Today’s Devotional – December 8th (Lead On Softly!)
By admin On December 7th, 2013.
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Today’s Devotional – December 8th
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Lead On Softly!
THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE ARTICLE… “Running The Christian Race (Part 3, Sensual Music)”
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“And he Jacob said unto him,
My lord knoweth that the children are tender,
and the flocks and herds with young are with me:
and if men should overdrive them one day,
all the flock will die…
and I will lead on softly…”
Genesis 33:13.
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In this above verse, God makes a statement through Jacob, concerning how he, Jacob, determined to lead his own family.
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To lead others, such as one’s family, takes much prayer and Bible wisdom.
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In this picture to the right, we see David, as he sat among his flocks.
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Of course, David was a picture of Christ, as He sits among “the people of His pasture”. Psalm 95:7
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David Playing Harp www.thebiblerevival.com US public domain
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JESUS, THE GENTLE SHEPHERD
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“Feed the flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly;
not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
Neither as being lords over God‘s heritage,
but being ensamples to the flock.”
1st Peter 5:2, 3
We are living in a less-than-perfect world, to put it mildly.
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Things are not the way they will be, when we finally reach those heavenly shores.
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Much patience and silence is required when we are surrounded by others who are not of the same mind as us.
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And there are family situations which require much wisdom and prayer.
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ABOVE PICTURE – winter – Orion the Good Shepherd – www.signsofheaven.org
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“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint”
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But the Christian must not try to compel others to begin making changes in their life in order to appease. Whether it be music, or diet, or dress or television, etc…
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It is not the Christian’s commission from God to bend the consciences of others who are less inclined to walk as Jesus walked.
God’s army is a volunteer army.
No one should force others to join.
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Jesus The Good Shepherd – Bernhard Plockhorst – 1825-1907 – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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JACOB LEADS ON SOFTLY
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“My lord knoweth that the children are tender,
and the flocks and herds with young are with me:
and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die…
and I will lead on softly…”
Genesis 33:13.
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The above verse is the testimony by Jacob about his family as they traveled back to their long-lost home in the Promised Land.
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As we look at this painting of Jacob, we recall his gracious words about his family and flocks.
He said “I will lead on softly”.
Jacob saw how God had patiently worked with him through the years.
And now Jacob was likewise determined to be gentle with his own family.
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meeting-of-jacob-and-esau – 1844_- wikipaintings – public domain
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LET GOD BLESS OUR FAMILY
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By prayer, watchfulness, and daily consecration, we can cry out for our loved ones, and have confidence that God hears our prayers.
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We can cling to God’s “great and precious promises” about our family, too.
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As we focus on our own Salvation, we can rest assured that God will work in the lives of others.
And if God will peradventure bring a loved one into the fold, then and only then will they also desire to run that Christian Race and fight that Good Fight.
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“…Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house:
thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.”
Psalm 128:1-4
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Yes, as this above passage tells, God will bless my family, if only I will become fully engaged in my own personal heart-purification.
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Grape vines – cropped image – wikimedia commons – share-alike license
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Give me great wisdom as to know how to lead my family gently…
Marine Praying – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Running The Christian Race (Part 3, Sensual Music)”
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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ORION, THE GOOD SHEPHERD
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“The LORD is my Shepherd;
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I shall not want (lack).
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He maketh me to lie
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down in green pastures:
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He leadeth me beside
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the still waters…
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I will fear no evil:
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for Thou art with me;
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Thy rod and thy staff
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they comfort me….”
Psalm 23:1, 2, 4
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“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD”
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“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11
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By the infallible pen of Divine inspiration, God has forever connected Himself with the concept of a shepherd with his sheep.
The above verse from John’s Gospel portrays Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
With His sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus truly fulfilled the above prophecy, giving His life for His lost sheep.
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ABOVE PICTURE – winter – Orion the Good Shepherd – www.signsofheaven.org
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ORION, THE GOOD SHEPHERD
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This star-chart from Wikipedia, has Orion sketched in by the editor of this website.
With the addition of a single star, Theta Geminorum (the left hand of the Castor twin of Gemini), the sickle in Orion, the Reaper’s hand (sketch to left), now extends the blade, thus transforming that sickle into the hook of a shepherd’s rod and staff.
And so now this little Gemini star becomes the tip of Orion’s Shepherd’s rod & staff.
Thus with this additional star, Orion the Reaper Constellation now becomes the 5th personality of Orion: The Good Shepherd (sketch below right).
Theta Geminorum is a class A3, 4th magnitude star, which means it is much fainter than either of the stars, Castor or Pollux.
But faint as This little star may be, it nevertheless presents a giant concept, turning Orion’s sickle into a shepherd’s rod.
And this is a very wonderful and beautiful Bible truth: namely, that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, as is written…
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“As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered;
so will I seek out My sheep,
and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered
in the cloudy and dark day.”
Ezekiel 34:12
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And so God has placed this Starry Shepherd in the winter-night heavens to remind us of His great love for a planet which has wandered away: just like sheep that wandered to where the grass looked greener.
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ABOVE WIKIPEDIA STAR-CHART – winter – Orion the Good Shepherd (Orion Constellation and rod made of Gemini stars – with the Shepherd drawn over by this website) – www.signsofheaven.org
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Orion, The Good Shepherd”
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TOMORROW:
“December 9th (Almost All Is Vanity!)”
Dore – Solomon – Proverbs – Wikipedia – Public domain (2)
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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 #340 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
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Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain
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