Leading Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias Reveals He Has Rare Cancer, Asks for Prayers to Reduce Pain

World-renowned Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias announced in a Facebook post Thursday that he has a malignant tumor of the sacrum, a very rare cancer called Sarcoma.

“We wanted to give you an update on my health, as we know so many of you have been praying and we are so grateful. As many of you know, I underwent surgery to repair my back 3 weeks ago today. The surgery was considered a success, and the surgeon felt it was a strong reconstruction. However, since the surgery I have faced very severe pain, so intense in the night, especially, that I have been unable to sleep,” Zacharias, 73, wrote in the post.

“While we have assumed this pain was a natural consequence of the surgery, we have learned in the past week that a biopsy taken during the procedure revealed that I have a malignant tumor on my sacrum—a very rare cancer called Sarcoma. Indeed, we now know this is the cause of my extreme pain. In the past few days, we have been meeting with specialists to determine the next course of action. They will wait until I am fully healed from the back surgery, and in 4-5 weeks, will begin treatment to shrink the tumor. I will not plan to resume speaking at least until the summer,” he shared. 

The apologist – someone who specializes in explaining and defending the Christian faith – went on to explain that the tumor was discovered during his recent surgery.

“We are trusting the Lord in this, and we believe we have already seen evidence of His hand. For example, the tumor did not show up on any previous scans and was only discovered by my surgeon identifying it during surgery,” Zacharias noted. 

Zacharias also thanked people around the world for their prayers.

“We received literally thousands of messages from people all over the world saying you were praying. I have every belief God directed and prompted my surgeon to his discovery of this tumor. Margie and I and our family are so grateful for your continued prayers for the journey that lies ahead,” he wrote.

He also said his ministry was in good hands during his absence.

“Several of our remarkable speaking team members have been able to step in for me as I am off the road during this time of surgery and recovery. Those of you who will have heard any of our team members speak will have been blessed, I am sure. They will continue to step in for me during this extended time off the road. (I’m so blessed to be part of a team of nearly one hundred gifted RZIM apologists and evangelists, who, in any given month, are speaking hundreds of times in front of live audiences across the globe,” Zacharias added. 

“I am grateful for the love and support of a team and for your friendships. We are trusting the Lord for His purpose. Please do also pray that God will take away this horrific night pain, which is the most difficult part of waiting,” he revealed.

“In the meantime, I want to express my heartfelt thanks for supporting the ministry as it goes forward around the world unabated. We need you to continue to stand with us.

Ravi”

As CBN News reported, Zacharias’s wife Margie had updated the progress of her husband after spinal surgery was performed on him late last month.

Zacharias, 73, runs an international apologetics organization, RZIM, and is widely sought after for his eloquent answers to life’s biggest questions. He’s a prolific author, debater and academic.

Source CBN

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The coronavirus has put an unprecedented halt to the entertainment industry: canceling upcoming movies, suspending all Broadway performances, and scuttling concert tours

The entertainment industry prepared Thursday for an unprecedented shutdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, canceling upcoming movies, suspending all Broadway performances and scuttling concert tours until it’s safe to welcome crowds back.

To accommodate calls for social distancing, Hollywood moved to pause the normal hum of TV productions and the bustle of red-carpet movie premieres. After New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 500 people, Broadway theaters announced that they would close immediately and remain dark through April 12.

The closures amount to a nearly complete halting of the industry, from Lincoln Center to Disneyland, and the largest-scale shutdown of many of the country’s major arteries of culture.

The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington all canceled events through March 31. Live Nation Entertainment and AEG Presents, the world’s largest live-entertainment companies, suspended all current tours through March, including those of Billie Eilish, the Strokes and Post Malone.

Disneyland planned to shut its doors Saturday for the rest of the month.

The dawning awareness of the virus’ reach had already forced the cancellation or postponement of all major imminent events on the calendar, including the sprawling South by Southwest conference and festival in Austin, Texas; Hollywood’s annual movie expo CinemaCon, in Las Vegas; this month’s Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles; the sunny California music festival Coachella, which was put off until October; and big television events like the NBA season, which was put on hiatus after a player tested positive for the virus. The NHL also suspended its season.

Earlier Thursday, California urged bans of not just the largest events but also gatherings of more than 250 to help stymie the virus’ spread. California Gov. Gavin Newsom recommended the cancellation or postponement of gatherings of 250 or more people through at least the end of the month. That put a new focus on Broadway, multiplexes and concert venues.

Hollywood still planned to usher several new movies into theaters beginning Thursday evening. North American’s largest chains, AMC and Regal, did not respond to emails. Cinemas have been closed in China, India, Italy, Poland, Greece and other countries.

Postponements have erased much of the upcoming movie release calendar. John Krasinski, writer and director of “A Quiet Place 2,” announced that his film from Paramount Pictures would not open next week as planned but be rescheduled to for another date. Universal Pictures said the “Fast and Furious” movie titled “F9” would not open May 22 as planned but in April next year.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is that people have said our movie is one you have to see together,” Krasinski said in a message on social media. “Well due to the ever-changing circumstances of what’s going on in the world around us, now is clearly not the right time to do that.”

Paramount also shuffled the release of “Lovebirds” and “Blue Story.” Few major releases remain in the coming weeks, with the notable exception of the Walt Disney Co.’s “Mulan.” It’s set for March 27 in the U.S. A spokesperson for Disney did not immediately comment Thursday.

Across Hollywood, the usual machinations of show business, from auditions to rehearsals, ground to a halt. Apple’s “The Morning Show” was among the many productions put on hiatus. Central Casting closed its offices. The TCM Classic Film festival, scheduled next month in Los Angeles was canceled. Leading talent agents closed their offices and sent agents home to work.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame postponed its annual induction ceremony, scheduled for May 2 in Cleveland. It was to have been televised live for the first time by HBO. Posthumous inductees Whitney Houston and the Notorious B.I.G. were to be honored, along with Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T. Rex. Canada’s top music awards show, the June Awards, was also called off as a precaution.

The announcement Wednesday evening that Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, had tested positive for coronavirus sent shudders through the industry. Hanks was easily the most famous person yet to publicly announce that he had the virus. He was in Australia to shoot an Elvis Presley biopic that Warner Bros. said would halt production.

“Not much more to it than a one-day-a-time approach, no?” Hanks said of their condition.

On Thursday, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Late Show With James Corden” joined other late-night talk shows in announcing they will tape without audiences. That followed similar decisions by CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” NBC’s “Tonight Show” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” and TBS’ “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.”

CBS also said that production on the next season of “Survivor” was being postponed. “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” have also halted tapings with audiences.

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover within a few weeks.

As of Thursday, 38 people had died in the U.S., while more than 1,300 people had tested positive for the virus. Tolls have been higher elsewhere. In Italy, where more than 15,000 people tested positive and more than 1,000 people have died, all stores except pharmacies and food markets were ordered closed.

___

Source: Associated Press – JAKE COYLE

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National Association of Evangelicals Appoints Its First Minority President

National Association of Evangelicals Appoints Its First Minority President


Virginia pastor Walter Kim has been appointed president of the National Association of Evangelicals, becoming the first-ever minority president of the organization.

According to The Christian Post, Kim said at his inauguration that he hopes to bring “reconciliation” and “spiritual renewal” to the association.

“By identity crisis, I certainly mean this discourse that seems to be happening right now and our inability to engage meaningfully and charitably in conversation with one another,” Kim, who was inaugurated in a ceremony held in Washington, D.C. last Thursday, told The Christian Post.

“It’s an opportunity for us to remember the essentials of the Good News to come together in our belief that we as evangelicals are not a political movement. We’re not a social movement. We are a spiritual movement. In the public discourse right now, that often is forgotten, where evangelicalism is often presented as a political movement or a cultural enclave.”

Kim also said that he wants to “build bridges” between “communities of color in the network that NAE represents.”

There are some 45,000 churches represented in the National Association of Evangelicals.

“We are at a point of distrust,” he said. “That distrust makes us dismissive of people who are different from us, who may approach the issues differently but ironically have the deepest core convictions about faith…

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Televangelist Jim Bakker Sued for Selling Fake Coronavirus Cure

Televangelist Jim Bakker is being sued by the state of Missouri for selling fake coronavirus cures on his website. On Monday, the Jim Bakker Show and six other companies were warned by the the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to stop selling unapproved products and treatments.

Bakker’s website offered products like “Silver Sol Liquid,” that claimed to be able to diagnose or cure the coronavirus illness, COVID-19. In a letter to the Jim Bakker Show, the FDA said the products are in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

“The Secretary of Health and Human Services … has determined that a public health emergency exists nationwide as a result of confirmed cases of COVID-19. Therefore, FDA is taking urgent measures to protect consumers from certain products that, without approval or authorization by FDA, claim to mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose or cure COVID 19 in people,” the agency wrote.

The letter ordered Bakker to take immediate actions to correct the violations and gave him 48 hours to take the products off of his site.

Now, Baker and Morningside Church Productions, which produces his show, are being sued by the state of Missouri, where they are based, for selling the Silver Solution and other related products, as outlined in the suit.

The state accuses Bakker of violating the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act by “falsely promising to consumers that Silver Solution can cure, eliminate, kill or deactivate coronavirus and/or boost elderly consumers’ immune system and help keep them healthy when there is, in fact, no vaccine, pill, potion or other product available to treat or cure coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).”

The suit says Bakker has been selling the “Silver Solution” — also known as “Silver Sol” and “Optivida Silver Solution” — since at least February 12, 2020. He promoted the product on his show, saying “it hasn’t been tested on this strain of the coronavirus, but it has been tested on other strains of the coronavirus and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours.”

Source: CBS News

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Prayers to Help Christians Navigate the Coronavirus Pandemic

Prayers to Help Christians Navigate the Coronavirus Pandemic


Empty basketball and soccer arenas. Fanless March Madness. A bullish stock-market-turned bear. International travel restrictions. Stranded cruise ships. Classrooms turned into homerooms. Disappearing toilet paper.

The headlines related to the coronavirus, known as COVID-19, are steady and—at times—unsettling. According to the Whole Health Organization’s Coronavirus situation dashboard, the quickly spreading illness has infected more than 125,000 people worldwide.

Health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have offered a variety of tips to help keep the virus at bay:

– Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

– Use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol 

– Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

– Avoid close contact with people who are sick

– Put distance between yourself and others if COVID-19 is spreading in your community

– Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care

– Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow. Then wash your hands

– Wear a facemask if you are sick

– Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily, including tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks

But what about the deeper matters of the soul?

For Christians worldwide, prayer is one of the most vital…

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PODCAST: Whyte House Family Devotional Reading of Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening #55 with Daniel Whyte III

This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Family Devotional Reading of Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening podcast. This is Episode #55.

Charles Spurgeon was a prominent English Particular Baptist preacher. He was very influential among the Christians of various denominations during his age and even today, and is commonly called the “Prince of Preachers”. After some time of alternately searching for God and running from God, he had a powerful encounter which led him to give his life to Christ. Spurgeon was only 16 when he preached his first sermon and he began publishing books shortly afterward. At the time of his death, he had preached nearly 3,600 sermons and published 49 volumes of commentaries, sayings, anecdotes, illustrations and devotions. Spurgeon said, “encouraging thoughts are like honey to the heart”, and wrote this devotional in hopes that its uplifting messages for each day of the year would bring comfort and refreshment to our walk with God. He was inspired by Isaiah 50:4 which reads, “He wakeneth morning by morning. He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” and Psalm 63:5-6 which says, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches.”

Colossians 1:28 reads: “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:”

Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which trickles from your eye, weeps “imperfection;” every harsh word which proceeds from your lip, mutters “imperfection.” You have too frequently had a view of your own heart to dream for a moment of any perfection in yourself. But amidst this sad consciousness of imperfection, here is comfort for you—you are “perfect in Christ Jesus.” In God’s sight, you are “complete in him;” even now you are “accepted in the Beloved.” But there is a second perfection, yet to be realized, which is sure to all the seed. Is it not delightful to look forward to the time when every stain of sin shall be removed from the believer, and he shall be presented faultless before the throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing? The Church of Christ then will be so pure, that not even the eye of Omniscience will see a spot or blemish in her; so holy and so glorious, that Hart did not go beyond the truth when he said—

“With my Saviour’s garments on,
Holy as the Holy One.”

Then shall we know, and taste, and feel the happiness of this vast but short sentence, “Complete in Christ.” Not till then shall we fully comprehend the heights and depths of the salvation of Jesus. Doth not thy heart leap for joy at the thought of it? Black as thou art, thou shalt be white one day; filthy as thou art, thou shalt be clean. Oh, it is a marvellous salvation this! Christ takes a worm and transforms it into an angel; Christ takes a black and deformed thing and makes it clean and matchless in his glory, peerless in his beauty, and fit to be the companion of seraphs. O my soul, stand and admire this blessed truth of perfection in Christ.

PRAY.

Thank you for listening to the Morning and Evening podcast. If you do not know the Lord as your Savior, here is how you can be saved from Hell and walk with the Lord morning and evening until you go to that wonderful place called Heaven when you die:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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PODCAST: The Scripture & the Sense Podcast #441: Amos 4:6 with Daniel Whyte III

This is Daniel Whyte III president of Gospel Light Society International with The Scripture & the Sense Podcast #441, where I read the Word of God and give the sense of it based on an authoritative commentary source such as the Bible Knowledge Commentary or Matthew Henry Commentary. This podcast is based upon Nehemiah 8:8 where it says Ezra and the Levites “read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” The aim of this podcast is that through the simple reading of the Word of God and the giving of the sense of it, the church would be revived and the world would be awakened.

Today we are reading Amos 4:6.

6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

________

That was Amos 4:6. Now here is the sense of it.

The Matthew Henry Commentary reads:

See the folly of carnal hearts; they wander from one creature to another, seeking for something to satisfy, and labour for that which satisfies not; yet, after all, they will not incline their ear to Him in whom they might find all they can want. Preaching the gospel is as rain, and every thing withers where this rain is wanting. It were well if people were as wise for their souls as they are for their bodies; and, when they have not this rain near, would go and seek it where it is to be had. As the Israelites persisted in rebellion and idolatry, the Lord was coming against them as an adversary. Ere long, we must meet our God in judgment; but we shall not be able to stand before him, if he tries us according to our doings. If we would prepare to meet our God with comfort, at the awful period of his coming, we must now meet him in Christ Jesus, the eternal Son of the Father, who came to save lost sinners. We must seek him while he is to be found.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary reads:

Ancient Near Eastern covenants spelled out the curses or punishments the suzerain would bring against his vassals for disloyalty or disobedience. Verses 6–11 record how God had brought the chastisements of the Mosaic Covenant against His people in order to bring them back to Himself. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28–29 had warned that God would use famine, drought, crop failure, plagues, military defeat, and even burning devastation to punish His people for covenant violations. Solomon also foretold that God would use these means to turn the people from their sin. The chart “The Covenant Chastenings” compares the covenant chastenings of Amos 4:6–11 with those predicted in Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28–29, and 1 Kings 8. With each chastisement God anticipated repentance. But Israel refused. The fivefold refrain—yet you have not returned to Me—underscores her continued obstinacy. This persistent refusal had now become an accumulated guilt. Final judgment, therefore, was inevitable. God had given them empty stomachs (literally “cleanness of teeth”, nothing to chew on). Hunger and famine had afflicted the whole land—every city and every town. But the people did not turn to God.

____________

Thank you for listening to the Scripture & The Sense Podcast. Remember to read the Word of God each and every day and pray without ceasing to God for wisdom to understand it and apply it to your life. Most importantly, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Please stay tuned for a complete presentation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so that you can get your soul saved from Hell to that wonderful place called Heaven when you die. May God bless you and keep you is my prayer.

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Coronavirus Can Live on Some Surfaces 3 Days, in the Air 3 Hours, New Study Says

Coronavirus Can Live on Some Surfaces 3 Days, in the Air 3 Hours, New Study Says


The coronavirus can live up to three hours in the air and up to three days on certain surfaces, according to a new study that illustrates the difficulty in containing it.

The coronavirus, also called COVID-19, “could be detected” in the air “up to 3 hours post aerosolization, up to 4 hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel,” according to the study, which was first reported by the Associated Press

The virus, the authors noted, demonstrates “relatively long viability on stainless steel and polypropylene [plastic] compared to copper or cardboard.”  

The test was conducted by a group of scientists at the National Institute of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton, Mont., and funded in part by the U.S. government. 

The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the outbreak a pandemic, a label that references the rate of spread, not the mortality rate. The death rate in the epicenter of Wuhan, China, was about 3-4 percent, but elsewhere has been much lower – about 0.7 percent. 

“WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction,” WHO said. “We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.”

The government-funded study, though,…

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NYC bans large gatherings, including Broadway shows: Why did God allow the Fall?

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Thursday that the state is banning all gatherings with five hundred people or more. This is an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus, as the number of confirmed cases in the state has grown to 328, 112 of which are new.

For venues and gatherings under five hundred people, capacity will be slashed by 50 percent. The order impacts Broadway theaters in Manhattan at 5 p.m. Thursday and everywhere else at 5 p.m. on Friday. It does not impact schools, hospitals, mass transit, or nursing homes.

At the same time, all non-medical visitors will be barred from nursing homes. The governor explained that his focus is on cutting the density of people to slow the COVID-19 outbreak in order to ensure that there are enough hospital beds to accommodate the most severely ill patients.

Why did God allow the Fall?

Christians understand that coronavirus is just one
consequence of the first human sin. When the first humans rebelled against God,
all of creation was affected (Genesis 3:17–19). As a result of the Fall,
“the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth
until now” (Romans 8:22).

So, we understand that our broken planet is not God’s fault
but ours. There would have been no coronavirus pandemic in the Garden of Eden.

But here’s the prior question: Why did God allow the Fall?

In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis asks about our
broken and rebellious planet, “Is this state of affairs in accordance with
God’s will or not? If it is, he is a strange God, you will say; and if it is
not, how can anything happen contrary to the will of a being with absolute
power?”

Lewis then answers his question: “But anyone who has been in authority knows how a thing can be in accordance with your will in one way and not in another. It may be quite sensible for a mother to say to the children, ‘I’m not going to go and make you tidy the schoolroom every night. You’ve…

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PODCAST: Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading #106: Numbers 20, Psalm 40, and Romans 4 with Daniel Whyte III

This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading Episode #106. Where I read three chapters of the Holy Bible in the King James Version a day with my family as a part of our family devotions, to encourage you to read the Holy Bible in a year’s time. Today we are reading Numbers 20, Psalm 40 and Romans 4.

Dwight L. Moody said, The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.”

Harper Lee said, “The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think. No book in the world equals the Bible for that.”

Numbers 20
1 Then came the children of Is’-ra-el, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Ka’-desh; and Mir’-i-am died there, and was buried there.

2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Mo’-ses and against Aa’-ron.

3 And the people chode with Mo’-ses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!

4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of E’-gypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.

6 And Mo’-ses and Aa’-ron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.

7 And the Lord spake unto Mo’-ses, saying,

8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aa’-ron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

9 And Mo’-ses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

10 And Mo’-ses and Aa’-ron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

11 And Mo’-ses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

12 And the Lord spake unto Mo’-ses and Aa’-ron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Is’-ra-el, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

13 This is the water of Mer’-i-bah; because the children of Is’-ra-el strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

14 And Mo’-ses sent messengers from Ka’-desh unto the king of E’-dom, Thus saith thy brother Is’-ra-el, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:

15 How our fathers went down into E’-gypt, and we have dwelt in E’-gypt a long time; and the E’-gyp-tians vexed us, and our fathers:

16 And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of E’-gypt: and, behold, we are in Ka’-desh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:

17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.

18 And E’-dom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.

19 And the children of Is’-ra-el said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing anything else, go through on my feet.

20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And E’-dom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.

21 Thus E’-dom refused to give Is’-ra-el passage through his border: wherefore Is’-ra-el turned away from him.

22 And the children of Is’-ra-el, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Ka’-desh, and came unto mount Hor.

23 And the Lord spake unto Mo’-ses and Aa’-ron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of E’-dom, saying,
24 Aa’-ron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Is’-ra-el, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Mer’-i-bah.

25 Take Aa’-ron and El-e-a’-zar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:

26 And strip Aa’-ron of his garments, and put them upon El-e-a’-zar his son: and Aa’-ron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.

27 And Mo’-ses did as the Lord commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

28 And Mo’-ses stripped Aa’-ron of his garments, and put them upon El-e-a’-zar his son; and Aa’-ron died there in the top of the mount: and Mo’-ses and El-e-a’-zar came down from the mount.

29 And when all the congregation saw that Aa’-ron was dead, they mourned for Aa’-ron thirty days, even all the house of Is’-ra-el.

Psalm 40
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of Da’-vid.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

4 Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5 Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,

8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.

10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, make haste to help me.

14 Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.

15 Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.

16 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.

17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

Romans 4
1 What shall we say then that A’-bra-ham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

2 For if A’-bra-ham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

3 For what saith the scripture? A’-bra-ham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

6 Even as Da’-vid also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to A’-bra-ham for righteousness.

10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father A’-bra-ham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to A’-bra-ham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of A’-bra-ham; who is the father of us all,

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sa’-rah’s womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Je’-sus our Lord from the dead;

25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

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PRAY
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When I was a teenager I wanted to get wisdom and knowledge, so I set out the read the big family Bible that many families had in those days. But I couldn’t get past Genesis 2 before I got bored with reading the Bible. I found out later in life that you have to believe on Christ and get saved before you can understand the Bible. So here is how I became a Christian and how you can too:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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