Daily Devotional, Year 2 – MARCH 19 . . . . Babylon = Baby-Land! Part 5: Living By the Letter of the Law!
By admin On January 20th, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – MARCH 19
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Babylon = Baby-Land! Part 5: Living By the Letter of the Law!
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“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child;
but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
Proverbs 22:15
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Children are such a wonderful blessing!
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And to experience all the joys and even the sorrows that come with parenthood help us to become more complete and well-rounded adults!
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Baby in diaper learning to walk – cropped image – Wikimedia – share-alike-license
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“BABY” DERIVED FROM “BABY-LON”
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The name, “baby” is said to have been derived from the name, “Babel”.
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In other words, just as those Babylonians in the days of the building of the Tower of Babel, became confused in their language, so too, babies all speak an unintelligible language!
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Yes, just as no Babylonian could understand one another, once God confused their speech, so also, nobody can understand a baby’s language!
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It just sounds like a whole lot of babbling!
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Babylon – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License 4.0
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WE’RE NOT BABIES!
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(or are we?)
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Now of course, we grown-ups can laugh and enjoy the babbling of a baby! It’s cute!
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And thankfully, we are far above the baby-like behavior of little children! Yes, we have matured over the years!
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We are now very sophisticated, through the years of our physical development and our wisdom gained through life experiences!
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Right?
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Well, perhaps we should look a little closer at babies, and see if we have truly risen above mere babyhood!
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Innocent baby laughing – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic. 2.0
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A LIST OF RULES
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Did your parents ever give you a list of things that had to be accomplished, before you were allowed to go and play?
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Of course they did!
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And so, you did each duty as quickly as possible, so that you could get back to playing!
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Notepad Icon – Nuvola apps package editors svg – Wikimedia – GNU public license
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IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES
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Now, this concept of children quickly completing a “to-do list”, has not escaped God’s notice!
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You see, when the children of Israel were given the Law by Moses, they agreed to do that list…
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Listen… “and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.” Exodus 24:7
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But they tried to keep the Law, as if it was a laundry list of things to do!
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Gold Calf – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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MERE RULES KILL OUR DESIRE
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Now are we any different from those Old Testament children of God?
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In sundry ways, and at various times God has placed us all under the letter of the Law: either individually, or collectively as in churches.
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Yes, we have all been placed under a list of rules, at one time or another! Or maybe our church teaches obedience, as the keeping of various rules, ordinances, or laws.
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And most of us have found out by experience that, “lists of things to do”, are just not very inspiring.
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Because, a good part of the time, we just want to get things done as quickly as possible, so that we can return to our play!
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Jewish Children with their Teacher in Samarkand – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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LEGALISTIC OFFERINGS
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“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” 2nd Corinthians 9:6
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For instance, the Old Testament speaks of giving 10% of our income for the proclamation and furtherance of the Gospel. And so, like the Pharisees of old, we pinch out our 10% into the offering plate.
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And then, we use what’s left-over for our own personal selfish pleasures!
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Well, isn’t that the way it goes, most of the time?
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Are we not merely giving our 10%, in an attempt to keep the letter of the Law, instead of getting really excited about spreading the Good News of Salvation?
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Brooklyn Museum – The Widow’s Mite – James Tissot – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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TRYING TO KEEP 1 DAY HOLY!
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Or take the Sabbath! Too many of us close our shades and turn off the TV, one day per week, and try
to keep that one day holy.
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And so, the Sabbath often becomes a vain attempt at how to kill time, waiting for the 24-hour day to finally end.
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But then, like a runner at the starting gate, many Christians (and/or their children) cannot wait until the day has ended, so that we can turn the TV back on, and once again resume serving our weekday idols!
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We are behaving just like that proverbial teenager, who has been handed the “to-do list”, just wanting to get it done, without any real love for what we’re doing!
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Starting gun – 1904 Olympic race – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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FOLLOWING OUR ROLE-MODEL
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But in the New Testament, God has called us to a higher relationship! He wants us to love doing His will!
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And so, He sent His Son, Jesus, to become an example of how to keep God’s commandments out of a heart of love!
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Now in the New Testament, we are to be led by the Spirit of God, to follow Jesus! To follow Him just like the original Disciples followed Jesus!
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But this is a supernatural journey of the heart!
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This kind of life cannot be lived without the leading of God’s Spirit!
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BEHOLDING JESUS, WE ARE CHANGED!
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Listen… “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2nd Corinthians 3:18
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This above verse is from 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 3, which explains how the centerpiece of the Bible is no longer the Law, but Jesus is now our focus!
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2nd Corinthians, Chapter 3, also explains that we are no longer under the letter of the Law… “(God) Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” 2nd Corinthians 3:6
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As these above two verses from 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 3 reveal, we are no longer to attempt at keeping the letter of the Law, but are to fix our gaze upon Jesus, imitating how He lived!
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Transfiguration – Bloch – Wikimedia Commons – US Public Domain
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GROWING IN GRACE & KNOWLEDGE
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And so, what is the difference between trying to perform a, “to-do list”, or following Jesus, and learning of Him, just as did the original disciples?
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When the Holy Spirit comes to indwell our heart, He fills us with the Spirit of Christ. And having the Spirit of Christ, we share in the joy of the Lord, as we begin to walk, even as He walked!
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And the more we grow in grace and knowledge, the more enjoyable it becomes to follow Jesus!
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“Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature:
old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new.”
2nd Corinthians 5:17
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
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“Dear Lord, Give me the joy of keeping Thy Word, by Thy Free Spirit…
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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“there shall come a Star out of Jacob”…
Numbers 24:17
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“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Matt. 2:1, 2
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There exists a lot of intrigue regarding just what star did the Magi from the East follow, which led them to the First Advent of our Savior.
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The Bible speaks of Arcturus as a possibility…“canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?” Job 38:33.There’s nothing that is impossible for God! Arcturus may very well have been that star. Nobody knows for sure.
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RE-FULFILLMENT OF WISE-MEN OF OLD
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But there is a much greater question that confronts Mankind today. Because, just as a single star guided those wise men to the coming Savior, so also, God is just now giving us many stars, to guide us safely to the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior! And so these starry signs seem to be the re-fulfillment of those wise men following the star, 2,000 years ago!
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GUIDE US TO HEAVEN’S GATE…
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And Arcturus is that brilliant star (3rd brightest in our heavens) which leads these Gospel constellations, Summer, Fall, and Winter Constellations, to present a picture story, a heavenly allegory of sorts; these constellations, which together, tell of the incredible love of God. And Arcturus, our Host Star, will lead to an understanding of God’s Word, which will, in turn, guide God’s people up a narrow pathway; onward and upward through Heaven’s Gate itself, and ultimately into the very heavenly City of God.
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Oh don’t doubt for a moment that God cannot or will not do this! For with God, all things are possible! Listen… “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark 9:23
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And Signs Of Heaven Website will direct the Reader to God’s Word in such a way as to bring out certain Bible truths not currently recognized or emphasized in most of the current Christian theological circles.
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ABOVE STAR-CHART – Summer Constellations with Two Turtledoves (Sagittarius) & Flower of the Field (aka: Scorpio) & The 12-Star Crown (aka: Corona Borealis) & The Cross-Scepter (aka: Ophiochus & Serpens) & Revelation 12 Woman (Ursa Major) & Arcturus Star – www.theheavensdeclare.net