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Today’s Devotional – February 10th

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Television in a Perfect World!

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Just imagine if this were a perfect world!

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And we each lived in our own perfect little cottage, which was nestled beside a perfect little babbling brook, in the midst of a perfectly beautiful meadow, and all the countryside was dotted with other perfect little cottages which were also nestled beside perfect little babbling brooks, etc., etc….

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John Constable The Hay Wain – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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G+ RATED TELEVISION!

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And yet in this perfect world, just imagine that the television still existed. But though the TV still was there in the midst of our cottages, it no longer had all the scum and violence and greed and cheap humor and sarcasm and lust and all the other filth that is all-too-often being peddled on TV.

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No, instead of all that, there were only nice and wholesome and happy and pure shows. Everything was G+ rated!

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TV – Family watching television – c. 1958 – Wikipedia – public domain

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The question then, would be this: Would television be okay?

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Would TV no longer be harmful, if the above-described scenario were reality?

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

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“THE FULL SOUL LOATHES A HONEYCOMB…”

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Well, one of the great problems, even with “nice shows”, is that they tend to squelch a person’s desire to read, much less the Bible.

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In other words, the television, with all its beautiful music, and colorful imagery, and great story-lines, just tends to over-stimulate one’s senses. And as a result, it eventually makes any serious studying of the Bible, and perhaps with a concordance, seem just too bland and too tedious!

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Listen to the words of the Preacher… “The full soul loathes a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” Proverbs 27:7.

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Here is a truth which can apply in many different situations of life: and TV is no exception! Yes, even good TV fills a person with rich and tasty food!

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TV is like an all-you-can-eat buffet. It leaves little room for anything else!

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Honey Bee – Honey-comb – Wikipedia – Share-Alike License

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DO CHRISTIANS STUDY THEIR BIBLES?

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A survey by pollsters found that only a small percentage of American churchgoers actually opened their Bibles each day! 

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Of course, they should also have questioned the daily Bible-students on exactly HOW MUCH TIME they study their Bible daily, to get a more realistic idea of the spiritual condition of today’s Church.

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But they didn’t.

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After all, to simply open the Bible and read a verse or two, or to merely read a 3-minute daily-devotional, hardly qualifies one to say that they study their Bible each day!

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And another poll found that most Christians believe that “God helps those who help themselves” is a verse from the Bible!

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So what does this statistic say about today’s biblically-challenged Christianity?

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Multitask – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License

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“O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day.”

Psalm 119:97

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Yes, if pollsters had only asked how much time those who said they read the Bible each day, actually contemplated what they studied, they might have found a dismal answer!

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But listen to Psalm 119…“O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:97

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This verse from Psalm 119 states that we should be contemplating God’s Word “ALL THE DAY”!

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US Navy – Chaplain Lt. Jason Gregory reads Bible on weather deck – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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THE UNSWEETENED GRANOLA

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“The full soul loathes a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” Prov. 27:7.

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So how does this above proverb apply to every-day life?

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In many ways!

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For instance, one frustrated father kept trying to get his son to eat some really healthy home-made granola. Now the father loved that granola, but the son was accustomed only to pre-sweetened breakfast cereal, which his mother served.

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Well, one day, when the father took the boy to the park to play, the father also brought along a bag of that unsweetened granola.

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Well, after playing on the Jungle-Gym and running and swinging and jumping a while, the tired, but hungry son came over to the father and asked if he could have some of that granola. The same granola he wouldn’t normally touch!

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Well now, the hungry boy just couldn’t get enough! He devoured that unsweetened granola, as if it was the best thing on earth!

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Granola advertisement, 1893 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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VERDICT IS IN: GUILTY OF OVER-STIMULATION!

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And so, because God designed nature to teach us spiritual lessons, the obvious lesson learned from this little granola story, can also be applied to television!

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After all, how can you expect a child who is reared on all the lights, color, music and action from, say, today’s cartoons, to sit down and study the various Bible passages which need to be unlocked, to get the true meaning!?!

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And furthermore, with TV, all you have to do is just turn it on, and sit back and it takes over, and does everything else! Your job is merely to keep your eyes open!

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Yes, even good television shows are like those rich and sugary breakfast cereals. They spoil one’s appetite for healthy food! And TV spoils one’s appetite for serious Bible & concordance study. Television is just too over-stimulating!

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And if television is too stimulating, then what about radio and Internet and cell-phones, and all the other high-tech devices?

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TV high quality – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons license

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NOT A PERFECT WORLD!

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Now back to reality.

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Well of course, this isn’t that perfect world.

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And television is an UN-wholesome medium. And even if there are a few “nice” shows, the Devil’s not stupid! He’s clever enough to throw in a few good shows, just so he can give Christians an excuse to keep their TV, (thus whetting the appetite of the children for more and more and more!)

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So when we see our children grow up, not having a love for studying God’s Word, will we have anybody else to blame but ourselves, if our past history has been to raise them up to love these modern-day mind-control devices?

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Picture: TV, the Ultimate Mind Control Device

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“CHRISTIAN” CARTOONS

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Even shows which have a form of Christianity are designed to inspire unbelief in the child.

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Maybe they show Jonah sitting at a table with chair, in the belly of the whale.

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Or Noah’s Ark is so small that it could only hold several animals.

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Or God sitting on a cloud with a telescope, looking down at the world.

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And children are not as naïve as parents might imagine, and see such nonsense, and eventually become unbelievers! 

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THE GOOD NEWS!

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But there is good news! The Christian can begin in his or her own life, by eliminating all ungodly influences and all over-stimulating amusements and begin to purify the heart! (see 1st John 3:3)

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Listen… “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” 1st Thessalonians 4:7

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Yes, God calls us to fully engage in the purification of our heart! (see 1st John 3:3) (And by working out my own Salvation, perhaps the Lord will convince my spouse to bring along the children on the upward pathway, too!)

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And so, as Psalm 101 proclaims… “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes:” Psalm 101:2, 3.

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So let’s all take heed to this counsel. And even if we must sit alone at times, let’s remember what’s at stake: our very Salvation! 

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Transfiguration – Bloch – Wikimedia Commons – US-public-domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Remove out of my life (and my children’s lives) all things which cause the heart to become over-stimulated, so that I have an appetite for spiritual things…

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Television & The Image That Speaks”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

The info and pics of the constellations on this site are all taken from Wikipedia and from The Internation Astronomical Union (click here to view their site)

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LOCATING THE ARCHER

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“He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. He hath caused the arrows of His quiver to enter into my reins. I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.” Lamentations 3:12-14

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Orion travels through the night skies, starting about late September in the pre-dawn hours. This 1st office which Orion holds, as an Archer, is fairly easy to see. His bow is pointed and bent as if ready to shoot his arrows. But why astronomers have never noticed this Dragon to his left, is truly a puzzle! It’s so obvious; at least his crocodile mouth is obvious. (Perhaps God is sending the message that Satan (the real Dragon) is so obviously real, and yet so few in this world are ready to recognize him.)

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This Archer-Orion corresponds to the 1st Horseman of Revelation, Chapter 6, speaking of a rider with a bow who goes out conquering.

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Orion courtesy IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine & Wikipedia – Share-alike license

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Orion The Archer”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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TOMORROW…

February 11th (“Come Out From Among Them!”)

Picture – Lot Escapes – www.thebiblerevival.com offers free Bible clipart – 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 STUDY #41 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

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