Digging Deeper~ Christmas Eve

Is.62:6-12: Isaiah prophecies to God's people of his promise to save them. He tells the people to pray without stopping until the promise is fulfilled. He tells those people from far countries to encourage His people until Jerusalem is rebuilt and seen as a Holy City. 

Ps. 97: God is king over all the earth. He is powerful. All the gods should worship God. When Jerusalem hears this, she is glad.  Far away lands should be glad. For God destroys his enemies and frees those who follow him. 

Titus 3:4-7:

God show kindness and love to us when he sent Jesus. Jesus' blood washes our sins and make us new. And the Holy Spirit is given to us, so we can receive the life that never ends. We can not receive this life by our good works, only though Jesus. 

Luke 2:(1-7),8-20:Details on how Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem & how God's angels told shepherds about the birth of the last lamb that would save the world and bring peace to them.

Isaiah prophesied about he would save them from their enemies. He tells them that when that happens God's people in Jerusalem should be happy, and so will those who follow God in countries that are far away. Then he tells them to pray until that day comes (Is. 62:6-12). King David also reminds his people that God is king over all the earth. He also tells them that God will some day save his people.When he does, all who follow God will be glad. Including those who live in far away countries (Ps. 97). I believe that these prophecies are speaking of the salvation that Jesus came to give to all people who will follow him. We are told this in Titus 3:4-7.  This is the message that Christmas brings to us. We hear it as the angels tell the shepherds of Jesus birth.  It is believed that the shepherds that were told of Jesus' birth were the ones who raised the sheep and lambs for the temple sacrifice. That would explain why God wanted them to know about Jesus' birth. For what the angels were telling them was that Jesus was to be the last lamb to be sacrificed for men's sin. For he became the lamb that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29, 36 ). We can be saved and have spiritual peace, because of what God did for us through Jesus. All we have to do is ask for him to save us and then follow him in this world and into eternal life(Titus 3:4-7). So you see, Jesus was the first Christmas gift. And if you choose to be saved by him and follow him. Your salvation can be a Christmas gift that will last through out your life and for eternally.  Challenge for the day: Today stop and think about how Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away our sins. If you have not been saved by him yet, please consider asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins and save you from the slavery of sin. If you have been saved by Jesus take the time to thank Jesus for loving you enough to humble himself to become a human to suffer and die for your sins so that you can be freed from being a slave to sin.  Accomplishment of the day: How did you thinking on God's Christmas gift of Jesus and what he did for you, make the day richer spiritually?

Digging Deeper~ 4th Advent Sunday

Is. 35:1-10:God will comfort his people and the people and the land will sing for joy. Luke 1:47-55:Mary's song of praise to God. In her song, she speaks of how good God has been to those who worship Him including his people. For God has kept his promise to Abraham and his children. Jas.5:7-11: Be patient until the Lord come again. Your examples of this patience is like a farmer who waits for his crops to be ready to harvest, or like the Prophets who suffered greatly but were patience. Lastly there is the patience of Job who lost so much and had health problems, but was patience. God blessed him for his patience in the end. Do not judge each other for we know not when our Judge, God is coming back. So live a holy life and don't give up hope. Mat. 1:2-11:The generations of Jesus from Abraham to Jehoiachin which is the time that the people were carried off to Babylon. God had made a promise to Abraham that he would be a Father of many children and that a great ruler would come through him(Gen. ). Abraham in deed became the Father of many including the 12 tribes of God's chosen people. But that promise did not keep his people from suffering in the hands of their enemies. We see that as we read about the generations that followed him. We also see that it affected Jesus family when we read his genealogy in Matthew 1:2-11 for it gives the line until his people were carried away to Babylon. During some of the times that the Israelites where suffering under other countries they often lost hope. So God would send Prophets to  encourage them. One such prophet was Isaiah. In Isiah 35:1-10, Isiah is trying to encourage God people to not give up but to be patient and wait for God to turn things around for them and fulfill hid promise tot hem in due time. Mary knew that God was fulfilling that Promise through God baby that she now carried when she sang a song of praise to Him (Luke 1:47-55).  As we think on how Jesus was the fulfillment of God promise, not only to his people, but to all mankind. Let us also take to heart the words of the promise of Jesus' coming back to earth some day as James tells us in his book (Jas.5:7-11). And let us not be found growing weary, but ever patiently waiting on God to fulfill his promises to us. Today and in the future.  Challenge of the week: This week. take the time to think on how God fulfill his promise of sending Jesus to earth, as that is why we have Christmas.  Thanks God for fulfilling that promise. Then think of all the other promises that God has made to us in his Word, and b encouraged for as he kept the promise of Jesus , he will also keep other promises to you. Just be patient and wait for God to fulfill it.  Accomplishment of the week:  So how did thinking on God's faithfulness of keeping his promise of Jesus help you be willing to wait upon other promises in his Word this week? Click here to Reply, Reply to all, or Forward 0.77 GB (5%) of 15 GB used Manage Terms - Privacy Last account activity: 31 minutes ago Details

Digging Deeper~3ed Sunday of Advent

Is.11:1-10: A prophecy of the King of peace coming.This peace will be between men and men; men and animals; animals and animals; nation and nation for he shall rule over them all from God's holy hill.  Ps. 72:1-7,18-19:David's prayer for Solomon asking for wisdom to rule the people in such a way that there will be peace on the mountains. Then he praises God for miracles & asks that the God of Israel's glory would fill the whole earth. This also can be seen as a prophecy of Jesus.    Rom.15:4-13:Paul shares how Jesus fulfilled prophecies of him coming to rule over Jews and non Jewish people giving them all hope. These prophecies can be found  in Ps.18:49; Deut.32:43; Is.11:10. Because Jesus has patience with us and has accepted us, we should accept each other and get along.   Mat.3:1-12:John the Baptist came preaching about repenting to prepare the way of the coming King. This fulfilled the Prophecy that Isiah gave in Isiah 40:3.  Isiah prophesied about a king coming to earth to set up his kingdom. He also prophesied about someone coming a head of that king to announce his coming as they did in Jesus culture (Isiah 40:3). John the Baptist was the one who came ahead of Jesus to announce that today is the name of repentance which fulfilled that prophecy    (Mat.3:1-12).  David prayed for his son when he was to become king. But many also believe that his prayer also prophecies about the coming of Jesus (Ps. 72:1-7,18-19). Is. also prophesied about the day when the final king comes and rules over the earth bringing peace to all who live in it including animals(Is. 11:1-10). Many believe that these prophecies will come true when Jesus come to the new earth to rule.  As Jesus' followers we look forward to the day when peace will come to the whole earth when he come to rule it. But we Can have peace of mind and heart now through Christ Jesus. All we have to do is look to Jesus and his Word for us and he will give us peace.  Challenge of the week:  Prepare you heart and mind for Christmas by looking to Jesus who is called the King of peace. How do you think you will do that? Accomplishment of the week: How did you go about finding the peace that is spoken of at Christmas? Click here to Reply, Reply to all, or Forward 0.77 GB (5%) of 15 GB used Manage Terms - Privacy Last account activity: 2 hours ago Details

Digging Deeper~2ed Sunday of Advent

Is. 2:1-5: God told Isaiah that the day would come when the mountain in which the temple in Jerusalem is on will become the most important mountain in the world. There will be a time when people from all nations will say, "Let us go up to the mountain of God where He will teach us his ways." Then the message will go out from there and peace will be known though out the world for God will be the king of the whole earth.

Ps.122: I was glad when they said to me", let us go to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem". Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. For my family and friends, I repeat, "let Jerusalem have peace". 

Rom.13:11-14: This is an important time. So do not live in darkness satisfying your sinful lust by having wild parties where you drink, and be involved in sexual sins. Do not even take the time to be Jealous or fight. For the time of the Lord draws near and time is short. Instead we should fight the darkness by taking up our spiritual weapons and live the ways of Light. 

Mat.24:36-44: No one knows when Jesus is coming back. Not even the angels or Jesus himself, only the Father knows. So since you do not know know when he is coming back. So live as though he is coming back today. that way you will not be caught doing evil when he returns. 

 Like it or not, how Jerusalem goes, so does the world. So it is important that we pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122). Our time here on earth is short. so it is important that we live lives of purpose in the kingdom of Light. With the time of Christ being so close, we do not have the time to involve ourselves in the evil activities of the Kingdom of Darkness. Instead we should take up our weapons of spiritual warfare such as love, prayer, reading, learning, and sharing the Word of God with those around us (Rom. 13:11-14). We do not know when Jesus is coming back for us, for Jesus doesn't know. So we should be living everyday in such a way that we would not be caught doing evil when he returns(Mat. 24:36-44). For the day is coming when Jesus will return and set up his kingdom on the Holy mountain in Jerusalem(Is. 2:1-5).

Challenge of the week:

What will you change in your life to have your life be more godly? What things will you lay aside so that you will be living in the Kingdom of Light and not Darkness? Will you pray for the peace of Jerusalem? 

Accomplishment of the week?

So how did you change your life and actions this week? How did that help prepare you for Christmas? Did you pray for the peace of Jerusalem?

Digging Deeper~1st Sunday of Advent

Jer. 23:1-6:God warns the leaders of Judah for not taking care of His people. He promises a day when they will have a good leader. Luke 1:68-79:Zechariah Prophecies of the coming of the promised leader who will be Jesus. He tells everyone that his son, John will be the prophet that comes before Jesus.  Col. 1:11-20:Jesus made us free for he paid for our sins on the cross. Luke 23:33-43: Here we see that Jesus was crucified and on top of the cross it had a sign that said, "King of the Jews". Why did Jesus come to earth on Christmas? Jesus came to earth on Christmas to fulfill many prophecies that promised many things to his people including freedom. One prophet who spoke of that promise was Jeremiah. When God's people were being oppressed by their evil leaders. God has Jeremiah tell them that some day he would send them a good leader (Jer. 23:1-6).  Then when John the Baptist was born, his Father, Zechariah prophesied that the time of the promised leader was near. He also said that his son, John would be the one who would come before Jesus and prepare the people for him (Luke 1:68-79). Jon indeed did grow up and prepared the people for Jesus' preaching. After Jesus preached for 3 years, he fulfilled the prophecies when he went to the cross and paid for our sins so that we could be free from our sins (Col. 1:11-10). To further show that Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies a sign was hung over Jesus' head on the cross that said, "King of the Jews" (Luke 23:33-43).  That is why Jesus came down to earth and was born on Christmas. He was born to die for our sins and set us free from the bonds of it.  Challenge of the week: This week, take the time to really ponder the loving reason Jesus lowered himself and became a human and was born on Christmas day.  Thank him for doing so and then go tell others..  Accomplishment of the week: Did you ponder on Jesus' love for you this week? How did that change how you look at Christmas? Did you take the time to thank him for doing so. Did you tell anyone else of this Great News?  Click here to Reply, Reply to all, or Forward 0.76 GB (5%) of 15 GB used Manage Terms - Privacy Last account activity: 33 minutes ago Details

Welcome to "Digging Deeper". 2ed devotional book.

Welcome!

Well, The advent Season has started. that means that we start a new year in the Lord. I pray that you will come along with me as we dig deeper in the Word of God for the next year. As with the first book, "Steps of Faith", I will be writing this so that you can read the devotional of the week on the first day of your week. Then you can read the verses during the week. At the end of the weekly devotional, I will be giving you a challenge for the week that is meant to help you put into action what you have learned. I challenge you to write the challenge down and how you plan to fulfill it. then at the end of the week, to stop and reflect on how you accomplished your goal for the week. In this way, you can see how you are growing in the Lord. 

So come along with me in "Digging Deeper" into the Word of God!

Blessings!

Chaplain Toni Whitacre-Kratochvil

Goodbye to "Steps of Faith"

Well, It has been an eventful year, where we all should have seen growth as we walk through this devotional and took our personal steps of faith.  I pray that this book helped you grow spiritually.
Thanks for walking this path with me this last year. I also thank God for walking this path with us.

I have one last challenge for you. Please take the time to reflect on how you have grown in the last year. Then thank God for walking this path with you.

"Steps of Faith" is one book in a series of 3 books that can be used for three years and then start over again with them. If you do this you should be on the 3 year rotation of the Christian calendar. The next book is called, "Digging Deeper". We start in that book next week, which is the first day of Advent.

Blessings!

Chaplain Toni Whitacre-Kratochvil

Steps of Faith~Last devotional of this book

Is. 65:17-25:The time of a new heaven and a new earth that will make the people happy.

Is. 12 or Ps 118:Songs of praise because of the great things God has done.Sing them so that others will hear and know.

2 Thess. 3:6-13: It is your duty to work. for those who do not work often put their noses in other people's business. 

Luke 21:15-19:Remain strong in your faith no matter who comes against you, including family. 

Paul tells his followers to make sure that they live quiet lives in work. For it is their duty to do so. He tells them that many times people who do not work go about putting their noses in other business where it does not belong. Paul was his followers example for even while he was preaching Christ to others, he continued to work making tents, so as not to be a burden to anyone(2 Thess. 3:6-13).  One way we can spread the message of Christ while working, is to sing of the great things God has done. this can be done as a form of praise and worship, but it also can help those around us to hear and know how great God is (Is. 12 or Ps. 118). Now like Paul you might have people make it hard on you because follow Jesus. Remain strong in your faith no matter who comes against you, including your family(Luke 21:15-19). For if you remain faithful to God, you will see the time of the new Heaven and new earth(Is. 65:17

25).

Challenge of the week:

 What parts of this lesson do you believe that you need to work on in your life this week? 

Accomplishment of the week:

How did you do on your challenge this week?  

Steps of Faith~ 33rd Sunday of ordinary time

Hag. 1:15b-2:9: The Lord of heaven's army gives messages to his messenger, Haggi to give to Zerubbabel the governor of Judah, and Joshua who was the high priest. The message said, " It is now time to rebuild the temple of the Lord. You have been working on rebuilding your rich houses and my temple is still in ruins. This is why you have planted seeds but little grows. This is why you eat, but are never full. This is why you drink, but remain thirsty. This is why you put on clothes, but are still cold. This is why you work to earn money, but it is never enough.This why you are in a drought. Go now and rebuild my temple. So the people got excited about rebuilding the temple. Then God promises them that  he would be with them, and that the new temple will be more beautiful then the old one was. 

Ps.145:1-5,17-21:A song of praise to God for all that he has done including miracles. With love God takes care and protects those who truly prays to him.He  stays close to those people. But he will destroy those who are evil. 

2 Thess. 2:1-5,13-17: You should pray for all people. Such as ask for things that people need & give thanks when they come. You should also pray for those who rule over you in government. Pray for all your leaders, so that you may live a quiet and peaceful life full of worship and respect of God. This is what pleases God. God want all people to be saved and he wants everyone to know the truth. The truth is that there is only one God and we can only get to him through Jesus Christ who gave himself to pay for all people sins. What Jesus did, shows us that God wants all men to be saved from their sins. Then Paul goes on and gives instructions on the chain of spiritual chain of command. Which is the Husband, wife, and then children. This is because Eve was tricked by the snake in the garden. Then he goes on and says that women will be saved by continuing in the faith, love, holiness, and self-control. 

Luke 20:28-40:Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey as king.The Pharisees tell Jesus to make the people to stop singing praises to him. Jesus tells them that if the people stops singing that the stones will cry out.

As Christians we should pray. What sort of things should we pray for, you ask. Pray for the salvation of others, for it is God's will for all to be saved. We should also pray for the things that people need and then pray and thank God when he supplies it. We should pray for the leaders over us. Depending on who you are that could be praying for a parent, husband, bosses, preachers & board member of a church, government leaders, even kings or presidents(2 Thess. 2:1-5,13-17). 

Why should we pray for them? Because they have to carry heavy loads of responsibility while leading us, and that involves making decisions that will affect our lives in ways that will or will not allow us to live quiet and peaceful lives. We see this in Haggi 1:15b-2:9, when Haggi,  the prophet has the responsibility of taking a hard message to Zerbbubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the priest.Who in turn had the responsibility of taking the message to the people that they served. We too have people over us who has very hard decisions that they face daily that affects our lives. So pray for them remembering that Jesus is the one they have to answer to since he is over them.

So let us pray for all people and give thanks for answered prayers and all the good things God has brought into our lives (Ps. 145:1-5,17-21). For if we do not praise god for his goodness, the stones will cry out for us.Which will take the joy of doing so away from us (Luke 20:27-38).

Challenge of the week:

This week pray for those that God has put over you.  This may not be easy if you really don't like them, but pray for them anyways. Then make sure that you thank God when he answers your prayers. 

Accomplishment of the week:

So how did you do this week? Did you pray for your leaders?

Steps of faith~ 32nd Sunday in ordinary time(Nov.6, 2016)

Hab.1:1-4, 2:1-4: Habbakkuk complains to God about the evil going on in the land. God answers and tells him that a nation who trust in itself and not God and does evil will fail. But those who does trust in God will live.

Ps.119:137-144:Lord, your laws are fair, & right. My enemies have forgotten your words. But I who is not important have not forgotten your words for I love them. They are good forever. 

2 Thess.1:1-4,11-12:Paul greets the church at Thessalonica for they are growing in the Lord even in the face of suffering for the Kingdom. Then he encourages them to not be afraid when the Man of Evil comes and raises himself above all other gods causing people to fall away from God.For this must happen before the coming of the Lord. 

Luke 19:1-10: Zacchaeus who was a very important tax collector heard that Jesus had come into Jericho. He wanted to see Jesus, but was too short to see him above all the heads of the people. So he climbed into a Sycamore tree so that he could see him. As Jesus passed by the tree, he looked up into the tree and told Zacchaus to come down for he would be eating at this house that day. While they were eating , the people around them said to themselves that Jesus must not be good for he is eating with a sinner. Zacchaus told Jesus that he would take half of his money to give to the poor and would pay anyone he has cheated anyone, he would pay them double what he took from them. Jesus then said, " Salvation has come to this house today. The son of Man came to find and save the lost."

When we see evil being done in our countries. When we see that a country is becoming so evil that the laws of the land encourages evil doing (Hab.1:1-4, 2:1-4). We who trust in God should follow the law of God. We may not seem like important people in our communities. But to God,we are important to His Kingdom (Ps. 119:137-144). But someone who is important in the land can change and become important in the Kingdom of God. We see this when Zacchaeus turned from his evil ways and stated to follow Jesus (Luke 19:1-10).  When we are faithful to God words, we will live forever(Ps. 119:137-144). Then in evil times when it seems so very evil and we hear of the Lord's coming. Do not be afraid, but remember that the Man of Evil has to come first. Just stand strong in that time and follow  God laws for they are good and will save you. 

Challenge of the week:

 Are you following Jesus? If not consider what the cost of not following Him is. Then consider what the cost of following Him is. Then make a decision as to what you will do with Jesus the Christ. Then tell someone of your decision. 

If you are a follower of Christ, I encourage you to stay in the Law of God following it over man's law no matter what. Write, how you will do that this week.

Accomplishment of the week:

So what did you do with Jesus and His Law this week? How did that change your life?