Finding Jesus in the Word: Using Similar Sounding Words of the Bible

By Dr. Dorinda Smith

Finding Jesus in the Word: Using Similar Sounding Words of the Bible is a thirty-day daily devotional. It is unique in that it uses pairs of similar sounding words, such as hair and hare, to form the subject matter of the day’s discussion. It is not unusual to find words that sound alike, having different meanings, when studying the Bible. The focal point of the book is that Jesus is the Word! Jesus can be found in everyday words if we just look deeper. Included, for the Bible scholar and the inquisitive, is the Hebrew (Old Testament) or the Greek (New Testament) words and definitions for each day’s devotion for more in-depth Bible study. Uncover multi-layered treasures of the Word of God as you read this one-of-a kind devotional.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664291928

Dr. Dorinda Smith

Elder Dr. Dorinda Smith is an active church leader, intercessor, mentor, mother, grandmother, retired teacher, and life-long student of the Bible. The great passion of her life is studying and teaching the Word of God. It should be noted that she earned her Doctorate Degree in Theology after retiring from a fruitful and rewarding forty-plus year teaching career, specializing in Early Childhood Education. Her teaching gift is fully operational in Finding Jesus in the Word.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-9191-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9192-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023902626

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/15/2023

American Standard Version (ASV) Public Domain

Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman

Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954,

1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

Christian Standard Bible (CSB) The Christian Standard Bible.

Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered

trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved

Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright

© 1995 by American Bible Society

Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International

King James Version (KJV) Public Domain

Lexham English Bible (LEB) 2012 by Logos Bible Software.

Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software

Living Bible (TLB) The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale

House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers

Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved

The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International

Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,

Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the

New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas

Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright

© 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020

by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission.

All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

The Voice (VOICE) The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Day 1     Son/Sun: Jesus, the Son of God

Day 2     Reign/Rain: The Reign of Jesus

Day 3     Know/No: Know Jesus

Day 4     Peace/Piece: Live in Peace

Day 5     Presence/Presents: Receive God’s Presence

Day 6     Light/Light: The Light of the World

Day 7     Week/Weak: A Week With Jesus

Day 8     Prophet/Profit: Believe the Prophet

Day 9     Altar/Alter: Let Jesus Alter Your Life

Day 10   Fall/Fall: Fall Brings the Harvest

Day 11   Inn/In: Jesus in the Inn

Day 12   Bear/Bare: Jesus Bears it All

Day 13   Soul/Sole: Jesus Saves Souls

Day 14   Clothes/Close: Jesus Provided Clothes

Day 15   By/Buy: Enter By the Door (Jesus)

Day 16   Deer/Dear: Jesus, a Dear Friend

Day 17   Hear/Here: Hear the Good News

Day 18   Sow/Sew: Sow into God’s Kingdom

Day 19   Hair/Hare: Is Your Hair Cut, Spiritually Speaking?

Day 20   Fair/Fare: How Do You Fare With Fair Thoughts?

Day 21   Heard/Herd: Jesus Heard Your Prayer

Day 22   Knew/New: New Creation in Christ

Day 23   Maid/Made: The Maid Made for Success

Day 24   Passed/Past: If It Passed, Leave It In The Past

Day 25   Red/Read: Have You Read About Jesus?

Day 26   Pour/Poor: Jesus Will Pour into You if You Are Poor

Day 27   Pray/Prey: Pray That You Are Not the Enemy’s Prey

Day 28   Meet/Meat: Meet for the Meat of the Word of God

Day 29   Sent/Scent: Will the Sent One, Jesus, Be Able to Recognize Your Scent?

Day 30   Due/Dew: Are you Due for the Dew from Heaven?

Closing Thoughts

Notes

References

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Giving honor to my dear parents, John L. Smith, and Wilma P. Smith, who live in Heaven. Mere words cannot express my love and appreciation for the wisdom that you poured into me. It has been a treasured priceless possession.

I would like to acknowledge with gratitude and love, my family for their prayers and encouraging words: Carlton A. Riddick, LaKisha De Voe Riddick, Phyllis Smith Vieira, and Di’Ann Smith. To my son, Carlton, and my daughter-in-love, LaKisha, I don’t have the words to express my appreciation for all your technical support.

I would like to acknowledge with gratitude and love Apostle Linda Sweezer Rowster. I am indebted to you for your consistent, massive prayers and words of encouragement. You, indeed, prayed me through this project.

I would like to acknowledge with gratitude and love Evangelist Ramona Latham. Thank you for your consistent prayers and words of encouragement.

To Deacon Timothy D. Jones, thank you for your comical way of encouraging me to complete my book. Well, your prophetic word has come to fruition. Here you are in the book Deacon Tim!

INTRODUCTION

The Gospel according to John begins like this:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.²He was with God in the beginning.

(John 1:1-2 New International Version)

Jesus, God the Son, the third part of the Godhead, is the living Word of God. He was present when God, the Father, created the heavens and the earth. Our God is One but He exists in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Think of it this way, we, humans, are spirit, we live in a body, and we have a soul (mind, will, emotions). It is my intention to help you see Jesus in ordinary, everyday words. God the Father created everything, the seen and the unseen, with words.

Words¹ convey meaning and they have a sound. My fascination with words began when I first learned to read. I remember having a black and white composition notebook when I was about four or five years old. The notebook was a record of every word that I could read, write, and spell. Obviously, the notebook was a prized possession. I enjoyed reading and spelling the words to my mother, to my father and to everyone who visited our home. Well, I became an excellent reader and speller according to my teachers and my report card grades reflected the same. My love for reading and for words carried over into my college and professional life. I became an early childhood teacher. It was my absolute joy to instruct young children, four, five and six years old, to read. My most treasured moments in the classroom are centered around times when students reached the point at which they had learned to decode and to read on their own.

Homophones² are defined as one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (such as the words to, too, and two). Please note the use of these three words in the following sentences:

1. We will travel to Ghana by airplane. To