I know what "self-sacrificing" means in English; but to see it expressed in another language gave me a new and deeper perspective than I have ever had. The Spanish word misericordia means "self-sacrificing." When I look at the word, I see three parts: one, the root ser which means being or existence; two, although I do not know this to be true in Spanish, mis- in English is usually a negative prefix (meaning whatever follows is not true); and three cordia , which reminds me of the Spanish word for heart, corazón . The rough interpretation that immediately entered my head was "a heart that is willing to give up its existence." For me, that was powerful. The Bible expresses it this way: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13) Self-sacrificing love is a love that cares so much about you that I do not care about me anymore. It is a love that feels that your life, even without me in it, is more...

In family worship, we have been reading from the book of Ezekiel. There are many deep and awesome truths found in that book, some of which unlock other mysteries that we have yet to understand. Throughout the coming weeks, I will write about the book of Ezekiel based on various points my family members bring out each night. I pray that you will blessed. The prophet is taken in the Spirit of the Lord to a valley - a valley of dry bones. These bones did not just appear yesterday. Whoever owned them had been dead for quite a while, and their bones had been exposed to sun and wind for some time as well. As he walks about in the desolate valley, looking on the multitude of bones, the Lord asks, "Ezekiel, can these bones live?" Could they? "You know, Lord." The next words from the mouth of the Most High are these: "...Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, 'O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unt...

In family worship, we have reading from the book of Ezekiel. There are a lot of deep and awesome truths found in that book, some of which unlock other controversies that we have yet to understand. Throughout the coming weeks, I will write about the book of Ezekiel based on various points my family members bring out each night. I pray that you will blessed. " Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men , and didst commit whoredom with them.." (Ezekiel 16:17). My little brother asked Dad, "This is pornography, right?" To be true, the context of this chapter is spiritual adultery. But God uses physical adultery to describe the grossness of Judah's crime. Therefore, this verse can easily be applied to pornography. Pornography is a delicate, yet serious issue; and that is why I am choosing to address it bluntly and openly. But what exactly is it? Definition It i...

In family worship, we have reading from the book of Ezekiel. There are a lot of deep and awesome truths found in that book, some of which unlock other controversies that we have yet to understand. Throughout the coming weeks, I will write about the book of Ezekiel based on various points my family members bring out each night. I pray that you will blessed.   After writing last night's post ("The Word of God"), I realized that the Bible teaches that the Son of God was the active agent in Creation. In other words, God the Father planned it, and God the Son executed it. How do we come to that conclusion? Well we learned that Jesus is the Word - that He has always been the Word, even before His incarnation. We also learned that the Son of God does in fact take commands from the Father; that is their order of things. With those lessons in mind, consider this text: " By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breat...

In family worship, we have reading from the book of Ezekiel. There are a lot of deep and awesome truths found in that book, some of which unlock other controversies that we have yet to understand. Throughout the coming weeks, I will write about the book of Ezekiel based on various points my family members bring out each night. I pray that you will blessed. I learned something wonderful and interesting while reading Ezekiel 9. A job is not complete until it is reported to the one who commanded the work. Example: The man in linen is sent by God to complete a mission. When the mission was complete, the man in linen returns to God and reports the matter. Now, my belief is that the man in linen is the Son of God based on Daniel 12:5-13. Here, the man in linen tells Daniel that he (Daniel) will stand in his lot at the latter days. In other words, Daniel will pass the judgment and be admitted into heaven at the end of time. Who else has the authority to say who is saved and who...

In family worship, we have reading from the book of Ezekiel. There are a lot of deep and awesome truths found in that book, some of which unlock other controversies that we have yet to understand. Throughout the coming weeks, I will write about the book of Ezekiel based on various points my family members bring out each night. I pray that you will blessed. After a family reading of Ezekiel 8, my mom said that it seems there are some sins that God hates more than others. Note God's words to Ezekiel. "He said furthermore unto me, 'Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations ' " (verse 6). Here is the background: Ezekiel, a civilian* captive in Babylon,was taken in vision back to Jerusalem. God wanted him to see the wickedness of Judah so that he could understand God's justice wh...

She would not leave her possessions. She had heard the angel's instructions; but as she observed her husband's hesitation, she dwelt on her own doubts. Her heart clung to Sodom, and the thought of leaving behind all she loved was too much. So she looked back... He had stepped out in faith. Yes, he had doubted along the way, but as he saw the fulfillment of divine promises, he was learning to love and trust God more. But, there was only one thing he did not yet trust Providence to take care of -- her. She was the apple of his eye, the joy of his life. She was a beauty, and he knew that other guys would think so too. Please, Beulah* , he said, if you love me, just please call me your brother . He would rather lose her than lose his life... Relief flooded over him as he reached the promised haven. As he entered the city, he turned to see the intense firestorm raining about six miles behind him. Heaven's judgment had come. He noticed his two daughters in the city with...

One of the beauties of the gospel is found in its simplicity. I tend to be a very complicated and convoluted person. But I am easily frustrated when things are not simple. If I cannot understand it; if there are too many definitions; if it must be twisted and turned in order to fit, I deem it to complicated and either challenge it or leave it alone. But the gospel - God's good news, His true message - is true round about. Among the various writers of the Bible; among the different readers of the Bible; all those who are searching for truth and sharing the truth will have the same truth. "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation . For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy ...

My new favorite statement. It is so powerful, and fills me with awe and wonder that God would be so serious about His people. What does it mean to be so close to God? It means that we will be the first ones who He examines before taking us to glory. And should we not be ready? Should we not afflict our souls that we may be found worthy of the bounties of heaven? This little graphic depiction of Scriptures helped outline for me all of the parables that were going through my head. "And begin at my sanctuary..." My mind was flooded with different portions of Scripture; and here they all are for YOU . I believe that no Scripture is of any private interpretation. Is my parallel accurate? Are there any discrepancies? Does it match all the way across the Bible? I pray that this work will be a result of God's Holy Spirit; and I also pray that this work will reach and touch your heart, and guide you into all truth. "And Begin at My Sanctuary..." by Gab...

          Our lives are like a mirror: what we do reflects who we are. Our actions reveal our character. The first brothers of this earth’s history, for example, thought about obedience very differently from each other, and this is best seen in their different ways of sacrificing.           God required that each person kill a lamb upon an altar as a sacrifice for sin; for the wages (or cost) of sin is death, according to Romans 6:23. God would then accept the sacrifice as payment for the wrong that was done throughout the day. You see, God had a pattern: The lamb represented Jesus, who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus came to earth and lived and died because He wanted to – he wanted to save us from sin. Hebrews 12 tells us that Jesus consider it a joy to die on the cross for us. He paid for our sins: he died so that we can live. We can see that in Romans 5:11 and Isaiah 53:4.     ...

What is the fear of the Lord?  It is the beginning of wisdom. What does that look like? It looks like awe.           When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, we will realize just how wonderful He really is. We will be unable to fathom His greatness; and as we stand in complete silence, with no words to utter, we will feel the sheer awe of the Beauty of Holiness. Let's look at Job. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~           Yet there was a missing link in Job's connection with God. Does Job know who God really is? Nope, not yet. By the time we reach chapter forty-two, he does know; but not before.            You see, Job's view of God was along the same thought process as Jonathan Edwards. God was someone to be feared, too big to mess around with -- too big to mess up with. God was -- and is -- the judge of the earth. "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me...

"The Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be compared with scripture. The student should learn to view the word as a whole, and to see the relation of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand central theme, of God’s original purpose for the world, of the rise of the great controversy, and of the work of redemption. He should understand the nature of the two principles that are contending for supremacy, and should learn to trace their working through the records of history and prophecy, to the great consummation. He should see how this controversy enters into every phase of human experience; how in every act of life he himself reveals the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now deciding upon which side of the controversy he will be found." Taken from Education, p. 190

This quarter -- July to September, 2012 -- PlugIn2God put the focus on prophecy. "History Revealed" covers that end which has been revealed by God before it has even taken place. When John writes it, hardly any of the events of Revelation had taken place. Sure, five emperors of Rome had reigned (Revelation 17:9-11); but that is only one of the few key aspects of the book that had already occurred. Now, to us readers in the twenty-first century, many of the events have taken place; and we await very little of the conclusion of the fulfillment of the prophecy. I would, however, like to apologize. Unlike the first two quarters, the third quarter did not provide a study booklet. It did not provide supplementary material. The web page was not even updated. There were many factors that caused this. But ultimately, Satan stepped to ensure that the correct material was given. But God is faithful. "For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth enduret...

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Revelation 12:11). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Everyone says that exercise is good for me. I mean me . Whenever I complain about exercising, people tell me, "Nope, you are wrong. It would do you well." It leaves me chagrined most of the time.  Today, however, I actually tried. I went and took the time to willingly take a simple walk on our hill. Do you know what the best part was? I can testify to the usefulness and value of exercise. Because I experienced it, it now has meaning for me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The principle of Christianity is the having of an experience. It is growing in grace. It is coming to a knowledge of our Lord and Savior. It is my  experience. "He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true"   (John 3:33). Testimonies are a significant form...

Note: The following article is appropriate for all ages, and should be read with family and friends. Before our earth was created, a war began and is still going on in our world today. This war is called   the Great Controversy . The word  controversy  (pronounced " khan -tro-verse-ee") is taken from the Latin word  controversus  (pronounced "khan-tro- were -sus")   meaning disputable or, more literally, turned against . Between whom is this controversy? It is between Jesus Christ and His enemy, the Devil. So who is turned against whom? The Devil is turned against Jesus and is opposing Him. And what exactly is being disputed? The Devil thinks that Jesus is not as powerful as He claims to be. "And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God , command this stone that it be made bread" (Luke 4:3 KJV). " And the LORD said unto Satan, 'Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none...

For my devotions last week, I read Isaiah 32. The first verse starts like this: "Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall reign in judgment." The chapter goes on to list all of the types of things that occur when righteousness is the key foundation: Provisions are made for hard times (v. 2) Spiritual attentiveness is maintained (v. 3) People change (v. 4) The exceeding sinfulness of sin is understood, and excuses stop being made (v. 5-7) Those who are generous ("liberal") receive generosities (v. 8) Then, a curse is pronounced upon the land: trouble and failure will exist until the Spirit is poured out . At that time, the land is returned to its fruitfulness and prosperity. Judgment -- or, the execution of justice -- the dwells in that land. The righteous people dwell in that land. What happens when righteousness dwells in that land? "The work of righteousness shall be peace : the effect of righteousness [is] quietness ...