Today’s Devotional – August 21st (Cease Ye From Man!)

By admin On August 4th, 2014

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Today’s Devotional – August 21st

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Cease Ye From Man!

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“Cease ye from man,

whose breath is in his nostrils:

for wherein is he to be accounted of?”

Isaiah 2:22

 

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We live in a society today, which, to put it mildly, is very proactive about telling us http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shoppers_on_Dundas,_near_Yonge.jpghow to live.

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From cradle to grave, we are inundated with advice, with maxims, with philosophies, with psychology, and with all sorts of ideological dogma!

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Some could perhaps be considered good. And many laws are good.

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But more and more, there are oppressive laws, which tend to violate the Christian conscience.

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Shoppers in Toronto – cropped image – Wikimedia – share-alike license

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THE “GRAY AREAS” OF LIFE

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But this devotional is not about the laws of the land; but rather, is about things that would be considered “gray areas” of life: the questionable issues of everyday life.

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Many of these are not laws, but merely societal norms.

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And isn’t it true, that our society is very dogmatic about many customs and traditional practices which they embrace and profess?

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But the Bible says… “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert” Jeremiah 17:5, 6.

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Yes, as the disciple of Jesus grows in grace and in the knowledge of Christ, he (or she) begins to trust less and less in what people say, and more and more in the Word of Christ, and what He has to say about how we should live!

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People on crowded Delhi Bus – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike

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“THE TRADITIONS OF MEN”

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When Jesus walked the earth, He likewise encountered similar overbearing dogmatism.

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No, society was nothing like it is today, in which we are inundated from every direction, to conform to society’s “unwritten rules”. Nevertheless, the Devil made very sure that Jesus faced more fierce and more numerous encounters over such issues, more than we mortals can ever know!

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For instance, just one of His minor encounters was with the Pharisees who were shocked that He and His disciples did not wash their hands before eating.

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But Jesus answered them like this… “ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Mark 7:8

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Now Jesus was not saying that we shouldn’t wash our hands or our dishes! But He was merely making a point to these proud men, regarding placing tradition above the Word of God.

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But He was also gently upbraiding them about the importance of exercising kindness to others, instead of their rude judgmental words against His disciples.

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Brooklyn Museum – The Pharisees Question Jesus – James Tissot – US Public Domain – Wikimedia

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TRUE CHRISTIANITY WILL OFFEND

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And the point of this devotional is that we are in a very similar predicament today. Even much greater!

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As we try to allow Jesus to live out His life through us, we may decide it more Christ-like to do certain things differently from the norms of society. And as a result, we will undoubtedly meet with opposition, from family, from friends, from society at large, and even from fellow Christians…

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“Oh you don’t have insurance on your home!?”

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“So, you’re going to home-school your children!?”

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“You mean you’re not going to let a doctor treat you!?”

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“Oh, you think the churches are Babylon!?”

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“Why don’t you believe this, or why don’t you do that!?”

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These and myriad more, are the kinds of oppositions which a Christian must face, at times.

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Jesus Teaching – Luke 4:31-32 – jesus talks about heaven – www.lavistachurchofchrist.org – public-domain

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FOLLOWING JESUS SEEMS FANATICAL

.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-06831.jpg

Now whether or not the Reader agrees with these aforementioned examples, the important thing is this: each Christian must make up his or her own mind as to just how they are going to follow Jesus.

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And while we must always be on guard against allowing the Devil to lure us into fanaticism, we nevertheless are to follow Jesus.

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And as we advance up the pathway of Heaven’s knowledge, we begin to see more and more ways in which Jesus behaved differently than our society dictates.

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TIME OF TROUBLE 

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Now we are living in the very day in which Christians will be tested before the world.

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We do not know for certain just how we will be tested.

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But just like Peter, whose pride was the point of contention (as he succumbed to peer-pressure which caused him to deny His Lord), we too may face similar trials which cause us to suffer embarrassment and scorn from our family, friends, and neighbors.

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Peter’s 2nd Denial of Jesus – US Public Domain – www.joyfulheart.com

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WALKING ON WATER

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And we must also remember that Jesus was (and still is) looked upon as a fanatic! And so was Paul, and so was John and so were the others as well.

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And so will we, if we are truly on The Way of Holiness, that upward highway out of this world! More and more will our lives reflect the life of Jesus. More and more will we “walk on water”, so to speak, as we live the life of faith.

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This is why the world hates Jesus. And this is why the world will hate us too!

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Listen…“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” John 15:18, 19  

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Peter walks on water – James Tissot – www.wikiart.org

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JUDGE NOTHING BEFORE THE TIME”

1st Corinthians 4:5

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But just one more word on this subject. It must be remembered that the Bible is a very complex Book. And each Christian must live by what he or she knows to bhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_Bible,_Notre-Dame_du_Taur,_septembre_2011.jpge truth.

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And so, we just can’t allow the people of this world to be our conscience for us. Nor are we to be their conscience!

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Therefore, just like Jesus was very quiet about why He did or didn’t do certain things, so should we. Especially in the areas in which others cannot understand, we ought not make such things public.

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La Bible, Notre-Dame – cropped image – wikimedia – share-alike license

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FANATICISM

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And if we are in doubt about certain duties, then perhaps we should not do them, until we have prayerfully studied our Bibles to the point that all our doubts have http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marshall_Applewhite.jpgdissipated.

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And also, if we are the type of person that easily falls into fanaticism, then we must remember that Satan would especially love to get us to engage in some sort of fanaticism, in hopes of casting dirt upon the name of Christ.

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Marshall Applewhite – cropped image – Wikipedia – Fair-Use Rationale

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BY STUDY, BY PRAYER & BY EXPERIENCE

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But the well-seasoned Christian (who by years of study, prayer, and abundanchttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cano_-_San_Juan.jpge of experiential trials), really knows his Bible, will more and more walk by the same faith of Jesus, and will more and more become a spectacle to this faithless world in which we live (see 1st Corinthians 4:9).

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This picture of the Apostle, John, really paints a thousand words, doesn’t it? After all, anybody looking at it would think it’s a picture of Jesus. And from reading John’s three epistles, it becomes clear that John had fully been transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Do you think John was offensive to worldly-minded people? After all, he wasn’t banished to the Isle of Patmos, because they liked him!

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John The Apostle by Alonzo Cano 1635-1637 – wikipedia – public domain

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TOhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Audience_hands_etropolis2014.jpg READ PART 2, CLICK HERE…

“FEBRUARY (Cease Ye From Man! Part 2, Preachers)”

Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-100506-M-2360J-038.jpg

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to spend my remaining time on earth, studying and meditating on Your Word, as much as I possibly can. Give me the wisdom to discern between what is true and what is fanaticism. Help me to become that well-seasoned Christian, who can walk by faith, and not by sight.

Marine Praying – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book_magnify2.svg

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… ““Vanity Fair” & The False Prophet” or you can also read… “Orion the Soldier Pt. 2: “The Weapons of Our Warfare””

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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THE END

.Orion Constellation at Eagle Ridge

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

 

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THE MILKY WAY RUNS THROUGH THIS HOLY-GHOST-RIDER

winter Constellations in the east

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Now one thing that is noticeable and makes this constellation even more dramatic, is the fact that the Milky Way runs right through it. And the question that must be asked is, “What biblical implications does this constellation/Milky Way connection have?” Well, very simply put, if stars represent Believers, then this rider works in the world through His True-Worshippers, to a great extent.

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WHY IS THIS CONSTELLATION SO INCOMPLETE IN APPEARANCE

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So why is this constellation merely an outline? Well it does show his back, rear end and leg…and arm. But unlike, say, Orion, this constellation is very vague, even mysterious in appearance. Almost vacant in appearance. Yes this horseman represents Christ. But even more than this, it represents the Holy Spirit of Christ. And as we all know, the Holy Spirit is very, very, un-intrusive, almost impossible to detect His presence.

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book_magnify2.svg

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation”

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Figures_The__are_smitten_with_blindness.jpg

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TOMORROW:

“August 22nd (Sodom Rising!)”

The sodomites are smitten with blindness – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth)

ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

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THIS IS STUDY #231 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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Those who are interested in using photos on this page may click on provided link below each photo, to get to Wikimedia Commons for various licensing details & tags, and all other necessary information on any particular photo. Most tall, narrow photos have been cropped or reduced by this website to make them a better fit on phone screens.

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