One of my Christmas presents was a new puzzle! I have pieces all over on my card table top which measures 30 x 30 inches. While all the pieces are turned over to face me, some of them are piled on top of one another!

The puzzle once it is completed is about 19 x 27. I am not working hard on it; just finding a few pieces here and there; now and then. But I am finding the more pieces which fit together, the more room I have on my table! Once I get the puzzle completed, I will have room to spare! And my finished piece will look exactly like the picture on the box!

Made me think about our lives. The more we trust In Jesus. The more we work together as a family. Or as a church. Or maybe as a community. The better we 'fit' together! As we use the 'picture' - the Bible - as our Guide, we can make a completed picture!

Completing God’s Law

“Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working."

~ Matthew 5:17 & 18 (The Message)
(Jesus speaking)

***

Today's email from Anne Graham Lotz. She tells about the devil. He might have other names:  'evil' and 'negativity'.

The Devil's Already Defeated

The devil, who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone......forever."
~Revelation 20:10 NKJV

"As a girl growing up in western North Carolina, I loved to hike in the mountains. But whenever I set out, my mother's admonition, 'Watch out for snakes!' would ring in my ears. Although I can remember killing only one snake myself, I was present at various times when snakes were killed by others. Each time I observed a
fascinating phenomenon. After the snake was killed, its body invariably continued to twitch until sundown. Even though its head was crushed, rendering it powerless, the dead snake's writhing body was enough to keep me at a distance. After sundown it would finally lie still.

"You and I need to remember that ever since the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Satan has been a defeated foe. His head has been crushed. As you and I seek to climb higher in our faith and service and knowledge of God what we are confronted with is merely the twitching of his defeated body. But sundown is coming! One day even the twitching body of that old Serpent, the Devil, will be destroyed."

****

Just beginning my reading in the book of Ephesians. Not that I haven't read it before but I really like it.

My Bible is pretty marked up over the years. One time I wrote:

  "It is God's will---not ours!"
"His grace---not ours!"

We don't contribute much, we just show up and participate!

"Long ago, before He made the world,

God chose us to be His very own,

through what Christ would do for us;

He decided then to make us holy in His Eyes,

without a single fault---

we who stand before Him covered with His Love.

His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into Him own family

by sending Jesus Christ to die for us.

And He did this because He wanted to!"

~ Ephesians 3:3 - 5 LAB

*

Bible Commentary on these verses:  "Paul said, 'God chose us,' to emphasize that salvation depends totally on God. We are not saved because we deserve it, but because God is gracious and freely gives it. We did not influence God's decision to save us; He did it according to His plan. Thus there is no way to take credit for our salvation, or to find room for pride. The mystery of salvation originated in the timeless mind of God long before we existed. It is hard to understand how God could accept us, but because of Christ we are holy and blameless in His eyes. God chose you and me, and when we belong to Him through Jesus Christ, He looks at us as if we have never sinned."

******

To kickoff our Sunday School class yesterday, we began with a six-minute video clip featuring a small country church in Nigeria.

Armed terrorists broke in to the church services and began shooting. Some of the worshipers were killed; others were wounded. Ten-year-old Victoria, who survived the assault, recounted some of her experience. With a tear leaking out the corner of her left eye and rolling down her chubby cheek, she told that her dad was one of the church-goers who was killed.

"But I will see him again when we meet one day in heaven," Victoria said.

Of all the Christian persecution deaths worldwide in 2022 and 2023, 90% were in Nigeria.

And the Christian persecution deaths continue there today!

God,
help us to remember
Christian deaths at the hands of others
around the world.
Stop the slaughter.
Thank You that You take care of Victoria
and victims everywhere.
Thank You that those of us 
who believe in You can stand strong
in our faith, with Your abiding help!
Death at the hands of others
is no surprise to You!
And like, Victoria, helps us to remember
that we will see our loved ones again.
Help us!
Lead us!
Guide us!
In the Name of Your Son,
Amen.

Just for fun! Taking a look back at a Karen's Korner from 20 years ago - January 9!

Today is Monday, January 9th, 2006; Karen's Korner #711

Luke 8:1 - 3 -- "He (Jesus) began a tour of the cities and villages of Galilee to announce the coming of the Kingdom of God, and took his twelve disciples with him. Some women went along, from whom he had cast out demons or whom he had healed; among them were Mary Magdalene....Joanna.......Susanna, and many others, who were contributing from their private means to the support of Jesus and his disciples."

 
Commentary -- "Jesus raised women from degradation and servitude to fellowship and service. In Jewish culture, women were not supposed to learn from rabbis. By allowing these women to travel with him, Jesus was showing that all people are equal under God. These women supported Jesus' ministry with their own money. They owed a great debt to him, for he had cast demons out of some and had healed others."
 
Karen's Comment - Jesus had a better place for women in His kingdom than the culture allowed at the time. And He continues the practice in to today. Man or woman, adult or child, all of us are very special to Jesus, His work, and His kingdom

Today's entry taken from "365 Days of Prayer for Women" by Stephanie Sample:

FULLY COMMITTED

"Devote yourselves completely to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day."
~ I Kings 8:61 NKJV

 "Lord, I belong to you. I adore you, and I want to live my life fully committed to you. I realize there are days---maybe more than not---when I don't behave as though this were true, but that is not what is in my heart. Knowing Jesus laid down his perfect life for me, I want only to honor his sacrifice by doing the same. Because I am weak, I know that even though I want this, I can't do it without your help. Strengthen me, God, to live my life for you. I surrender all i am and all I have to your will."

"How can we be completely devoted to the Lord?'

***

Number three of "Three Stages of Perfection". We can't be 'perfect' nor 'do' perfect. It is a God Thing.

Number 1 was Perfect Relationship:  "We arr perfect because of our eternal union with the infinitely perfect Christ."

Number 2 was Perfect Progress. "We can grow and mature spiritually as we continue to trust Christ, learn more about him, draw closer to him, and obey him.

Now we are at Number 3: Completely Perfect:  "When Christ returns to take us into his eternal Kingdom, we will be glorified and made completely perfect. See Philippians 3:20, 21."

"All phases of perfection are grounded in faith in Christ and what he has done, not what we can do for him. We cannot perfect ourselves; only God can work in and through us until his task is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns."

"And I am sure that God who began this good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task with you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns."

~ Philippians 1:6 LAB

***

Today's Max Lucado. It is titled "Praying Bold Prayers". When I read it, I think I might be good a praying bold prayers but do I believe that they will be answered as just asked? I want to!

PRAYING BOLD PRAYERS

"How bold are your prayers? As John Wesley crossed the Atlantic, he was reading in his cabin and became aware of heavy winds knocking the ship off course. He responded in prayer. A colleague wrote it down:

"Almighty and everlasting God…Thou holdest the winds in thy fists and sittest upon the water floods…command those winds and these waves that they obey Thee. Take us speedily and safely to the haven whither we would go.

"Having offered the prayer, Wesley took up his book and continued reading. On deck his colleague found calm winds and the ship on course. Wesley made no mention of the answered prayer. His friend wrote, So fully did he expect to be heard that he took it for granted he was heard.

"How bold are your prayers?"

***

Paul is the writer for Ephesians:

"Long ago, before He made the world,

God chose us to be His very own,

through what Christ would do for us;

He decided then to make us holy in His Eyes,

without a single fault---

we who stand before Him covered with His Love.

His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into Him own family

by sending Jesus Christ to die for us.

And He did this because He wanted to!"

~ Ephesians 3:3 - 5 LAB

*

Bible Commentary on these verses:  "Paul said, 'God chose us,' to emphasize that salvation depends totally on God. We are not saved because we deserve it, but because God is gracious and freely gives it. We did not influence God's decision to save us; He did it according to His plan. Thus there is no way to take credit for our salvation, or to find room for pride. The mystery of salvation originated in the timeless mind of God long before we existed. It is hard to understand how God could accept us, but because of Christ we are holy and blameless in His eyes. God chose you and me, and when we belong to Him through Jesus Christ, He looks at us as if we have never sinned."

******