A New Journey Through The Scriptures

The New Year is only a few days old. Let's commit ourselves afresh to reading the Word of God day-by-day. Here are some links which I hope you will find helpful.

Look up Scripture passage

Read a specific comment online

Print a booklet containing monthly readings


I hope you will visit the "Daily Devotional Readings" and receive a blessing from the Lord.
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"When you read God's Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, 'It is talking to me, and about me.'" (Soren Kierkegaard).

A Greater Catch

In the summer of 1905, on the shores of central California, the fishing town of Monterey, suffered a very great economic blow.

Monterey is a picturesque community, 100 miles south of San Francisco. It is situated on the great Monterey Bay.

The Monterey Bay, gave to the city of Monterey all the bounty of the ocean. For decades Monterey fishermen brought back the fruit of the sea, the fish, that fed millions of people in America.

The backbone of this great fishery, and therefore of the economy in Monterey, was the annual catch of sardines.

These sardines were captured, brought to port, and then to Cannery Row – a row of fish canning operations lining the Monterey beach. There, of course, the sardines were packed into silver cans, wrapped in a red and black paper seal declaring them to be high-quality sardines from Monterey, California. They were then shipped throughout America and the world.

And the economy was good.

But, in the summer of 1905, something terrible happened. An economic disaster of unprecedented proportions happened to this bustling fishing town.

The disaster was this: the fishermen and their many boats, and many employees, simply over fished the sardine population. They did it to such a degree, that the sardines couldn't reproduce their stock – and, suddenly, sardines simply disappeared from the fisherman's nets! They were gone! And with them, were also, apparent to everyone, the good times for people in Monterey.

But – and this is a very important but – this was not the end of the story. A very great and ominous disaster had happened on their watch, but now something wondrous and hopeful, also took place on their watch.

Here is what, actually, happened: first, the people of Monterey and their churches, prayed. Now, whether you believe in prayer or not, that is secondary to the story. My duty is just to give hope and tell you how the story turned out, in actual history.

Most of the ship owners in Monterey doubled as their own ship captains. There were no big corporate fleets. It was mostly private fishermen who had built their fishing business to the level of having a ship or two, and going out daily and bringing the fish back. They worked hard at it, and they became better and better at what they did, and therefore became more and more successful.

But the sea had always helped them. Now that the sardines were gone, what next? What would happen to the economy, to the ship owners and captains, and to all the crews and their families?

The captains of the ships talked among themselves. As they talked, they told tales that they had heard long ago, about schools of great fish, that a Monterey fisherman and his ship and crew had once found.

But, these great fish, which were only known by the thin thread of perhaps a tall tale, were caught as far out as 200 miles from the shore! No Monterey fisherman and his crew, at least for decades, had gone beyond 20 miles!

No one ever dared to go that far! It had not yet entered the imagination of the people.

They had the vessels for it, and the crews. Now what they needed was some bold and intrepid captains, who would dare to go farther into deeper waters, than anyone ever had before.

And, in a true to life story, several believing captains, with their valiant ships and willing crews, set out to find out if the tales of these great fish had any truth to them.

They went fifty miles. Then eighty miles. Then over a hundred miles. But approximately one hundred and fifty miles out, they saw "boiling water" – a strange occurrence on the surface of the water that far out in the middle of the sea.

The captains and their crews, decided to fish these "boiling waters." For their efforts, they began to pull in yellowfin tuna anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds! And there was no end to them!

Now, dear reader, understand that until this date in history, no one in the entire world had ever eaten tuna. Well, maybe some long ago sea captain and his crew had. But for the most part, tuna had never been known before. It had never been seen or eaten!

So, the intrepid sea captains and their fishermen returned home to Monterey with great good news – and a big load of great fish!

Think about it. Sardines were only 4 to 8 inches long, and now the fishermen replaced them with tuna that were 4-8 feet long! The sardines weighed a half-pound at best, and the tuna weighed up to three hundred pounds. In fact, later, as fishermen found the will to go farther, they caught bluefin tuna, that weighed up to 1500 pounds!

Thus, by being willing to go further than anyone had gone before and by choosing to act in new ways rather than just sit and suffer, although the economy went down with the sardines – now it went up with the tuna! Following what might have been just a tall story by an old salt, turned out to give the people of Monterey a true, and much greater, story. They introduced tuna and tuna fishing to the world. Their ships got bigger. Their crews got paid more. More tourists came to Monterey. The little bustling fishing didn't go down with the sardines!

Somehow, the town, its people, and its economy all got a new lease on life. They grew. They prospered. And – they fed the whole world to a far greater degree.

In that summer day of 1905, when the sardine stock fell and the bottom dropped out of the sardine business, it shook everybody up. But, they said their prayers, decided to go further than ever before, chose to "seek a greater story" – and, however combined elements made it happen – tuna, much larger than sardines, and a tuna catch, much greater than the total sardine catch had ever achieved, was brought into the history, and to the palates, of the entire world.

The economy recovered and boomed.

My friends, could it be possible that right now, this very day, that even as you experience the loss of something you long felt secure and that you built your hopes on, just a little farther ahead, with a little willingness to keep your chin and morale up, exploring a little further, pursuing a greater, not lesser, story for you and yours, we might ourselves see our "sardines" not just gone, but our own kind of new, far greater, "tuna" right in front of us replacing our loss with something much better?

I believe that people with the American dream, don't just get better dreams. They get a better story. It comes complete with the faith, the new vision, the will to try, the solid meat of the fish, the adventures, and the tale to tell all our children about.

The measure of something great is that greater things still come out of it.

Say your prayers, stoke the embers of your dreams and visions. Listen to wise stories. Make your minds and ships go further into the ocean of the Spirit – and I believe either you yourself, or some intrepid captains, are going to come back with the equivalent of boatloads of silver tuna in our time – together with directions how you can get a lot more of them.

Copyright 2008 E.Zehnder
http://theeverlastingkingdom.blogspot.com

God Is Faithful.

Philippians 1:1-6
At the end of the old year, let us look back and give thanks for what God has done for us. At the beginning of the New Year, let us look forward, with faith and prayer, to what God will do for us.
Here are some words of encouragement - "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the Day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). They remind us of God's faithfulness. He loved us in 2008. He will love us in 2009. This is the faithfulness of God. Thank God for His faithfulness in the past. Trust Him for His faithfulness in the past.

Good News for 2009

Mark 1:1
"The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." This is more than a story from a long time ago, a story about someone who lived a long time ago. This is the Gospel. This is Good News for today. Jesus Christ is Good News.

The Word Of God

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

1Pe 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

1Pe 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

inhisgloriousnameministriesonline.blogspot.com

Looking Back From Bethlehem, Looking On From Bethlehem

The time of the prophets - this was the time of expectation. The time of Christ’s birth - this was the time of fulfilment. We rejoice in the event of Christ’s birth - All this take place to fulfil … ” (Matthew 1:22). We read the words of the prophet Isaiah. He speaks of “the Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” (9:6). He speaks of “Emmanuel, God with us” (7:14). In the birth of Christ, we see the fulfilment of Isaiah’s words of prophecy. Christ’s birth was just the beginning of the fulfilment. There is still more to come. We still live in a time of expectation. We await the Lord’s Return. He will come with great power and great glory. When He comes, the Kingdom of God will be revealed in all its fulness.

God with us, God for us, God in us

The promise has been fulfilled. Christ has come to us as Emmanuel (God with us).

The pardon has been given. Through Christ, crucified for us, we have received the forgiveness of our sins.

The power has been given to us. Christ lives in us. He enables us to live for Him.

Jesus: God In Us

In His resurrection, we see Jesus as God in us. We recall His promise concerning the Holy Spirit: "He will be in you" (John 14:17). Christ comes to us. He gives us strength to love God. He gives us power to do God's will.



Jesus: God For Us

In His death, we Jesus as God for us. Here, we have the reason why "God did it". Why did God give His only Son? It was for us. For us - these two words can be written over page after page of the New Testament. How can we doubt that God is for us when we know that Jesus died for us?

Jesus: God With Us

In his birth, we see Jesus as God with us. God has not kept His distance from us. He has come near to us. He has become one of us. He is God with us. This is how we know that God sympathizes with us in our suffering. He has suffered. He is the suffering God. We think of the question of suffering. We ask, "Why does God allow it?". We look at the Cross of Christ and we say, "God didn't allow it. God did it." He sent His Son to suffer death that we might receive life. Seeing our suffering in the light of Christ's suffering assures us that we are not left to go it alone. Jesus is there beside us. He is God with us.

Come To Jesus Christ And Let Him Make You Strong For God.

Paul was writing to a Church with big problems (Romans 16:17-18). Deeply influenced by the wrong kind of people, the Church gets bogged down in ‘dissensions and difficulties.’ Critical, fault-finding people exert an extremely divisive influence. They look after their own interests. They only think about themselves. Nothing else matters to them. They manipulate other people - to get their own way. They go out of their way to get their own way! The problem may be great - but the power of God is greater (Romans 16:19-20)! Strengthened by ‘the God of peace’ and ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’, let us press on in ‘obedience’ to God, claiming His victory over ‘Satan.’ Let ‘the preaching of Jesus Christ’ make you strong for God (Romans 16:25-27).

Come To Jesus Christ And Let The Holy Spirit Come Upon You.

God was about to do ‘a new thing’(Isaiah 43:19). It was centred on Christ, though John also played his part (Luke 1:31-33, 16-17). There were obstacles - Zechariah and Elizabeth were ‘old’ (Luke 1:18), and Mary had ‘no man’ (Luke 1:34). What were these obstacles to God? - Nothing: ‘with God nothing will be impossible’ (Luke 1:37). How are we to respond to God’s ‘new thing’? - ‘let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38). How will God’s ‘new thing’ make progress among us? - Through the power of the Holy Spirit: ‘he will be filled with the Holy Spirit’ (Luke 1:15), ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you...’ (Luke 1:34). ‘Holy Spirit, we welcome you... Move among us with holy fire... Let the breeze of your presence flow... Please accomplish in me today, some new work of loving grace, I pray; Unreservedly have Your way...’ (Mission Praise, 241).

Come To Jesus Christ And Say From Your Heart, “I Love You, Lord.”

There are two great ‘songs of praise’ in Luke 1:46-55, 67-79. God was doing ‘a new thing.’ His people were rejoicing in Him. Great things were happening. Greater things were going to happen. Soon, the Saviour would be born. The birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:57-66) - This was great. The birth of our Saviour - This would be even greater. Mary and Zechariah felt the touch of God upon their lives, and their hearts were filled with praise to God: ‘When I feel the touch of Your hand upon my life, it causes me to sing a song that I love You, Lord. So from deep within my spirit singeth unto Thee, You are my King, You are my God, and I love You, Lord’ (Mission Praise, 753). John was ‘in the wilderness.’ He ‘became strong in spirit’ (Luke 1:80). May God help us to grow spiritually, even when life is not very easy!

Come To Jesus Christ And Say, “I Will Sing Of The Lord’s Great Love For Ever.”

‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever; with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness through all generations’ (Psalm 89:1). Many years have passed since these words were written by the Psalmist. Many generations have come and gone since Jesus Christ came to our world. The years come and go. The centuries run their course. One generation gives way to another generation. Time moves on relentlessly. None of us can halt the march of time. Many changes have taken place over the course of time. There is something which must never change. The Lord is to be praised ‘for ever.’ He is to be praised ‘through all generations.’ We must look back and remember. Jesus Christ was crucified for us. Jesus Christ has risen for us. This is the Good News which inspires our praise: ‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever...’

Christmas Worship

Here are a few articles you may find helpful.

Preparing for Christmas: Learning from Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38, 46-55)

Preparing for Christmas: Learning from John the Baptist (Luke 1:13-17; John 1:19-34)

Wise men (and women) still seek Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12)

Jesus Christ - “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) - is truly God and truly Man

Jesus: God with us, God for us, God in us

Invitation, Protection, Victory (Matthew 1-2)

A Journey with Christ (Matthew 1:5-6; John 8:1-11)

Matthew 1:1-25

The Virgin Birth - Believing the Fact and Receiving Its Message

Let us go to Bethlehem.

Looking back from Bethlehem, looking on from Bethlehem

We look back from Bethlehem - back to the very beginning.

First Sunday after Christmas Day: Isaiah 63:7-9; Psalm 148; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23

Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) II – Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2: (1-7), 8-20

Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) I – Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

A Christmas Message

Jesus Christ - God with us: Readings in John, Matthew and Luke

Christ is born: Readings in Luke and Matthew

The Birth of Christ: Readings in Matthew and Luke

Our Understanding Of God's Word Is To Be Filled With Worship.

Our understanding of God's Word is to be filled with worship. It is. therefore, to be expected that our reading of Scripture will be enriched as we think also of the songs of praise we offer to God as we worship Him. We celebrate our Saviour's death and resurrection for us. We remember the great events. He died for us and was raised again for us. We read the Scriptures which tell the wonderful story of our Saviour's love for us, and, singing our songs of praise to the Lord. We rejoice in His great salvation and His mighty triumph over Satan. May God bless each of us in our remembering, reading and rejoicing.

Children & Rainy Days

The Child Who Learned Dreams Come True is dedicated to children and the child deep within us all. That child who loves to dream, that loves adventure, that believes and hopes for great things.

You see, we all dream. Dreams are a part of our character. They encourage us, mentor us, help us to process life, and even help us to find greatness deep within.

However, there is more. This book is also dedicated to adults who have lost their desire to dream, who have lost that desire for adventure, and feel that life's dreams have passed them by.

Order it from the author through this site or get it online everywhere or at your local bookstore .
ISBN 9781603830980 - ISBN 1603830987

"I Will Pour Out My Spirit."

In the Acts of the Apostles, we read of many people coming to faith in Jesus Christ. What is the explanation? - The Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:41, we read of three thousand souls being added to the Church on one day. What is the explanation? Go back to Acts 2:4 - "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit ... the Spirit gave them utterance." Read Acts 2:16-18 - "this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel ... I will pour out My Spirit ... I will pour out My Spirit." In Acts 4:33, we see the apostles, "with great power, giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus." What is the explanation? Acts 4:31 gives us the answer - "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness." May God help us to learn much from the men of God in the Acts of the Apostles. They were men filled with the Holy Spirit. May God help us to be more like them.

Cold, Cold Winter

Be prepare for some very cold weather this winter throughout the nation. It would be wise to be prepared rather than trying to prepare in the midst of the storms.

Use wisdom, be prepared, and make plans to endure weather situations regardless of where you live. From mudslides, to heaven rains, to flooding, to snow and ice storms, to tornados and yes hurricanes.

inhisgloriousnameministriesonline.blogspot.com

The Full Revelation Of Christ’s Glory Is Still To Come. Let It Begin In Us Now.

God is in control! Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Long before it happened, God had it planned (Luke 2:1-7; Micah 5:2-3). As we approach Christ's Return, God still has His plan. He is still in control. The birth of Christ is not merely an event from the past. It is also a message for the future. We look back so that we can move forward. We are fearful about many things. ‘What's the world coming to?’, we ask. God turns our question on its head: ‘Christ is coming to the world’. From His first coming, we look on to His Second Coming - He ‘will come to all the people’(Luke 2:10): ‘every eye will see Him’(Revelation 1:7). His Return invites us to ask another question: ‘when the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?’(Luke 18:8). For you, is it still ‘before Christ’? Let the ‘new age’ begin: Let Christ be ‘born this day’(Luke 2:11) - in your heart!

Christ Is Coming In Glory. Christ Is Preparing Us For Glory.

We read in Titus 2:11,13 of Christ’s coming in grace- ‘the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all people’- and His coming in glory- ‘we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ’. From grace to glory - This is the journey from Christ’s first coming to His Second Coming. It is also the journey of our life of faith. We begin with the forgiveness of our sins. our final destination is glory, heavenly and eternal glory, the glory of God. We live by the grace of God. We look forward to the glory of God. God wants us to live as ‘a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds’(Titus 2:14). If we are to be ‘zealous for good deeds’, we must first be zealous for Jesus Christ. Do good - but never forget, ‘He saved us - not because of deeds done by us...’(Titus 3:8, 4-6).

Christ: King of glory, King of love - may the glory of His love shine in us.

‘The Lord reigns’ (Psalms 96:10; 97:1). ‘The Lord is King!’ He is not only ‘the King all-glorious above’. He is ‘the King of love’. He is ‘our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!’ He is not only ‘the King of heaven’. He is ‘the God of grace’. He is ‘the King of mercy’ (Church Hymnary, 35, 36, 388, 360, 86). His reign is not to be restricted to some faraway heaven. It is not to be a reign that is far removed from the practicalities of our everyday life.He is to reign in our hearts. He is to reign in every part of our life. Let His reign of love begin. Let His grace and mercy control all that you do. We must pray, ‘Reign in me, Sovereign Lord, reign in me’. When we say, ‘Let Your Kingdom come’ and ‘let Your will be done’, we must pray, ‘Captivate my heart. Establish there Your throne’(Mission Praise, 570).

Glory To God In The Highest – Our Saviour Has Come.

The prophecy has been spoken - ‘To us a Child is born, to us a Son is given...’. The prophecy has been fulfilled - ‘Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord’. Jesus Christ is our great Saviour. He is our ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:6: Luke 2:11). Jesus Christ has brought to us a great salvation. Through faith in Him, we enter God’s heavenly and eternal ‘Kingdom’ (Isaiah 9:7: Luke 1:30-33). This is ‘Good News of great joy’- for ‘all the people’, for ‘all generations’. Let us rejoice in the Lord, as Mary, the mother of Jesus, did - ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour... for the Mighty One has done great things for me...’ Let us join with the angels in saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest...’ (Luke 2:10; 1:46-50; 2:14).

The Application Of Wise Sayings

Just imagine spending 40 days and 40 nights in the Teton Mountains and surrounding areas. The beauty, nature, peace, wonderful moments, beautiful sunsets and endless hours of being far from the hustle bustle of life.

Author Eric Zehnder did just that. When Author Eric Zehnder traveled to the Teton Mountains in Wyoming something very profound happened. He started writing quality sayings.

Eric went on to write 4,000 sayings in just 40 days while in the mountains. He then went on to write 8,000 more sayings and has amassed a personal library of over 12,000 sayings.

This book is a collection of wise, fun and humorous sayings. If you read a few, you will be entertained. However, if you apply the sayings in this book to everyday life situations, they will help put you on the path to living a victorious life.

ISBN 9781603831109
Order your copy now on line at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and other online bookstores
Or order it from the Author at: The Everlasting Kingdom