thank you so much for your kindness and support. If you haven't already done so, please feel free to sign up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. Thank you. 
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
Matthew 5:7 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? I have always enjoyed the Beatitudes and pray that you are enjoying reading and pondering The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations. In many of the verses of the Bible, we are told if we do this, this will happen. The Beatitudes are no different. As we can see, in this beatitude, if we are merciful to others, we will get mercy. This verse reminds me of Matthew 6:12, where in the Lord’s prayer, we are told that God forgives us as we forgive others. So, what do we need to do to be merciful? What does merciful mean? I do believe that forgiving others is a way to be merciful. Yet, I don’t believe it is the only way to be merciful. I think being merciful encompasses many things. What do you think? I think to be merciful means to be kind to others, to help out when you can, to lighten their load. I also think it means to be sympathetic and empathetic to their feelings and experiences. Being merciful is showing the type of kindness, caring, love, and understanding that we would want others to show, especially if we were struggling and in need. 
When we think about mercy, we can imagine a person struggling to carry a heavy load. The person may be tired, weak, depressed, down, frustrated, sad, overwhelmed, afraid, or any number of things. The load could be a physical load, such as large bags of groceries or difficult manual labor. The load could be children or others who are not cooperating. The load could be an illness or sorrow, a loss of a loved one or an estrangement of some kind. The load could be disbelief and a spiritual void. The load could be anger or division of some sort. The load could be sin. The load could be homelessness or financial worry. It doesn’t matter the load.
The question is… do we help and try to lighten the load in some way? Do we help, give, encourage, heal, forgive, or show any act of kindness, love, or understanding? Or, do we walk away or add to the stress and burden in some way? This situation can be likened, in a way, to the saying, “What goes around comes around.” Yet, in a way, it is different. Although, we can say that if we show mercy to others, God will show mercy to us, unlike the saying, God gives us soooooo much more than we could ever give another. So, in this situation we can say the saying is, “What goes around comes around infinitely better and more than we could ever imagine.” In other words, if we are merciful to others, God will be more merciful to us than we can even imagine. That brings us back to the fact that we are talking about the beatitudes. That is to say, that we will be blessed (happy beyond belief) if we are merciful to others, because if we are merciful, God will be infinitely more merciful and better merciful than we could ever imagine. Heavenly Father, Thank you for your infinite love, kindness, and understanding. Thank you for your holy Word and for the instruction you give to lead us to true happiness with you. Help us to be merciful to others, Oh Lord. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Matthew 5:7 (KJV): *What does Matthew 5:7 mean to me? *What does merciful mean to me? *Am I merciful? *How am I merciful? *What can I do to better live according to the words in Matthew 5:7? Note: If you haven't already, you may want to read the other posts in the series: *The Beatitudes Series - Part 1 *The Beatitudes Series - Part 2 *The Beatitudes Series - Part 3 *The Beatitudes Series - Part 4 Now, it is your turn. I am so thankful that you are here. I hope you are enjoying The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations. I would be interested in your thoughts and feedback. What are your thoughts? Please, feel free to comment below or contact me. Also, if you haven't already, please consider signing up below to get the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. If you are finding value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with friends and family. Thank you. 
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
Matthew 5:6 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? Have you ever been hungry or thirsty? I think we all have felt the feelings to some extent at one time or another. Thankfully, (or unthankfully) many of us have never been in dire straits enough to know the feelings of a desperate hunger or thirst. In the past few posts, I have been pondering the meaning and words of the Beatitudes. Like the others, this beatitude speaks to us about how God wants us to live. More than that, it speaks to us about how to be happy and fulfill God’s will for us. Let’s look at the first part of Matthew 5:6. It says, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.” The words hunger and thirst are more than just a “normal” desire for food or drink. It is more of a craving. Do you get cravings? I get cravings and sadly, they aren’t always for good things. Like, I get cravings for too many sweets or salty foods. They sure are yummy, but not necessarily good for me. I get good cravings too. I want to do God’s will and to live the life God has for me. I want to help others. I want to encourage others. I want to share my faith and encourage others in their faith. I want to teach and learn. These things I crave as well. Think of what crave means. When I crave a certain food, I can eat this or that to try to get my mind off it. I can feel “full” with eating these other things, but somehow, I still don’t feel satisfied. It isn’t until I either give into the desire or stand up to it (through prayer and the desire to do the right thing under no uncertain terms), that the craving feeling goes away. Sometimes, we feel like we aren’t accomplishing or getting the desires of our heart. We want this or that and they seem like good things, but we still aren’t getting them. In those times, we have to ask ourselves if they are “normal” wants or if they are hungers and thirsts. Like when we are truly starving for food, we will often do just about anything to get food. We will work at jobs we wouldn’t necessarily like or consider under normal circumstances. We will eat food that we don’t necessarily care for just so that we can have something in our stomachs. (I am not talking about stealing or anything illegal, but humbling ourselves to do or accept less than we normally would think to do.) So, what does being on the brink of starvation have to do with hungering and thirsting for righteousness? Just like when are stomachs are empty and we hunger for food or thirst for drink, when we hunger and thirst for righteousness we our hearts and minds are empty except for the desire to do God’s will for us. Any worldly desires, manipulations, or feelings we may have had in the past are out of our mind and out of our heart. We don’t have any self-serving thoughts or desires and no alternative motives at all. Instead, we only desire what is right. We desire God’s will for us and for the kingdom of God. Now, we can look at the second part of Matthew 5:6, “…for they shall be filled.” If we empty ourselves from the worldly cares and only seek God’s will for us, then we will feel satisfied. It won’t be just a worldly feeling of being satisfied, but a heavenly feeling as well. Just as all the other Beatitudes lead to not just a “regular” feeling of happiness, but a “heavenly” feeling as well. It goes past emotional thoughts and feelings, but spiritual as well. A spiritual “fullness” isn’t just a feeling of being “full”, but also of being truly satisfied as well. Heavenly Father, Thank you for the Beatitudes. Thank you for showing us the way to true happiness, which is a closeness with you in your kingdom. Help us to hunger and thirst for You and your ways. Help us to pray for others to hunger and thirst for you so that your kingdom grows and others may find a closeness to You as well. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Matthew 5:6 (KJV): *What does Matthew 5:6 mean to me? *Have I ever hungered or thirsted? What did it feel like? *Have I ever craved anything? *Have I ever felt “full” without feeling satisfied? *Have I ever felt like I was hoping for good things, but they never seemed to come? Did I look to see if my desires were pure or if I had any alternative motives? *How can I better live the words in Matthew 5:6? Note: If you haven't read the other parts of The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations, you may want to read them here: *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 1 *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 2 *The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 3 Now, it is your turn. I am thankful you are here. I hope you are enjoying The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations. What are your thoughts? Is there anything that you have learned or thought about since reading the series? Please, feel free to comment below so we can all learn from you or contact me. Thank you. If you are finding value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with friends, family, and neighbors, so they can find value in it as well. Also, if you haven't already, please consider signing up to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. Thank you. God bless. 
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
Matthew 5:5 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? As I looked at The Beatitudes and prepared for today’s blog post, I noticed that this is the only beatitude (at least in the Sermon on the Mount) where Jesus says, “shall inherit the earth”. Most of the Bible verses that I remember say, “shall inherit the kingdom of heaven”, so I am wondering if this is significant. There are different thoughts on what that means and to tell you the truth, I am not sure of it’s meaning. Yet, with prayer and God’s help, I will write this post and prayerfully bring meaning to us all. First, let’s look at the first part. Many times, we think of “meek” as shy, timid people, who let people walk all over them. However, in keeping with the rest of the beatitudes, meek has to do with our spiritual wellbeing and way to eternal life. It has nothing to do with how we are to people. It is a submission to God, not a submission to others. Although, when we submit to God, often that means we are also submitting to others indirectly. For example, when we turn the other cheek, we do so because God has called us to do so. God wants to fight our battles for us. He wants the vengeance. He doesn’t want us to take things into our own hands. It shows strength and not weakness to not fight back when we are hurt, angered, or criticized. We are submitting to God, by not fighting back. But in worldly views, it looks like we are submitting to people as well. Now, with an understanding of who is meant by the word meek, we can look at the second part. It is only these people who submit to God that “shall inherit the earth”. So, what does that mean? Well, we know that inherit means to get or receive something, usually after a loved one has passed away. Like it is passed onto us, when someone is through with it or releases ownership. An inheritance is something that is given and gifted to us, many times through a will or rather the will of the person who passes away. God gives us many things both here on earth and also in heaven. It is God’s will that we follow Him, submit to Him, and do His will for us. If we do that, we will get His will. We will receive all the good things he has in store for us, not only here on earth, but in heaven as well. Jesus also tells us that He can give us peace; a peace unlike anything the world can give us. (John 16:33) Is this what is meant, by “shall inherit the earth”? I think, for me, it is best described in Matthew 6:33… “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” In other words, if you seek and do God’s will, you will get the desires of your heart on earth (because they will be aligned with God’s will for us) and we will get what God has planned for us in heaven as well. What do you think? Heavenly Father, Thank you for showing us the way to You. Thank you for giving us the Beatitudes so that we know what you want for us. Please, help us to not only live according to your words in Matthew 5:5, but also according to your will for us in everything. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Matthew 5:5 (KJV): *What does Matthew 5:5 mean to me? *What is meant be the word meek? *What is meant by the word inherit? *What is meant by “shall inherit the earth”? *Why does it say “shall inherit the earth” instead of “shall inherit the kingdom of heaven”? *What can I do to better live according to the words in Matthew 5:5? *How can I better live according to the will of God? Now, it is your turn. What are your thoughts? I would be interested in hearing your interpretation and thoughts on Matthew 5:5. I always look forward to the thoughts of others. Please, feel free to comment below or contact me. If you find value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with friends and family, as well as on your social media sites. Also, if you haven't already, you may want to sign up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. P.S. - If you haven't already, you may want to go back and read the other posts in The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations: The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 1 The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 2 
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’”
Luke 2:13-14 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? I hope you all had a blessed Christmas. Last week, I spoke and pondered about Mary. This week, I will talk and ponder about the message that the angel of the Lord said to the shepherds. Can you imagine being in the place of the shepherds? One day you are quietly tending your sheep, as usual. The next day, the angel of the Lord comes to you and tells you a savior is born and you should go visit. Then, as if you aren’t freaked out enough by the angel, all of a sudden, heavenly hosts start praising God with the angel. How would you feel? Would you be fearful, joyful, confused, hesitant, disbelieving, worried, humbled, or what? Would you want to start praising God with the heavenly hosts? Would you want to hide or celebrate? Would you feel honored that the angel came to you with a message? The shepherds go to see Jesus, so we can guess that they either believed everything they were told or they were curious. Would you drop everything and go see your Lord and Savior? Would you believe or at least be curious? I can’t even imagine being those shepherds. It must have been a magnificent, humbling, and joyous experience, once they got over their fear. It is difficult enough to imagine being visited by an angel of the Lord. I wonder what a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God would look like. It must be beautiful though. Were they angel and heavenly hosts sent by God so that the shepherds would believe that Jesus was their Savior? Was it so the shepherds would understand the magnitude of Jesus’ birth and purpose on earth? I don’t know. Do we understand the magnitude of Jesus’ birth and purpose on earth? Do we show it? Do we live it? Do we share it with others? I can imagine that we will experience something like this in heaven some day. I wonder if the shepherds felt a little bit of heaven in those moments on earth. Let’s ponder the message of the heavenly hosts, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Was this a foreshadowing of how Jesus would spend His time on earth? Was it a message and example of how we should act? I wonder if the shepherds understood it. Do we give glory to God? Do we act with peace and good will towards others? Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus! Thank you for the message through your holy Word. Help us to join with the heavenly hosts in praising you, giving glory to you, and giving peace on earth and good will towards others. Help us to appreciate and acknowledge the message you gave to the shepherds that day long ago. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Luke 2:13-14 (KJV): *What does Luke 2:13-14 mean to me? *Do I appreciate the message of the angel of the Lord and the heavenly hosts? *How would I feel if I received that message on that day so long ago? *Do I understand and appreciate the magnitude of Jesus’ birth and purpose on earth? *What is the lesson God has for me in Luke 2:13-14? *How can I better live the message of Luke 2:13-14? *What can I do differently to better appreciate and live the words of Luke 2:13-14? Now, it is your turn. I am thankful that you are here. Please, let me know your thoughts. Comment below or contact me. I would like to hear your thoughts. If you find value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with family and friends. Let them find value in it as well. Also, if you haven't already, please consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog and other faith content in your inbox. Thank you. I pray you have a safe and Happy New Year! I will be praying and preparing for the new year this week. I will also be updating and changing the DUO Inspirations site a bit. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or requests, please feel free to contact me. I am open to your thoughts. Please, feel free to explore it now and after I change it. God bless. 
“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”
Luke 1:38 KJV Hi friends, How are you? Other than the verses that directly relate to Jesus, this is one of my favorite Christmas verses. It shows the faith and obedience of Mary, who is a great example for all of us. I don’t remember where I got the information, however, I remember hearing or reading something about Mary being very young as she was betrothed at this point. I don’t remember the age, this source mentioned, but it seems like it was probably like 10-13 years old. I don’t know her age at this time and maybe it doesn’t matter, but I do believe she was young and I do admire her faith and obedience. I can’t imagine being told that I was going to have a baby created by the Holy Spirit and not through the normal means. I don’t know if I would be scared, confused, mistrusting, pleased, humbled, or what. I have no idea. What about you? I really like what Mary said though. First she says, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” She acknowledges that she is God’s servant. How often do we acknowledge the fact that we are indeed God’s servants? We are created by God out of love and are meant to serve and give back out of love. Then, Mary goes further to say, “be it unto me according to thy word”. She knew that she was God’s servant and acknowledged that it what the angel told her would come true. She was open to God’s Word. She accepted God’s Word. May we all learn from Mary’s words and behavior. May we all acknowledge that we are God’s servants and acknowledge that His will be done. Heavenly Father, Thank you for your Word and for role models to teach us to grow our faith and obedience in you. Help us to follow Mary’s example to acknowledge that we are your servants and help us to say that your will be done. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Luke 1:38 (KJV): *What does Luke 1:38 mean to me? *Do I acknowledge that I am God’s servant? *Do I acknowledge that God’s will be done? *Do I acknowledge that I was made out of love and should give out of love? *How would I feel if I got the message Mary received? *How can I better act according to Mary’s example? Now, it is your turn. I appreciate you being here and reading your comments. What is your favorite Christmas verse? Speaking of Christmas, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas. May God touch your heart with the spirit of the true season. If you value what I write, please consider sharing it with friends and family. Also, if you haven't already, please consider signing up to receive the Faith Blog in your inbox. Thank you. 
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:”
Colossians 2:16 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? Last week, I asked you to ponder the words in Jeremiah 10:3-4 and relate them to the tradition of decorating trees for Christmas. This week, I would like to ponder the words in Colossians 2:16. These too, have to do with celebrating. Taken alone and out of context, Colossians 2:16 can be misinterpreted. It could sound like we can do anything we want to and we shouldn’t let anyone tell us differently. That sounds pretty snobby and self-righteous. Yet, that isn’t quite what Colossians 2:16 means. It doesn’t say that we can have a free for all and do anything we want. If we take this verse in perspective, it is saying that since we have died to ourselves and have followed Jesus, don’t let anyone judge the things we do. When we are acting in Christian ways, it may seem uncool, silly, strange, or foreign to the world. It might not make sense to others. What we eat, drink, do, celebrate, observe and how we do it might be different than those of others. Yet, it doesn’t mean we are doing it wrong. If we are following Jesus and doing the will of God, then we don’t have to do things as others do, not even as other Christians. Unfortunately, people have a tendency to judge others. Although, this is a task better left for God. Sadly, this is true of believers and nonbelievers alike. Nonbelievers may judge, because they don’t know God and His will for us. They may not know the Bible and what we are called to do. They may judge us out of anger or ignorance. Nonbelievers may try to “groom us” to follow more worldly practices. In my humble opinion, this can be seen in things like businesses being open on Sundays, encouraging people to work and shop on a day that is meant to be set aside for rest and spiritual rejuvenation or political correctness that says it isn’t right for us to say, “Merry Christmas” to others, to pray in school with a moment of silence, or any other number of things that it isn’t politically correct to say or do. (Am I judging here?) Even other Christians sometimes judge the way we do things. Some Christian religions have different practices than others, and everyone tends to believe that they have the right way and only way to do things. Yet, just because things are different, doesn’t mean they are wrong. Let’s look at something as simple as eating a peanut. Peanuts are a great source of many nutrients and can be very healthy for you. However, if you are allergic to peanuts, they can be very dangerous. The eating of peanuts are “right” for some and “wrong” for some. We are not to judge others or let people talk us into or out of doing what we believe is right for us. The same is true in spiritual things. In spiritual things, whatever helps us to stay focused on God and whatever is God’s will for us, is what we should do. That is why we are to look to God for answers and let God be our judge, not people. We are called not to cave under peer pressure and not to let people sway us from our beliefs. If we think someone brings up a “good point” about what we are doing and we find ourselves questioning our actions, we are called to look to God through prayer, fasting, and reading the Bible for answers. Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us your Word, as words to live by. Help us to hold strong in our faith and beliefs as we follow Jesus. Help us to not be turned away or conflicted in our beliefs by worldly practices and judgment of others. Help us to focus only on you, Lord, in the things that we do. If we are uncertain in what we do, think, feel, or say, help us to turn to you through prayer, fasting, and reading your Word. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Colossians 2:16 (KJV): *What does Colossians 2:16 mean to me? *What are some things where people tend to judge me, but I am doing right for me? *Do I judge others? *What are some things that are right for some people but wrong for others? *What were some of things for which Jesus and his apostles were judged? *Do I cave in or let others sway the way I believe, act, think, speak, or worship? *How can I better heed the words in Colossians 2:16? Now, it is your turn. I look forward to hearing your views. Please, leave a comment below or feel free to contact me. Thank you for being here. I appreciate your support. If you find value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with a friend, family member, or even your church family. I appreciate it. Also, if you haven't already, please consider signing up to get the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. Just check the "faith" box (and any other interest) as you sign up. Thank you. Note: I will also be changing the site for DUO Inspirations a bit soon. Please, feel free to check it out in order to get the before and after feel. 
“For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”
Jeremiah 10:3-4 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? I hope you are well. My topic for today’s Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations may not be a popular one. However, I think we are all called to evaluate ourselves, our actions, as well as the traditions we follow. I was researching verses for today’s post and I came across Jeremiah 10:3-4. It kind of surprised me. I have read the Holy Bible quite a few times and I hadn’t remembered this passage. Could it be that I didn’t remember it, because I didn’t want to remember it or maybe because I wasn’t ready to evaluate myself next to the words in this passage? I don’t know. The words in Jeremiah 10:3-4, sound much like what we do in decorating Christmas trees. So, do we need to look at this tradition and evaluate whether or not we are really called to do it? Regardless of what we decide in the end, I do think it is a good idea to weigh what we do against God’s Word. Are we following and living in accordance to God’s Word? The phrase that hits home for me in this whole passage is “For the customs of the people are vain.” Regardless, of whether we believe we are supposed to set up a Christmas tree as part of our celebration or not, I think if we are honest with ourselves, we will realize that it is a vain tradition. I mean, chopping down a tree purchasing one, whether fake or real, costs quite a bit of money. There is also the extra expense of decorating it, not to mention the extra high electric bill in having the lights on the tree. Do we really need to spend that money? Do all those (real) trees really need to die, just so we can enjoy them lit up and decorated for a month or so? The answer to both questions is probably, “no.” We probably do not need to spend that extra money and live trees probably do not need to die for such a tradition. So, why do we put up a tree? It is tradition! And, this is what I pray we can all evaluate. Are our traditions good in the sight of God? Full disclosure, if you read on in Jeremiah 10 and put this passage in perspective, it probably does not have anything to do with Christmas trees. It is more about making idols out of trees to worship, which is definitely bad in God’s eyes. Yet, this still doesn’t answer the question about our custom of decorating Christmas trees. It touches my heart to bring this up, because we are called to be “in this world, but not of this world.” (See John 15:19 for example.) The world likes to “suck us in” to worldly traditions and beliefs. Yet, we are not of the world. We are called to act in accordance with God’s will for us. I do believe that celebration of Christmas (not just the decoration of trees) is very commercialized. In the commercialized world, the focus is definitely not on the birth of our savior. However, I can’t say whether decorating a tree, as part of a Christmas celebration is right or wrong. I don’t see anywhere in God’s Word, where we are called to decorate a tree. Yet, the right or the wrong of it might be for each one of us to decide. I urge you, and I will as well, to pray about it and really examine whether or not it is right for you. Don’t just blindly follow along with everyone else, because it is tradition. Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us your Holy Word to show us the way to live. Help us to examine ourselves in accordance to you Word, and let us not be afraid to change, even if it is against our worldly traditions. Help us to pray before we act and let you guide us, instead of doing things our own way. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Jeremiah 10:3-4 (KJV): *What does Jeremiah 10:3-4 mean to me? *Is Jeremiah 10:3-4 talking about Christmas trees? *Do I believe that decorating a tree for Christmas is vain? *Do I believe we are called to decorate a tree for any reason? *Do I let decorating a tree take the focus off of Jesus in anyway? *Have I prayed about the rightness or wrongness of decorating a tree? *Why do I decorate a tree? Now, it is your turn. I am thankful you are here. I look forward to your comments and ideas. Please, let me know your thoughts by commenting below or feel free to contact me. Also, please pray for our Christmas ethics and practices. Let us put our focus on Jesus. If you haven't already, please consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other "faith" content in your inbox. (When you sign up, you will also be able to download the "5 Reflective Questions to Delve Deeper into God's Word"). Also, if you value what I write, please share it with your friends and family. Thank you. 
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
Psalms 100:4 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? In pondering Psalms 100:4, I have just as many questions as I do answers. I am curious about the words gates and courts. Are they meant to be two separate places or does the author just not want to use the same word over and over again? Are they literal places or are they meant to be figurative for drawing close to God? Somehow, I don’t think it matters, because I don’t think the “place” is the important part of the message. I think we are always called to be thankful for all the things God does for us and to bless His name. So, to say that we should “enter his gates with thanksgiving” and to ponder where those gates may be might mean we are missing the point. What do you think? Let’s put our efforts into the thanksgiving part. Do we thank God for all that we have, all that we are, all that we do, all that we see, all that we hear, all that we smell, all that we taste, all that we touch, all that we feel, all that we know, and all that we experience? Do we thank God for our relationships and our very existence? Do we not only say the words “thank you”, but also show our thankfulness? Now, let’s look at the second part of Psalms 100:4. Not only are we called to be thankful for all God provides and does for us, but we are called to praise Him and bless His name. So, what does that mean? What does it mean to “bless His name”? To me, to “bless His name” is to testify to others about the goodness of God. Do we tell others of the greatness of God? As we can see that verse four of Psalm 100, keeps with the theme of joy. We are called to be joyful of what God provides and does for us, to thank Him and to tell others of His greatness as well. We can be joyful, if we are thankful, encouraging, and praising God. Heavenly Father, Thank you for being our Creator, our Teacher, our Heavenly Father, and our Shepherd. Thank you for Psalm 100, which shows us how to be joyful. Help us to come to you in thanksgiving and to sing your praises, so that others will do the same. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Psalms 100:4 (KJV): *What does Psalms 100:4 mean to me? *What do “his gates” and “his courts” mean? Is that the point? *How can I show God my thankfulness? *How can I bless His name? *Do I come to God in thanksgiving? *Do I praise His name? *What can I do to better follow the calling in Psalms 100:4? Now, it is your turn. Thank you so much for being here. If you haven't read other posts in the Psalms 100 Series, you may want to read them as well: Psalms 100 Series - Part 1 Psalms 100 Series - Part 2 Psalms 100 Series - Part 3. I enjoy hearing your thoughts. I am encouraged by your comments and testimony. So, please, comment below or contact me. If you find value in what I write, please share the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations with friends and family. If you haven't signed up to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content, please consider signing up below. (Don't forget to check at least the "faith" box.) 
“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalms 100:3 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? I hope you are enjoying the Psalms 100 Series by DUO Inspirations and are finding more joy in your life. Today’s verse seems more of a comfort than a joy. However, it could be a joy as well. I mean, knowing that “we are his people” and that I am part of the “we” makes me very joyful. Psalms 100:3 kind of reminds me of when people need to know their roots. I have heard stories where adopted children feel uneasy, because they don’t know their ancestry. They don’t know anything about their biological parents and they just kind of have a hole in their history that makes them feel confused, sad, or lonely. However, in Psalms 100:3, we are told our place in life and our roots. There is no uneasiness, confusion, sadness, or loneliness. We are God’s people. He made us. He loves us. And, we are the “sheep of his pasture.” Okay, not all people may like the idea of being referred to as sheep. However, if you knew how closely the shepherds back in the day watched over and cared for their sheep, you might not mind it so much. I believe it is very much like a term of endearment here. I was never a shepherd and don’t really know, but I am going to do a little imagining. I imagine that a shepherd led his or her sheep out to a part of the land that is filled with green grass for them to eat. It was far away from the house, so the shepherd had no one with whom to speak, so the shepherd probably often talked to the sheep. I imagine that the shepherd even named all the sheep, and got to know the sheep as individuals with their own little quirks. And, every so often when the shepherd counted the sheep to make sure they were all there, he or she would leave the flock to go find the one or two who had wandered off. This was probably not only done out of necessity of needing all the sheep for making a living, but also out of love. After all, I can imagine that if you spend most of your waking hours tending sheep, you tend to have a pretty close bond with those sheep. They are almost like friends and family. So, being called sheep isn’t so bad. And, being called God’s sheep is actually quite wonderful. God made us, knows all our little quirks, leads us, cares for us, searches for us when we are lost, and loves us. It is a wonderful feeling! There is a part of this verse that I don’t want to overlook and that is “not we ourselves.” It seems like that we are being reassured that we are made well and correctly. We are not “cheap reproductions”, but the real thing. We are made in God’s perfect way and not in any half-hearted, knock-off way. We are special to God. I know that in the beginning of this post, I said that this verse seems to be more of a comfort verse than a joy verse. However, as I wrote, I have felt myself feeling more and more joyful. So, I can actually say that I believe this is a joy and a comfort verse. Heavenly Father, Thank you for being our Creator and Shepherd. Thank you for telling us and reassuring us that we are your people and we are well loved. Help us to know the joy and comfort of the words in Psalms 100:3 in our every day lives. Help us to act and feel like your people. Help us to let you care for us and lead us as a shepherd cares for and leads his sheep. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Psalms 100:3 (KJV): *What does Psalms 100:3 mean to me? *How does Psalms 100:3 make me feel? *Do I feel like God’s own? *Do I let God lead me in the same way that shepherds lead sheep? *Do I feel like God knows me? *Do I feel like I know God? Now, it is your turn. If you haven't read the Psalms 100 Series - Part 1 or the Psalms 100 Series - Part 2, you may want to do that. I hope you are enjoying the series as much as I am. I am so thankful that you are here. You are important to me. I look forward to reading your thoughts, so please comment below. What are your thoughts? If you have any prayer requests or suggestions, please contact me. If you find value in what I write, please share it with friends and family. Also, if you haven't already, please consider signing up to get the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. 
“Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.” Psalms 100:2 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you this week? Last week, I started the “Psalms 100 Series”. I think Psalms 100 is such a beautiful, instructive, inspiring, and joyful psalm. The joy of it sort of reminds me of the opening scene in “The Sound of Music” where Julie Andrews is seen running in a field near the mountains singing. She looks as though she is happy and praising God. (Her character enjoyed singing and praising God, even serving God.) In Psalms 100:1, we are called to give a joyful noise, to be joyful. It doesn’t set a time, place, or restriction. To me, verse two is a reinforcement of verse one. Yes, we are to be joyful. We are to be joyful, no matter how we are serving God. Sometimes, we tend to do our chores at home or labor at work as if they were drudgery. We might not enjoy the tasks or we may feel tired and run down. We don’t like it, but we know we should do it. So, we work, whether at home or at work. We are just not very happy with it. We don’t think about the fact that we are called to do more. We are called to serve with “gladness.” We feel that as long as we do the work, we are fine. Yet, is that really so? So, are we sinning if we work while being less than glad? (This is one of the reasons I feel called to write the Faith Blog; because there are so many things that we do that we might not think about that may different than what we are called to do.) Let’s talk about serving the Lord for a moment. You might try to “argue” that working or housework isn’t serving the Lord, so you don’t have to worry about doing it with gladness. However, is that really true? What constitutes serving the Lord? I think that everything we do, 24/7 should be meant to serve the Lord. He created us. He gave us life. We are His and if we are His, everything we do is meant to serve Him. What do you think? What about the second part of Psalms 100:2, “come before his presence with singing”? Isn’t God with us always? So, aren’t we “before his presence” always? Obviously, I don’t know the definite reasons behind God’s words in the second part of Psalm 100. However, I do have a couple of thoughts on the subject. First, I wonder if the second part of the verse is a strategy or tip in how to fulfill the first part of the verse. You know, like if you are not having fun and don’t feel the joy in what you are doing, just take yourself out of the actual worldly situation and put yourself in God’s presence. In being so close and feeling God’s love, you will forget your drudgery and feel like singing out. In that way, you will be able to do whatever you do with gladness and even sing as you work. Second, I wonder if it is a reminder that if you are God’s child, you are serving God in all that you do, so that you are meant to do with gladness and singing. Again, as we get close to God, love Him, and serve Him, I believe that our hearts will just want to sing. We won’t be able to help ourselves. What are your thoughts? Heavenly Father, Thank you, O Lord for being our Heavenly Father. Help us to fulfill the words call of Psalms 100:2. Help us to love you, to serve you with gladness, and to sing your praises. Melt away our hardness and keep us close to you. Help us to follow your will for us, serving you with love and with a song in our heart. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Psalms 100:2 (KJV): *What does Psalms 100:2 mean to me? *What do I think, “come before his presence with singing” means here? *Do I fulfill the calling of Psalms 100:2? *What can I do to better fulfill the calling of Psalms 100:2? *Am I a joyful person? Why or why not? Note: If you haven't read Psalms 100 Series - Post 1, you can read it here. Now, it is your turn. Please, leave your thoughts and comments. I look forward to reading your thoughts. Thank you for being here. May God bless you and guide you. If you find value in what I share, please share it with others. Also, if you haven't already, feel free to sign up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. Thank you. 
“(A Psalm of praise.) Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.”
Psalms 100:1 KJV Hi friends, How are you this week? As it is November and November is a month of thanksgiving, I thought I would do a series on a psalm that calls people to worship the Lord with song and thanksgiving, Psalms 100. I came across this psalm kind of accidently as I was searching verses about thankfulness. I don’t mean that I have never read it before. I mean that I have never noticed its beauty before. I don’t know about you, but I have kind of nonchalantly referenced some of the words in Psalms 100:1 when talking about my singing ability. I might say something like, “Well, I don’t know if I can sing, but I can make a joyful noise.” However, I think the words in Psalms 100:1 don’t really have anything to do with singing ability, but have a deeper meaning. I think the verse sets the tone for the entire psalm. In Matthew 12:30 (KJV),Jesus gives us these words: "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." It occurs to me that if we follow these words of Jesus, this verse and Psalms 100 will be like a summary of our behavior in life. So, how do we do that? What does that look like? In Psalms 100:1, we are all called to make a joyful noise. As with many other things in life, God doesn’t tell us exactly what to say or how to do it. He just says to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord….” I don’t know God’s intentions for sure here, but as for me, I think a joyful noise can be anything thing from laughter, to humming, to singing, to praising, to complimenting, to thanking, to glorifying God. What do you think? In Matthew 7:20 (KJV) Jesus says, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” And, in Galatians 5:22, one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. So, this sums up the reason why we are called to make a joyful noise. If we know God and love God, it is often so easy to make a joyful noise. When our heart is full of love and thankfulness, we want to sing out or praise God spontaneously. If God lives within us, we will be joyful and people as well as God will know that we are His. At the end of Psalms 100:1, we are reminded that everyone in all the lands are called to be joyful and make a joyful noise unto the Lord. I am glad. It is nice to see others happy and it is even catching, just as a smile is apt to provoke a smile in return or a compliment is apt to provoke a compliment in return. Songs are like that too sometimes. We might hear someone singing a song and we just want to join in and sing along. Part of me wonders if the last part of the verse doesn’t just refer to people, but to all God’s creations. I feel joyful when I hear waves crashing against the shore, leaves rustling in a gentle breeze, hummingbirds humming and fluttering about, the gurgle of a babbling brook, or a crackling of a campfire. To me, they are all “singing out” and testifying of God’s glory and greatness. If they can do it, can’t we do it all the more? Heavenly Father, Thank you for being our Creator and Heavenly Father. Thank you for calling us to be joyful. Help us to fulfill this calling not only when we are getting our way, but during all times to show others that we are yours. Help us to us to get close you and to “sing out” and testify of your glory and greatness. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Psalms 100:1 (KJV): *What does Psalms 100:1 mean to me? *Why do I think we are called to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord”? *Do I “make a joyful noise unto the Lord”? *What can I do to better fulfill the calling in Psalms 100:1? Now, it is your turn. What are your thoughts? Please, leave me a comment. I enjoy reading your thoughts and comments. I am so thankful that you are here. I pray the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations blesses someone. If you find value in these words, please share them with your friends and family. Consider making an announcement at church that the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations is here. I pray before each post and pray that I write down God's message and His words for the blog and not my own. You may even want to sign up to get the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. Also, if you have a prayer request, idea, suggestion, question, or topic request, please feel free to contact me. Thank you. God bless. 
Hi friends,
How are you today? I hope you are enjoying the Noah’s Ark Series. Today is the last post of the series. I will be highlighting verses and information in Genesis 9. I have seen and heard of Noah being compared to Adam theologically. After all, they were both “firsts” as far as men go. Adam was the first man created and Noah was the first or eldest of men to survive the flood. God spoke to both of these men in the Bible. As a matter of fact, God told both men very similar things. There have been times when I have even heard of Noah as “the new Adam” in a way. As a matter of fact, God’s message to Noah in Genesis 9:1-3 is very similar to God’s message to Adam in Genesis 1:28-30. The latter seems like it may be a little different in that, as I understand it God gives Adam plants and fruit to eat and in Genesis 9:3, God includes animals as food too. What is your understanding between the two passages? Although, in Genesis 9:4-6, God adds to his message to Noah. God tells Noah not to eat animals with lifeblood still in it. God stresses the importance of life to Noah. It is my understanding that God is saying not to be violent and hurt or kill others, because God and others will require accountability for your actions for it. Not only that, but I think God is also telling him that if a person kills another person the death penalty will be given on earth. What are your thoughts? This is different than in Genesis 1, because in Genesis 1:31 we see where God looks at all that He has created and sees that it is good. There is no reason to warn Adam about violence or killing others. No violence has occurred. In verses 8-17, God tells Noah and his sons about His covenant. He tells how never again will He destroy the earth and all people with a flood and how the bow in the clouds will be the token of that covenant. Maybe this is why so many people get enjoyment out of seeing a rainbow in the sky. Sometimes, I just seem to enjoy the beauty of it and the awe of it. However, there are times when I see it and I remember God’s words in Genesis 9 about His covenant with all mankind and the earth. Either way, seeing a rainbow often makes me smile. In preparing for writing this post and rereading Genesis 9, this seemed to have been where most of my memory of reading Genesis 9 before ended. However, there is more to the chapter. God has more to His message and more lessons for us to learn within Genesis 9. How much do you remember of the rest of the chapter? I seem to have more questions than answers for the verses in Genesis 9:18-29. We see sin in these verses, even after being recently saved from a flood in which everyone else perished. It may be easy to feel that Noah and his family should be so thankful from being saved and having a new beginning that they shouldn’t sin, especially so soon after the flood. Noah plants a vineyard. That sounds great. Fruit is good for you. However, as a result, Noah ends up making wine from the fruit of the vineyard and gets drunk. Not only does he get drunk, but also he lies around naked and not covered up. I wonder why Noah drinks wine. I wonder if he drank before the flood. I wonder why he got drunk. I wonder if he had stress from the flood that had sort of caught up with him, now that he was safe and out of the ark. The Bible doesn’t say and maybe it is none of my business. LOL! The important part is learning the lessons God wants us to learn from the passage and being thankful that God has given us the passage from which to learn. Then, to make things worse, so to speak, Noah’s youngest son Ham sees him naked and instead of covering Noah up himself, he goes and tells his brothers about it. Again, it may be easy to judge the inappropriateness and the sinfulness of dishonoring his father by telling others of his sin or by not covering him up so that others don’t see him that way. Yet, I don’t believe we are called to judge others in that way, especially if they are not neighbors or friends or part of our church family. Then, we may be called to point out the wrongdoing and encourage better behavior and repentance. I don’t believe we are called to gossip about others though. What are your thoughts? It may seem surprising that Noah and Ham can sin so soon after the flood and after being saved. It may seem like the only thing that they should have in their hearts is thankfulness. However, don’t we do the same? Don’t we sin when all we should have in our hearts is thankfulness? I wonder if that is part of God’s lesson for us in this passage. I find it interesting that the Bible doesn’t say anything about Noah saying anything bad to or about Ham as a result of the indiscretions. Noah does curse Canaan, Ham’s son. I wonder why. I wonder if Canaan was in on it in any way. Or, I wonder if Noah knew that cursing a child is more often painful for a parent than cursing the parent his or herself. (Parents would often rather go through pain than see his or her child go through the pain.) Maybe Noah couldn’t bring himself to curse his own child because of that same way of thinking. I don’t know. What are your thoughts? I also wonder if there is a connection of Ham’s son being named Canaan and the land that God wants to give the Israelites in Numbers 13, when God tells Moses to send people out to search the land which I will give you. (Numbers 13:1-2) The symbolism seems to fit to me. What do you think? Heavenly Father, Thank you for sharing with us the words in Genesis 9. Thank you for giving us this resource so we can read and gain knowledge. Thank you for teaching us and showing us what is right and wrong. Thank you for giving us rules to live by. Help us to learn from your Word and to walk in the way of righteousness according to your will for us. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Genesis 9: *What does Genesis 9 mean to me? *What can I learn from the message in Genesis 9? *Did I judge Noah and Ham when I read about their sins in this chapter? *Do I have the right to judge Noah and Ham or should I just learn from their experiences? *How do I feel when I see a rainbow and why? *Do I compare Noah to Adam in anyway? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? *What does God’s covenant in Genesis 9 mean to me? Now, it is your turn. Thank you for being here. I hope you have enjoyed the Noah's Ark Series by DUO Inspirations. What are your thoughts? Do you have any requests for other topics? (Feel free to comment or contact me.) If you are finding value in what I write, please share with friends and family. Also, if you haven't already, please consider signing up to get the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. (Sometimes, I even send treats. For example, those who are currently signed up as of the writing and sending of the email for this post, four word searches will be sent on the subject of Noah's Ark/Genesis 6-9.) 
Hi friends,
How are you? I hope you are enjoying this look into the possible thoughts and feelings of Noah. I like to consider the thoughts and feelings of others. I believe it helps you to get to know them better. We can even learn from the thoughts and feelings of those from long ago. In Genesis 8, Noah and his family, and the animals with him, mainly ride out the flood and wait for the waters to recede after the flood. However, at the end of the chapter, they are able to disembark and touch land once again. Then, Noah builds an altar and sacrifices a burnt offering to God. God is pleased with Noah’s sacrifice and enjoys the aroma, and thinks to Himself that we will never again destroy the earth. So, it is raining and raining and it probably feels to Noah and his family that the rains are never going to stop. How do you think they feel at this point? Do you think they are getting restless and maybe getting on each other’s nerves a bit? How do you think you and your family would do cooped up on an ark for days, weeks, and even months? (And, remember, there are no TVs, video games, or cellphones.) One thing that stood out for me when reading Genesis 8 was that Noah sent out a raven and a dove. I am not sure the meaning, but I wonder if it has to do with unrighteous versus righteous, anxious versus meek, human’s spirit versus God’s. What do you think? Any thoughts? Can you imagine everyone’s feeling when the dove didn’t come back and everyone was finally able to get off the ark after about a year of being cooped up? How would you feel? What would you think? Would you be tired? Happy? Apprehensive? Curious? Thankful? What would you want to do first after you got off the ark? Look for a place to set up your tent or build some sort of shelter? The Bible doesn’t mention Noah doing that in Genesis 8. It says that Noah built and altar and sacrificed some of the clean animals for God. I don’t know, but I can imagine that Noah was so thankful to be alive, to be saved from the flood, to have his family safely with him, and to be on dry ground again, that he just wanted to thank and praise God for it all. What are your thoughts? Heavenly Father, Oh, Lord, thank you for new beginnings and new adventures. Thank you for being our protector and our provider. Thank you for remembering us as we go through difficult times. Help us to be thankful, to praise you and glorify you for all that you do. And, help us to give you our first and best thoughts, prayers, praises, and thanks, just as Noah did when he first got off the ark so many years ago. Help us to learn all that you want us to learn from your words in Genesis 8. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Genesis 8: *What does Genesis 8 mean to me? *How would I feel after being in an ark with seven other people and many animals for about a year? *What can I learn from Genesis 8? *Am I apt to give thanks to God for everything He provides and does for me? Now, it is your turn. Friends, I am so glad you are here. I look forward to reading your thoughts. I learn from you as well. God often uses others to inspire us. Please, leave a comment below. (Feel free to contact me, if you don't want to share publicly.) If you find value in what I write, please consider sharing the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations with your friends and family. Also, if you haven't already, please consider signing up to receive the Faith Blog in you inbox as well as other faith content. Thank you. Note: Remember, for those who are signed up next week when I post the Faith Blog and send out the email, there will be some Noah's Ark word searches with your email. 
Hi friends,
How are you? Last week, I started delving into the possible thoughts and feelings of Noah regarding his circumstances in Genesis 6. This week, I will continue with his possible thoughts and feelings regarding his circumstances in Genesis 7. In Genesis 6, Noah was mainly getting the instructions to build the ark as well as building the ark. In Genesis 7, Noah is mainly loading everyone into the ark and riding in the ark during the flood. Can you imagine being in Noah’s shoes? Have you ever thought about being in Noah’s predicament? I have tried to imagine myself in his circumstances some, but I don’t know that I can really get the full feeling or picture of it. I wonder if at this point, Noah was hoping that everything was just a dream. I mean it is one thing to say that one will do something kind of scary, different, and outside of one’s comfort zone when it is a ways in the future. However, as the time for the actual event gets closer, sometimes worry sets in and one’s feeling may change. One may get nervous or have second thoughts. During the pandemic, there have been times when it has been mandated that people should stay home, except for essential outings. During the flood, Noah was cooped up in an ark with seven other people and a bunch of animals for days, weeks, and even months. I doubt there was much room to “get away” and have a personal moment in the ark. What can you imagine about being in an ark with seven other people and a bunch of animals? Can you imagine the room (or lack of), the smell, or the noise? I wonder what Noah and his family were thinking and feeling. Do you? I wonder if the animals were in pens, cages, or stalls. Were they “free” in each deck of the ark? Did some animals chase others, as they were accustomed to doing? Or, did God supernaturally quiet the animals to make it a more pleasant voyage for all involved? God had told Noah that He would make it rain for forty days and forty nights in Genesis 7:4, so Noah probably realized he would be in the ark for a while. I wonder what one does in an ark for over forty days. Do you? (It isn’t like Noah had video games and TV back in the day.) Maybe the animals, meaningful conversation with family, and prayer kept Noah and his family busy. I wonder if they thought about being the only people alive. I wonder if they thought about where the rains were taking them. I wonder what it was like to look out the ark window and see the water rising and then one day, only seeing water. I wonder how they felt. I wonder if they talked about this “adventure” they were experiencing and what their life might be like in the future. What do you think? Heavenly Father, Thank you for the story of Noah, so that we may be motivated to be righteous in your sight as well. Thank you for the earth and all you have given us. Help us to trust you, as Noah did, and to do your will. Help us to learn from Noah’s experience all that you want us to learn. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Genesis 7 (KJV): *What does Genesis 7 mean to me? *How would I feel about being cooped up in an ark with seven other family members and a bunch of animals for so long? *How would I feel knowing that my family and I were the only people alive? *How would I feel being tossed about with the water during the flood in such a tiny ark? *What can I learn from Genesis 7? Now, it is your turn. How do you think you would feel if you were in Noah's shoes? What do you think he was thinking and feeling? I look forward to knowing your thoughts. Also, if you are finding value with what I write, please share with your friends and family and feel free to signing up to receive faith content in your inbox. Thank you. |
Hi friends!
This is Jodi. I am so glad you are here! I am a Christian and life-long learner. I enjoy sharing and encouraging others. I pray you are blessed by this blog. Thank you for being here. Archives
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