Daily Devotional, Year 3 – August 14 (Cease Ye From Man! Part 13: “Whose Image Am I Beholding Today?”)
By admin On February 16th, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – August 14
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Cease Ye From Man!
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Part 13:
“Whose Image Am I Beholding Today?”
To read Part 1, click here… “August 21st (Cease Ye From Man!)”
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A certain Christian became annoyed at his favorite Christian radio station.
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The problem was, while this station played soft and reverent music most of the time, there were many other songs mingled in which the singers were obviously attempting to imitate the singers of the world.
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And so, that Christian was perplexed as to whether he should discontinue listening to that somewhat compromised radio station.
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One problem was that there weren’t any alternative stations which aired so many Bible readings as this station aired.
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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License
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“THE NATIONS…WORSHIPPED THE GOLDEN IMAGE”
Daniel 3:7
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God has placed us in a world of sin and selfishness.
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This world is a reflection of the mind of Lucifer, the original outcast angel from Heaven.
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In other words, this world, to a great degree, is the express image of Lucifer’s unchristlike character.
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And so, all through our day, we are surrounded by sights and sounds which reflect the character of Lucifer, now given the title of, “Satan”, and, “The Devil”.
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This is why he has also been given the title, “the god of this world”. 2nd Corinthians 4:4
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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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“HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF. FROM SUCH TURN AWAY!”
2nd Timothy 3:5
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Oh yes, there is “a form of godliness” in the world.
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There is much orderliness and morality mingled in with all the otherwise bad behavior of this rebellious planet.
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And yet, the Bible warns us in 2nd Timothy 3:5, that “a form of godliness” is also an integral part of Satan’s deceptive character.
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OUR ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN OUR WORDS!
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Now, 2nd Corinthians 5:20 reveals our great commission to become, “ambassadors for Christ”, to the lost souls of this, the Devil’s antichrist world-system.
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And as His representatives, our goal is to present Christ to the world, not merely with our words, but also in our character, which speaks much louder than our words!
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But how are we to display Christ?
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How are we to be changed from our ungodly character, into Christ’s pure and holy likeness?
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Paul Tentmaking – La Vista Church of Christ – Creative Commons License
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BY BEHOLDING JESUS, WE ARE CHANGED!
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Well, 2nd Corinthians 3:18 presents a very critically important truth concerning this very question…
“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.”
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Here is one of the most wonderful verses in the Bible! It reveals how a person becomes changed into the glorious likeness of Jesus Christ.
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Yes, to behold Christ is how we become transformed into His image, little-by-little, day-after-day!
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Transfiguration – Bloch – Wikimedia Commons – US Public-Domain
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PUTTING ON OUR ‘SON-GLASSES’
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The Apostle, Paul, speaks of the same concept of filling our minds with good thoughts,
“whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report;
if there be any virtue,
and if there be any praise,
think on these things.”
Philippians 4:8
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Here again, the Lord is encouraging us to keep our minds focused daily upon the things which seem to reflect the image of Christ.
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Woman with Bible – Braet von Überfeldt – 1866 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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“THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD!”
Psalm 19:1
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And let’s face it! God has allowed many remnants and traces of His goodness, holiness, purity, and love in this world.
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Nature, for example, is filled with many aspects which teach us of God’s character.
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And nature can become a great means of instructing our children in the ways of Heaven.
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Children are naturally intrigued by nature!
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And of course, there are other aspects of nature which instruct us and warn us against evil, such as the spider and his enticing but entangling web.
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South American Butterfly – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-Alike License
Father & Son – Wikimedia – Public Domain
Spider Web – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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“EVIL COMMUNICATIONS CORRUPT GOOD MANNERS”
1st Corinthians 15:33
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And so, our goal should be to behold Jesus in the sights and sounds that we encounter each and every day!
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And contrariwise, the Christian will want to eliminate, as far as possible, the sights and sounds which display the character of, “the god of this world”, Lucifer.
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Sunset at Huntington Beach – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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“PURIFY YOUR HEARTS YE DOUBLE-MINDED!”
James 4:8
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And so, this was the great quandary of that aforementioned Christian, concerning his favorite radio station: “Is it worth sacrificing all those great Bible readings and all the nice music, just because they mingle in other sensual songs which tend to glorify the performers?
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“Should I quit listening to all the good programming just because some of the songs obviously reflect the sensual nature of the world?”
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And these were the questions which perplexed that Christian, and became a matter of soul-searching prayer.
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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License
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“COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM, AND BE YE SEPARATE!”
2nd Corinthians 6:17
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Well, this perplexing question is the same question that all of us must encounter in the various aspects of our life in this fallen world.
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Yes, we can be sure that we must also make many decisions about whether or not to eliminate some ungodly association from our daily life: friends, employment, amusements, clubs, television, radio, Internet, restaurants, stores, and a host of other influences.
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These are the very questions which every Christian will have to pray about and deal with at various times in our heavenward sojourn.
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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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“FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS!”
Mark 13:14 & Luke 21:21
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Oh yes, we cannot completely come out of this world at this present hour. After all, we must live and work, and eat, and raise our families.
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But even though we cannot come completely out of the world, we can come a good way out, if we so-choose!
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And the less we behold the things which glorify mankind, and the more we behold the things which glorify Heaven’s Jesus, the greater and the faster will be our transformation into His glorious image and wonderful likeness!
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Family Prayer Before Meal – Wikimedia – US-Govt. – Public-Domain
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TO READ PART 14, GO HERE…
August 15 (Cease Ye From Man! Part 14: “Whose Image Am I Beholding Today?” CONTINUED)
Woman gazing into mirror – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to keep the image of Jesus before my eyes today. Give me discernment between the image of Jesus and the image of Man. Cause me to strive to put away the image of Man, as far as possible, replacing it with the image of Jesus…
Prayer for USA – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…February 14th (By Beholding Jesus…Changed!) or you can also read…May 2 (Lucifer’s Music Solo, Part 7: “The Image That Sings!?!”), or you can also read… SEPTEMBER 9 (Flee To The Mountain! Part 5: Get Your Son-Glasses On!)
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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LOCATING THESE TWO CONSTELLATIONS
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This phenomenon begins in late October, in the pre-dawn hours. It then begins a little earlier each night, and lasts for several months, until they both appear to lie down once again.
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This Wikipedia star-chart to the left, has this Orion Constellation sketched in. You must locate Orion, when it is mid-sky, between east and west. You’ll be facing southward most likely, unless you are far south. Try to imagine it as a Cross on a steep hill. The 3-star belt of Orion becomes the crest of the hill. The 3 very faint stars that make up Orion’s head become the very top of the Cross.
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Next, locate the 7 Stars Constellation. This 7 Stars Constellation is seen by facing northward. It stands upright a little later in the night. Eventually, Orion will lay down and no longer be seen as an uplifted Cross! Beginning in November, the 7 Stars (AKA Big Dipper) can be seen as a Cross a little bit later in evening.
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When you are comfortable in locating Orion & The 7 Stars Constellations, then show a friend. This can be a great witnessing tool!
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ABOVE CHART: The Cross of Orion Constellation star-chart – not for commercial use
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…‘7 Stars’ Imitate ‘The Cross of Orion’
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TOMORROW:
August 15 (Cease Ye From Man! Part 13: “Whose Image Am I Beholding Today?” CONTINUED)
Woman gazing into mirror – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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The Open Forum Talk Show with Harold Camping
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CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS 90-MINUTE TALK SHOW – – The Open Forum Harold Camping November 1, 2002 (youtube.com)
Harold-Camping – courtesy Family Radio
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