And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes
of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into
the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least
the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to
Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented
by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Greetings Bible Enthusiast!

Supernatural healing; does it still occur in our day and age?
The Bible definitely talks about miraculous healing, but like
all spiritual issues, it is a matter of faith.

When the apostles could not heal the boy who had a demon,
Jesus chastised them and said that they could not cast out
the demon because of their lack of faith. (Matthew 17:14-21)

Many of us have probably heard testimonies of people who
have experienced a supernatural healing; one that cannot
be explained by modern medicine. Of course the normal
process of healing that we experience every day is a wonder-
ful blessing of God, and something we may take for granted.

The question is not “Does God still heal people today?” but
rather, “Is it in God’s will to heal in any particular case?”
That is where prayer and faith come in; we can trust in God!

God Bless You!

Annie
————————————————————

–TODAY’S DAILY NOT SO TRIVIAL TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. How is healing described or categorized by Paul in
1 Corinthians 12?

Answer below.

********************

–TODAY’S BIT OF WISDOM/REFLECTION:

“God will accept a broken heart, but He must have all
the pieces.”

- Anonymous

————————————————————

–FEATURED FUNNY:

On the first day of school, the kindergarten teacher told
the children if they had to go to the bathroom to hold up
two fingers. A little voice from the back of the room asked,
“How will that help?”

********************

–ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. How is healing described or categorized by Paul in
1 Corinthians 12?

A. as a gift of the Holy Spirit

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want
you to be ignorant… There are diversities of gifts, but
the same Spirit…

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one
for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of
wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge
through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit…

1 Corinthians 12:1-9

*********************************************************

“Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow
from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse
you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who
spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons
of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the
evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the
unjust.

Greetings Bible Enthusiast!

When we do a favor for someone, even if it is a really big
favor, should we expect some return? One reader wrote to say
that some time ago they had helped a friend start a business,
then later they were able to start another business of their
own.

When they asked their friend to put a flier up in the window
of his business to advertise their own, their friend refused
because, due to the nature of their business, he was concerned
about objections his Christian customers might have.

Jesus said when we do a charitable deed, we should not let
our left hand know what our right hand is doing. (Matthew 6:3)
In other words, expect no return, and harbor no hard feelings.
God will give the return, if it is in His will.

God Bless You!

Annie
————————————————————

–TODAY’S DAILY NOT SO TRIVIAL TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. How did Jesus say we can attain perfection?

Answer below.

********************

–TODAY’S BIT OF WISDOM/REFLECTION:

“God loveth a cheerful giver who does not talk too much
about it nor expect too much credit for it.”

- Roy L. Smith

————————————————————
–FEATURED FUNNY:

At a theological seminar in Kentucky, students entering the
room for lunch were greeted by a sign which read: “Take only
one apple, God is watching you.”

At the other end of the table was a large tray of chocolate
cookies with a hastily scribbled sign which read: “Take as
many as you want – God is back there watching the apples.”

-Colin Jeffrey

********************

–ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. How did Jesus say we can attain perfection?

A. by loving your enemies

“For I say to you, love your enemies… For if you love
those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the
tax collectors do the same?

And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more
than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? There-
fore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven
is perfect.”

Matthew 5:46-48

Jesus had just been talking about loving our enemies and
blessing those who curse us (see Bible verse above);
here is telling us that loving and blessing those who
love and bless us is easy, for even the tax collectors
do that.

What directs us on to moral perfection is loving and
blessing those who hate and curse us, and to pray for
them. After all, that is what Jesus did, even to the
point of laying down His life for those who hated and
cursed Him, making Him the perfect sacrifice.

*********************************************************

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profit-
able for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Greetings Bible Enthusiast!

There are so many things written about the Bible, one could
get lost in a sea of ideas and opinions. The best resource
on the Bible is the Bible itself; it clarifies and
complements itself. That makes it the best place to start
when embarking upon the journey to discover truth.

If we do more than casually read a few verses once in a
while, if we truly study to show ourselves approved by God,
then we will become a worker who does not need to be
ashamed, rightly understanding the word of truth!
(2 Timothy 2:15)

God Bless You!

Annie
————————————————————
–TODAY’S DAILY NOT SO TRIVIAL TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. Which two apostles were called Zeus and Hermes while
they were in Lystra?

Answer below.

********************

–TODAY’S BIT OF WISDOM/REFLECTION:

“Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for
Christ will last.”

- C. T. Studd

————————————————————
–FEATURED FUNNY:

Optimism vs. Pessimism

A shoe manufacturer sent two salesmen to a remote country.
Not long after, he received a telegram from each. One wrote:
“Get me out of here – no one wears shoes.”

The other wrote: “Quick, send me more inventory – everyone
here needs shoes!”

********************

–ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. Which two apostles were called Zeus and Hermes while
they were in Lystra?

A. Barnabas and Paul

Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised
their voices, saying in the Lycanonian language, “The gods
have come down to us in the likeness of men!”

And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because
he was the chief speaker… But when the apostles
Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes…
and said, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also
are men with the same nature as you…”

Acts 14:11-15

This event was in response to the healing by Paul of a
man who had been crippled from birth.

*********************************************************

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be
accursed.

As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches
any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him
be accursed.

Greetings Bible Enthusiast!

What is the relationship between angels, Satan, and demons?
They are all referred to as the “sons of God”, Satan being
the angel who rebelled and was cast out, taking one third
of all the angels with him. (See Revelation 12:3-9)

There are some passages of scripture in the Old Testament
referring to the sons of God, that Paul later translates
in the New Testament as the angels of God.

Interestingly angels are always male, depicted as mighty
warriors of God, never as women, and certainly never as
chubby little babies with wings!

God Bless You!

Annie
————————————————————

–TODAY’S DAILY NOT SO TRIVIAL TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. Can you always trust something that looks like an
angel of light?

Answer below.

********************

–TODAY’S BIT OF WISDOM/REFLECTION:

“Obedience is much more seen in little things than in great.”

- Thomas Fuller

————————————————————
–FEATURED FUNNY:

When his pager went off during a council meeting in Knoxville,
Tenn., police chief Phil Keith was startled to see that the
call was from his mother. Concerned, he rushed to the press
table and phoned her.

“Phil Kieth, are you chewing gum?” asked his mom, who had been
watching the council meeting on cable TV.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, it looks awful. Spit it out.” Keith dutifully removed
the gum and went back to his meeting.

-Knoxville, Tenn., News Sentinel

********************

–ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. Can you always trust something that looks like an
angel of light?

A. no

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no
wonder! For Satan himself disguises himself as an angel
of light.

2 Corinthians 11:13-14

The significance of this scripture cannot be overstated!
Satan can appear as an angel of light! It is particularly
sobering when you consider how inundated our society is
with “angel” images, appearances, and stories. They are
not necessarily to be trusted!

*********************************************************

And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land
which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we
have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants,
and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.

There we saw giants (the descendants of Anak came from the
giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and
so we were in their sight.”

Greetings Bible Enthusiast!

Scripture that talks about angels, giants, and women in the
same verse certainly enters into dangerous territory in our
day and age.

There clearly seems to be a relationship between these terms
if you examine them in scripture (see trivia question below).
After reading the verses in Genesis 6 one gets the clear
impression that this activity between demons and women, was
terribly displeasing to God.

This idea is prevalent in our society; we will look at this
more tomorrow.

God Bless You!

Annie
————————————————————

–TODAY’S DAILY NOT SO TRIVIAL TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. Why did Paul say women should have a “symbol of
authority” over their heads?

Answer below.

********************

–TODAY’S BIT OF WISDOM/REFLECTION:

“Love labor. It is wholesome for thy body and good for
thy mind.”

- William Penn

————————————————————

–FEATURED FUNNY:

Mother: “Every time you’re naughty I get another gray hair.”

Son: “Wow, Mom, you must have been a terror when you were
young… just look at Grandma.”

-King Duncan

********************

–ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. Why did Paul say women should have a “symbol of
authority” over their heads?

A. because of the angels

For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of
authority on her head, because of the angels. Neverthe-
less, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman
independent of man, in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 11:10-11

This small phrase, “because of the angels,” is easy to
miss but certainly has serious significance. Paul must
be referring to the verses in Genesis 6 where the sons
of God saw the daughters of men and had giants by them.

*********************************************************

For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and
in the water, by which the world that then existed perished,
being flooded with water.

…The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count
slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that
any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Greetings Bible Enthusiast!

Many people adhere to the concept of uniformitarianism which
means that there have never been episodes in the past that
are dramatically different from anything that is occurring
today. This of course is central to the idea of evolution:
that life has gradually evolved through processes taking
billions of years.

This is not a new idea; the apostle Peter clearly attributes
it to scoffers. (see Bible verse below) But Peter also
goes on the describe the opposite concept which is called
catastrophism: major episodes of catastrophic scale that are
unique in history, of which the Genesis flood is certainly
one.

Since we can go back in time to reconstruct neither creation
nor evolution, both are a matter of faith. Peter certainly
believed in a global flood and the evidence supports it as
well!

God Bless You!

Annie
————————————————————

–TODAY’S DAILY NOT SO TRIVIAL TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. What was the name of the son of Ham?

Answer below.

********************

–TODAY’S BIT OF WISDOM/REFLECTION:

“Burdens become light when cheerfully borne.”

- Ovid

————————————————————

–FEATURED FUNNY:

Taken word for word from actual court transcripts:

Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July fifteenth.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.

Q: All responses must be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
A: Oral.

********************

–ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. What was the name of the son of Ham?

A. Canaan

Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem,
Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These
three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole
earth was populated.

Genesis 9:18-19

Canaan was the son resulting from Ham’s sin and was cursed
by Noah because of that sin. (see verses 20-25)

*********************************************************

Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse
the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s
heart is evil from his youth; nor will again destroy every
living thing as I have done.

While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”

Greetings Bible Enthusiast!

So much of the belief in creation hinges on the belief that
a universal flood occured as described in Genesis. Such a
flood could well explain most, if not all, the geologic
“proof” that is otherwise given by some scientists for
evolution.

The geologic column as described by evolutionists does not
even exist in entirety anywhere on the whole earth! It is
not uncommon to find the layers out of order as well!

Creation scientists are fond of saying something to this
effect: “If there was a universal flood one would expect to
find layers of sedimentary rock filled with massive deposits
of fossilized dead things all over the earth. What do we
find all over the whole earth? Layers of sedimentary rock
filled with massive deposits of fossilized dead things!”

God Bless You As You Seek Truth In All Things!

Annie
————————————————————

–TODAY’S DAILY NOT SO TRIVIAL TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. What was the first kind of bird that Noah sent out
from the ark to search for dry land?

Answer below.

********************

–TODAY’S BIT OF WISDOM/REFLECTION:

“Try praising your wife, even if it frightens her at first.”

- Billy Sunday

————————————————————
–FEATURED FUNNY:

Little Johnny returned from grocery shopping with his mother.
While she was putting away the groceries, he was busy spread-
ing his animal crackers all over the kitchen table.

“Why are you doing that?” his mom asked.

“Well,” said Little Johnny, “the box says you shouldn’t eat
them if the seal is broken. I’m looking for the seal!”

********************

–ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. What was the first kind of bird that Noah sent out
from the ark to search for dry land?

A. raven

So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah
opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he
sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the
waters had dried up from the earth.

Genesis 8:6-7

*********************************************************

This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they
were created in the day that the Lord God made the earth and
the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth
and before any herb of the field had grown.

For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and
there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from
the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.

Greetings Bible Enthusiast!

Creation science is a fairly new field that is becoming more
and more difficult to refute. The more we discover about the
complexity of life, the more difficult it is to believe that
it all happened without the intelligent design of a superior
Creator.

Even the tools which are used to disprove creation, like
radioisotope dating for example, are woefully inadequate
for absolute dating. Rocks that are known to be hundreds
of years old can be “proven” to be millions of years old
using these methods!

There are now many compelling, exciting books in the field
of creation science, written by recognized scientists, that
with prayerful study will clear up many of the old evolution
issues in reader’s minds. It makes for thrilling, page-
turning reading!

God Bless You!

Annie
————————————————————
–TODAY’S DAILY NOT SO TRIVIAL TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. On what day did God create all the plant life on earth?

Answer below.

********************

–TODAY’S BIT OF WISDOM/REFLECTION:

“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how
to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.”

- John Steinbeck

————————————————————
–FEATURED FUNNY:

Two little girls were overheard reciting the Lord’s prayer
in church:

“…And forgive us our trash passes as we forgive those who
pass trash against us.”

********************

–ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. On what day did God create all the plant life on earth?

A. third

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb
that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit
according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the
earth”, and it was so… And God saw that it was good.
So the evening and the morning were the third day.

Genesis 1:11-13

This was also the day in which God divided the waters
above from the waters below, and separated the dry land
from the water.

*********************************************************

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisties your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Greetings Bible Enthusiast!

Where does one draw the line between confidence and arrogance?
Can we become so confident in ourselves that we become arrogant?

I always remind my children that God did not make a mistake in
making them exactly who they are, with both their strengths
and weaknesses. Both can be used to glorify God if totally
submitted to Him without restrictions.

We can confidently “be all that we can be,” to borrow a phrase,
without arrogance if we submit ourselves to God and are obedient
to the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Himself instructed us on how to accomplish this; read on!

God Bless You!

Annie
————————————————————
–TODAY’S DAILY NOT SO TRIVIAL TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. What are the two commandments upon which Jesus said
all the Law and the Prophets depend?

Answer below.

********************

–TODAY’S BIT OF WISDOM/REFLECTION:

“God expects of us the one thing that glorifies Him -
and that is to remain absolutely confident in Him, remember-
ing what He has said beforehand, and sure that His purposes
will be fulfilled.”

- Oswald Chambers

————————————————————
–FEATURED FUNNY:

An American history teacher, lecturing the class on the
Puritans, asked: “What sort of people were punished in the
stocks?”

To which a small voice from the back of the room responded:
“The small investor.”

********************

–ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. What are the two commandments upon which Jesus said
all the Law and the Prophets depend?

A. first and second

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is
like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On
these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:37-40

The Pharisees had gathered together to ask questions of
Jesus, trying to test Him. One of them, a lawyer, had
asked Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in
the law?” His answer is given above.

If we keep these two commandments, we will avoid crossing
the line between confidence and arrogance!

*********************************************************

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.

Greetings Bible Enthusiast!

Katie P. asked about the difference between repentance and
forgiveness: to repent means to be sorry for some wrong
doing; to forgive means to pardon for some wrong doing.

The first step after being snared by temptation is to be
truly sorry; the next step is ask God to forgive you and,
when applicable and if possible, to ask whomever was wronged
to forgive you as well.

Then, as Jesus said to the woman who was caught in adultery,
we are to “Go and sin no more.”

God Bless You!

Annie
————————————————————
–TODAY’S DAILY NOT SO TRIVIAL TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q.  In what way was King Jehoash disobedient in the sight
of the Lord?

Answer below.

********************

–TODAY’S BIT OF WISDOM/REFLECTION:

“You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading
it today.”

- Abraham Lincoln

————————————————————

–FEATURED FUNNY:

One father to another: “Things sure were a lot different
when we were boys. My son has a color TV, a computer, a VCR,
a stereo, a radio, and a telephone in his room. When I want
to punish him, I have to send him to my room!”

********************

–ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION:

Q. In what way was King Jehoash disobedient in the sight
of the Lord?

A. by not removing the high places

Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all
the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. But
the high places were not taken away; the people still
sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

2 Kings 12:2-3

The high places were either natural or man-made hills upon
which the people built shrines for sacrifices to false gods.
Even when the high place was devoted to Jehovah, they were
still being disobedient as God had told them to build the
temple and do sacrifices there.

*********************************************************