Daily Devotional, Year 2 – AUGUST 26 (Am I A Deist? Part 2: “Why Didn’t Paul Visit Doctor Luke?”)
By admin On February 2nd, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – AUGUST 26
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Am I A Deist?
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Part 2:
“Why Didn’t Paul Visit Doctor Luke?”
to read part 1, click here…JULY 29 (Am I A Deist? Part 1: Insurance)
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A DETACHED DEITY?
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There is a certain daily newspaper comic strip which often features a cartoon-like God, who looks down upon Earth, from Heaven, through a giant telescope.
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And though this cartoon is meant to give readers a daily chuckle, the fact is, many people who call themselves Christian, more or less believe in such a distant and detached God.
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The Helix Nebula – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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DEISTS OF THEIR DAY
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Some, or perhaps many of our founding fathers of the United States of America called themselves Christian, but were actually what were known as, “Deists”. You see, Deists believed that God sits far off in outer space, and merely monitors the comings and goings of Mankind.
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But is that what the Bible says about God? Am I really “the captain of my own ship”? Am I just an independent agent? Is the world merely a place where most of the actions and decisions being the product of humans?
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Or does God intervene in the affairs of Mankind?
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RAISED TO BE FAITHLESS
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We live in a faithless world! From early childhood, most of us have been taught and conditioned to believe that we must, “pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps”, as the saying goes.
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Yes, this ol’ world is under the false notion, that if indeed there is a God, He just sits out there in some far-away nebula, looking down at this world through some gigantic telescope.
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We are deists! We are faithless! We think that we must scratch and claw our way through this life, by our own strength and with our own intellect! From cradle to grave we are taught to trust in Man, instead of God!
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Shoppers in Toronto – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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DEIST = SADDUCEE
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Of course, this stark spiritual poverty is nothing new! The Bible refers to the faithless Sadducees during Jesus’ time on earth. They were a class of secularized “believers”, who doubted any supernatural intervention in the affairs of Man, by God!
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And when Jesus began His earthly ministry, this group of Sadducees had absolutely, not one shred of belief that He was the promised Messiah which was to come!
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Brooklyn Museum – The Pharisees Question Jesus – James Tissot – US Public Domain – Wikimedia
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TODAY EVEN WORSE!
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Now in today’s society, things are even worse than in the days of Jesus!
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Our western societies are not only heavily atheistic, but virtually void of any degree of living faith in God’s divine providence for man’s needs!
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People on Times Square – cropped image – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License.
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MEDICINE A GREAT INDUSTRY!
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Like never before in history, the medical community is perhaps the greatest of all industries in the western cultures.
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If you watch television, then it won’t be long till you view an advertisement for some medical product or doctor’s services!
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Now is there anything wrong with going to a doctor in time of need? Well certainly for the people of the world, there is nothing wrong with going to a doctor. And even for a Christian, there may be times when medical services may seem necessary.
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Typhoid inoculation – Wikipedia – US Govt. Public Domain
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But is the Christian REQUIRED to use those medical services? Well, is there anything in the Bible to suggest that a Christian MUST seek out medical help?
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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License
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THE GREAT PHYSICIAN
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However, the Bible does encourage going to one Physician…
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Listen…“And He said unto them, Ye will surely say unto Me this proverb, Physician, heal Thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Thy country.” Luke 4:23
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In this above verse, Jesus alludes to His office as the Great Physician. Jesus is the great Healer of both physical and spiritual maladies!
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Listen… “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;” Psalm 103:2-4
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FANATICISM
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Now there are those whom Satan raises up to cast dirt upon the Gospel.
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The world calls them fanatics. The Bible calls them “false brethren”.
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These are they who make a mockery of the Gospel of Christ by forbidding their children any medical services.
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Not only is this against the law, but it makes Christianity look bad.
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David Koresh – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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PAUL REFUSES MEDICAL SERVICES
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Now if a Believer personally wishes to not use conventional medical services, that is between that person and his or her Lord.
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For instance, in the Book of Acts, Chapter, the Apostle Paul, while on the island of Malta, was bitten by a deadly viper.
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But even though the “Beloved Physician”, Doctor Luke, was right there witnessing Paul’s encounter with that serpent, Paul just went on, building the fire as if nothing had happened. And even though Luke knew how to extract poisonous venom from a man’s arm, Paul knew that he had a divinely appointed commission to fulfill and didn’t require Dr. Luke’s services. And so, the native islanders continued to watch Paul, to see if he would die. But when Paul didn’t die, those natives changed their minds about Paul being a cursed murderer and decided that he was, indeed, Heaven-blessed!
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Acts 28 – 5 and Paul shook off the beast into the fire – www.thebiblerevival.com
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BE PREPARED TO DIE
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Now the point is, that Paul knew there to be no Bible commandment to seek the services of any earthly physician. And Luke knew this too, else he would have tried to convince
Paul to let him treat that deadly wound!
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Now just because Paul did not suffer sickness or death from that snake bite, does not necessarily mean that you or I will enjoy the same results. It is God’s divine will, as to whether or not He will heal us. If God desires to remove us from this life, then we need to say along with righteous old Job…“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” Job 13:15
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Yes, no matter what our circumstances are, we must maintain our firm trust that God knows what is best.
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Job (oil on canvas) by Bonnat, Leon Joseph Florentin (1833-1922) – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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“And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.”
2nd Chronicles 16:12
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On the other hand, King Asa, one of the early kings of Judah, did not seek the Lord, but placed more trust in men than in God, to heal him…and died as a result. Something to think about.
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No, there is nothing in the Bible that encourages us to use an earthly physician. But there is nothing which forbids us from using one, either! And so, it is a judgment call that each Christian must prayerfully decide for his or her own self. And let’s face it, family pressure will be great for us to seek after medical help!
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But there are some who may decide to not try to extend their life when some terminal illness befalls them. They have full assurance that God can heal them if He wishes to. But they also realize that there is a wonderful Promised Land which awaits them, if God chooses not to heal them.
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Munch – Det Syke Barn – 1896 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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A PRETTY NICE PLACE, TO SAY THE LEAST!
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And of this Promised Land, it is written… “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:4, 5
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Well, it sounds as if this Promised Land is a pretty nice place, to say the least!
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And though none of us look forward to the discomfort and pain of the dying-process, we nevertheless look beyond, by faith, to the other side of that “black river of death”, to the shores of that heavenly country! Yes, it is a beautiful country in which the joyful songs of the redeemed multitudes will ring through the plush, flower-strewn meadows, and the innocent laughter of little children will echo against evergreen and everlasting hills and through the mist of the ever-winding valleys.
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It kind-of makes you want to be there, doesn’t it?
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The River Of The Water Of Life by H. Melville – Wikimedia – Public Domain (3)
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to grow in faith and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Give me wisdom as to how I should live and how I am to provide for my family during the coming crisis…
Prayer for USA – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… Moon into Blood Trilogy: 3rd Face: The Sadducee Seeker or you can also read this shorter article… “September 22nd (Thy Will IS Done in Earth! Part 2)”
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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THE SEEKER (THE SADDUCEE)
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LOCATING THIS 3RD FACE
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The 3rd face of the Moon is a bit more difficult to locate, because it is mostly upside down. But this photo and this sketch are how this face would appear if it was turned right side up. (In the southern hemisphere, however, this is how the Moon would appear.)
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The third face is the most difficult to see in the northern hemisphere, but once you do, it then becomes easy. This face is like a furry creature of the field. Maybe a rabbit. Maybe a squirrel. Perhaps a chipmunk. Probably a mouse. All “seekers”; all foragers or scavengers.
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And while this picture shows this little “beast of the field” right side up, this 3rd face is always pretty much in an upside-down position.
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The other two faces appear right-side-up, and are easier to locate. This photo and this sketch are both turned around to help you see this 3rd face easily. This enhanced sketch to the above right is merely to help you to see this face more easily. (As already stated, this 3rd face is right side up in the southern hemisphere.)
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… Moon into Blood Trilogy: 3rd Face: The Sadducee Seeker
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TOMORROW…
AUGUST 27 (As The Flower of the Field, Part 6: No Ownership Here!)
For rent sign – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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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 #603 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
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