Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 15 (Almost All Is Vanity! Part 5: “Castles of Sand!”)

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 15

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Almost All Is Vanity!

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Part 5:

“Castles of Sand!”

To read Part 1, click here…April 22nd (Almost All Is Vanity (Meaningless)! Part 1)

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“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,

while the evil days come not,

nor the years draw nigh,

when thou shalt say,

I have no pleasure in them;”

Ecclesiastes 12:1

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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sand_castle,_Cannon_Beach.jpgStrategically placed, facing all those who wait to have their purchases checked out, was one of those weekly tabloids.

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On the cover was a very unflattering photo of a certain world-renowned celebrity from decades past.

.https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Enquirer_logo.jpg

Now what made this photo even more shocking was that this certain celebrity was one of those “lucky ones” who seemed to possess a timeless beauty through the years.

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But finally, that current tabloid photo unmercifully exposed her as looking almost scary! 

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Sand castle, Cannon Beach – by Curt Smith – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License.

National Enquirer logo -Wikimedia – Public Domain

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FATHER TIME’S RUTHLESS THUGS!

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For those of us who have lived six or seven decades, this type of incident becomes all too familiar.

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All those “beautiful people” we grew up with, are not so beautiful anymore!

.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sand_castle,_Cannon_Beach.jpg

They are now termed as being “has-beens”.

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Their formerly golden voices are now an octave lower!

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Their once fresh-faced presence which, once-upon-a-time, graced the “silver-screen” is now a thing of the past. 

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And even those “fortunate-few” who seemed to age gracefully, eventually all get likewise mugged by “Father Time’s hit-men”!

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Sand castle, Cannon Beach – by Curt Smith – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License.

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“WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?…A VAPOR!”

James 4:14

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bob_Hope_and_Bing_Crosby_in_Road_to_Bali.jpgYes, those of us who have survived long enough to see the aging process run its course from start-to-finish, life here on Planet Earth now shows its ugly reality.

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And as we grow old and wrinkled ourselves, we see a new generation of fresh-faced celebrities who have risen up to replace the ones we grew up with.

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Bob Hope and Bing Crosby – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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VANITY OF VANITIES! ALL IS VANITY (MEANINGLESS)!

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Of course, this generational phenomenon only reminds us of Solomon’s question…

“Vanity of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dore_Solomon_Proverbs.pngvanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity! What profit has a man of all his labour which he takes under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes:” Ecclesiastes 1:2-4

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Yes, the older we get, the more sense these above words begin to make!

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But you couldn’t convince us of this truth when we were young and strong! 

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Death seemed so far off back then!

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“I’ll cross that bridge somewhere down the line”, we attempt to convince ourselves, as we squint our eyes to blur the grim reality of our future date with destiny.

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Dore – Solomon – Proverbs – Wikipedia – Public domain (2)

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FASTER THAN A SPEEDING LOCOMOTIVE!

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But, what young people just do not understand nor consider is, that our life is like a train which keeps gaining speed, the nearer it gets to our final encounter with eternity!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hans_Baluschek_Anfahrender_Schnellzug_1909.jpg?uselang=fr

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Time speeds up with each passing decade!

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People, especially the young, just don’t realize how quickly our 5 or 6, or 7 decades of life pass by!

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Train locomotive – Hans Baluschek Anfahrender Schnellzug – 1909 – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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WHICH WORLD WILL I CHOOSE?

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And so, the question which each of us really need to ask ourselves is this: “Why am I placing so much time and energy into the things of this very temporary and fragile world?

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“When right before me exists the Fountain of Life, why do I refuse to drink its life-giving waters of grace?

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“Are the glittering treasures and fleeting pleasures of this short life so much more valuable than the eternal life which Jesus holds out to us?”

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Water Fountain of Eternal Life – Cleveland, Ohio – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons 1.0 Universal Public Domain

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SAND CASTLES ON THE SEASHORE

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Jesus spoke the following words…“And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:” Matthew 7:26

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Jesus here presents a picture of a foolish man who built his house on sand. And for a time, he enjoyed his temporal life, thinking it would never crumble.  

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But sooner or later tragedy does indeed come!

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And all the treasures which we stored up over the decades, are quickly taken away, just like all those sandy castles, eventually get washed away by the incoming tide on the seashore!

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Sand castle, Cannon Beach – by Curt Smith – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License.

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GOOD NEWS!

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But the very Good News is, that today is still the Day of Salvation!

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And those of us who have come to realize how futile and fragile are the fleeting treasures and vain pleasures of this short life, still have time to turn away from our “castle made of sand” and begin to build a house which will never crumble nor get washed away!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Study_for_The_Cross_and_the_World......_-_Thomas_Cole.jpg

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Listen again to Jesus…“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a Rock:” Matthew 7:24, 25

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The question is, am I going to end up my life as a fool or as a wise man? God has given me only two choices: to either build my house upon a sandy foundation, or to build it on the Solid Rock!

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Which foundation will I choose?

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Thomas Cole – Pilgrim of the Cross at the End of His Journey – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thackery_musium_040928-12.JPGTO READ PART 6, CLICK HERE…

April 30 (Almost All Is Vanity! Part 6: “Tasting Our Own Mud Pudding!”)

boy with chocolate on face – Wikimedia – GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angel_prayers.jpg

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to fully comprehend what Solomon is saying to us today! Help me to keep my eyes looking ever-upward, so that the things of earth will grow strangely dim…

Girl Praying – Wikimedia – 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… “Flower of the Field Constellation: Part 2-”All is Vanity”” or you can also read… “The Flower of Heaven Constellation”

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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.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WiltedRose.JPG

“THE GLORY OF MAN,

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AS THE FLOWER…

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FALLS AWAY”…

1st Peter 1:25

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WiltedRose – Wikimedia – public domain

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FLOWER OF THE FIELD IN HEAVEN

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This is perhaps one of the most amazing constellations that God has created. It truly looks like a flower, and appears to be blowing in the direction of westward. But as autumn draws near, this constellation appears to bow itself down, just like the flowers of Earth bow down, at the summer’s end.

Two Turtledoves-Flower of the Field- Cross/Scepter Constellations

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And these are not merely obscure stars. These are among the biggest and brightest stars in the night heavens.

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The Two Turtle-Doves Constellation is also known as Sagittarius .

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The Flower of the Field is also known as Scorpio .

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But there is another obvious aspect to this constellation group. Notice that the birds are flying in the same direction as the flower is bending; it is as if the east wind is blowing these heavenly messengers. “The wind blows where it desires, and you hear the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it comes, and where it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:8. So here is another incredible Bible concept, written in the heavens! And God has spoken of these signs! Listen… “For ever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in (the) heaven(s).” Psalm 119:89

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THE ZODIAC CONSTELLATION NAMES

By the way, it is not the purpose of www.theheavensdeclare.net to give any validity to the Zodiac or any pagan deities. But the common names of many constellations must be given, solely for the purpose of locating them on star-charts.

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WHY IS THIS FLOWER POINTING UPWARD?

flower of the field constellation (fixed)

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To the right is a star-chart from Wikipedia. The editor of this site has sketched in the Flower of the Field Constellation on this constellation commonly referred to as the Scorpio Constellation (plus a few other close-by bright stars). Do you see the long blade of grass growing from the base of the Flower of the Field? This is made of the two highest stars of the Lupus Constellation, and the two lowest stars of the Libra Constellation. As this sketch shows, the flower appears to be pointing to Arcturus and the Revelation 12 Woman (shown in sketch below). Arcturus represents Jesus, as He leads His sons (and daughters) on a spiritual journey up a heavenward pathway, as is written… “Canst you bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or can you guide Arcturus with his sons?” Job 38:32.

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ABOVE STAR-CHART: Flower of the Field Constellation commonly known as Scorpio – seen in spring through summer (Flower drawn in over Wikipedia star-chart)

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

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Flower of the Field Constellation” or you can also read… “Flower of the Field Constellation, Part 3: “Signs of the World’s End””

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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

TOMORROW:

April 16 (The False Prophet, Part 13: “How To Start Your Own Gospel”)

David Koresh – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH 

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THIS STUDY #105 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

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

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