Today’s Devotional, Year 2 – February 15 (Who Lowered the Bar? Part 2)
By admin On January 19th, 2021.
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Today’s Devotional, Year 2 – February 15
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Who Lowered the Bar?
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Part 2
TO READ PART 1, CLICK HERE… March 3rd . . . . Who Lowered the Bar?
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Most of us, when back in school, took part in sports of one kind or another.
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But of all the sports, the one sport that didn’t get many takers was the sport of pole-vaulting.
Most of us instinctively knew that there was no future in pole-vaulting, at least, no future for most of us!
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Now of course, if someone would have lowered the bar, then just about any one of us could have been a pole-vaulter.
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2nd “AWAKENING” VERY FLAWED!
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There were at least two “Awakenings” in the Americas, in which the Church seemed to be brought to revival.
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The reason why the word “seemed” is used here, is because in the so-called, “Second Great Awakening”, there were a number of false doctrines introduced.
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And many of those false ideas are still being propagated in today’s church-world!
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Hamilton Portrait of John Wesley-1703-1791 – Wikimedia – Public domain
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CARNAL CHRISTIANS
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One such false doctrine is that a “carnal Christian” is in a saved condition.
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In
other words, there are many churchgoers who are still living in the flesh, thinking that because they are church members and have made a confession of Christ, that they are saved.
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And yet they are still worldly!
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And there is no shortage of ministers and Bible teachers, both on Christian television, Internet, and on the radio, and in the pulpits, who teach this great heresy.
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Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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SOME BIBLICAL SUPPORT FOR THIS IDEA
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And the reason for this great confusion is based on a statement by Paul, the Apostle…
“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual,
but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat:
for hitherto ye were not able to bear it,
neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal:
for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions,
are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”
1st Corinthians 3:1-3
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Well, if this was all the Bible had to say on the subject, we could close our Bibles, and say, “Amen. Carnal Christians can indeed be saved!”
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But though there are many theologians and Bible teachers who come up with doctrines based on only a few verses, the fact is, Bible truth must be discovered by a careful and prayerful balancing of ALL the related verses on any one particular subject!
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Spiritual things must be compared with spiritual!
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So let’s explore this idea for a few moments, and try to find some balance on just where the bar should be placed concerning Salvation!
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Magnifying Glass – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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WORKS OF THE FLESH
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Listen to this list of the sins of the flesh…
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,
emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:
of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:19-21
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So here we go! This above passage gives us a completely different perspective on this subject!
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Those who are still slaves of the flesh, are not yet children of the kingdom of Heaven!
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PS Krøyer – Hip hip hurra! – Kunstnerfest på Skagen – 1888 – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
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But this above passage about the works of the flesh continues by saying…
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh
with the affections and lusts.”
Galatians 5:22-24
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So here it says, that those who are truly Christ’s have “crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts”!
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Braet von Überfeldt – Woman with Bible – 1866 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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OVERCOMING THE WORLD & FLESH
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Now, there are many other passages that could be offered as further corroboration on this subject…
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Listen again… “He that overcometh,
the same shall be clothed in white raiment;
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life,
but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
Revelation 3:5, 6
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Now this above passage is very interesting, because it is just one admonition among many in the letters to the seven churches (which are found at the beginning of the Book of Revelation!)
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Transfiguration – Bloch – Wikimedia Commons – US Public Domain
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CHRISTIANITY, A 24/7/365 ENDEAVOR
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But dear truth-seeker, let’s continue to search the Scriptures daily, with the intent of getting to know our God and Savior.
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And then, let’s allow those Words of life to sink way down into our ears, so that they become an integral part of our substance and being!
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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – public domain
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Oh yes, just one more passage to consider…
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“For if ye live after the flesh,
ye shall die:
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,
ye shall live.”
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Romans 8:13
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help my heart to search out the true standard for God’s people to live by, and help me to live by that standard…
Woman praying – Heinrich Seufferheld – 1893 – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…“August 26th (End-Time Exodus, Part 2: Overcoming The World!)”,
or you can also read… “August 25th (Who Lowered the Bar? Pt. 1)“
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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WHY IS THIS WOMAN RUNNING SO FAST?
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(The Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 sketch above can be seen in winter in the northern sky.
It is Ursa Major, AKA The Great Bear, and her right leg and her torso is commonly known as the The Big Dipper .
She appears like this in the early fall in the pre-dawn hours, and is running westward.
The pathway with Bible books of course, are the artist’s embellishment)
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Running The Christian Race (Part 1: Paul & John: Our Role Models)”
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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TOMORROW…
FEBRUARY 16 . . . . Christians in the Hands of an Angry God!
ABOVE PICTURE: Unfunny Judgment Day Cartoon – a party tonight – signsofheaven.org
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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 #411 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