Today’s Devotional – August 31 – Kunta Kinte Christians, Part 4: “Sitting Still” CONTINUED
By admin On August 30th, 2023
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Today’s Devotional – August 31
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Kunta Kinte Christians,
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Part 4:
“Sitting Still”
CONTINUED
TO READ PART 1, JUST CLICK HERE… “July 17th (Kunta Kinte Christians)”
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“For thus saith the Lord GOD…
In returning and rest shall ye be saved;
in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:
and ye would not.“
Isaiah 30:15
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In the last installments of this little series, the book, “Roots” was the centerpiece for a discussion.
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And perhaps this possible historical figure, Kunta Kinte, can also be used for today’s subject of “sitting still”.
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Roots 25th Anniversary Edition – Wikipedia – click here for info about Non-Free Media Rationale
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AMPUTATION
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Now author, Alex Haley, wrote that his ancestor, an American slave named Kunta Kinte, had the front-half of his foot amputated, so as to keep him from running away from his family and from his master.
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And of course, this was a very cruel way of dealing with another human being!
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Nevertheless, Kunta Kinte’s loss of limb forever solved the problem of him running away, in which he abandoned even his own wife and children.
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Roots 25th Anniversary Edition – Wikipedia – click here for info about Non-Free Media Rationale
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SPIRITUAL AMPUTATION
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But like so many things in nature and the world, Kunta Kinte’s amputation also has a spiritual analogy, when you really think about it.
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Listen… “Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite. The LORD lifts up the meek: He delights not in the strength of the horse: He takes not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD takes pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy.” Psalm 147:5, 6, 10, 11 .
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Notice it says here that the Lord, “delights not in the strength of the horse: He takes not pleasure in the legs of a man.”
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So, what in the world can this remarkable statement have to do with the Gospel!?! Does God really take no pleasure in a man’s legs? So why in the world would God take no pleasure in a man’s legs?
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legs – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
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“BE STILL & KNOW THAT I AM GOD!”
Psalm 46:10
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Well, listen to this verse about God’s rebellious people… “therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.” Isaiah 30:7.
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This statement was made at a time when God’s people were looking to Egypt for help and strength.
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And today, far too many Christians are running ahead of the Lord, involving ourselves in things that the Lord has not called us do! So often, we are not content to simply put on Christ’s very light and pleasant yoke and do the work which God has given us.
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Yes, in a very real sense, we are making the very same mistake that God’s people made during Old Testament times! And so, God says to us also… “Their strength is to sit still.” Isaiah 30:7
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Shoppers in Toronto – cropped image – Wikimedia – share-alike license
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“He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears”
Proverbs 26:17
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The stark reality is that we live in a faithless and unbelieving world in which the human race puts their confidence in their own strength to accomplish good. And you can’t really blame the world! After all, they have no faith nor belief, nor confidence in the promises of Scripture!
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And so, if something needs to be accomplished, then it must be totally performed by flesh and blood.
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Now, of course, each person has daily responsibilities which he or she must take care of.
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But there are many other issues which would be better placed in the almighty hands of God.
We Can Do It! Rosie the Riveter – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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The true account of Peter is a story of a man who was conditioned by the world-system to rely on his own mind and muscle to get things done.
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In one account, he rebuked Jesus for desiring to suffer and give His life on the Cross…“Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee”.
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But Jesus rebuked Peter by saying…“Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Matthew 16:23.
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In another instance, Peter took up a sword to defend Jesus and the other disciples. But Jesus said to Peter…“Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and he shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:52, 53
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And thirdly, Peter attempted, by his own effort, to escape the angry mob by denying his connection to Jesus…“And he denied Him (Jesus), saying, Woman, I know Him (Jesus) not.” Luke 22:57
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As Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 26:53…“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?”, so also, Jesus can do the same for all of us, if we would simply “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord”. Exodus 14:13
Peter Smites Off the Ear of Malchus – www.joyfulheart.com
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“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent”
John 6:28, 29
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This above passage from John 6 speaks of the account in which many faithless persons asked Jesus “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”
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These folk were brought up to believe that Salvation could be earned through good deeds. And yet, Jesus responded…“This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.”
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It was the work of God to save sinners. Even the very act of choosing to follow Jesus was God’s work, and not the work of sinners!
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There are so many situations in daily life in which Christians think they must rely on our own might to get things done! But truth-be-told, if we would only cry out to God for His deliverance, we might “stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God”. Job 37:14
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“…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you”
1st Thessalonians 4:11
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So many of us Christians today are just like impetuous Peter
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“There remaineth therefore a Rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His”
Hebrews 4:9, 10
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So many of us who profess to be trusting children of Christ, fail so miserably to enjoy “the peace which passeth all understanding”, simply because we do not allow God to be God! Instead, we bull-headedly rush in “where angels fear to tread”, as the old saying goes! In other words…
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For one very tiny example, we often think we must berate some misbehaving employee, or complain about them to their boss. But if we would merely behave like “ambassadors for Christ” (2nd Corinthians 5:20), and treat them gently and lovingly and forgivingly, our prayers for them might be heard on high!
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“…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life:
You should mind your own business
and work with your hands,
just as we told you…”
1st Thessalonians 4:11
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Keep me from getting involved in things that are not necessary, and keep me searching Thy Word daily, seeking after wisdom and knowledge of Thee, and Thy will for me…
The Christian Martyrs Last Prayer – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Martha, the “Doer” & Mary, the “Hearer”” or you can also read… “November 6 (Rosie/Riveter Christianity)“
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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THE GLORIOUS 12-STAR CROWN…
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This page is concerned with the Glorious Crown (a.k.a. Corona Borealis Constellation), as is written… “And 
there appeared a great wonder (sign) in heaven; a woman…and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” Revelation 12:1.
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This rather dim constellation follows behind that bright and beautiful star, Arcturus , as Arcturus leads a heavenly ambassage through the heavens 
each night in summer. Every glorious crown should be studded with precious jewels, and this one is no exception. Though these “jewels” are stars, they represent the precious jewels spoken of throughout Scripture, when speaking about God’s people. But this constellation is not nearly as high-profile as, say, the 7 Stars Constellation (a.k.a., The Big Dipper). It is relatively dim, compared to those two bright constellations.
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LOCATING THIS CROWN…
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This constellation begins to appear in late December (just before dawn), but is best seen, mid-sky when this group of constellations can be seen when facing west. In March-April, very late in the pre-dawn hours, this Summer Constellation group begins to be seen when facing west, and continues to be seen in the west until fall. The Crown follows almost directly behind that great star, Arcturus, as you can see in the sketch to the left. Repeat: it is somewhat easier to study the 12 stars of this constellation when it is in western half of night-sky (when you have to see it as you face westward). So when these Summer Constellations are in the western half of the sky, simply follow the handle of the Big Dipper till you locate Arcturus. Then the Crown is following Arcturus. You will only see the wreath-like 7 stars plus 1 star (in middle) until you get away from all city lights. Then you can make out the other 5 stars, which makes it appear like a full crown.
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COMBINATION OF BOTH CORONA BOREALIS & BOOTES
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This constellation is a combination of both Corona Borealis plus several stars from the Bootes Constellation. The stars, Alkalyroos-Bootis and the Delta-Bootis Star are both combined with the other stars from the Corona Borealis community, to make this 12-star (plus 13th star in middle).
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The 12-Star Crown Constellation of Revelation 12”
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TOMORROW:
September 1 (The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, Part 13: “The Giant, ‘Despair’”)
John Bunyan’s Dream Story Pilgrims Progress – The Giant Despair – Wikimedia – 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 #197 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
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above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain
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Those who are interested in using photos on this page may click on provided link below each photo, to get to Wikimedia Commons for various licensing details & tags, and all other necessary information on any particular photo. Most tall, narrow photos have been cropped or reduced by this website to make them a better fit on phone screens.