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

By admin On January 10th, 2021

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’s experience!

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

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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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DESTINED TO LIVE AND DOOMED TO DIE!

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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” (Revelation 13). But “six” also being the number of “human works”, “Six days shall you labor and do all your work” Exodus 22).

But unsaved man tries to be moral at the same time.

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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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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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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, 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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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 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.

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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!

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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.

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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 resolved, 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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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 finally comes the day when the caterpillar fully dies.

But this death is not in vain! No, this death only brings life anew!

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Because after some days or weeks of this turmoil and metamorphosis, a butterfly is born!

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Now with two beautiful wings, this entirely new creation emerges and takes his winged flight.

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No longer is he a creature of the earth!

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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 divine love of Christ, forever sipping on the ever-sweet nectar of God’s Word!

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Prayer – USMC – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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TO 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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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, 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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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

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VALLEY OF DECISION CONSTELLATION GROUP

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SO WHERE ARE THE “MULTITUDES”?…

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…

“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

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.

(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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TOMORROW…

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

Thumbs down – Wikimedia – Creative Commons 2.0 License

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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 #7 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

Harold Camping Jeremiah Series #7

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

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