Today’s Devotional – October 14th (Don’t Eat Your Pork! Part 1)

By admin On September 12th, 2014

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Today’s Devotional – October 14th

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Don’t Eat Your Pork!

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Part 1

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“But we are all as an unclean thing,

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***and all our* *righteousnesses are as filthy rags;***

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and we all do fade as a leaf;

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and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Isaiah 64:6

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There are many who are confused about eating unclean meat in New Testament times! And to those who wonder about such things, we would caution, “DON’T EAT YOUR PORK!”

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Now for those who have no problem regarding the eating of unclean meat, we would also caution, “DON’T EAT YOUR PORK!”

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God made it very clear in the Old Testament, that there were certain foods which His people were to stay away from. And among these forbidden foods was pork!

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No pork – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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But perhaps there is more to all these clean and unclean meat laws! Let’s explore into this…

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TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN!

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Now in the New Testament, there was not nearly the emphasis on clean and unclean meats! As a matter of fact, in the New Testament, clean and unclean meats were spoken of only in spiritual terms. In other words, unclean meats were spoken of as being unclean associations with sin and unbelievers.

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Listen… “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN [THING]; and I will receive you,” 2nd Corinthians 6:17

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So here, God speaks of being unequally yoked together with unbelievers as a forbidden fellowship with unrighteousness and a communion with darkness.

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But notice He ends this passage with the command… “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN [THING]; and I will receive you,” 2nd Corinthians 6:17

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So now, this idea of clean and unclean meats begins to take on a much greater significance, having to do with fellowship in sin and unbelievers!

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PS Krøyer – Hip hip hurra! – Kunstnerfest på Skagen – 1888 – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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MOLES & BATS

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Now this spiritual concept is re-affirmed in other places, even in the Old Testament… “In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth.” Isaiah 2:20, 21

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Now obviously moles and bats, two extremely unclean meats, are not referred to here in a literal sense. These two creatures of darkness are symbolic of all those who live in spiritual darkness; either crawling or flying (which has its own significance, to be dealt with at another time!) Sufficed to say, in the last days, God’s people will fulfill this prophecy in a spiritual sense!

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Big-eared-townsend-fledermaus bat – cropped image – Wikipedia public domain

“Cast Idols to Moles”_mole by Michael David Hill, cropped image – wikipedia share-alike license

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THE BIBLE A SPIRITUAL BOOK!

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Now this devotional will not attempt to bring up every instance where unclean foods are spoken of. But the great thing to remember is, that the Bible is a spiritual book, and must be discerned spiritually…

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Listen… “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (by the Holy Ghost).” 1st Corinthians 2:14

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Multitudes get themselves into trouble, by looking at the Bible literally when in truth, it is a spiritual book. Every statement in the Bible is a spiritual concept. And when the Bible speaks of worldly things in nature, or in society, they must also be understood spiritually! And clean and unclean meats are no exception!

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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

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“COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM!”

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**Now the title of today’s devotional is Don’t Eat Your Pork! And so, just how does this fit in with our existence in the world as an individual Christian?**

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Listen again… “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,” 2nd Corinthians 6:14, 17

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All through the Old Testament, God repeatedly warned His people to root out the heathen from the Promised Land! So many battles were fought with this goal in mind! God spoke of not mingling diverse fabrics. He spoke of not co-mingling the “sacred with the common”. These were merely symbols, to warn against mingling the sacred things of the Bible with the common things of the world!

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judges7-Gideon & The 300-www.thebiblerevival.com-public domain

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SEPARATION: A THREAD THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE

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And here in 2nd Corinthians, God even proclaimed that “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?….Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you! And ye shall be My sons and daughters” 2nd Corinthians 6:14, 17, 18

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So here God makes this command so clear, that none need stumble! Come out from among them and be ye separate!

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Braet von Überfeldt – Woman with Bible – 1866 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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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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Unfortunately, our teachers and leaders have misguided us, by telling us that it’s okay to co-mingle with unbelievers!

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And while it’s true that we must work among unbelievers and attend family get-togethers, yet we must always be on guard against the conversation leading into sin!

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But those necessary occasions should not lead us to the assumption that we can now freely fellowship with unbelievers on an everyday basis. Because, as the Bible so succinctly states… “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” 1st Corinthians 15:33.

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Yes, as this above verse warns, it won’t be long before our ungodly fellowship will result in the corruption of our heart! And it doesn’t take much observation to see that those who disregard these warnings begin to take on the spirit of worldliness!

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**Those who use that lame excuse, “I have non-Christian friends because I want to convert them”, usually end up being converted themselves…converted back into worldliness!**

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DON’T EAT YOUR PORK!

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**And so, our mantra-for-the-day of, “Don’t Eat Your Pork”, is actually speaking of fellowship with unbelievers, either in the Church or out of it!**

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Now this doesn’t mean that we must go to some mountain-top or live in a cave! No, our great Role-Model, Jesus, presents the proper way to deal with unbelievers. And we must, more and more, imitate Him in all matters of life! Rather, in all matters of the heart!

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And so, as the children of God, it is high time to claim the promise, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you! And ye shall be My sons and daughters” 2nd Corinthians 6:14, 17, 18

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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PORK MAY BE A GOOD ALTERNATIVE!

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Now just as a side note, there are many who feel that pork or shell-fish or whatever else considered unclean, are not the healthiest of foods. And so, that is an entirely different matter.

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Now having said that, there are rumors circulating that many other foods are laced with poisons and diseases, such as “Mad-Cow” disease! So pork or shrimp may be a healthier alternative to these. Or maybe not.

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But don’t eat your pork, in a spiritual sense!

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However, in light of the many diseases in today’s world, people might think twice about consuming the exotic creatures thought to be the origin of these viruses, especially in this day when healthier alternatives are readily available.

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Once again, the Bible is proven to be a reliable truth-source for all matters of personal conduct and lifestyle choices!

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**And the original God-prescribed diet of fruits and vegetables (see Genesis 1:29) is probably the healthiest diet for Man.**

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Pig Snout – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

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TO READ PART 2, GO HERE…

January 18 (Don’t Eat Your Pork! Part 2: Yes, Do Eat Your Pork!)

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to see the spiritual nature of Thy Word. Help me to guard my heart and not carelessly live in this evil world…

Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic 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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THE MILKY WAY RUNS THROUGH

THIS HOLY-GHOST-RIDER

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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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TOMORROW:

October 15th (How Shall The Moon Be Turned Into Blood?)

Moon over Watchtower – signsofheaven.org – Not for commercial use

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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 #285 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

Those who are interested in using photos on this page may click on the provided image credit link below each photo, to get to Wikimedia Commons for various licensing names, details, and tags, and all other necessary info on any particular photo.

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