Today’s Devotional – January 7th (The Chrysalis Christian!)

By admin On January 6th, 2014

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Today’s Devotional – January 7th

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The Chrysalis Christian!

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“O LORD, how manifold are thy works!

in wisdom hast thou made them all:

the earth is full of thy riches.”

Psalm 104:24

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THE CATERPILLAR

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Just think about how the marvelous little butterfly is such a wonderful symbol of the Christian’shttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grasglucke_Raupe.jpg experience!

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And this is because, for the butterfly to exist, it must be “born again”.

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Behold the little caterpillar, who is stuck here on the ground (or on a plant or up in a tree), spending its life, eating the green herbs of the earth!

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And so too, before a person becomes born again, we are like that little caterpillar, stuck down here, eating of the things of earth, things of the world! We have no wings!

Grasglucke Raupe – Wikipedia – Share-alike license

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Geometrid_Moths_(Geometridae)_caterpillar_-2.jpgDESTINED TO LIVE AND DOOMED TO DIE!

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And this is the condition of fallen humanity. Prisoners in Lucifer’s dungeon: this sad and dying world! Living by the flesh, with all its affections and lusts!

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All our lives, pushing ourselves along, going to-and-fro, hopelessly eating all those miserable pleasures of selfishness!

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Geometrid Moths Geometridae caterpillar – Wikimedia – the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

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TWO SETS OF LEGS

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Now here is an interesting fact!

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You see, normally many caterpillars have two sets of legs: one set of six, and another set of ten.

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And thus it is with unsaved mankind. Man forever pushes himself along by his own strength, represented by those six legs (“six” being the number of “Man”, but “six” also being the number of “human works”).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chenille_de_Grand_porte_queue_(macaon).jpg.

But unsaved man tries to be moral at the same time. This is how we justify our lives, by thinking that whatever we do must be good and must be right! 

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And so, our morality is represented by those ten legs (“ten” symbolizing the Law and judgment).

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But this also relates to the faithful churchgoer! When a person begins to attend church, he (or she) more often than not, attempts to keep the Law (symbolized by the ten legs). And in order to keep the the Ten Commandments, the Christian must do it by his own human works (symbolized by those six legs).

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But the churchgoer still remains on earth.

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He still clings to the things of this world, while trying to keep the Law too!

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Chenille de Macaon – Caterpillar – Wikipedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

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TIME FOR A CHANGE

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But of course, this is all futile!

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James Lindsey at Ecology of Commanster

Utterly hopeless, both for the worldling as well as for the churchgoer!

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It is virtually impossible to attempt to obey God, while clinging to the world! And such a futile life of human works only multiplies his guilt and frustration!

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And so then, after struggling along in this vain religion for much too long, there finally comes the moment of truth for the little caterpillar. The day finally arrives when he fully realizes that it’s time for a change!

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And so, this little worm climbs up on a leaf, or a twig of a tree, and almost miraculously he creates a chrysalis! And then begins a struggle. And then begins a metamorphosis.

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Yes, this little worm begins to literally die within this chrysalis, his secret little hiding-place. And thus is set in motion a miraculous phenomenon! This little caterpillar worm enters this death-stage.

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But this is a death which will ultimately lead to life anew!

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This is because that little worm completely changes into an entirely different creature!

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Shargacucullia scrophulariae caterpillar – James Lindsey at Ecology of Commanster – Share-alike license

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THE CHRISTIAN CHRYSALIS

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Now, as already stated, this Chrysalis stage can easily be compared to the struggle in which the earth-bound human gets tired of trying to keep the Law by his own strength!

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He realizes that all his good works and vain ministries were just a futile effort to earn “Heavenly brownie-points”!

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He wants Heaven, but he realizes that he can’t have Heaven, while still clinging to earth, clinging to the world! And he finally sees that the Law cannot be kept by human strength. He realizes his need for a Lord to keep him…and for a Good Shepherd to guide him. He now understands that he needs to become “born again”, into the image of Christ. He knows that he needs Divine Strength to replace his human strength. Divine Wisdom to replace his human wisdom.

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And so he begins to study his Bible, as he once did (legalistically), but now he begins to meditate on it too, throughout his day! That’s something he didn’t do before. He was just too busy eating the things of the earth, to really meditate on the Word!

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But now he knows that his only hope is to hide that Word ever so deeply within his heart.

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Chrysalis(Pupa) of a Common Crow Butterfly – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike license

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A FULL SURRENDER

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Yes, he is finally finished with the world with all of its glittering tinsel-like attractions.

.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-06831.jpg

Now he only wants Heaven! Now he only desires the sweet nectar of God’s Word.

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And so, he is finally determined to devote the rest of his earthly life to the Lord. Thus, he is resolved, whether at work, whether at rest, or whether serving his family, his life’s devotion will be to serve the Lord! He now is ready to endure anything, if that’s what it takes to win Christ!

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And he begins to beg God to crucify that “old man” (self) who is slave to his lusts, so that the “new Man” (Christ) can live out His life through him.

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But he also understands that Christ cannot live through him while the “old man” still reigns and rules over his life and over his heart!

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There has to be a death to self!

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

 

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THE BUTTERFLY

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And then begins the struggle to die! This goes on for days.

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This little worm starts to literally melt into liquid! And this process continues day-by-day, night-by-night! But finally comes the day when the caterpillar fully dies. But this death is not in vain! No, this death only brings life anew! This is because this little earth-clinging worm is now fully and miraculously changed into an entirely new creation! Thus ends the Chrysalis-stage.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South-American_butterfly.jpg

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Because after some days or weeks of this turmoil and metamorphosis, a butterfly is born! Now with two beautiful wings, this entirely new creation emerges and takes his winged flight, fully engaged in a search for the sweet nectar of every correct flower. No longer is he a creature of the earth! No longer does he need to inch his way through the grass, in search of earthly food!

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His new home is in the sky, and through the air he wings his way to the next flower, in search of sweet heavenly nectar!

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South American butterfly – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike license

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CHRIST, THE ‘NEW MAN’ WITHIN

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And this is exactly what happens when a Christian finally dies-to-self.

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Now the “new Man”, Christ, can fully live out His righteous and holy life through that Believer, who has crucified the “old man”.

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Now that Christian can say with Paul… “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.

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And now this new creation can live out the righteousness and holiness and divine love of Christ, forever sipping on the ever-sweet nectar of God’s Word: all because it is Christ who now lives out His life through that truly “born again” Believer!

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Prayer – USMC – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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https://pl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plik:Papilio_machaon_caterpillar.jpgTO READ PART 2, JUST CLICK HERE…

“July 16th (But I Am A Worm!)”

caterpillar – Papilio machaon caterpillar – cropped image – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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YOU MAY WANT TO  WATCH THIS AMAZING 4-MINUTE YOUTUBE VIDEO OF A MONARCH CATERPILLAR MORPHING INTO A BUTTERFLY BY TIME-LAPSE CAMERA…CLICK HERE

Chrysalis (Pupa) of a Common Crow Butterfly – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Christian_Martyrs_Last_Prayer.jpgTODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to repent of trying to live this dual life: trying to live for Heaven, while trying to cling to this self-indulgent world at the same time. Help me to go into my hiding place and begin to wrestle with God, and not give up until God blesses me with Christ living through me…

The Christian Martyrs Last Prayer – Wikipedia – US 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… “The Crown of Revelation 12: What Is “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”?”, or you may also read…May 28th (George Whitefield: Ye Must Be Born Again!)

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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THE END

https://theheavensdeclare.net/orion-2/.

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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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VALLEY OF DECISION CONSTELLATION GROUP

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SO WHERE ARE THE “MULTITUDES”?…

.Valley of Decision Constellation

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,” Isaiah 2:2, 3

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So where are the multitudes in this constellation? Well if you look at this sketch to the right, carefully, you will see an ENTIRE GALAXY making a slow trek up the steep slope toward the summit of one of the mountains. It is the mountain which is to the north in this sketch. This is the galaxy commonly called Andromeda. It is estimated to have possibly a trillion stars! Is a trillion stars a big enough multitude? Oh yes! Listen to God talking to Abraham…

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/8269775@N05

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“And He (God) brought him (Abraham) forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.” Genesis 15:5

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But this mountain in which this multitude of stars is climbing represents a very awesome and wonderful Bible concept. This mountain in Scripture is known as Mount Zion. And it is also known as the Mount of Blessing. It represents that spiritual mountain which Believers must climb, in order to reach the City of God. Listen to Scripture…

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“But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…To the…church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven…” Hebrews 12:22, 23. Well it sure seems that this verse is correct when it says the words… “which are written in heaven”! Because this galaxy in this constellation group is a wonderful picture of the Church as it makes it trek to the summit of this starry mountain; a picture of God’s Church…His faithful people…written in the heavens. These are the Signs of Heaven, promised long ago to be revealed before that “great and terrible Day of the Lord”

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“And I will show WONDERS IN THE HEAVENS and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.”

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(Joel 2:30, 31 Drawing of Abraham counting stars – Wikipedia – Public Domain. Click here for full size.

Andromeda Galaxy by Adam & Wikipedia – Share-alike license)

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SECOND MOUNTAIN…CHOICE “B”…

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“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:9

.Valley of Decision Constellation

Now there are two mountains in this constellation group. One mountain is symbolic of Zion, but also of the Mount of Blessing. So what is the second mountain? It is the mount of cursing…the law. Scripture refers to the law as the “ministration of death and condemnation” 2nd Corinthians 3:7, 9. The law is that which shows the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Listen to Romans… “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified…for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20. This reminds us of those two mountains: Gerzim and Ebal…the Mount of Blessing and the Mount of Cursing.

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

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The ‘Valley of Decision’ Constellation”

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Disapprove.jpgTOMORROW…

January 8th . . . . Why Isn’t This Devotional Like Other Devotionals?

Thumbs down – Wikimedia – Creative Commons 2.0 License

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http://christianimagesource.com/prophet_jeremiah_g341-prophet_jeremiah__image_2_p2281.html20+ 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 #7 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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

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