Daily Devotional, Year 4 – March 20 (Taking Back This Nation For God! Part 14: “This World is Not My Home!”)
By admin On March 20th, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 4 – March 20
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Taking Back This Nation For God!
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Part 14:
“This World is Not My Home!”
To read Part 1, click here…“March 28th (Taking Back This Nation For God!)”
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“If ye were of the world,
the world would love his own:
but because ye are not of the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you.”
John 15:19
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Jesus spoke these above words to His faithful disciples, just prior to going to the Cross.
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He told them that,
“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:
but because ye are not of the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you.”
John 15:19
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The Exhortation to the Apostles 1886-94 – by James Tissot – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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ARE WE REALLY “JUST A -PASSIN’ THROUGH”?
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Remember that old song…
“This world is not my home,
I’m just a-passin’ through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door.
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore”?
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Well, most faithful church attendees would probably wholeheartedly affirm this song’s faithful sentiment: “We’re just a-passin’ through!”.
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Church worship music – Wikipedia – Share-alike license
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“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life”
2nd Timothy 2:4
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So, if we agree that this world is not our home, why then do so many Christians get ourselves all caught up in this current political civil-war which is now raging, as if the world actually is our home?
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Even some Christian radio stations are now taking their respective sides in this political battle, and encouraging (often even badgering) their listeners to do the same.
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Announcer with microphone – svg – Wikimedia – Public-Domain
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“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims…”
1st Peter 2:11
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If we really believe we are strangers and pilgrims in this world, then why are we behaving like the people of the world in this regard? Why are we so jealous for this antichrist world-system? Don’t we realize that Satan is “the god of this world”? 2nd Corinthians 4:4
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Oh yes, the Bible commands us to offer, “prayers…for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority…” 1st Timothy 2:1, 2
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But does the Bible ever command or even encourage us to go any further into politics, than this?
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Pilgrim in a Rocky Valley by Carl Gustav Carus – Wikimedia – US Public Domain
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“…ye (His unsaved listeners) are of this world; I (Jesus) am not of this world.”
John 8:23
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Certainly we never read of Jesus getting involved in the politics of His day on earth? Or Paul? Or Peter, James and John?
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Much to the contrary, Jesus’ great concern was (and is) for the Salvation of souls. And this was also Paul’s great mission: his own Salvation, as well as daily care of the Church. Neither Jesus nor Paul, nor Peter, nor the others had any time to get involved in politics!
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They were 100% focused on their heavenly-ordained mission for the lost souls of this world!
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POLITICAL TALK SHOWS
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One big problem is that too many of us have allowed ourselves to get caught up in the daily soap-opera of politics, via radio, Internet, and television talk shows.
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But Paul warns us, in Galatians 5:9…“A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”
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Yes, when we allow ourselves to begin listening to these intriguing shows, it’s like yeast working its way through the dough until the entire loaf has been leavened!
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“…look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh”
Luke 21:28
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There are many issues in the world which seem to have great relevance and even great importance for our lives. And it becomes very easy to get all caught up in such events/disputes/fears/injustices.
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But as “Strangers and Pilgrims”, we must keep our eyes on the things unseen, heavenly things, as is written…
“While we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal;
but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
2nd Corinthians 4:18
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Yes, while we must constantly be praying for God’s blessings and deliverance from the many evils which assail us, we need to keep our focus on eternal issues.
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ABOVE PICTURE – Starry Night at La Silla – cropped – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license
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JOHN THE BAPTIST
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The Bible really gives us no encouragement to get politically active, nor to even vote for this or that candidate for public office. Nevertheless, Bible teachers, especially on radio and Internet, might vainly attempt to justify political activism, by saying such things as, “Well, John the Baptist preached to King Herod and even rebuked him for his unlawful marriage to his brother’s wife!”
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Such a weak and hollow argument, by means of their wrestling with the Scriptures, in attempt to justify political activism, should make manifest the complete lack of biblical encouragement to all those who vainly desire to become zealous for politics!
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Rather, the Bible condemns such worldly activism, with passages like this one…
“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life;
that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
2nd Timothy 2:4
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This and similar admonitions actually encourage Christians to stay away from politics, that we might wholeheartedly devote ourselves to the good and necessary works of Salvation, such as warning the world (just like John the Baptist) to “flee from the wrath to come!” Matthew 3:7 & Luke 3:7
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John the Baptist by J. Tissot – Wikimedia Commons – US Public Domain
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“GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY”
Proverbs 25:25
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Well, the Good News is that it is still the day of Salvation. And there is still time to beg and plead for the grace and mercy of God to release us from our idolatrous bondage to this world, with its many enticing pleasures and pursuits.
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And having won the victory over this world, we then will be able to say along with Paul…
“For I determined not to know any thing among you,
save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified…
For to me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain.”
1st Corinthians 2:2 & Philippians 1:21
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Paul Shipwrecked – Acts 27:41-44 – www.lavistachurchofchrist.org – Public Domain
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“But God forbid that I (Paul) should glory,
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save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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by whom the world is crucified unto me,
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and I unto the world.”
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Galatians 6:14
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ABOVE STAR-CHART – Sign of the Son of Man – www.theheavensdeclare.net – Not for commercial uses
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TO READ PART 15, CLICK HERE…
April 6 (Taking Back This Nation For God! Part 15: “Why All The Lawlessness?”)
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Lead me onward and upward on that heavenly Highway of Holiness, and out of this dark world below…
Prayer – USMC – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…June 4 (Cease Ye From Man! Part 3: “A Heath in the Desert!”), or you can also read this article…February 12 (“How To Be Hidden in the Day of Wrath”)
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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“Multitudes, multitudes in the ‘Valley of Decision’…
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for the day of the Lord is near in the ‘Valley of Decision’.”
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“The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining…
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“The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem…
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“And the heavens and the earth shall shake…
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“But the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
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Joel 3:14-16
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LOCATING THIS CONSTELLATION GROUP…
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Look eastward in the early summer through fall. Find the Cassiopeia Constellation. Cassiopeia is the Mount of Blessing. In the sketch, it is the farthest mountain to the left. In the sky, it is the northern-most of these three mountains when facing eastward. It resembles a pyramid.
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Then find the second pyramid to its right (south).
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Then go a little further south to the next third pyramid. The third snow-cap is the Destroying Mountain Constellation.
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These three pyramids are the snow-capped portion of these three mountains in this sketch. (of course, you won’t see the snow-caps in the sky. They are just an embellishment in this sketch to present a concept-EDITOR).
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THE VALLEY OF DECISION CONSTELLATION GROUP.
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They appear in mid-summer in the eastern skies in pre-dawn hours. These are made of Cassiopeia (mount on left), and various stars from the Andromeda Constellation (valley) Pegasus (Mount of Cursing (middle mount) & Destroying Mount (right)), and Pisces (Broad Way to Hell). The galaxy which appears to be climbing the Mountain of Blessing is the Andromeda Galaxy.
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The above Wikipedia star-chart shows this amazing constellation group as it appears from June to fall, just prior to the winter constellation group. Actually, these Valley of Decision Constellations appear in early summer in the pre-dawn hours. (Editor of this website has sketched in this constellation group onto this above Wikipedia star-chart.)
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… The ‘Valley of Decision’ Constellation
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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TOMORROW…
March 21 (Daniel 2:41: “A Kingdom…Divided…Cannot Stand!” CONTINUED)
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream – www.freebibleimages.org
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THE DESIRE OF AGES, BY ELLEN G. WHITE
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This is a chapter of the audio book about the Gospel of Jesus Christ in His life and ministry.
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Chapter 35 – Peace Be Still
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ABOVE STAR-CHART – Sign of the Son of Man – www.theheavensdeclare.net – Not for commercial uses
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EXCERPTS FROM THE OPEN FORUM QUESTION/ANSWER RADIO TALK-SHOW…
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This recording #129, is a small 30 minute sampling of the late Harold Camping’s 90 minute nightly talk shows. This particular program aired in the last few years of his 50 year radio ministry..
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ABOVE PICTURE: Holy bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons