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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JULY 2

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Hide Thyself…For A Moment!

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Part 1:

“Dwelling In Love!”

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“And we have known and believed the love that God has to us.

God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God,

and God in him.

Herein is our love made perfect,

that we may have boldness in the day of judgment:

because as He is, so are we in this world.”

1st John 4:16, 17

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Reading the three epistles of John, it becomes apparent that John had somehow achieved a oneness with Christ: a oneness seemingly found nowhere else in Scripture…

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Oh yes, Paul was given a somewhat different type of ministry than John.

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But it seems that God gave John’s writings to show us that there is no spiritual height that cannot be attained to by a Christian!

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We can have it all, if we want it!

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John The Apostle – by Alonzo Cano – 1635-1637 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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TOTALLY CHANGED

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John appears to have fully merged with Christ, so much so, that it is as if Christ is the one speaking in John’s epistles.

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John has become totally indwelt by Christ and Christ’s infinite love!

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And so, these three epistles by John stand as a real encouragement for those of us who are still fumbling and stumbling our way up the heavenward pathway!

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They give us hope that we too might also become totally changed into His likeness, even while our feet are still standing on this hellish, sin-cursed soil.

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John The Apostle – by Alonzo Cano – 1635-1637 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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And so, just how does John’s apparent oneness with Christ tie-in with today’s devotional about being hidden during the approaching storm?

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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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JOHN WAS HIDDEN IN CHRIST

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Yes, how does John’s apparent oneness with Christ relate with today’s devotional about being hidden during the approaching storm?

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Simple! As we read those three epistles, we get the sense that John is living in the heavenly realm, though physically still on earth!

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We perceive that John is no longer affected by his earthly circumstances which he suffered on that cruel prison-island of Patmos.

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To the contrary, John was totally consumed by the matchless agape love of Christ…

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…and apparently, John let nothing get in his way until he finally achieved that miraculous heavenly love in his own heart!

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John The Apostle – by Alonzo Cano – 1635-1637 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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Now, so far in this devotional, we have only been dealing in abstracts. What we need to do now, is try to discover the practical means of achieving this same victorious oneness that John achieved.

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Magnifying Glass – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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PAUL’S TOTAL DEDICATION

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Well okay, it goes without saying that just like John, Paul likewise became totally dedicated to achieving this incredible victory in Christ…

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Listen to Paul’s testimony… 

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss

for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:

for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,

and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ…

That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection,

and the fellowship of His sufferings,

being made conformable unto His death;

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

Philippians 3:8, 10, 11

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If ever there was a totalitarian declaration, this is it!

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Paul, obviously, was totally consumed by his desire to achieve that same oneness with Christ, which John was also seeking for!

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And Paul was willing to lose all worldly possessions and all earthly considerations, so that he might ultimately win the fullness of that heavenly Prize!

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Paul Shipwrecked – Acts 27:41-44 – www.lavistachurchofchrist.org – Public Domain

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GOOD NEWS!

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And so, the very Good News here is that God has allowed us a little more time to achieve this same Prize. 

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Oh yes, most of us have failed many times and in many ways!

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But we need to forget those things of the past, and reach out for those things which are before us! (Philippians 3:13)

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And we must never allow any earthly desire to ever get in our way again, in our quest to win the fullness of what Heaven is longing to give us! 

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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RUN, CHRISTIAN, RUN!

 

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And with this in mind, the 2,500+ year old prophecy of Isaiah begins to make real sense… 

“In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver,

and his idols of gold,

which they made each one for himself to worship,

to the moles and to the bats;

To go into the clefts of the ragged rocks,

for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty,

when He arises to shake terribly the earth.”

Isaiah 2:20, 21

Picture – Lot Escapes – www.thebiblerevival.com offers free Bible clipart – Public Domain.

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Yes, as we see the shaking going on all around, it is fully time for those of us who are seeking for the glory of God’s majesty…

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…to cast away our vain and earthly trinkets, and flee to the “ragged rocks” of God’s Word…

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…and hide ourselves within all those precious promises!  

 

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THIS DISCUSSION OF “DWELLING IN LOVE” WILL BE CONTINUED TOMORROW

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me that whole-hearted devotion to Thee…

Family Prayer Before Meal – Wikimedia – US-Govt. – Public-Domain

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… Planet Of “Rest” – Finding “Rest Unto Your Soul” (Part 2, Perfect Peace)…

…or you can also read this shorter article… March 6th (How To Find Perfect Peace!) 

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN

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THE HOLY GHOST RIDER CONSTELLATION

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This newest Signs Of Heaven Constellation (Fall, 2013) is by far the faintest of constellations, but is a very incredible and awesome one in a number of ways (which this article will explain).

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It is primarily comprised of the Camelopardalis Constellation (head and upper back)…

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…plus about 5 stars from the Cassiopeia Constellation (his leg)…

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…plus some random stars.

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It appears as an outline of a rider.

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Only the back of his head is detailed.

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And his back and the back of his legs are also detailed.

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Both sides of his arm are visible, and his hand is gripping the horse’s mane, which is detailed by three stars (which are also part of the horse’s mane).

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The rider is in a position vaguely similar to a race-horse jockey.

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The two brightest stars in this constellation, are from the Cassiopeia Constellation, and are part of his leg.

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All the rest of the stars are very faint, and must be viewed on a very starry night.

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… The Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation

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TOMORROW…

JULY 3 (Hide Thyself…For A Moment! Part 2: Dwelling In Love! (“John’s Victorious Life”)

John The Apostle – by Alonzo Cano – 1635-1637 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH 

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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 #547 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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

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