Category Archives: Bible study

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Here’s the simple secret of how to have joy in the morning. First, you get out of bed on the right side. Then, you go right to the kitchen, grab a blue bowl (not red, yellow, white, or green), fill it with sugary cereal and milk, and eat it as fast as you can. Does that sound like a great way to start the day with joy? I hope not, because that doesn’t really work. I was just kidding. The real secret…which isn’t a secret at all…to starting your day filled with joy is knowing where to look. Do you know where to look? I’ll tell you…

…look inside your heart. If your heart has the Holy Spirit in it, you have a good chance of starting your day…every day…with joy. If your heart doesn’t have God’s Spirit in it, you may have a lot of hurting and pain ahead…with no good way to get better.

Do you know how to look for joy in the morning inside your heart?

Do you think you need an X-ray machine? Or special goggles? Or help from Superman? Naaa…you don’t need any of those things. To look inside your heart, you don’t need to use your eyes. You use your mind. Think thoughts. You know how to do that, don’t you? Go ahead…think a thought right now. See, I told you. I knew you could do it. Now, pay attention to your thoughts. Are your thoughts about how much you love your mom or dad or your friends? Are any of your thoughts about God?

If you think thoughts about how much God loves you, that’s a good sign His Spirit lives in your heart. And it’s also a good sign that you can get up each day and know you’re gonna have joy in the morning. So, practice thinking thoughts about where you came from and who made you. Then, don’t forget to thank God for giving you His Spirit. Since He did, you’re gonna be able to see beautiful, joy-filled mornings forever.

Here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Wake up with joy in the morning
And a wink and a smile.
Then show your love to your neighbor
As you walk every mile.
And show the light of the Spirit
Wherever you may go.
And when you wake in the morning,
Your joy will start to flow.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Would anyone be able to say they’ve seen you whispering behind backs about someone or something? Maybe everybody has done that at one time or another. But it’s a good way to lose friends. I’m sure you don’t wanna do that…do you? No. So, it’s a good idea to pay attention to what God says about that kind of whispering. And He says it “separates the best of friends.” Wow. Imagine losing your best friend because you whispered. Wanna know why it works like that?

Stop whispering behind backs, and keep reading.

The best thing you can do when you’re mad at or upset with a friend is to tell them. Don’t yell at them. Just tell them what they did that upset you. And then give them a chance to say they’re sorry. They might not say they’re sorry, but then again…they might. But if you whisper bad things about them to other friends, you’ll only make things worse. In fact, you’ll probably lose a friend. You know how I know this works? Easy…

…because it’s how God says to do it.

God says when somebody does something wrong to you, go and tell them. If they say they’re sorry, you just forgive them. That way you can have a good chance at staying friends. Wouldn’t that be better than whispering behind backs and losing friends? After all…you can’t have too many friends…can you? So, starting today…if somebody makes you mad…stop and think about what God says. Then, smile to yourself, walk right over to that person and say something like, “That was a mean thing to do”. Or…”that was a mean thing to say”. If they say, “I’m sorry”. You can say something like, “OK, I forgive you. Now, let’s be friends and not be like that anymore.” Sound good? Well, here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Somebody said a mean thing to me,
And I just turned around and grinned.
I know that’s better than to yell right back
Or start a whisper whirlwind.

I wanna do what God wants me to.
I know He’s smarter than me,
Then, maybe I can keep all my friends
Through all eternity.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

When you ask Jesus to love and protect you…you are never all alone…ever again. Does that sound good? I hope so. Because it’s not good to be all alone. And for little ones, it can be scary. Just imagine if you walked all around the world and never saw anybody. What if you were the only person on earth? Kinda spooky to think about isn’t it? But, guess what. When you’re a child of God, you don’t ever have to feel that way. In fact, you could walk all around the earth, not see anybody, and still know you’re never all alone. That’s pretty cool, don’t you think?

There’s a place in the Bible where God tells you He’ll never leave you. He wants you to know you can always depend on Him. He loves you so much that He made a way for you to never be all alone…and to live with Him forever. Wouldn’t it be great to know you’ll be in a beautiful place with God and your family and friends who love Him, too? And wouldn’t it be great to know it will never end? Well, you can know. Trust the One who made you. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember. It’s called “Music Pajamas” You can hear it in episodes of the The Power of God’s Love Podcast, too.

Music Pajamas

It’s time…to let the daylight fly
Away, but we don’t have to cry
Because…another day will dawn real soon.
So smile…and say a sweet goodnight.
Sleep well. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.
They won’t, if you’ll just slip into this tune.

And wear your music pajamas.
And sing the songs of your mamas
Because they gave you a life of your own.
Through all the cartoons and dramas…
Through all the triumphs and traumas…
Slip on your music pajamas,
And know that God is on His throne.
And you’re never all alone.

Night winds…float down from falling stars.
Lights blink…from Jupiter and Mars.
They bounce…across the water on the grass.
Inside…you’re in a soft cocoon
Of down…the color of the moon.
Dreams come…when you just let the sandman pass.

Chorus

©  2011

Stay tuned,

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Get digital Bible stuff from the same company I do.

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

You can guard your heart by trusting the strongest person there is. Do you know who that is? Not Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson. Nope, it isn’t Spiderman. And it’s not even Ironman. They all are like tiny flies compared to Jesus. He’s the strongest person there is. His hands are invisible to your eyes right now, but He can hold you with one hand, and no one in the whole world can take you away from Him. In fact, if everyone in the whole world tried at the same time, they couldn’t take you away from Jesus. And He can guard your heart…and your mind…if you trust Him.

Maybe you wonder why you need to guard your heart and mind.

Well, this world is a mean, mean place. There are too many people who want to tell everybody else what to do, when to do it, and how to live. They especially like to tell kids because they know you haven’t learned a lot about them yet. They want to own you. And they’re just like the devil who didn’t want to obey God. He told Adam and Eve some lies to make them believe the wrong thing about God. And he made them disobey God, too. Bad people like to make other people as bad as them. So, you need to be on the lookout for them.

The good news is…when you trust Jesus, and discover His promises for you, you can be smart enough and strong enough to know better. You won’t have to fall for silly and mean tricks. I hope you already know about Jesus, but if you don’t, be sure and ask your mom or dad. Or send me any questions, and I’ll do my best to help you with ’em. I call myself a child of the living God. And I’d love to know you’re one too.

Here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

You gotta guard your heart with the Love of God.
You gotta guard your heart and your mind.
And you can be real smart in the Word of God
And when you trust in Him, you’re not blind.
You gotta guard your heart in this mean ol’ world
That wants to tie you up with a rope,
Remember you can turn to the Lord above.
He is your living, loving Hope.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

When you do something special or good or nice, do you feel proud of yourself? If so, do you think it’s OK to feel that way? Or is it maybe better to thank God for helping you do good things? I think it’s better to thank God, and I’ll share some reasons with you why I think so.

But these are only aimed at you if you’re proud of yourself.

How many rocks have you ever made? And did you ever invent a tree? Have you ever made a river magically appear? A rock, a tree, and water seem like simple things. But there isn’t anybody on earth who can create any of them. In fact, you won’t find anybody who could make even a grain of sand, a seed, or even a tiny drop of water. That’s because only God can make those things.

That’s why when you do something like win a race, or paint a picture, or write a song, you shouldn’t be proud of yourself. You should thank the Lord He gave you strong legs, or good eyes, or an ear for music. After all, God was the one who created you. He designed muscles and bones and eyes and ears. He gave you a brain. And He gave your brain the power to think your own thoughts. Dream your own dreams. And even sing your own songs. But you wouldn’t have any of those things without God. He must love you a lot to make so many wonderful things for you to enjoy. Right?

It’s OK for others who love you to be proud of you. They want to see you do good and awesome things. That means you’re growing and getting better and better at what you know how to do. But don’t be too proud of yourself. You could end up hurting the ones you love. You don’t wanna do that, do you? Remember, there ARE some things God hates. And at the top of His list is “a proud look“. So, what do you say? Are you ready to do some great things and give thanks to God? I hope so. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

If you’re proud of yourself for the things you do,
Pretty soon no one wants to be around you…
‘Cause you’ll sound just like an old clanging bell
That is out of tune and doesn’t ring so well.
Give a nod to God with a thankful prayer.
Let Him know you’re glad that He’s always there.
And be glad for the gifts that He’s given you.
It’s because of Him you can do what you do.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

The second you’re born you start learning about the world around you. In fact, you started learning while you were still inside your mom. You learned she loved you. You learned to know her heartbeat. And you learned to find your fingers and toes. Then you were born. And then the whole world was a place to learn about. But once you got old enough to understand words and what they meant, you started learning things like adding and subtracting…and spelling…and drawing. Out of all things you learn, what do you think is the best thing to start learning more about? I’ll give you a hint. It’s bigger than a breadbox, but it’s invisible. Know what it is?

The Bible says the best place to start learning is in “the fear of the Lord”.

Does that sound spooky? It shouldn’t because it’s not talking about fear like being afraid of wolves and bears in a dark forest. When the Bible says “the fear of the Lord“, it’s talking about knowing how God is the only one powerful enough to create the whole world and everything in it. It’s about knowing how God gives us life. We don’t give it to ourselves. We can’t. And since God is that mighty and strong, it’s a good idea to start learning as much about Him as possible. Don’t you think so?

There’s nobody in the whole world cooler to learn about than God. Just look at the very first 6 days He started creating the whole world. He said some words, and the earth popped into place. He said some more words and sun and moon and all the stars appeared. Think about that. If God can say words and make the whole world and us, too, then don’t you think He’s somebody you ought to get to know. Well, what are you waiting for? Start learning.

And here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Start learning about the one, living Lord.
Put knowledge inside your head,
And when you read something He has to say,
Go back and read what you read.
As you get older you’ll see what I mean…
Go add and subtract and spell.
Then learn all about the one, living Lord.
He made you and loves you well.

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https://www.tonyfunderburk.com

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

You like it when somebody says something nice about something you did. Right? Sure, everybody’s like that. We all need to be encouraged. It helps us to want to do even more. Don’t you think so? Do you know how to encourage somebody? And do you know when? Is there really any way to know? Yes, there is. Read on, and I’ll share it with you…

Knowing how and when to encourage somebody should be easy.

Just tell ’em what a good job they’re doing. Or how pretty or handsome they look. Or just a simple thank you for a job well done. It’s not hard to come up with something nice to say if you think about it for a few seconds. But now I have another question for you. When should you encourage somebody? That might seem like an easy question, but I have a surprise answer for you. First, you tell me when you think you should.

Is it when they do something good? Or when they do something well? Or when they help somebody else? Or when they get dressed up? What do you think is the right answer. Well, all those answers are right. But none of them are the surprise answer I told you about. Can you think of one other answer for when you should encourage somebody? Give up? OK…I’ll tell you…

You should encourage while today is called “Today”.

Do you understand what that means? Well, how many days are called “Today”? Only today. Right? But how often do you see today? Every day…right? So, when should you encourage somebody? Today! And how often is that? Every day! Wow, isn’t that cool? You should find something encouraging to say to somebody today and every day. But never put it off till tomorrow because tomorrow isn’t called “Today”. Whew! Is it crazy? Or do you get it? I bet you get it, and I bet you’re ready to go tell somebody something good. Am I right? Well, here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Tell somebody something good
And you could make their day.
But don’t wait till it’s too late.
Go say it now, today.
You could turn their day around.
So don’t you think you should
Go and find somebody now
And tell them something good?!

Stay tuned,

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No-cost, low-cost, and premium ways you can help me spread the Word…

Tell everybody you know to subscribe to Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional
(emails with good stuff for Fa-Ree)

Get my Rhyme & Reason Podcast delivered right to your device. (also Fa-Ree)

Get digital Bible stuff from the same company I do.

My books are also on Amazon.com or Apple Books

Grab yourself an un-cool T-shirt

Or how about some music for believers, dreamers, and thinkers