Tag: Jeremiah 33:3

How To Have Real Peace

Posted in Bible, Bible Verse, Blog, Business, Christian Business, Christian Businessman, Christian Businesswoman, Christian Writers, Devotional, Devotions, Faith, Faithful, Happy, Hope, Inspirational, Inspire, J Kepler, JA Kepler, Jim Kepler, Jimmie A. Kepler, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie Kepler, Motivation, Prayer, Prayers, Verse1 Comment

Self-isolation, can’t go out to eat, avoid the beaches, Zoom Bible study classes, and live streaming of church services. It’s enough to make the most peaceful person anxious.

Or maybe like me, you’ve been tested for Covid-19 with the nose swab and had the COVID blood test to see if you have the antibodies meaning you had the virus. Fortunately, I tested negative for both. However, this upside-down world has robbed some of the usual peace of mind from me. I get anxious when I go to the grocery store or the pharmacy. Having peace of mind is hard for me. So …

What’s a man or woman to do? Where can we find real peace?

Everyone is searching for peace today. We seek real tranquility in our work, in our relationships, and yet the order that the world can give us is extremely fragile. It is temporary. 

The peace that God gives us is different from what the world offers. It is permanent. God’s peace affords tranquillity amid trouble. Seek His peace and experience a tremendous gift from God.

Three Kinds of Peace

1. Spiritual Peace – At Peace with God.

Romans 5:1 ESV – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2. Emotional Peace – The Peace of God.

Colossians 3:15 ESV – “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

3. Relational Peace – At Peace with Everyone.

Romans 12:8 ESV – “the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

John 14:27 ESV – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Key’s to God’s Perfect Peace

Key #1 – Obey God’s Principles

Psalm 119:165, 167 ESV – “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble. … My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly.”

Key #2 – Accept God’s Pardon

Micah 7:18 ESV – “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression … He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in steadfast love.”

Key #3 – Focus On God’s Presence

Isaiah 26:3 ESV – “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Key #4 Trust God’s Presence 

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Key #5 Ask For God’s Peace

Jeremiah 33:3 ESV – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”  I like to call Jeremiah 33:3 God’s phone number.

Remember, pray first, then you’ll find peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 ESV – “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Photo Source: Image by michel kwan from Pixabay

Taking Care of Business

Posted in Blog, Christian Love, Christian Writers, Devotions, Friends, Friendship, Hope, J Kepler, JA Kepler, Jim Kepler, Jimmie A. Kepler, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie Kepler, Writer's Life, Writers, Writing10 Comments

Taking Care of Business

We all have things in our lives of which we need to take care.  I’ve been reminded of this too many times in the last five years as I’ve had my mother, then father, and finally, my wife die.

Add to that several of my friends recently passed into eternity. They were in their mid-sixties. They died while sleeping. I have other dear friends who lost their spouse or have spouses with life-threatening illnesses. As a result, I’ve come to realize the brevity of life in a personal way.

Because of the limitation of time and briefness of life, we must take care of business. The time for doing it is now. I want to suggest five needs we all have that will help us take care of business now.

Five “Need to Dos” When Taking Care of Business 

1. Hold What Needs Holding

Philippians 2:16 English Standard Version (ESV), “holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

    • Hold on to your loved ones.
    • Hold on to your values.
    • Hold on to God’s principles and truths.

2. Mend What Needs Mending

Ephesians 4:32 (ESV), “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Mend that broken relationship with family, a friend, or business associates.

    • Call them – take responsibility
    • Visit them – forgive them
    • Send a note or email – take the first step.

3. Walk What Needs Walking

Matthew 5:41 (ESV), “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”

If you are a writer:

    • Get started – stop dreaming and start writing. Write that novel.
    • Get off dead center – submit the rejected manuscript to another agent or editor.
    • Stop procrastinating – do the rewrites the editor wants.

4. Say What Needs Saying

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV), “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

    • Have you found that words hurt you? Your words can also hurt others.
    • Don’t let your words hurt others.
    • Be a good finder, not a nitpicker.

5. Pray What Needs Praying

1 John 1:9 (ESV), “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

John 16:24 (ESV), “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

Takeaway: Ask God what plans He has for you and then do them! 

Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV), “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

Never Too Late

Posted in Blog, Devotions, Jim Kepler, Jimmie A. Kepler, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie Kepler, Writer's Life, Writers, Writing18 Comments

Jeremiah 33:3. It reads, “Call upon Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know!” Has God placed in your heart the desire to share His truth through writing?

God has never called a person without providing him or her with the ability to complete the task or the place to exercise the call. Maybe, like me, you have a few years of life experience under your belt (code for getting up there in years).

It’s never too late to begin. Here are a few examples of older people who made a big impact or accomplished remarkable things (with a few years under their belts).

“The world stands aside,” said David Jordan, “to let anyone pass who knows where he is going.” Having a goal or dream applies to those, who learn where they are going late in life as well as for the young.

At age 40, James Michener published his first book. He authored more than 50 titles – 26 historical fiction novels, 31 nonfiction books, and 13 of his works were adapted into TV mini-series or made into movies.

At age 53, Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first female prime minister.

At age 65, Winston Churchill became British prime minister for the first time and started the epic struggle against Hitler. Churchill received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 at age 79 for his many published works, especially his six-volume set The Second World War. He wrote the six-volume set when he was in his 70s without any assistance or ghostwriters. The photo is of Sir Winston Churchill.

At age 69, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States. He served two terms. He was 77 years old when he completed his second term in office.

At age 70, 80 and again at 90, former President of the USA George H.W. Bush parachuted out of an airplane.

At age 72, Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel.

At age 75, Ed Delano of California bicycled 3100 miles in 33 days to attend his 50th college reunion in Worcester, Massachusetts.

At age 80, Grandma Moses, who had started painting in her late 70s, had her first one-woman exhibit.

At age 80, Winston Churchill returned to the House of Commons as a member of parliament and also exhibited 62 of his paintings.

At age 81, Benjamin Franklin skillfully mediated between disagreeing factions at the U. S. Constitutional Convention.

At age 90, Sarah had a son named Issac. God found Sarah and her husband Abraham useful to His cause. See Genesis 17:17 KJV, “Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” God promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son, and Isaac was born.

At age 96, George C. Selbach scored a 110-yard hole-in-one at Indian River, Michigan.

On his 100th birthday, ragtime pianist Eubie Blake exclaimed, “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”

How about you? Have you slowed down, packed it in, given up, and checked out? If I know the Heavenly Father, I know that He has something wonderful still in store for you! It’s never too late. Why don’t you call God up and ask Him what that might be? His number is found in The Bible in Jeremiah 33:3. It reads, “Call upon Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know!”

Encourage your friends, keep reading and writing.
Jimmie A. Kepler

Picture Source: Churchill V sign HU 55521.jpg This artistic work created by the United Kingdom Government is in the public domain. This is because it is one of the following: 1) It is a photograph created by the United Kingdom Government and taken prior to 1 June 1957; or 2) It was commercially published prior to 1961, or 3) It is an artistic work other than a photograph or engraving (e.g. a painting) which was created by the United Kingdom Government prior to 1961.

Dream On …

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Today is Monday, March 31, 2014. It is the 90th day of the year. There are 275 days remaining until the end of the year.

“The world stands aside,” said David Jordan, “to let anyone pass who knows where he is going.” This applies to those, who learn where they are going late in life as well as for the young.

At age 40, James Michener published his first book. He authored more than 50 titles – 26 historical fiction novels, 31 nonfiction books, and 13 of his works were adapted into TV mini series or made into movies.

At age 53, Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first female prime minister.

At age 65, Winston Churchill became British prime minister for the first time and started the epic struggle against Hitler. Churchill received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 at age 79 for his many published works, especially his six-volume set The Second World War. He wrote the six volume set when he was in his 70s without any assistance or ghost writers. The photo is of Sir Winston Churchill.

At age 69, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States. He served two terms. He was 77 years old when he completed his second term in office.

At age 70 and again at 80, former President of the USA George H.W. Bush parachuted out of an airplane.

At age 72, Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel.

At age 75, Ed Delano of California bicycled 3100 miles in 33 days to attend his 50th college reunion in Worcester, Massachusetts.

At age 80, Grandma Moses, who had started painting in her late 70s, had her first one-woman exhibit.

At age 80, Winston Churchill returned to the House of Commons as a member of parliament and also exhibited 62 of his paintings.

At age 81, Benjamin Franklin skillfully mediated between disagreeing factions at the U. S. Constitutional Convention.

At age 96, George C. Selbach scored a 110-yard hole-in-one at Indian River, Michigan.

On his 100th birthday, ragtime pianist Eubie Blake exclaimed, “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”

How about you? Have you slowed down, packed it in, given up, and checked out? Have you given up on your dreams? Don’t give up. Dream on!

I know the Heavenly Father has something wonderful still in store for you! It’s never too late. Why don’t you call God up and ask Him what that might be. His number is found in The Bible in Jeremiah 33:3. It reads, “Call upon Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know!”

Picture Source: Churchill V sign HU 55521.jpg This artistic work created by the United Kingdom Government is in the public domain. This is because it is one of the following: 1) It is a photograph created by the United Kingdom Government and taken prior to 1 June 1957; or 2) It was commercially published prior to 1961; or 3) It is an artistic work other than a photograph or engraving (e.g. a painting) which was created by the United Kingdom Government prior to 1961.