Today’s Devotional – July 4th (Look Up & Lift Up Your Heads! Part 1)

By admin On January 29th, 2021

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Today’s Devotional – July 4th

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Look Up & Lift Up Your Heads!

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Part 1

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There is one day of the year when many people in the USA look up and lift up their heads.

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**It’s called “The 4th of July”, or “Independence Day”, in which Americans celebrate our independence, from foreign rulership.**

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Yes, in many towns across America, the citizenry get to enjoy a powerful display of fireworks to symbolize “the bombs bursting in air” as they bravely fought for independence from oppressive foreign rule.

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4th of July fireworks on the Charles river – Boston MA – cropped image – Creative Commons license 3.0

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ANOTHER “INDEPENDENCE DAY” COMING!

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Well, there is soon coming the Day in which we will become independent of our servitude under a foreign dictator.

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And just who could that foreign dictator be?

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Simple! The “the god of this world”, Satan. We will be loosed from this, his prison-house of sin! 2nd Corinthians 4:4

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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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“…look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

Luke 21:28

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And just like Independence Day on the 4th of July, so too, we are told to look up…

“And there shall be signs in the sun,

and in the moon,

and in the stars;

and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;

the sea and the waves roaring…

And then shall they see the Son of man coming

in a cloud with power and great glory.

And when these things begin to come to pass,

then look up, and lift up your heads;

for your redemption draweth nigh.”

Luke 21:25-28

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Yes, we are living in the Day when all these signs will be fulfilled. And it is at this time that Jesus commands us to, look up, and lift up our heads, for our “redemption draws nigh!”

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Starry Night at La Silla – cropped/altered image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license

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RE-FOCUS OUR EYES UPWARD

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One very important reason to begin looking up, is that God’s people have been looking down too much, at the things of the earth!

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We have been immersed in many cares and pleasures of this self-seeking world. Our hearts have been entangled in the self-absorbing wares-n-ways of the earth for much too long!

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And God is wanting us to begin to re-focus our attention on heavenly things, as is written…

“let us lay aside every weight,

and the sin which does so easily beset us,

and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;”

Hebrews 12:1, 2

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Starry Night at La Silla – cropped/altered image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license

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“Some people are so heavenly-minded that they are of no earthly good”

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World-loving Christians (and probably more than a few secularists) use this above proud saying as an insult against whole-hearted Believers. Yes, this put-down only bolsters worldly-minded churchgoers, priding themselves on how industrious they are in their personal worldly endeavors.

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And yet, in similar manner, the Bible criticizes idle churchgoers in the following manner…“For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.” 2nd Timothy 3:11

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And obviously, a true Believer should make every effort to be accomplishing their daily responsibilities.

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“Other people are so earthly-minded, they are of no heavenly good!”

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And yet for every one individual who fits such a demeaning put-down, there are perhaps ninety-nine others who might better be described like this…“There are many who are so earthly-minded, they are no heavenly good!”

Yes, most of today’s professing Christians are so busy in the world, that our Christianity is usually on the backburner for about six-and-one-half-days-per-week!

Saint Francis of Assisi by Jusepe de Ribera wikipedia – public domain-

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

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ABANDON OUR EARTHLY DUTIES?

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Now does fixing our eyes heavenward, upon Jesus, necessitate abandoning our daily earthly duties? Of course not! But it does require us to no longer make the things of earth our great focus!

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It’s like that old little song…

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Look full in His wonderful face!

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

in the light of His glory and grace!”

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Yes, when we fix our eyes upon Jesus, all the things of this selfish world will soon lose their tight grip on us!

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And even though our great focus will be heavenward, we will still work and live, and strive to provide for our family’s needs and comfort and happiness! And yet, our great motive for doing these things will now be because “it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me!”

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Christ will now be living out His life through that Believer!

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And we will now be viewing all earthly matters from a heavenly vantage-point.

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Marine Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain

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PERFECT PEACE!

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And so, the next frequently asked question is: “Is this kind of selfless life a joyless, austere existence?” Certainly not!

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Listen…

“Thou (God) wilt keep him in perfect peace,

whose mind is stayed on Thee:

because he trusts in Thee!”

Isaiah 26:3

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Now what could be better than, “perfect peace”?

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And so, let’s look up and behold the signs which God has written in the Sun, Moon, and stars! Because these signs will proclaim the very same message which today’s devotional is proclaiming!

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Family Portrait – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

Starry Night at La Silla – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license

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TO READ PART 2, CLICK HERE…

July 5th (Look Up, Lift Up Your Heads! Part 2)

Starry Night at La Silla – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to take my eyes from off of this sad old planet, and fix them firmly upward, into the heavenlies…

Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

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A HEAVENLY HOBBY

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“Lift up your eyes on high,

and behold Who hath created these things;

that brings out their host by number:

He calls them all by names by the greatness of His might,

for that He is strong in power;

not one faileth.”

Isaiah 40:26

ABOVE PICTURE – Starry Night at La Silla – cropped and altered image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license

The above verse is a plea from God to look up at the Heavens and behold Who has created these things.

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In this busy work-a-day world, there are many very interesting things which can occupy one’s time and energy: hobbies, and careers, and entertainments and worries, and habits, to name just a few.

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But as the child of God devotes his or her life to God, there should be a jealous guarding of one’s own heart… “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23.

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The Christian wants nothing to get in the way of running that Christian Race.

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New York Times Square – terabass – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

Shoppers in Toronto – cropped image – Wikimedia – share-alike license

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“AND WHEN YE SEE THESE THINGS…

LOOK UP, LIFT UP YOUR HEAD”

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**But having said this, there is one hobby which every ‘Noble Berean’ may take up, which only compliments the pursuit of the heavenly Prize.**

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**Yes, Signs Of Heaven becomes a wonderfully rewarding hobby which, unlike many less meaningful hobbies, pays off with rich, heavenly rewards. Everlasting rewards!**

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And unlike the person in this photo with equipment, all you need is fairly good vision, and a dark, starry night.

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And once a person really gets to know these heavenly messengers, it will become very apparent that the message connected with these signs is truly a message to be heeded.

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Thus will the Christian be able to share this message with others. And there are perhaps many nuances and hidden biblical truths to these signs which have yet to be discovered.

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Astronomy Amateur – cropped image – Wikipedia – share-alike license

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“And there shall be signs in the sun,

and in the moon,

and in the stars;

and upon the earth distress of nations,

with perplexity;

the sea and the waves roaring;”

Luke 21:25

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ABOVE CHART: Summer Constellations with Doves (Sagittarius) & Woman (Ursa Major)

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FIRST FIND ORION & 7 STARS

The very first step in finding these many constellations, should be to find the two main constellations: Orion, and the 7 Stars (aka, The Big Dipper).

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These two constellations represent Christ (Orion), and His Church (7 Stars).

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And just as these are the easiest constellations to find, so too, the first place to begin studying the Bible is the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).

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These four books present Christ and His Church, when He walked the earth, just as Orion and the 7 Stars represent Christ and His Church, as seen up in the heavens.

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Then, once you are comfortable finding these two constellations, you can begin to locate the next closest constellations, and so on.

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ABOVE PICTURE: Orion the Soldier and the Revelation 12 Dragon (Hyades & Pleiades, etc.) – winter constellations – www.signsofheaven.org – not for commercial use

ABOVE PICTURE – 7 Stars Constellation as the Cross (aka Big Dipper) – winter – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses

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TOMORROW…

July 5th (Look Up, Lift Up Your Heads! Part 2)

Starry Night at La Silla – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license

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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 #183 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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

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