Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JANUARY 14 (That Ye May Know…)
By admin On October 26th, 2014.
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Daily Devotional – JANUARY 14
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That Ye May Know…
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“These things have I written unto you
that believe on the name of the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye have eternal life,
and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
1st John 5:13
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There is another church doctrine blowing through Christendom, which complains, “Oh I don’t think it’s right to have to worry about whether or not I’m saved! God just doesn’t want Christians to always be in doubt! And we shouldn’t have to always live in fear! And doesn’t 1st John tell us that we can know that we have eternal life?”
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Now, this is a very common expression heard by those in the evangelical world. And it’s based on the biblical truth found in 1st John 5:13, that it is possible to have full and comforting assurance of our salvation!
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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License
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“WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE LAW?”
Luke 10:26
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So just what is the problem with all of this?
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Exactly what does the Bible have to say concerning having our complete assurance of Salvation?
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Can every Christian feel confident about his or her Salvation?
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What tests was John referring to, as a means of having confidence regarding our Salvation?
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Well let’s go to the Word of God and see what God Himself has to say!
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Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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JOHN ASKS, “DO YOU LOVE THE WORLD?”
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For example, listen again to 1st John… “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1st John 2:15, 16
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So this above passage tells me that if I love this present world, then the love of the Father is not in me!
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Yes, if I devote much of my life to enjoying the pleasures and career pursuits of this life, and become immersed in trying to attain these affections and lusts, then can I really have the assurance of Salvation?
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Or am I just fooling myself?
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New York Times Square – terabass – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
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SERVING TWO MASTERS
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Now listen to the very words of Jesus… “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” Matthew 6:24, 25
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Do I love Mammon? Do I love so many selfish things of this life? Am I pursuing the career ambitions, the nicer cars, the expensive resorts, the bigger houses, the time-consuming amusements, the hobbies, the worldly clubs, the vain politics, the selfish little pleasurable moments, the new attire, the newest device, the parties, the dramas, letting the TV babysit my kids, so that I can “do my own thing”?
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Mall Market culture – Jakarta – Wikimedia – share-alike-lic.
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“EXAMINE YOURSELVES!”
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Listen to this revealing admonition…“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2nd Corinthians 13:5
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Does this above verse describe my life?
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Or on the other hand, am I conforming myself to the image of Christ? Do I rejoice when I can make some sacrifice, which makes my lifestyle just a little more Christlike? Do I rejoice when I reach the hour of prayer, or the hour of Bible study? Am I on a steady course of forsaking this selfish world, so that I can truly be a whole-hearted disciple and follower of Jesus? Is God often sending me through the heart-purifying fires of tribulation?
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Well, these are just some of the questions that I must ask myself, if I wish to know for a certainty that I have eternal life!
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Chaplain reads Bible – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain
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MANY DECEIVERS TODAY!
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“O My people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.” Isaiah 3:12
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And the fact is, there are many voices in the Christian community complaining that the greater part of the Church is pursuing with gusto, the things of this selfish world!
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And it’s not just those liberal prosperity-driven gospels pursuing the world! No, even the so-called “conservative gospels” are filled with much prosperity-driven, self-seeking!
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So this verse from 1st John… “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God”, may or may not apply to me!
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In other words, it would be nice to have all the confidence that I am safe and secure in my relationship with Jesus: but perhaps my confidence is merely “vain confidence”!
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Maybe I’m just fooling myself!
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Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain
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GOOD NEWS!
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But the Good News is this: it is still the day of Salvation! There is still time to turn from this selfish world, and repent, and become fully engaged in purifying my heart, and conforming my life into the image of Christ!
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The Book of James is an “acid test”, which God has given me to examine my heart, whether I am a true worshipper of God, or if my life is merely filled with hypocrisy. And if I do not measure up to the Christian standards laid out by James (and other epistles too), then James offers the following remedy for my undone condition!
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Listen… “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God… Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.” James 4:4, 6-10
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This above passage from James should be the correct spirit in which I live, until the day that I can feel confident that I have truly overcome the world! Yes, this kind of repentance is not just for a day, nor just for an hour! But rather, this should an ongoing attitude until the day that James no longer condemns my heart!
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David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Let me not be just another victim of vain confidence! Show me my faults! Reveal to me where I am in error! Turn me away from all such presumptuous sins. And lead me in the way, Everlasting…
Prayer – USMC – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… ““Vanity Fair” & The False Prophet”, or you can also read… “February 17th (Examine Yourself!)”
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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Revelation 12 Woman & The Narrow Gate Stars (Orion’s Gate to Heaven)
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“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
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LOCATION
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This most amazing phenomenon is seen throughout the winter. Although it can be observed most of the winter, it is seen best when it is the western part of the sky, at winter’s end (The end of winter being the final scene of this heavenly Gospel story). Orion , the Dragon, and the Glorious White Horse are beginning to descend into the western horizon (sketch to right is Winter Constellations descending into western horizon. This can actually be seen as early as December, in the pre-dawn hours).
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And at this point it is apparent that the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation is veering toward the two bright stars, known as Castor and Pollux (sketch to left). But the Wide Gate Stars are composed of the two brightest stars of the Auriga Constellation, known as the star, Capella, and the star, Menkalinan. The two stars, Castor and Pollux, make up the concept of the Orion’s Narrow Gate Stars.
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This can even be observed into June in the western sky (for a short time just after dark). While a dark night is best for seeing the Woman Constellation, the 4 stars which comprise the Narrow Gate/Wide Gate Stars can be seen even under mediocre conditions. It begins with the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation (AKA Ursa Major) going towards these two doors.
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The sketch to left shows, the two doors are each composed of two bright stars. The two bright stars that comprise the Narrow Gate are the two brightest stars of the Orion the Reaper’s sickle.
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The two stars that comprise the ‘Wide Gate’ Stars are the two brightest stars of the wave of water that comes out of the Dragon Constellation’s mouth (for explanation of “Wave of Water”, just click here). The stars that make up the ‘Narrow Gate’ are about half the width of the Wide Gate (see sketch below left).
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(For more information on Orion’s sickle, just click here,“Orion The Reaper”.)
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Editor’s note: These sketches on this page are merely sketches. The stars are not in their exact place. However, they are close enough to find them in the night sky. But as with most stars, it takes persistence to finally locate them.
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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)”
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TOMORROW…
JANUARY 15 (We Wrestle Not Against Flesh & Blood!)
Christian and Apollyon – Pilgrim’s Progress – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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20 MINUTE+ AUDIO BIBLE 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 #379 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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