Jesus Perfect and Forever: Principles to Help with Godly Living

By Jo Ann Hill

In a time that I needed God, He was always there. Starting from the time that I was around three years old, I would stand at the window when the storms came and pray for safety for my family. God never failed me. There have been many trials and sorrows in my life, but God already had chosen a plan for me, and it would be carried out. God is a God of promises, and he always keeps His promise (John 3:16).

At the age of eleven, I started to go to the library, where I taught myself to read from beginners books. It was then that I realized what God truly wanted from me. He wanted me to be able to read the Bible (His Word) and carry a message of hope, love, and peace to as many as possible. I was to tell about the Savior Jesus Christ who came, died on a cross, and was resurrected for the sins of all people.

I want the world to know Jesus, perfect and forever. Without the direction of the Lord, this book would never have been possible. All of the glory goes to Him. Remember to go forward with bold confidence and take what Jesus is waiting to give you: peace, love, joy, and eternal life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490871752

Jo Ann Hill

Jo Ann Hill was born and raised in Mississippi. She now makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She is known to her family and friends as a devout Christian whose faith helps to encourage and strengthen others. Besides writing, her favorite pastimes include being an auctioneer and riding with her husband, Claud, on their Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

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Copyright © 2015 Jo Ann Hill.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-7176-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7177-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7175-2 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/04/2015

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgments

Israel and the Minor Prophets

My Door of Hope

The Acts of the Apostles

The Study of Genesis

The Book of Romans

The Beauty of the Good News

The Study of Matthew

The Life of Moses

One Mother’s Vision Going Home

This book is dedicated to my wonderful daughter, Wendy Hill Butler, who keeps me in her prayers and encourages me in my walk with the Lord, and to my grandsons, Caleb Jon Butler, Jacob Augustus Butler, and Brady Joseph Butler, who pray for me daily. It is also dedicated to my loving and supportive husband, Claud Augustus Hill, who has faithfully stood by me through everything. I would also like to include my son-in-law, Corey Butler, who showed love and kindness to my mother and was good to me when she was so sick.

I would like to remember my mother, Verna Lee Martin, who was a godly example in my life. She taught me many wonderful things: patience, prayer, reading the Word, perseverance, and most of all, love and forgiveness.

I would also like to remember my grandmother, Patience Effie Ann Engle Martin, who walked with God daily.

Thanks to all of my friends who have inspired me in my walk with God. I am so thankful that He put you in my life.

Also, a special thanks to all of my friends at BSF who have faithfully prayed for me.

I give God all the glory for how He has changed my life. I thank Him for the many trials He has tested me with, for they were His blessings in disguise. God is an awesome God. God is King of Kings. God is Lord of Lords. I thank Him for dying on the cross for my sins. Jesus is His name. He is the great I Am! Jesus is perfect and forever.

PREFACE

This book was inspired by the lectures given at Bible Study Fellowship, Phoenix, Arizona, from 1996 to 2005. The Holy Spirit moved me in great and wonderful ways. He has changed my life forever. I will never be the same. My prayer is that whoever reads it will also pray for the Holy Spirit’s quickening life, His inspiration, and will become dedicated to Jesus Christ and His way of life.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye (Psalm 32:8).

—Jo Ann Hill

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author gratefully acknowledges all who had a part in putting this book together. I want to give special thanks to Dee Ann Tyler for help in editing and Shirley Tyler for her illustrations.

Thank you for your godly input.

Joyce, thank you for your commitment to Christ and your diligent study of His Word. It has impacted my life forever.

ISRAEL AND THE MINOR PROPHETS

1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles

1 Kings

2 Kings

Jonah

Amos, Joel, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah

Jeremiah 25–38

Zephaniah

John 14:1–31

1 Corinthians 15:51–53

Colossians 3:41

1 Thessalonians 4:15–18

1 John 3:2–3

Habakkuk, Obadiah, Esther, Ezra, Zechariah, Haggai, Nehemiah, Malachi

John 10:1–18, 25–

Israel and the Minor Prophets

It’s good to have a healthy fear of God. It’s the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). All treasures are hidden in Christ, not outside of Christ.

Love God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul. If you seek Christ, He will let you find Him. Don’t give up, because when you get there, you will know what glory God has in store for you. You can’t be best at anything unless God comes first in your life. When we yearn for Christ, we begin to see we are being changed, we begin to endure and walk by faith.

It only comes when we patiently endure—for one year, twenty-five years, or fifty years. Whatever it takes, that’s how long you do it. You cannot take matters into your own hands; God will take them out of your hands.

If we refuse to be obedient to God, judgment is sure to come sooner or later. Sin affects everyone else’s life. We cannot think that all the wrong things we do will not affect everyone around us. Rebellion against God will be judged, and that judgment could be against other people in our lives.

Do not replace the one true God in your life with self. What kind of shadow do you want to cast? What we say and what we do in bad times or good times will pull people to Christ. Our shadows will be here a lot longer than our bodies. Sin is a disgrace to anyone. Your spirit will be polluted when you turn your back on God.

God has the last word. The question is, do you like His last word? Learned behavior is passed down to your descendants. Good beginnings don’t count, because you get to the point where you throw the book away and crash; you turn your back on the instructor.

Abraham waited for seventy-five years for the promise of God. In the process, God is going to make me strong when I am patient. The Lord will do anything to get us to the place we need to be in order to get us to trust and totally depend on Him. God is not mocked; everybody will come to God in life and choose what will be the god in their lives.

A happy heart brings smiles to your face. A broken heart makes your smile disappear. Whom do we trust when there is nothing left? Do we trust in people or someone else in our lives? When they are gone … then what? God is always there. God’s promise to every one of us is that God will meet our needs day by day. God is always going to give us what we need, not necessarily what we want.

Through faith and patience, we will inherit the kingdom of God. Death will show us we are not in control; God is. Sin always causes trouble. It’s absurd to worship something you made with your hands. We are called upon to deal very harshly with things in our lives that God wants to replace or that want to replace God in our lives. God speaks to us out of small, ordinary things of life. Get out of the pity pit and do for others. He will give you more to do than before.

Covetousness is a sin. God does not want you to do that. Women have an enormous effect on the people in their lives (men, women, boys, or girls) for either good or evil, so where are we in our spiritual lives?

We do not