Today’s Devotional – July 6th . . . . Power of Positive Thinking Gospels, Part 5: Conservatives

By admin On January 29th, 2021

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Click credit links below each pic, for licensing names/details/tags/etc.. Most pics cropped/reduced in size

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Today’s Devotional – July 6th

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Power of Positive Thinking Gospels, Part 5: Conservatives

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“The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,

but war was in his heart:

his words were softer than oil,

yet were they drawn swords.”

Psalm 55:21

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Several nights ago, a very popular Christian speaker held a large convocation with a vast throng of tens of thousands of listeners.

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And this evangelist gave a very high-energy presentation, with a very positive message.

Well, the gist of what he said is, that we need to think positive, speak positive, and believe positively, that God has good things in store for us here on earth!

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Yes, this popular speaker continued to present a message about achieving our earthly dreams: earthly dreams for ourselves and for our families.

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Above picture not connected with this story – church service by Matt Malone for Wikimedia cropped photo – copyrighted

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**This extravaganza was filled with short, but uplifting testimonies, a high-energy, upbeat rock band, attractive women, well-timed jokes, and smoother-than-butter preaching!**

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Well, needless to say, this presentation was received with no lack of enthusiasm!

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The vast audience, 50,000 strong, seemed mesmerized, yet ecstatic about this uplifting and upbeat message! The night was a huge success!

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Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

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But while these very liberal-minded gospels are easy targets for us conservatives to point our finger at, we need to first examine our own gospel! We must inspect our own house!

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Magnifying Glass – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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A DECADENT SOCIETY

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**Yes, those gospels out there which we call, “Name It and Claim It” gospels, or “Prosperity” gospels, are the extreme version of false gospels which seek for earthly prosperity.**

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And they are relatively easy to spot by those who are familiar with what the Bible says about earthly Mammon. After all, the Bible makes it clear…

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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.” 1st Timothy 6:8, 9 (For entire quote click here)

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So this and other similar passages make perfectly clear that the Christian is to shun much of the opulence and excesses which the people of the world seek after!

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People on Times Square – cropped image – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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CONSERVATIVE PROSPERITY GOSPELS

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Now, it wouldn’t be so bad to point out the gross avarice of these so-called liberal gospels which believe that “gain is godliness”, if we weren’t every bit as guilty!

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**But the fact is, the greater part of so-called “conservative” gospels have our own version of a, “gain is godliness” type of thinking!**

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Yes, that’s right, while we are busy looking down our noses at those “crazy gospels”, the accusing finger from Heaven is likewise pointing down at us!

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PEACE AND PROSPERITY!

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For instance, most of us bring up our children to believe that they must grow up to have a career which pays as much as possible! And we pray that God will protect them, and provide an abundant life for them and for their children (our grand-children)!

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So how does this mind-set compare to the Bible’s admonition… “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”? 1st Timothy 6:8

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After all, we are not content for our children to merely have food and covering, are we? Of course not! We want our children to have a nice blissful and abundant lifestyle! Lots of things, nice vacations, entertainment, and all the same accouterments which this secular society enjoys! And such erroneous thinking as this comes from our own carnal hearts and from listening to what this decadent/opulent/hedonistic society tells us!

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Morning Prayers – Ebenezer Newman – Downard – 1860 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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A LIFE DEVOTED TO THE GOSPEL

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Instead, we ought to be bringing up our children to become self-supporting evangelists. Oh yes, they should be taught a trade. They need a very good work ethic!

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But this idea that they must seek after a complicated career which affords an affluent lifestyle, is not in harmony with the Bible.

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No, but rather, they should be taught that their time and money are the gift from God, and are to be used for the furtherance of the Gospel. Sacrificial giving of both time and money should become their greatest delight, as they follow the Great Sacrificial Lamb of God!

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Jesus the Carpenters Son-by-www.lavistachurchofchrist.org US public-domain.jpg

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WHICH WORLD WILL YOU CHOOSE?

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“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24, 25

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This above passage was spoken by Jesus, as He taught the multitudes on the Mount. But for the most part, this is not what is being taught our children in today’s church-world, neither liberal nor conservative!

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It seems that more emphasis is placed on earthly prosperity than on heavenly riches! At least, the greater part of Christian parents may be guilty of this!

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ABOVE PICTURE: The False Prophet – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses

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SODOM & GOMORRAH ALL OVER AGAIN!

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It’s no wonder that we’re being enveloped in by Sodom & Gomorrah! After all, wasn’t the original sins of Sodom the same opulence which attracted Abraham’s nephew, Lot? And after some years of prosperity, Lot and his family found themselves living smack-dab in the middle of Sodom!

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Well, it seems as though we conservative Christians have much in common with Lot. It appears as if Sodom is springing up all around us and our children, as it also did to Lot!

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Picture–Lot Escapes Sodom-Genesis3-www.thebiblerevival.com offers free Bible clipart-public domain.

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WHERE ARE WE TO FLEE?

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So what’s the solution to all this? How can we and our family escape today’s Sodom, even as Lot escaped Sodom of olden times? Where can we go?

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Listen… “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” Genesis 19:17.

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Yes, Lot was commanded to flee away from Sodom, to the mountain.

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But what mountain are we to flee to? After all, it is nowadays against the law to simply become “squatters”, and live in the mountains!

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But notice that God told Lot, “escape to the mountain!” God didn’t say “mountains” plural! But God said, “mountain” singular. It seems as if God had a particular mountain in mind for Lot to flee too!

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So what are we to do? Has God let us down? Has God forsaken us, leaving us in a hopeless position, with no way of escape?

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PICTURE – Constellation- Woman of Revelation 12 flees to the mountains Mark 13:14 This is not a star-chart, but merely a concept picture, but made up of real constellations (Ursa Major & Auriga, Hyades, etc…, howbeit not in their actual positions in the night-sky)

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Well, the solution to this great dilemma will be addressed in tomorrow’s devotional

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

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“Dear Lord, Teach me the correct way to live in this very affluent society. Give me the grace which lays down one’s life on the altar of Christ-like service. Hide me in this apparent day of wrath…

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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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WIDE & NARROW GATES IN THE HEAVENS

As the opening verse says, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

So what are these two gates all about? And how can I choose the right door? Well, just read this article and these questions and more will be answered.

But before we explore these questions, let’s take a look at why these two sets of stars represent these two biblical gates.

This sketch, while not 100% accurate, gives a fair portrayal of how this constellation group appears at winter’s end and even into June, when above the western horizon.

HOW THE GATES RELATE TO ORION & DRAGON

This sketch below is when these constellations are in the eastern sky in early winter (However, this constellation group can even be seen as early as July, in the pre-dawn hours). In the eastern sky, it’s not so easily seen which gate the Revelation 12 Woman will enter. The Wide Gate is made of the two brightest stars of this Wave of Water Constellation.

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Satan spews out the deadly water of his false worldly ideologies; which many of these ideologies have a form of godliness, but in some way are not in harmony; or perhaps these worldly ideologies add to the Bible, which is strictly forbidden (see Deuteronomy 4:2).

On the other hand, the Strait Gate (narrow gate) is composed of the two brightest stars of the Orion The Reaper’s sickle. The true Strait Gate represents Jesus, the Word of God. Listen… “I [Jesus] am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:9

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Signs Of Heaven