WHO IS JESUS?

Dear Grandkids,
You might be surprised to know that there are a lot of people out there in the world who really don't know who Jesus is. After careful study and listening to many teachers who claim to know about Jesus I have come to the conclusion that the best source of information about who he really is can only be found in the world's number 1 best selling book of all time, the Holy Bible.
Again, we need to go back to the beginning where God gives us a clue. Genesis 1:26 says, "Then God said, "Let (us) make man in (our) image, in (our) likeness,,,," Why would God use "us" and "our" in describing how He is making mankind? Because God is actually three persons in one, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Son, is actually the person we know as Jesus. That's why we can worship Jesus as our God. In the New Testament Gospel of John we read in the first chapter, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1:1-5 (N.I.V.)  So, we can safely say that Jesus is God the Son, and we can get to know Him by His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit which guides and directs us and causes us to understand things.
Here's another question to ask, "Why did God send His Son to earth to walk among men and be that light that shines in the darkness."?  "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him." John 1:10  "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the Only Begotten, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."  John 1:14  OK, with that said, we know God had a purpose for sending His Son to live here in a human body with flesh and blood and all the discomforts that come along with it even though He was perfect in every way.
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" John 1:29  There it is, the answer to the question "why" did God send Jesus to the earth. Jesus was to be the sacrificial "lamb of God" whose perfect blood would be the only suitable sacrifice to redeem mankind from the 'sin' that separates us from God.
Then here is another passage from John that we see a lot, even in the football stadiums and at other sporting events, John 3:16, which says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."  John 3:16-18
Wow, God really does love us that much? Yes, He really does.
Jesus was also known as the 'Son of Man' because He was born of a woman. And the "Christ" which means, "Messiah" or "Savior". Yeshua is the Hebrew, (Jewish), name for Jesus.  It's good to know that because when Jesus comes back He will come back as a Jew and rule and reign over the earth as a king and He will put an end to the present system of things as we know it today. King Jesus, 'Yeshua', will rule this earth for 1000 years and bring the earth and all creation to perfection once again, as it was when the first man Adam had charge of the earth, before the fall, or after sin. I hope this answered your questions about Jesus, the who, what, and why about Him.  Love Grandpap...

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do the people say the Son of Man is"? They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am"?
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, (Messiah) the Son of the living God."  Matthew 16:13-16  (N.I.V.)

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Thank You Father God for Your Word that takes away the sins of the world and washes us clean by the perfect blood of Jesus. Thank You for loving us with a never ending love that is beyond our understanding. Help us to know You better and bring glory and honor to Your name, and help us to share Your Word with others and help them to know You too. Bless us with wisdom and knowledge and understanding and that we know that we will be with You in paradise. Thank You Father. In the name of Jesus, Yeshua, our Lord and King, make it so....     
   

THE WAY WE THINK?

Dear Grandkids,
Yes, the way we think will determine how we live, the friends we make and the work we do. It's best to learn this lesson early in life because this will give you a head start at a peaceful and prosperous life. Again, this will take practice and trial and error because of all the bad influence in this world. Everything that comes into our minds will have effect on out thinking. Movies, the things we read, the things we hear, the things we see going on in the world can shape our way of thinking.
The people we chose to associate ourselves with can have a big influence on our minds so we must chose our friends and associates carefully and wisely. Generally, we will have a feeling about certain things, an uneasy feeling is usually a warning that something we heard or saw is not good for us so we need to listen to that and avoid these things. Then there is the peaceful easy feelings we get when something is good.  The same way with people, we can usually tell whether a person we come in contact with is good for us or bad for us. That is something we can pray about and ask the Lord to help us know that we need to steer clear or get closer to a person. It's the same with things we watch on TV or the movies we watch, the games we play, and the things we read.
Sometimes the things we are exposed to in this world are unavoidable and in that case we need to purge these things out of our minds with good and healthy thoughts and input. Just say 'no' to yourself, 'that is bad and I don't want that in my mind', or 'that's not what I chose to think about', or , 'that's not my thought'. Then replace that thought with something good like a positive and fun thing that you like. Think of a nice person you know or something fun that you like to do, a funny story or a passage from the bible. God's Word is always a good way to get your mind off bad things and onto good things. I can't stress it enough, no matter what other people might tell you, and there will be others who will tell you that the bible isn't true or out dated, don't listen to them! The bible is the best way to renew your minds with good thoughts and wisdom. You'll understand this more as you get older and see for your selves the difference in the what the world teaches and what God teaches..... Love Grandpap

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do." 
Romans 12:2  (N.L.T.)

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is praiseworthy--- think about such things. "
Philippians 4:8-9  (N.I.V.)

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, we thank You for all good things in our lives, especially for Your Word that helps us to renew and change our way of thinking that will help us be better people and happier people full of wisdom and good thoughts to share with others. Help us to know You Father God and experience all the good blessings You have for us now in this world and let our way of thinking always be good and wholesome so we can bring honor to Your name and have happier lives. In the name of Jesus we pray, make it so... Amen




    

MORE ABOUT GIVING

Dear Grandkids,
Another reason to give generously is because it feels good to know you can make a difference in someone else's life and be a blessing to them. Remember, God uses people to bless us. He brings the right people into our lives at just the right time with just the right kind of help. So, when we are blessing others God is using us to His glory and we honor Him by helping others not only by giving our money but also out time, our attention, our kind words and encouragement. And by doing these things we bring God's blessings on ourselves as well...
Always be on the look out for ways to bless others and you will have a wonderfilled, happy and abundant life and your time here on earth will be satisfying and joyful, full of love and peace and goodness.
Now is the time to start, practice giving 10% of your money somewhere. Preferably a church or ministry that teaches God's word, or helps orphans and widows. That's only a dime on a dollar, you get 9 dimes God gets 1, that's really all he asks of us but when we give even more He will bless us with more, the bible says 30 to 60 to 100 fold, He will bless us with and He even said to "test" Him in this. So, don't be scared, step out in faith and just do it and then wait on Him to make things happen. You will see people come into your lives who will help you, and opportunities start to be open to you, good things will happen for you. I'm telling you these things from experience because I have seen these things happen in my own life. I only wish I could have learned these thing earlier. My life would have been so much better and so would have your mom and dad's lives been better. So I can't stress this thing enough. Start giving!     Love Grandpap

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

"Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, or trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
1Timothy 6:17-19   (N.K.J.V.)

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Thank You Lord God, for Your Word that helps us to have a good life full of happiness and joy. Help us to know the true joy of giving and helping others and being a blessing even to people we don't know. That way we can honor You and praise You and be closer to You and feel Your love and direction in our lives. We praise You Father, we glorify You Lord now in the name of Jesus, Yeshua, our Lord and King, make it so....
  



     

GIVE GENEROUSLY? WHY?

Dear Grandkids,
If you want to be blessed with abundance and prosperity and always have more than enough to satisfy your needs then you really need to understand the principle of "giving". When I was young, I wasn't taught to give and be generous with other people, I suppose because my parents weren't taught and neither were their parents. So, I want to explain to you why being a 'giver' is so important.
It wasn't until later in my life that I finally discovered why I was always in need and lack. It was because I was stingy with my money and possessions. I just didn't want to let go of what I had because I was afraid I would run out of everything and not have enough for 'me'. That was before I came to understand how God designed the world and made things work. He set in motion certain laws such as 'gravity' which causes everything to be firmly placed on the ground. The saying, "What goes up must come down" is talking about the law of gravity. There is another law that God put in place called the "Law of Reciprocity" which basically means, 'what goes around comes around'. So, if we give generously to people in need or when we give to support a Christian ministry, or direct our giving to the chosen people of God which is a blessing to them, God will reward us with more to give.
Because of the way God set things up we can be sure that His instructions are true and accurate. Jesus said something like this, "It is better to give than to receive." And other places in God's Word it talks about the importance of giving. I just know it works for me because before I started giving my 10% or 'tithe' I was always broke or when I finally did get ahead something would happen and all my money had to be spent, like car breaking down or unexpected trouble that would cost money to get out of. That's what the bible calls the 'devourer', anything that devours your resources unexpectedly. Now, since I've been a tither, God always seems to provide and He does it in the most unexpected ways but He always seems to work through other people to meet my needs and have left overs to give. For example the latest blessing I have experienced are these 4 renters I have staying in my house. They came from out of nowhere really and what is so cool is that there are many other places for rent in my area but God seems to have directed these guys to my place. The details of this particular blessing are amazing but I don't want to take up much more of your time right now so I will just say God really does work through other people to bless us or to curse us.
What I'm trying to say is don't be afraid to let go of what's in your hand because when you do God will let go of what's in His hand for you and believe me He has much better things in His hand to give you. Again this is where 'faith' comes in. You must believe first then you will see it. The world teaches you to 'not' to believe it until you see it but that is not faith and that way of thinking will hold you back from God's blessings. Ok, that's all for now but I will talk to you more about this soon... Love Grandpap

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

"Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into you bosom. For with the measure that you use it will be measured back to you."   Luke 6:38 (N.K.J.V.)

"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse---the whole nation of you---because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, "says the LORD Almighty" and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."   Malachi 3:8-10 (N.I.V.)

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Thank You Father God in Jesus name we thank You for Your Word that tells us how we can receive Your blessings and live our lives in abundance and prosperity and not lack any good thing. We thank You that You provide richly for us even in the worst of times. Help us to have the courage to step out in faith and let go of the things in our hands and be a blessing to others and bring glory and honor to Your name. Help us to see the wrongs we do and make things right. Thank You for the Holy Spirit that helps and guides us through this life and leads us on the path to everlasting life with You. In the name above all others, Jesus, our Lord we pray. Make it so...            

HAVE PATIENCE?

Dear Grandkids,
I know it's hard sometimes to wait for things you want and for other things to happen for you but that's where 'patience' comes in. Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. It allows us to be content and happy while we wait on God to answer our prayers and supply our needs. Just remember, He is our Provider, our Protector, our Healer, and our Source for all good things.
So that's why the bible says, "Keep on knocking, and the door will be open, keep on seeking and you will find, keep on asking and it will be given you."
And don't forget that God uses other people to bless us so that's where to expect the blessings to come from. Not necessarily people we know or relatives but even strangers may come from out of nowhere and be a blessing to us when we least expect it. So be on the look out from all sources and expect good things and good people to come your way. Ask God to put the right people in your path and the right people to be your friends.
Choose your friends and companions wisely. Watch what they do and how they act, speak, and spend their time because the people we choose to associate with are the ones we tend to be like. The saying, "Birds of a feather flock together" holds true most of the time so make sure you are not close friends with liars, thieves, bullies, stingy people,drug addicts, whiners, mean people, and those who are disrespectful to parents, teachers, police officers, brothers and sisters, and older people, and those who choose not to believe in God or Jesus because their ways may rub off on you and you might become one of the "bad birds" who get in trouble all the time and disgrace your mother and your father and have a life full of regrets and trouble. These kinds of people lack wisdom.
Instead, surround yourself with honest and trustworthy people who respect authority figures, like parents and teachers and police officers. Those who are polite and helpful to others and who are positive in their way of thinking. People who are kind, caring, and generous, those who are considerate of others, not prejudice because of race or color, and make friends with people who believe in God and Jesus because most of the time these kinds of people will be a blessing to you and will make your life more joyful. These are the ones who have been taught true wisdom. On the other hand, the 'bad birds' will be a curse to you and will make your life miserable and regretful....   Love Grandpap

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

  "The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel;
for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young---- let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance---- for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise."
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."     Proverbs 1:1-7  (N.I.V.)

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, thank You for all of our blessings. For the beauty that surrounds us, for the food we eat, the clean water we drink, and the love You show us every day. We ask that You put wise and good people in our paths to be our friends and companions. That you bless us with all good things and help us to understand what true wisdom is and how to get it. Let us experience abundance and prosperity so we can have more than enough to share with others and be a blessing in Your name. Help us to avoid those who may wish to do us harm but be a light to those who are in the dark concerning You that they may be blessed through us... Thank You Father, in the name Jesus, Yeshua, our Lord and King and by the power of the Holy Spirit, make it so... Amen

WHAT IS PRAYER?

Dear Grandkids,
Some people don't pray because they don't know how or they simply don't believe there is a God. But we know better than that and we have the privilege to talk to our God anytime we want to or need to. God hears us because His Spirit lives in us, He is the spark that causes our heart to beat and our brains to think. So, it doesn't really matter if we pray out loud or silently to ourselves He can hear us. Really, He knows what we need before we even ask but He likes it when we talk to Him because that's one way we can glorify Him and praise Him and express our love towards Him.
It would be very good for you to memorize the model prayer in the bible found in the book of Matthew Chapter 6:9-13 it goes like this: "Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed (kept holy) be your name.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day and our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of debts and have given up resentment against) our debtors.
And lead (bring) us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
Matthew 6:9-13   (Amplified Bible)

Now different translations of the bible may word this differently but the prayer is the same. I used this version because I wanted you to know what  these words mean. Like the word "hallowed", that word means 'kept holy' and the word "holy" mean to "set apart" "special" "highly exalted" if you want to you can look that word up in a dictionary for better understanding. The main thing is that you acknowledge your heavenly Father and talk to Him at least every day. I usually pray first thing in the morning, then before every meal and again at night before bedtime, and even through the day if there is something special I want or need or if I want to pray for someone else. I always start out with "Thank You" that seems to work best for me because God seems to answer most of my prayers. I find that amazing because I know I'm not even worthy of His hearing me because I am a sinner. But when Jesus came, He changed everything. That's why we should always end our prayers by praying in the "name of Jesus". Jesus is our mediator and no one can come to the Father without first going through Jesus.
There's is much more to be said about prayer but the best way to understand prayer is to just do it. Sometimes it may not seem that God hears us but He really does, it just takes Him a while sometimes to make things happen for us but the key to this is patients and "faith". We'll learn about what faith is in another letter. What really matters now is that you 'practice praying' every day, kinda like practicing a game or a musical instrument and be consistent, don't stop praying just because you don't see things happen right away. Make prayer a habit, it's a way we can renew our minds too.
Love Grandpap

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen.  Then your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their  many words. Do not be like them , for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him"  
Matthew 6:5-8  (N. I. V.)

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, we thank You for the privilege we have to talk to You and express our love for You. We thank you for all our blessings great and small and especially for Jesus, You Son who came to save us from our sins and lead us on a path to Your Kingdom. Thank You for all of our answered prayers and for giving us the things that are best for us, things that bring us peace, joy, and happiness. Thank You Lord God in the name of Jesus we pray, make it so, Amen      

  

WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID

Dear Grandkids,
When I was little I can't remember anyone trying to teach me anything about God so I grew up not knowing much about why everything was how it was. Only what I heard here and there and mostly that was someone using God's name in a cuss word or in a useless way. I'm sure you've heard all that too but I'm teaching you the truth about God because I know it's very important to have Him in your life. I've lived both ways, and let me tell you that it's much better to live with Him in your life than without Him.
When you start to draw near to God and desire Him He will draw nearer to you and you will feel His Spirit guiding you and He will become a great joy to you. When you talk to Him (pray) He will hear you and if it's in your best interest He will give you what you ask for. So when you talk to Him always thank Him first and then ask Him for things according to His Word and will. Like, instead of asking for a nice toy, or money, or something material ask Him for happiness, joy, comfort, peace and so forth. These things are found in His Kingdom so when you seek after the things in His Kingdom He will give you the material things on earth that will bring you happiness, peace, joy, comfort, and pleasure.
There are no poor people in God's kingdom. So ask Him for prosperity and abundance. There are no sick people in God's kingdom so ask Him for health and healing, there are no sad people in His kingdom so ask Him for joy and peace, there are no crazy people in His Kingdom so ask Him for a sound mind and wisdom.... If you ask Him for things like this He will give you the necessary things on this earth to make all these other things happen.
That's why reading, and listening, and studying His Word is so important. It's so that you come to know what His purpose is for you. And believe me, He has a good plan for each and every one of us who take Him to heart and believe in Him. Even though you can't see God He is real and He blesses us through other people and by His Spirit that is living in each and every one of us...  Love Grandpap

SCRIPTURES FOR TODAY

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" 
Matthew 21:22  (N.I.V.)

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it."     John 14:12-14  (N.I.V.)

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God..............."     Genesis 20:4-6  (N.I.V.)


PRAYER FOR TODAY

Thank You Father God for all the promises and blessings found in Your Word. Thank You for wisdom, peace, love and joy. We believe You when You make us promises and we know You want only the best for us so we praise You Lord and we love You Father. Help us everyday to know You better and do the things that please you. Be our Guide, our Protector, and our Provider... Thank You. In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.. Make it so, Amen.
 

WHY SHOULD WE HONOR AND BLESS THE JEWS

Dear Grandkids,
All through out history the nations and people who have respected and helped the Jews have been blessed by God and those who have persecuted and treated them badly have been cursed. A prime example of this is the United States of America. This country was originally founded as a refuge for the Jewish people when they were expelled from Spain for not converting to Christianity. God has blessed this land and the people who live here for many years and has made this nation the greatest on earth. It was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and for many years has honored the Jewish people, for one reason, without the Jews there would be no Christianity. Since Jesus was a Jew, and all the apostles, not to mention every person who God used to write the bible, all of them were Jews.
I won't go into all the details on this subject but it would be a blessing to you to study this on your own.
I believe what God said when He told Abram, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and who ever cures you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
History testifies to that. For hundreds of years the Jewish people had been scattered all over the world without a homeland. In recent history, the Jewish people were gathered back to the land known as Palestine and the nation of Israel was established in a day with Jerusalem as her capitol. This happened in May of 1948 and considered a miracle my many because all the countries surrounding them were enemies, Arab nations hell bent on destroying them and retaking their land. But God did not let that happen, the war of independence was won miraculously then the 1967 6 day war was won, then the Yom Kippur war in 1973. All these were won against all odds. The hand of God was with Israel and still is to this day because God promised them that they would have the land of Israel forever. Even today the Arabs are plotting to annihilate the Jewish people and take back the land. But we can be sure that this will never happen because God is always true to His promises, always... not to mention His love for the Jewish people even though they have not always been faithful to Him.
So that brings us up to the present day, 2016 and what is happening in the world today regards to the nation of Israel and the U.S.A. Our current political administration has not been as friendly and helpful to Israel as past administrations and the last 7 years with the Obama Whitehouse shows that we are under a curse because of the financial collapse of 2008, all the natural disasters, and the increase in violence around our country and the threat of terror attacks by radical Islamists. Our President is on the wrong path regarding the Middle East and Israel. I believe he has be blinded and misguided by the enemy (Satan) to forsake Israel and stand by and watch another attempt to destroy her, this time by means of nuclear weapons....With all this said, I hope you have a clearer understanding of the Jews and why we need to stand by them and be a blessing to them with our love and resources... Love Grandpap

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

"And God spoke all these words:
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
"You shall have no other gods before me."    Exodus 20:1-3

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Thank You Father in the name of Jesus, we give You thanks and praise that you are calling us to be apart of Your great kingdom. We love You Lord and we love your Word which teaches us about Your people and your great love and mercy and grace that saves us. Thank You father for watching over us in these last days and protect us and deliver us from the evil in this world. Give us wisdom and understanding and let Your Spirit guide us through the hard times to come. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, make it so... Amen
       

WHY SOME PEOPLE HATE THE JEWS

Dear Grandkids,
If you ever hear people talk bad about the Jewish people it's because they are ignorant of the facts about who the Jews really are.
During the reformation of the Christian religion certain church leaders believed that the Christian church replaced the Jews as God's chosen people which is not true. In fact, believers in Jesus, who was also a Jew, were 'grafted' into the chosen people of God just as a branch of a tree can be grafted onto another tree to become part of that particular tree, in this case, all of us who believe in Jesus as our Savior have been grafted in and included with the Jews as God's special chosen people. Those who hate the Jews evidently don't understand this and the main reason being that they blame the Jews for killing Jesus, which is even more a lie because Jesus gave Himself up to be a sacrifice for our sins, He had to die on a specific date, and all the details regarding His death were written down hundreds of years earlier by Jewish prophets under the inspiration of  God the father in the bible. No man or people took His life, He offered it up willingly to pay for the sins of the whole world.
 The leaders of the early Christian church wanted to separate themselves from the Jewish people and all the customs and holy days or 'feast days'
that the Jews observed were rejected by the church leaders and replaced with pagan celebrations, Christmas and Easter being the most popular. These Holidays are pagan celebrations disguised as Christian. Even the observance  of the Sabbath has been distorted by the early church fathers to be changed from the traditional Jewish Sabbath which starts at sun down on Friday night until sun down on Saturday night. The church changed that to Sunday, which is the first day of the week and justified it by saying it was the Lord's day because that was the day Jesus rose from the dead. If you look at the Ten Commandments I think it's the fourth one that says, "Remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy." The true biblical Sabbath is not Sunday, but from Friday at sun down til Saturday at sundown. This is just another distortion of the truth set forth by the early church to undermine the practices if the Jewish people and separate the Christians from the Jews. Which I believe is another tactic of the 'enemy' the Devil, to further separate and divide the people against God and cause confusion so that many fall away from even wanting to know who God really is.

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

"Then the LORD said to Moses, "say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so that you will know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy."       Exodus 31:12-13

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Thank You Father God for Your Word that helps us understand You and that will separate truth from lies. Thank You for Your Spirit that gives us life and guides us and teaches us right from wrong.. Help us to choose the right ways to think and act as we live our lives and get closer to You. Thank You for providing for us richly and protecting us from all forms of sickness and disease and accidents and the attacks from the enemy.. Help us be better people and bring glory and honor to Your name. In the name of Jesus our Lord, make it so, Amen. 

 

WHO ARE THE JEWISH PEOPLE?

Dear Grandkids,
Sooner or later you will learn about the Jewish people but don't believe everything you hear about them because there are a lot of lies spread about them. The truth about the Jews can be found in the Bible and you can count on that to be true. Ok, now there was a man in the book of Genesis named Abram, he believed God and God counted him as righteous because he heard God's voice and obeyed when God called on Him so God blessed him and made his descendants into a great nation, (the Israelites,) who later became know as the Jewish people. These are God's chosen people forever, even to this day they are His people. Even though they eventually dishonored God by worshipping false Gods of other nations He still loved them and made them great but He also punished them and they suffered many years with out God's favor on them. God changed Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai, his wife's name was changed to Sarah. Eventually Sarah gave birth to Isaac and the Isaac fathered Jacob and from Jacob came 12 sons who were the fathers of all the Jewish people... God gave them Land of Israel to live in forever and they are there now as a testimony to Gods promise to them. I can't go into all the details about the Jewish people but you can read about them for your selves in the bible.
Today the country of Israel is surrounded by it's enemies, the Arabs, who descended from Abrahams other son Ishmael who became the father of all the Arab people as God promised to make him into a great nation also. The hatred felt today towards the Jewish people stems back to this time in history because Abraham banished Ishmael his son and cut him off from his inheritance as a son because Ishmael was not the son of "promise" that God said he and Sarah would have. Ishmael was the son of a slave girl that Sarah hooked up Abraham with because she didn't believe God when He told her she would have a son at the age of 90 and Abram was 100. Abraham went along with it anyway. Hagar was the slave of Sarah who Abraham slept with to produce Ishmael. Any way, about 10 years later Sarah conceived the son of "promise" Isaac, and then Isaac produced Jacob and all the Jewish people came from the 12 sons of Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel.
Even though these people were stubborn and many were disobedient God still loved them and blessed them. This is how the Jewish people came to be and why even now they are hated by their Arab brothers.

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

"The LORD said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land  I will show you.
"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."    Genesis 12:1-3    (N.I.V.)

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Thank You Father God for all our blessings especially the blessings of Abraham which are still ours today if we believe You. Thank You  for Your Word and all the questions You answer for us there. Help us to understand Your chosen people and help us to bless them with our love and our resources. Help us to bring glory and honor to Your name and find favor in Your eyes despite our imperfections and ignorance. We thank You for Your Spirit and Your Word, in the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen, make it so..  

WHERE WE CAME FROM

Dear Grandkids,
Let me tell you the story of where we all came from... After God created the earth, the sky, the oceans and lakes and rivers, all the plants and trees, the moon and the stars, all the fish in the sea, then the birds in the air, bugs and worms and after that He made dogs and cats and all the creatures great and small, even the dinosaurs, elephants and lions, cows, horses and pigs. Everything alive on earth today was the result of His creation, everything reproduced itself after its own kind. That's why an apple tree can't produce oranges and a pine tree can't make walnuts and a bear can't breed with a cow and dogs can't breed with birds and man can't breed with a monkey. And He did it all with only His spoken Word... After all of these things were in place on the earth it was time for Him to make us humans. Then God formed the first man out of the dirt of the earth, some say He used clay but what ever the kind of dirt He used was from the ground. Then He breathed His Spirit into the nostrils of the man and the man became a living soul. Now the man could walk and talk and think. And he was God's special creation. There was not another creature on earth like him because God made man in His own image. Male and female He made them. God made man because He wanted someone to Love Him and someone for Him to love, you see, God is "love." He called the first mans name Adam and his wife's name was Eve.
God put the first man and woman in a beautiful garden, surrounded by all the other creatures He had made. Man did not have to worry about anything because God provided everything for them  to be happy and content. The wild animals then were no danger to people because God made them all friendly to each other were under Adams control. Adam even got to name all the animals, wow imagine that! God brought all the animals one by one to Adam to see what he would call it.

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."  Genesis 1:26-27

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, thank You Lord for Your Word and all the wisdom and knowledge it gives us. Thank You for loving us and being our Provider, our Protector, our Healer, and our Savior. Help us to know You better and understand why we are here and what we are suppose to be doing here. Help us to learn Your Word and share it with others, everyone who wants to know and even those of us who don't want to know must at least hear it from somewhere. Thank You for being Our God and drawing us closer to you by Your Word and Spirit... In Jesus name make it so.       

DEAR GRANDKIDS

Dear Grandkids,
 I'm writing today to let you know I am so proud of you and that I love you so much even though I am not there to be a source of wisdom for you and teach you things you need to know. When I was young, things were so different than now and I grew up in a different time and place. But over the years I have gained wisdom and knowledge and experiences that I am eager to share with you. Things that will make your life easier and more joyful than was mine as I was learning and experiencing life. Do's and don'ts, in this world, timeless tidbits of information that always prove true and useful. The true facts of life, things you probably won't learn in schools and can only be found by searching and asking and knocking on the door of true wisdom.
Almost everything I will share with you can be traced back to the source of life, our Creator, our Father God, in whose love I have learned to trust despite my sinful nature and wrong desires and past ignorance, even now I am in awe of His never failing love for me, even in my present condition which leaves much to be desired as I am still a work in progress and I will be until He calls me home. So, I pray that you will take to heart these letters I am writing to you and apply them to your present situations and conditions no matter what you are going through in this world. My aim is to help you and guide you through the gift of life that He has given you in hopes that you will bypass some of the troubles you will inevitably experience. The best place to start is the beginning.......

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day"   Genesis 1:1-5 (N.I.V.)

Kid's, I know the schools won't teach you this because the enemy has blinded the minds of so called wise and learned people into thinking that there is no "God". Well don't believe that because there really is and God can be seen in every living creature. Look how everything has been made. Look at the infinite details in the wings of a butterfly or the shape and design of a leaf. Or look at how wonderfully God has created you, with all your special details, the color of your hair and eyes, the unique sound of your voice, the way you walk and your ability to think and all your special talents. He knit you together in your mother's womb and has numbered the hairs of your head.
So despite what the schools and our government would like you to think, don't believe it! Evolution is a farce! Only our Creator God could have set this universe in motion. There can be no other explanation. The fact that God does exist answers all the questions we have about life and time and space. Even though we may not understand 'how' He did it and how all these things came to be it all comes to the 'source' which is a "Super Natural God," who created all things and whose ways are far above our ways and whose mind is far above our minds. Here is my prayer for you today:

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, thank You for this day and all our blessings. Thank You for Your creation and all the beauty that surrounds us on every side. You are so awesome, there is no one like You and no one who could have done the things that You have done. Help us to know You and understand Your love for us and how to worship You and honor You so that we may find favor in  Your eyes. That our lives will be peaceful and joyful and prosperous. We thank You Lord God, in the name of Jesus, we pray, make it so....