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Today’s Devotional – February 27th

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Love is Not a Pick-n-Choose Buffet

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Just imagine if Christianity was a pick-n-choose buffet! And maybe it was called, say, “The King’s Table Grand Buffet” And you could just go down the line and choose whatever you wanted to have in your religion…

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Exclamation Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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1st CUSTOMER: “I think I’ll have some of that Manna Bible Bread!”

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2nd CUSTOMER: “Oh I don’t want that! It’s too hard to digest! I’m going to have some of this soft Jello with bits of “fruit of the Spirit”. That’s all my stomach can handle!”

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3rd CUSTOMER: “WOW! How bout that “meat of the Word” down there! Doesn’t that look great!?”

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2nd CUSTOMER: “There again, it’s much too much for me! I’ll just have some nice soft beginning-doctrines-vegetables and a glass of milk-of-the-Word!”

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1st CUSTOMER: “Oh boy, I’m just gonna bypass all that bread and meat of the Word, and merely have some nice angel-food-cake-of-good-works”

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4th CUSTOMER: “Well, I’m gonna have some of that rich-looking Prosperity-Gospel Devil’s-Food-cake covered by a thin coating of form-of-godliness-frosting!”

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Forain – the buffet – Wikimedia – US public domain

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OK, so you get the point, don’t you?

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But fortunately, Christianity is not just some pick-n-choose buffet!

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Banquet Table Nobel-Hansbaer – Wikipedia – share-alike lic.

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MANY ONLY WANT PART OF THE GOSPEL

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Someone may argue at this point, saying, “Well I don’t want to be part of the ‘frozen chosen’. I just want to do humanitarian good works! You know, clothing the naked, and feeding the hungry!”

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Well, it’s fine to do these good works. By all means, send money or food or clothing!

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But don’t be like Mr. Obstinate here, refusing to escape from the City of Destruction, and refusing to walk that upward Pilgrim’s Pathway to the Celestial City!

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Pilgrim’s Progress 09 p29 “Obstinate” – Wikimedia – public domain

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SALVATION: THE GREATEST GIFT!

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Yes, what these kinds of pick-n-choose arguments don’t take into account is, that the highest form of love is the Salvation of lost souls.

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You can give food baskets and send used clothing to the needy, but these will not save their soul.

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On the other hand, there is no greater love, than to lead starving and thirsty souls to the bread from Heaven, and to the water of life!

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Free Food Distribution – Gangasagar Fair Transit Camp – Kolkataw – Wikimedia – Free-Documentation-License.jpg

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GARMENTS OF SALVATION

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And there is no better way to clothe the spiritually naked, than to cover them with the garments of Salvation.

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These garments are made of the Holy Spirit, as He covers each new Believer with the robe of Christ’s righteousness.

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Baptism in the Jordan – Wikimedia – GNU Free-Documentation License

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THE PRISON-HOUSE OF SIN

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And there is no better way to visit prisoners, than to pray for, and witness to those who are in Satan’s prison-house of sin.

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And let’s face it! The whole world is held in bondage, locked behind the iron bars of Satan’s prison-house of sin! (See Timothy 2:24-26)

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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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EARLY CHURCH: OUR ROLE-MODEL

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As we read of the manner in which the early Apostles went into the world, we behold the example set for us of how we are to likewise win the world for Christ.

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And the more we know about Jesus, through His Word, the more intelligently we can be led by God’s Spirit.

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It’s like that saying, “Give a man a fish, and he will live another day! Teach a man to fish, and he will live a lifetime!”

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But to these words we would add… “But teach a man to be a fisher-for-the-souls-of-men, and he will live for all eternity!”

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St Paul Preaching in Athens – Raphael – 1515 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain 

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BIBLE NOT A PICK-N-CHOOSE BOOK!

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Christianity is certainly not a pick-n-choose buffet restaurant in which we choose to perform some good works, and yet NOT choose the other qualities of Christ’s love. 

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Listen… “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?’ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity!” Matthew 7:21-23.

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This above passage speaks of people who thought that humanitarian good works were sufficient to gain Christ’s approval.

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Little did they know what condemnation they would receive from Jesus, on that Great Day of Reckoning!

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Vegie_buffet – cropped image – Wikimedia – GNU-Free-Documentation-License.jpg

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THE JOY OF THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST

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Our goal is to become changed into His glorious image!

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If we want the blessing of God, we must follow Paul’s exhortation… “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ…” Romans 13:14.

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To die-to-self is a total transformation of the heart.

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And to finally be filled with all His fullness will be a joy unspeakable!

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ABOVE PICTURE – 7 Stars Constellation as the Cross (aka Big Dipper) – winter – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses

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“MY YOKE IS EASY!”

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Christ speaks of the glorious Rest which is offered to all who come unto Him, and put on His yoke of service…“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

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But let’s not become disheartened by the steep mountain we must climb! Jesus will help us, step-by-step.

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Our job is to merely sit at His feet and hear His Word.

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And finally, our great work is to cling to His precious promises, and sing His glorious praises, as He carries us up that golden pathway that leads to the Celestial City of the Heavenly King! 

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Girl Praying – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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To read Part 2, click here…

JUNE 21 (Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet, Part 2: Our Royal Priesthood)

Vegie_buffet – cropped image – Wikimedia – GNU-Free-Documentation-License.jpg

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me a love for all of Thy Word. And give me a love for all of Jesus. And help me to walk in all Thy ways…

Prayer – Mother and Daughter – Wikipedia – (cropped image) the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Revelation 12 Woman & The Narrow Gate Stars (Orion’s Gate to Heaven)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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THE END

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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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REVELATION 12 WRITTEN IN HEAVEN

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“And there appeared a great wonder (or sign) in heaven; a woman…And there appeared another wonder (sign) in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads…And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God…And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.” Rev. 12:1, 3, 6, 15

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Here is a sketch of this Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12. This is the Winter Constellations of Signs Of Heaven. Besides Orion and his Horse, we also see pictured in this sketch, the Dragon of Revelation 12.

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This Revelation 12 Woman Constellation is fleeing. As you can see, the Dragon Constellation is spewing a flood of water in her direction, as is written… “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.” Rev. 12:15. This wave of water represents Satan’s lies, and his false teachers who tell those lies.

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GOD’S MESSAGE: FLEE!!

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Beholding the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation in winter, it seems that God is trying to get a very important message across to His people: that His Church is to flee! But what are they to flee from? Well, you can go to the article titled “The Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation”

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WINTER CONSTELLATIONS-SEEN IN FALL: This sketch to the right is how this constellation group appears in the eastern sky in fall. This is the four primary constellations of the Winter Constellations. They can be seen in this position, in the late fall above the eastern horizon. The Woman of Revelation 12 is commonly called Ursa Major or The Big Dipper and appears in the north. Orion the Soldier is the at the bottom is to the south of the Woman. The The Dragon of Revelation Constellation’s mouth is The Hyades Cluster, and the tip of his tail is Pleiades, and his Wave of Water is primarily the Auriga constellation. The Glorious Horse Constellation head is of Perseus Constellation and his rear end is Cassiopeia Constellation.

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Woman of Revelation 12 (Flees to the Wilderness)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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TOMORROW:

” February 28th (Psychology & Vain Deceit!)”

Sigmund Freud – LIFE – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH 

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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 STUDY #58 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain

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