TODAY’S BIBLE TREASURE
Simple Christianity
Volume 1
Published by Prudence Ramos at Smashwords
Copyright 2012 Prudence Ramos
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cover photo credited to Paula A. Ramos
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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CONTENTS
DELICACIES ARE NOT ALWAYS DELICIOUS
DUDE…YOU’RE SO NOT AS HOLY AS YOU THINK
EXCUSE ME WHILE I PICK THE MEAT OUT OF MY TEETH
GRAB SOME COFFEE AND HAVE A SEAT
HAVE YOU PRAISED THE LORD TODAY?
HEY! DROP IT, STEP AWAY FROM THE CHAIN!
JESUS IS COMING SOON, ARE YOU READY?
NOPE, NOT GONNA DO THAT FOR YOU. NOT SORRY ABOUT IT EITHER
THINK HIGHLY OF YOURSELF? THINK AGAIN
WHEW! IT’S SWELTERING HOT IN HERE!
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FORWARD
When I met Prudence Ramos, I was in a critical place in my walk with the Lord. I was depressed, feeling alone, and questioning my faith. I asked the Lord, “Can I really know You?” Sure, I knew Who Jesus was. I attended church for several years, and I even served in the church. I was a graduate from Bible College. I had also stood before congregations and preached. Yet, there I was in a mess, feeling like God was a million miles away, and ready to give up. Thankfully, God had a different plan.
It was through an online Christian community that I met Prudence. My first thought about her was, “Can anyone really be this happy all the time?” There was something different about Prudence. It was like she held a secret that drove away all the misfortunes of life. I wondered if she would share that secret with me. I began receiving a daily devotion from Today’s Bible Treasure. That’s when I learned that Prudence did, in fact, have all the misfortunes of life that we experience. The secret was that she had a weapon to fight those misfortunes, a real relationship with the Lord.
Today’s Bible Treasure is a simple explanation of God’s Word, and how to apply it to our daily lives. It goes deeper than that though. Prudence uses personal experiences coupled with the Word of God. It encourages praise, worship, gratitude, prayer, and building that relationship for ourselves. It tackles situations such as, learning to forgive, walking in your calling, complacency, and gossip. Many times after reading Today’s Bible Treasure, I’d wonder if Prudence was reading my mail, or had a camera hidden somewhere in my home. Truly, this is the Holy Spirit.
Whether you are a new Christian, a seasoned Christian, or just a curious person looking for answers about Christ, Today’s Bible Treasure has a word for you. As iron sharpens iron, so does one person sharpen another. I’m sharper today, and thankfully, because of a little encouragement from Prudence, I know the Lord better.
It is my privilege and honor to write these few words on behalf of my friend, Prudence’s book. Are you ready to begin a whole new journey with the Lord? Then grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, sit back, and enjoy!
LaTonya House
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all, I must thank Jesus Christ, He is the reason this book was written and I give Him all the glory for it. I’d like to thank my husband, Angelo, for his persistent prayer, his loving reminders and his support in keeping me focused on the goal; and my children, Samantha and Paula, for having confidence in me when I lacked it. Thank you to all who prayed for this book and for me: my Pastors, Maria, LaTonya, Wanda, Shelley, Mary, Jennifer, Leesandra, and my TBTDevos.com subscribers. I love you all from the bottom of my heart.
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300
And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me’ (Judges 7:2).
Then the LORD said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place” (Judges 7:7).
Out of all the OT Bible stories, this one about Gideon and his valiant 300 is one of my favorites. God downsized an army because He didn’t want Israel to claim the glory from the victory over the Midianites! I am still amazed by God’s selection process, so simple and yet so Godly! God sent 22,000 home because they were scared; that left only 10,000, but that was still too many for God. He had Gideon send them to the water’s edge to drink, where the manner in which they drank was the deciding factor as to whether or not they stayed in the army. Out of 10,000 only 300 met God’s approval process. God had specifically designated the manner in which to separate the army: those that lapped the water like a dog and those that got on their knees. Have you ever watched a dog drink water? They are watchful, eyes darting everywhere, their ears pricked and listening to their surroundings. They pay attention, there’s not much dogs miss while they’re eating or drinking, and they are not easily surprised. Those that got on their knees probably stuck their faces in the water, unaware of what was going on around them, making them an easy target for sneak attacks. Dogs are watchful which is why they make good burglar alarms! God wanted an army that was small, wary, yet trusting of Him to defeat the Midianites. 300 against an army the bible describes “as numerous as locusts” (v.12).
Over the years, our society has developed a mentality of more is better. More is not necessarily better unless the more you are seeking after is more God, more prayer, more bible study, more biblical teaching, more intimacy and fellowship with the people and things of God. Sadly, not everyone is searching after more of this; a lot of people are looking towards more house, more money, more cars, more friends, more stuff. I grew up in a depression era home, my great-grandmother lived through the depression and one of the things she taught me was “less is more, be content with what you have.” Now, sometimes I have to admit, I don’t always agree, but more often than not, I see the wisdom in her words.
God desires a humble people, a broken people, a content people. He desires to be the one that fulfills our needs, and He wants us to fully trust in Him and His deliverance and provision. When we constantly seek more and more and more of things and put our trust in man, possessions and all that we have; we are taking the glory from God and saying “my own hand has saved me.” Every time we accumulate more “things” and we don’t give God glory for what we have, we are opening doors that will allow the devil a foothold in our lives. To seek after more possessions that you don’t need, to put your trust in man, to carry a prideful mindset over your brother or sister gives a false sense of spiritual security and you begin to let your guard down. You become less watchful, and less aware of your surroundings. Before you know it, you are drinking from the water’s edge with your face in the water and you become the victim of a sneak attack.
Jesus tells us to watch and pray; He also tells us to enter through the narrow gate, because wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it.
Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You again for this lovely day! Your loving kindness and mercies are new each morning and we are blessed that You have allowed us another day! Thank You so much for these new opportunities to share who You are with others, to bring salt and light into this world, to have the privilege to lift others up in prayer to You! You are holy, righteous and faithful, and You deserve all glory and honor! Father, we come before You this morning asking for Your courage and endurance to remain strong in our faith, to stand firm on Your rock, to withstand the storms and attacks of the enemy. Father, we desire to be counted in the 300; watchful, energetic, wise and discerning. Father, we desire to be used by You and not succumb to fear. Grant us opportunities to be used by You today, and may our eyes, ears and hearts be open to Your direction. We love You and give You all our praise! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Today’s Attitude of Worship: Examine yourself today as you take time to be with the Lord. Ask Him if you are one of the 22,000 who left the army out of fear, one of the 9,700 who knelt face down at the water’s edge, or one of the 300 who constantly watches. Pray that your faith in the Lord is strong enough to be one of the 300. If you find you are fearful or unaware of what’s around you, pray that God gives you strength and endurance and shows you how to dig your feet deep into His ground.
Additional Scriptures: Judges 6 & 7; Matthew 7: 13-14; Luke 21:36; Ephesians 6:17-18; 1 Peter 4:7
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ADVOCATE
I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted. Your first father sinned, and your mediators have transgressed against Me (Isaiah 43:25-27).
When we accepted Christ into our hearts, we accepted a lawyer, a counselor, an advocate, a mediator, a mentor, and so much more. He washed our sins away through His sacrifice on the cross, and the Father chooses to no longer remember them. The Scripture says, “put Me in remembrance, let us contend together, state your case that you may be acquitted.” With Jesus interceding before the Father for us, He states our case for our acquittal. When Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, he brought sin into the world. Until Jesus came, priests would have to make intercession by offering sacrifices and prayers to God on behalf of the people; however, there were some priests who sinned against the Lord and profaned the tabernacle (see Ezekiel 23 & Isaiah 65:7). Jesus became sin for us and paid the price that we should have paid (1 Timothy 2:6 ).
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no man goes to the Father but by me”(John 14:6). He is our mediator, as 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” As we pray and confess our sins daily, we are contending together and Jesus is stating our case to the Father. Because we are cloaked in His righteousness and asking in His name we are contending together for acquittal.
Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, Thank You for being our advocate and counselor. Thank You for cleansing us and cloaking us in Your righteousness. Thank You for loving us so much that you sacrificed Yourself to pay our debt. We praise You and bow at Your feet in worship. We desire to serve You and follow Your examples. Lord, there are so many souls out there who don’t know of the sacrifice that You made, or how much You love them. Grant us opportunities to share Your love with them today. We ask for fertile ground In which to plant the seeds of Your love, we ask for open ears, open eyes and open hearts. We can do nothing and make no move without Your guidance. We give You all honor and glory. In Your name we pray, Amen.
Today’s Attitude of Worship: Allow the Lover of Your soul to fully be your advocate and lawyer. If you have been struggling with sin, bring it to Him and let Him cleanse you of it, and plead your case before the Father. After all, the work He did on the cross over 2000 years ago has paid your price.
Additional Scriptures: 1 John 2:1-2
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AHH, GODLY CHARACTER
LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved (Psalm 15).
In one of my bibles, the heading over this Psalm is “The Character of Those Who May Dwell with the Lord”. God is great at building our character. All that He allows to happen; all we are blessed with, and all that tests us builds our character. In today’s society, it is a true challenge to maintain Godly character. It is normal for people to speak falsely, to be unrighteous, to backbite, and to stab friends and neighbors behind the back in order to obtain riches, popularity and fame.