Daily Devotional, Year 4: August 6 (Ostriches & Us!)
By admin On March 24th, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 4: August 6
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Ostriches & Us!
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“Gavest thou…wings and feathers unto the ostrich?
Which leaveth her eggs in the earth,
and warmeth them in dust,
And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,
or that the wild beast may break them.
She is hardened against her young ones,
as though they were not hers:
her labour is in vain without fear;
Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,
neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
What time she lifteth up herself on high,
she scorneth the horse and his rider.”
Job 39:13-18
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Ostriches in a farm, Thailand – CROPPED IMAGE – Wikimedia – GNU Free Documentation license
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In the last few chapters of the Book of Job, God asks Job some pretty tough questions.
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And in this above passage from that wonderful book, God is scolding Job because Job’s pride caused him to think that he was righteous, when actually, he was not! Yes, Job had covert wickedness hidden within his heart.
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So, God was putting Job in his rightful place, as a sinner who desperately needed God’s grace.
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Job by Bonnat, Leon Joseph Florentin (1833-1922) Wikimedia – US public domain
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“the ostrich…Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them”
Job 39:13
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But this little critique by God regarding ostriches, from the Book of Job, presents an allegory that should not escape our attention!
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Because in today’s world, WE Christians have far too often conducted our lives in accordance to this passage (which by the way, is not so much about ostriches, than it is about God’s Church.)
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For instance, this passage speaks of the haphazard manner in which the ostrich cares for her soon-to-be-born babies. She takes no precautions for their safety! She merely leaves her eggs in an open place, even in pathways where they are easy targets for travelers to crush, or beasts to devour!
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And of course, God is not nearly so concerned about ostrich eggs here!
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No, this is an obvious comparison to how we Christians so often handle our own young ones.
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Ostrich nest – Wikipedia – share-alike license
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CHOICES, CHOICES, CHOICES
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Just think of how many ways that we Christians have been careless with our young ones!
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Pregnant mothers quite often don’t take good care of themselves during those nine months. Constantly eating less-than-wholesome food, and sometimes taking possibly harmful medications.
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And after delivery, nursing Christian mothers are often too quick to begin feeding them formula milk instead of her own milk, merely for convenience sake.
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And a little later, the Christian mother needlessly returns to work, leaving them in the care of others for four or five days a week, often for the sake of maintaining a self-indulgent lifestyle that financial affluence affords.
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Parents often divorce, leaving children without one parent in the home.
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“SPIRIT…WILLING, BUT…FLESH…WEAK”
Matthew 26:41
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Of course, the Lord fully understands that extenuating circumstances often make our choices limited, in the whirl of everyday business and in the varying circumstances of this present life.
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Nevertheless, all these things have both a direct, and indirect bearing on the future health and happiness of our children!
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And Christian parents need to make every possible concession and sacrifice in OUR own lives, to accommodate the health needs of our developing children.
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Girl Praying – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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SECULAR ASSOCIATIONS
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And as the child grows older, Christian parents often allow their children to make friends with children of unbelievers, enabling them to learn the godless ways of the world.
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Instead, we should have been crying out for the Lord’s deliverance from harmful environments.
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Children’s Street basketball during a church fair – Wikimedia – share-alike license
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SECULAR INDOCTRINATION
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Next, we Christian parents often send their children to secular institutes to learn, “the three ‘R’s'”.
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A recent survey found that most Christian children attend public schooling!
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And of course, along with the “three R’s”, they also get a thorough indoctrination into godlessness, from less-than-wholesome peers, and from the atheistic curriculum which is a normal undercurrent at such places.
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Homeschoolers playing Dutch Blitz at picnic gathering – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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“EVIL COMMUNICATIONS”
1st Corinthians 15:33
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And then, when the children return home from school, many Christian parents permit the children to watch TV and Internet and listen to radio, allowing Satan to further fill their minds with less-than-wholesome talk and often even vile images!
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SEEKING EARTHLY RICHES
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And then, to top it all off, many of us Christian parents often encourage our youth to pursue some high-paying career, not remembering Paul’s admonition…
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“And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” 1st Timothy 6:8-11.
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Do we somehow think this above advice is not for us? It says here, “having food and raiment, let us therewith be content”.
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college grads – Wikipedia – share-alike license
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STRANGERS & PILGRIMS?
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Now, is this the normal position that the Christian-community takes today?
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Are there not many Christians today, exerting and expending much energy, all in effort to amass great stores of earthly Mammon in their pursuit of self-indulgent lifestyles? 
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Now of course, the unsaved people of the world are perfectly right in pursuing their earthly dreams.
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After all, this world will be their final home and eternal resting place.
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But Christian pilgrims have a calling to, “come out from among them and be separate”.
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And yet, Christians have been called out to follow Jesus, not to seek after the self-indulgent pleasures and proud pursuits and the vain dreams of this selfish world!
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But we are called to sojourn to a better place.
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The Pilgrim’s Progress – by Byam Shaw – Wikimedia Commons – US Public Domain
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OUR BIBLE ROLE-MODELS!
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Look at Jesus!
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Was this what His life on earth was all about?
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Or just look to Paul! Was Paul trying to live out his declining years in a leisurely pursuit of personal pleasure?
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No, but both of these men expended all their time and energy for the love and Salvation of all souls before them! And these two, Jesus, and even Paul, are to be our role-models, as Scripture plainly commands!
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And listen to Paul’s declaration of what his life was all about… “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:20, 21.
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Do these words sound like they come from a man who sought to enjoy the pleasures and pursuits of this present life?
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Paul Shipwrecked Acts 27:41-44-www.lavistachurchofchrist.org–public domain
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SINS OF SODOM REPEATED!
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Through the centuries past, Christian parents encouraged their children to become evangelists.
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Young people were content to live a life of poverty, working menial jobs, in effort to get out the soul-saving Gospel to all those who were starving for the bread of life. No sacrifice was too costly! No hardship too great, if only they could take the Gospel to the world!
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But nowadays, Christian parents follow the self-seeking ways of the world, to a great degree, encouraging the same opulence and the same self-indulgence which ultimately destroyed the people of those wealthy cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other surrounding cities!
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And of course, along with a high-paying career, comes all the time-consuming, energy-sapping, and spirituality-draining obligations.
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And by the time that young college grad finally gets his or her self on an even-keel with their careers and family life, perhaps as much as ten or twenty years may have passed by; long ago leaving Jesus Christ back somewhere along the dusty trail!
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Girl with a Bible (Faith of Our Fathers) – cropped image – Wikimedia – share-alike license
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SOME VERY GOOD NEWS!
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Well, none of us can hold our heads up high, since we’ve often ‘dropped the ball’, so to speak, in our own parental responsibilities! None of us can judge any other human, since our own wisdom, like the ostrich, has been faulty and deprived in times past, and may even be still!
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Ah, but in all this bad news report, there has been discovered some extremely Good News, O stranger and pilgrim in the earth! Yes, we have a very merciful and pitying God who loves happy endings!
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Yes, if we will turn back to Him with all our heart, putting away all our earth-loving pleasures and worldly idols, then who knows if God might just begin to bring our grown-up children back to a rich and dedicated life in Christ!?
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morning prayers Ebenezer_Newman_Downard_Morning_prayer_1860 – Wikipedia – public domain
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NEVER GIVE UP…NEVER!!!
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And even the grandparents who have “blown it” in the past, can certainly rededicate our lives to a 100% devotion to Christ. And who knows if our rededication and prayers may save our loved ones?
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Listen to this hopeful promise…“And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil. Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?” Joel 2:13, 14
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Vincent van Gogh – Old Man in Sorrow (On the Threshold of Eternity) – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to repent of my backsliding and ease-loving ways before it’s too late! Give me the wisdom that accompanies a new heart: a heart that desires to follow Thee, whithersoever Thou goest. Help me to pray unceasingly for my family.
Morning Prayers – Ebenezer Newman – Downard – 1860 – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…September 4 (We Wrestle Not Against Flesh & Blood! Part 5, “Satan’s Psychological War Against Our Children!”), or you can also read… “Daily Devotional, Year 3 – June 22 (The Return of Elijah, Part 1: “Fathers & Children”)”
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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THE HOLY-GHOST-RIDER CONSTELLATION
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“Gavest thou…wings and feathers unto the ostrich?….What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.” Job 39:17, 18
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Here in the above condensed passage is revealed a tremendous Bible prophecy! Here the ostrich (being a symbol of the Church-Apostate) is going to lift up herself and scorn the horse and his rider.
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Well, if we look in the winter-night skies, we might possibly have our eyes opened to see a most incredible constellation group, known as the “Horse and His Rider” Constellation Group.
Holy-Ghost-Rider on Goodly Horse (above western horizon)
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And so, this above passage speaks of the time of the end (which we are just now in). And sadly to say, there will be many in the Church who will scorn this last message, just as the wisdom-deprived ostrich scorns the Horse and His Rider, who symbolize God’s Church in battle, being ridden by the Spirit of Christ! Such a sad ending for the Church-Apostate, to scorn the Holy Spirit: the same Spirit that they so often exulted in praise, with their lips!
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This constellation group is made up of a number of smaller constellations: the horse’s head, made from the Perseus Constellation. The tail and rear end is partly of the Cassiopeia Constellation. The hind-leg is made partly of stars from the Andromeda Constellation. The Rider is made primarily from the Camelopardalis Constellation.
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation” or you can also read… “Goodly Horse in Battle Constellation”
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TOMORROW…
August 7 (The False Prophet, Part 26: “The Perfect Pastor?”)
Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain
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THE GREAT CONTROVERSY BY ELLEN G. 
WHITE
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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) are invited to listen to this 44 chapter audio book, a brief history of the Church, from the Cross of Christ forward to the Return of Christ.
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Chapter 25 – Gods Law Immutable
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Martin Luther – 95 Theses – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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EXCERPTS FROM THE OPEN FORUM 
QUESTION/ANSWER RADIO TALK-SHOW…
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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) are invited to listen to this small 30 minute sampling of the late Harold Camping’s nearly 50 year long series of 90 minute nightly talk shows…This is Open Forum Show #76
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ABOVE PICTURE: Holy bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons lic.