"DAILY WORD FROM JESUS" available

Dear friends,

DAILY WORD FROM JESUS, my new daily devotional e-book, is now available from Amazon Kindle and Nook Books. The direct website to view this new Kindle ebook is:

http://www.amazon.com/DAILY-WORD-FROM-JESUS-ebook/dp/B009I3TBUK.  Nook Books will have it listed by typing "Robert Tasler" in their website search box at: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

If you do not have a Kindle reader, but would like to have this daily devotional based on the Words of our Lord Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, you can download a free Kindle app that will read Kindle ebooks on your home computer, iPhone, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry, Android, iPad, iPod or laptop. To get yours, go to this site: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_ipad_mkt_lnd?docId=1000493771

I want to thank my editors, Carol Tasler and David Menges, for all their faithful work in helping make DAILY WORD FROM JESUS available for your spiritual growth, enrichment, and meditation on our Lord's words from St. Matthew each day.

God bless you all,

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

"Daily Word From Jesus" - JUNE 1

Matthew 13:18-19 - “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path."

Matthew 13 is a special blessing for us because of its parables about the Kingdom of God. "The Sower and the Seed" is one of two parables in this chapter that Jesus carefully explains. This explanation is a wonderful gift for people who read God's Word. When Jesus Himself takes time to explain precisely what He means in one of His stories, then we know for sure something great has been given to us.

Our "Daily Word From Jesus" here tells us several things: 1) The Kingdom of God is coming, and 2) People will receive God's messages about it differently. 

The Kingdom of God is the rule of God. Wherever the Lord Jesus Christ reigns in the hearts of people, there is the Kingdom of God. This is true whether Jesus rules in an individual life or over a group of people such as the Christian Church.

The Kingdom of God is not an earthly domain, but a spiritual one. There will never be armies of earthly soldiers protecting or promoting this Kingdom, although God may use His force of angels as He chooses. God is Spirit (John 4:24), so His Kingdom is spiritual, invisible to human eyes now, but one day it will be revealed in all its power and glory. 

Since the coming of Jesus Christ, God's Kingdom is "at hand," meaning it is ready for all people to receive its blessings by faith in Jesus. God rules in His Kingdom through Laws written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33-34), and today He calls us to walk in obedience to His commands. Through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, we can experience the reign of God in our daily lives.

The Word of God is never received equally by all. Those who reject the Kingdom are the people Satan entices to follow him. They believe life is better without Jesus, so they follow anything and everything that promises them much, but produces only dust and ashes. 

Can you think of anything in your life that has promised much but produced great disappointment? The decisions we make often come back to haunt us, but the Good News is that our Heavenly Father loves us anyway. He doesn't cast us away when we return to Him in repentance. He is glad to have us back.

If you have had struggles in life (and who hasn't?) I pray your journey will keep you following Jesus, no matter how many "returns" it takes you.

Dear Jesus, please take me back if I stray, and hold me close during my life journey, amen.

A WORLD OF WORDS

Our world is filled with words. They can inform us, persuade us, reflect our feelings and also frighten us. Our words can be subtle or wise, and other times shrieking sounds that make no sense. Unless we live alone in sound proof homes with no media, we simply cannot avoid words.  

But if we have learned anything, especially during this political election year, it must be this: It's not the amount of words, but what's in them that counts. 

This summer I finished DAILY WORD FROM JESUS, a daily devotional book of 370 pages that will be published soon. Using my computer tracker, I discovered I had written over 140,000 words! Wow! That's a lot of writing. I do hope people will find some good in them.

My topic, what Jesus of Nazareth said in the Gospel of St. Matthew, is important enough to write that many words. Matthew's purpose in writing his Gospel was to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah. I hope my 140,000 more words will help explain this as it is read by people on a daily basis. But it's not the amount of words, but what's in them that counts. 

Consider, for example, that the Declaration of Independence contains 1137 words. The United States Bill of Rights contains 463 words. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address contains 266 words. The Ten Commandments contain only 297 words. And John 3:16, one of the most beloved passages in the Bible, a verse that gives a message of eternal importance to all mankind, contains a mere 24 words.

Compare those numbers with the recently amended Federal Regulations setting the price of a head of cabbage. That one regulation contains 26,911 words! If it takes our government nearly 27,000 words to sell a head of cabbage, think how many more words every year they enact into law to regulate how we live. As was said before: It's not the amount of words, but what's in them that counts. 

A favorite Bible passage of mine is, "God's Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)

Now THERE is a LOT said in just 14 words!

DAILY WORD FROM JESUS

My latest E-Book, DAILY WORD FROM JESUS, is almost done, in the process of having its final formatting for Kindle and Nook E-Books. You can be sure I will let you know when it is available through Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook books. 

I thought I would give you a "taste" of its contents. DWFJ is a daily devotional book containing 366 original devotions, all of them based on the words of Jesus as found in the Gospel of St. Matthew. No other portions of Matthew are examined - only the words of our Lord Jesus, and each one concludes with a short prayer. Here is an example:

++++++++++++++++ Excerpt from "DAILY WORD FROM JESUS" +++++++++++

JANUARY 8

Matthew 5:4 - “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

Life isn't easy. We gain and lose, we find joy and pain. Jesus' Word for today reminds us that life isn't only found in the gaining and the joy. It's also found in our pain and losing. If we are sad over what we have lost, Jesus is there to comfort us. If we are joyful, He is there to laugh and dance with us. 

Mourning means sadness. We may not like mourning, but its tears can clear our eyes and its sad memories console us. Comfort in mourning means being with those we love, with arms wrapped in a strong or gentle embrace, and the quiet presence of others so that we're not alone. 

It's also good to mourn our sins, to be reminded we still have much to learn and far to go to attain wisdom in life. Mourning our sins can bring us to positive changes, making choices that will help us live His way, not just our own.

Jesus promises that those who mourn will be comforted. Comfort doesn't mean that all is well, or that wrongs will be made right. It does mean we can still stand after being knocked down. It means we can be hopeful that this sorrow, too, shall pass. 

It's also good to mourn our world. God created it perfect and rebellious people have changed for the worse. Our world is good, but it is frail and will not last forever. This wonderful planet Earth is a gift from God, but only until time ends. It is a means to an end, not the end in itself. When the temporary of this earth is gone, the permanent of heaven will remain. 

May God grant you comfort today through growing faith and peace that comes through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When life gets me down, O Lord, lift me up with Your mercy, and give me joy. Amen.

WHAT'S REALLY PRECIOUS

These are their exact words: "Protect yourself from the problems of this world with... GOLD!" Then they tell you how easy it is to invest, clinking those pretty new coins together and saying: "The right gold, at the right price, right away."

Now don't get me wrong. Precious metals investment is okay if you want that (and if you have the money). But saying gold protects you "from the problems of this world?" Politicians don't even promise that. Indeed, the quest for gold has probably caused more problems in history than it has solved. 

But today I saw something more precious than gold, something that really CAN give us protection in the midst of the world's problems. This precious item was contained in a traveling exhibit, but it's probably also found in your home. It comes in several forms, sizes, colors and versions, and it's called, The Holy Bible. 

Today Carol and I and several of our friends drove to the Glen Eyrie Conference Center in Colorado Springs and saw "The Bible Through History." Dr. Joel Lampe, Curator of the Bible Museum in Goodyear, AZ, takes his traveling exhibit all over the world as he shows how we came to have the Holy Word of God in our English Bible translations. 

Dr. Lampe's presentation features copies of some Dead Sea Scrolls and cuneiform tablets, as well as authentic ancient Torah scrolls and old English Bibles. Besides seeing many precious displays and hearing scholarly presentations, participants were able to page through a Geneva Bible printed in 1585 (with Luther's notes) and a first edition King James Bible for the home printed in 1615.

I suppose these old Bibles have great value due to their age and authenticity. But their true value is in what they contain, the Holy Word of God about the Gospel of Jesus Christ as Savior of the world. Not all the gold in the world stacked up outside in the parking lot at Glen Eyrie would equal the value of the contents of those precious Bibles. Or of the Bible in your home, either.

The content of the Holy Bible is priceless. The Gospel has given life to countless men, women and children of all times and all places, rescuing them from eternal death and separation from God. The Gospel heals the wounds of sin and gives eternal life to the dying. The Bible is truly far more precious than gold.

And you probably have a Bible in your home. Do you know where it is? Have you opened it lately or is it covered with dust? Do you know what God tells you in it? 

It's yours - the right message, at the right price, right away."