Daily Devotions

[blazingthru]

The Example of Christ

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
(Revelation 3:21)

The example of Christ shows us that our only hope of victory is in continual resistance of Satan's attacks. He who triumphed over the adversary of souls in the conflict of temptations understands Satan's power over the race, and has conquered him in our behalf. As an overcomer, He has given us the advantage of His victory, that in our efforts to resist the temptations of Satan we may unite our weakness to His strength, our worthlessness to His merits. And sustained by His enduring might under the strength of temptation, we may resist in His all-powerful name, and overcome as He overcame.

 

[blazingthru]

God’s Rest

AN AMAZING FACT: Tutankhamun is probably the most famous Egyptian pharaoh and is better known as King Tut. This boy king died in his late teens and remained at rest for more than 3,300 years. But that changed in 1922 when Egyptologist Howard Carter, who was excavating in the Valley of the Kings, discovered the king’s tomb.

Still, the tomb came close to escaping discovery altogether! Carter had been searching for the tomb for a number of years on behalf of English patron Lord Carnarvon, who later decided that enough time and money had been expended with little return. However, Carter managed to persuade his patron to fund one more season, and within days of resuming excavation, the missing tomb was found—full of treasures.

Today the tomb still contains the pharaoh’s remains, hidden from view inside the outermost of three coffins. He is believed to be the only pharaoh still residing in the Valley of the Kings. King Tut’s tomb has yielded some of the greatest treasures of antiquity, but the most priceless treasure of all time is actually in an empty tomb outside Jerusalem!

Psalm 92 is a song for the Sabbath, a day of rest. It teaches us to praise God for the works of the past and the future. Jesus, after His crucifixion, rested in a tomb on the Sabbath. But Christ rose from the grave and is now in heaven interceding for us. This Psalm teaches us to give glory to the Lord. Some people might praise ancient kings who still lay in their tombs. We praise a living God who is coming again and in whom we can find true rest.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
- Psalms 92:13

They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
- Psalms 92:14

 

[blazingthru]

satan in Disguise

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
(1 Peter 5:8)

Satan is preparing his deceptions that in his last campaign against the people of God, they may not understand that it is he. 2 Corinthians 11:14: "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." While some deceived souls are advocating that he does not exist, he is taking them captive, and is working through them to a great extent. Satan knows better than God's people the power that they can have over him, when their strength is in Christ.

When they humbly entreat the mighty Conqueror for help, the weakest believers in the truth, relying firmly upon Christ, can successfully repulse Satan and all his host. He is too cunning to come openly, boldly, with his temptations, for then the drowsy energies of the Christian would arouse, and he would rely upon the strong and mighty Deliverer. But Satan comes in unperceived, and in disguise he works through the children of disobedience, who profess godliness. Satan will go to the extent of his power to harass, tempt, and mislead God's people.

 

[blazingthru]

Many Witnesses
AN AMAZING FACT: Sir William Ramsay, a renowned archeologist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, set out to disprove the historicity of the New Testament. Traveling to Asia Minor, he began to uncover evidence. It wasn't what he expected. Each dig provided further indication that the historical accounts of the New Testament were very accurate. Overwhelmed and convicted by the mountain of evidence, Sir Ramsay eventually became a Christian.
There were a multitude of witnesses to verify the resurrection of Christ. Mary saw and spoke with Him. Peter and the other disciples saw Him, spoke with Him, touched Him, and even ate with Him on multiple occasions. Later, more 500 of His followers saw Him at one time.

Why is it so important to be convinced of the resurrection of Jesus? Paul explains it this way: “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Corinthians 15:17, 18).

Without the resurrection of Christ, the future would be hopeless and being a Christian would be pointless. Paul says that if we have hope in Jesus just in this life, “we are of all men the most pitiable” (verse 19).

But we are convinced—through the witnesses in Scripture and through our own life-transforming experiences—that Jesus lives. In Him, our future is secure.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-6

 

[blazingthru]

Confidence in Self Fatal

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)

If Satan can so befog and deceive the human mind, and lead mortals to think there is an inherent power in themselves to accomplish great and good works, they cease to rely upon God to do that for them which they think exists in themselves to do. They acknowledge not a superior power. They give not God the glory He claims, and which is due to His great and excellent Majesty. Satan's object is thus accomplished. He exults that fallen man presumptuously exalts himself, as he exalted himself in heaven, and was thrust out. He knows that the ruin of man is just as sure if he exalts himself as his was certain.

 

[blazingthru]

For Apr 29, 2013

Whiter Than Snow

AN AMAZING FACT: Brides wear white to symbolize their innocence and purity. White reflects light and is a popular color in decorating and fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with everything. However, white shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep free from stains than other colors.
What’s your favorite color? Some like green, which seems to symbolize nature, a calming and refreshing color. Others enjoy red, which is an emotionally intense color and can actually stimulate your heart to beat faster. Blue represents loyalty, and weight lifters do better in blue rooms. The most romantic color is pink; it’s tranquilizing. Yellow is a cheery color, purple is the color of royalty, and brown is a reliable, solid color and is abundant in nature.

One of God’s favorite colors in the Bible is white. The robes we will be given in heaven are white (Revelation 3:20). Jesus rides on a white horse (Revelation 19:11). There is a great white throne of judgment (Revelation 20:11). David asked God to cleanse him from sin and said, “I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalms 51:7). It is interesting that white is seen in your eye when all three types of color-sensitive cone cells are stimulated with equal amounts. Perhaps this teaches us that when God is fully present there is no taint of sin.

The Bible talks about Jesus being transfigured. He was changed in appearance, and some of His glory was allowed to shine out. Notice how this is described. “His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them” (Mark 9:3). Jesus was without sin and when His divine nature opened up more fully, the color the disciples saw was a brilliant white. John saw something similar in Revelation 1:14.

No matter what your favorite color is, God wants you to know that when you come with your sin-stained life, the Lord will cleanse you and make you pure, just like Jesus.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
- Isaiah 1:18

 

[blazingthru]

Temptation No Excuse for Sin

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
(1 Corinthians 10:13)

There is not an impulse of our nature, not a faculty of the mind or an inclination of the heart, but needs to be, moment by moment, under the control of the Spirit of God. There is not a blessing which God bestows upon man, nor a trial which he permits to befall him, but Satan both can and will seize upon it to tempt, to harass, and destroy the soul, if we give him the least advantage. Therefore however great one's spiritual light, however much he may enjoy of the divine favor and blessing, he should ever walk humbly before the Lord, pleading in faith that God will direct every thought and control every impulse.

All who profess godliness are under the most sacred obligation to guard the spirit, and to exercise self- control under the greatest provocation. The burdens placed upon Moses were very great; few men will ever be so severely tried as he was; yet this was not allowed to excuse his sin. God has made ample provision for His people; and if they rely upon His strength, they will never become the sport of circumstances. The strongest temptation cannot excuse sin. However great the pressure brought to bear upon the soul, transgression is our own act. It is not in the power of earth or hell to compel any one to do evil. Satan attacks us at our weak points, but we need not be overcome. However severe or unexpected the assault, God has provided help for us, and in His strength we may conquer.

 

[blazingthru]

Our Inheritance

AN AMAZING FACT: When Ben Rea of the United Kingdom died in 1988, he left $12.5 million of his fortune to his cat Blackie, who became the wealthiest cat in the world.
Ben Rea was a millionaire recluse. He was an antiques dealer from Dorney, England, who shared his old, musty mansion with 15 cats. Eventually all the cats died off … except for his favorite, Blackie.

Rea did not have as much affection for humans, however, feeling that everyone was simply out to get his money. By the time he died of a heart attack at age 82, he had worked all his family out of his will. He didn’t leave one single cent to any relative; instead, he bequeathed it all to Blackie—who enjoyed a pampered life while Rea’s relatives steamed with anger.

Though God shares Rea’s affection for furry felines, His attitude toward human beings is a little different. He doesn’t look at us with a suspicious eye—but with a longing eye. It was this precise reason that God sent His Son. When we were poor, in need, and without strength, God sent Jesus to this world to die on our behalf—even for His “relatives,” whose attitudes toward Him weren’t exactly pure. And thus, when Jesus died, He didn’t bequeath His inheritance to animals but to humans.

The Psalmist declares, “For the Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance” (Psalms 94:14). We can rest in the assurance that God will never turn us away. He will never forsake us. Our inheritance in Him is guaranteed.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
- 2 Corinthians 8:9

 

[blazingthru]

The Guardian of Airways

AN AMAZING FACT: Your voice box is an amazing organ located at the top of your windpipe. It is a hollow, tubular structure that creates sounds and prevents food from entering your airways. On the upper part of your voice box is a flap called the epiglottis. When you swallow, your voice box rises and your epiglottis forms a lid over its opening. This blocks the passageway to your respiratory tract and prevents food and other foreign substances from entering where they don’t belong.
Inside your voice box (or larynx) there are two bands of tissue that form your vocal cords. When you speak or sing, muscles pull these cords together. The air passing through the cords makes them vibrate. You hear these vibrations as sounds. The shorter your vocal cords are and the faster they vibrate, the higher the pitch you produce. In both girls and boys, the voice box and vocal cords grow during puberty and cause their voices to deepen. In girls, this change can be hardly noticeable with their voices dropping by just a couple of tones. But boys’ voice boxes grow considerably. They also tilt to a different angle in the neck and can start to stick out as a prominent “Adam’s apple.” Boys’ voices can drop by as much as an octave.

A man once brought his son to Jesus’ disciples because the boy could not speak. When Jesus spoke with the father, He said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). The father “found his voice” and blurted out, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (v. 24). Then Jesus healed the boy, who now had a voice.

Though you also have a voice, you might not always use it to speak in faith. When we believe in God’s Word, we will find the voice of our faith growing stronger. Doubt sometimes blocks our voices from speaking truth. We need a “spiritual epiglottis” to guard the airways of our souls. Speak in faith and you will find your true voice.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
- Isaiah 52:8

 

[blazingthru]

Fortitude

... weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
(Psalms 30:5)

Those who are finally victorious will have seasons of terrible perplexity and trial in their religious life; but they must not cast away their confidence, for this is a part of their discipline in the school of Christ, and it is essential in order that all dross may be purged away. The servant of God must endure with fortitude the attacks of the enemy, his grievous taunts, and must overcome the obstacles which Satan will place in his way.

Satan will seek to discourage the followers of Christ, so that they may not pray or study the Scriptures, and he will throw his hateful shadow athwart the path to hide Jesus from the view, to shut away the vision of His love, and the glories of the heavenly inheritance. It is his delight to cause the children of God to go shrinkingly, tremblingly, and painfully along, under continual doubt. He seeks to make the pathway as sorrowful as possible; but if you keep looking up, not down at your difficulties, you will not faint in the way, you will soon see Jesus reaching His hand to help you, and you will only have to give Him your hand in simple confidence, and let Him lead you. As you become trustful, you will become hopeful.

 

[blazingthru]

Singing to God

AN AMAZING FACT: We all know that birds, bugs, and frogs are natural singers. But other animals that sing include some fish, mice, and bats—usually too high pitched for human ears—humpbacks whales, belugas, and even certain species of ground squirrels. In most instances, it is a male serenading a female with love songs.
A multitude of research studies confirm that singing is good for humans. To start with, singing releases endorphins—pain-killing hormones that cause happiness—in our brains. Singing can lower stress, improve sleep, and increase the function of the immune system.

Musical therapies, some still in the research phase, are being used to successfully treat patients with dementia, depression, and other medical conditions.

Singing can help to clear the sinuses and respiratory tubes, tone your stomach and facial muscles, improve your posture, and increase your lung capacity and mental alertness.

There’s no doubt that singing has many physical and emotional benefits. Music and singing are wonderful gifts from God. And when we use songs to praise God, our spiritual lives benefit as well.

The psalmist encouraged us to sing to our great God, to “come before His presence with thanksgiving,” to praise Him as the Creator of all things and “the Rock of our salvation.”
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
- Psalms 95:1-5

 

[blazingthru]

In the Strength of the Lord

... I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
(Job 23:12)

Jesus is the light of the world, and you are to fashion your life after His. You will find help in Christ to form a strong, symmetrical, beautiful character. Satan cannot make of none effect the light shining forth from such a character. The Lord has a work for each of us to do. He does not provide that we shall be sustained by the influence of human praise and petting; He means that every soul shall stand in the strength of the Lord.

God has given us His best gift, even His only-begotten Son, to uplift, ennoble, and fit us, by putting on us His own perfection of character, for a home in His kingdom. Jesus came to our world and lived as He expects His followers to live. If we are self-indulgent, and too lazy to put forth earnest effort to cooperate with the wonderful work of God, we shall meet with loss in this life, and loss in the future, immortal life.

God designs that we shall work, not in a despairing manner, but with strong faith and hope. As we search the Scriptures, and are enlightened to behold the wonderful condescension of the Father in giving Jesus to the world, that all who believe on Him should not perish but have everlasting life, we should rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Everything that can be gained by education, God means that we shall use for the advancement of the truth.

True, vital godliness must be reflected from the life and character, that the cross of Christ may be lifted up before the world, and the value of the soul be revealed in the light of the cross. Our minds must be opened to understand the Scriptures, that we may gain spiritual power by feeding upon the bread of heaven.

 

[blazingthru]

God Is Calling

AN AMAZING FACT: Valdemar Poulsen, the Danish telephone engineer and inventor, patented what he called a ‘telegraphone’ in 1898. The telegraphone was the first practical apparatus for magnetic sound recording and reproduction and enabled telephone conversations to be recorded. This was followed up by Willy Müller, who invented the automatic answering machine in 1935. It was a three-foot-tall machine popular with Orthodox Jews who were forbidden to answer the phone on the Sabbath.
The telephone has been around since 1892, when Alexander Graham Bell commercialized concepts for phone operation that had been around for years. The greeting he suggested for answering the phone was “Ahoy” (as used in ships). Edison later suggested “Hello.”

In the 1970s the various American phone companies requested that TV and film producers use the 555 prefix for fictional numbers to prevent genuine numbers from being accidentally used. This backfired somewhat in the 1980s when a Gary Larson cartoon, depicting Satan’s number as 555-1332, was reprinted in Australia—where 555 is a genuine area code. The owner of the number became the subject of harassment and later sued Gary Larson and his syndicate.

Can you imagine receiving a phone call from the Lord? Actually, the Bible tells us that many times God “called” people ( just not with a phone). One such story is the calling of the little boy Samuel. In 1 Samuel 3 we read of the young lad, while going to sleep one night, hearing his name called out. He ran to Eli the priest, who realized God was speaking to Samuel. The first message Samuel received from the Lord was a heavy one.

We do not need phones to hear God calling to us. And we certainly do not want to put God on hold. We need to be tuned in to the still, small voice of the Lord speaking to our minds and hearts. When God calls, the best way to answer is Samuel’s response, “Speak, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10).
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
- Hosea 11:1

 

[blazingthru]

Like Unto Leaven - Part #1

Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
(Matthew 13:33)

Many educated and influential men had come to hear the Prophet of Galilee. Some of these looked with curious interest upon the multitude that had gathered about Christ as He taught by the sea. In this great throng all classes of society were represented. There were the poor, the illiterate, the ragged beggar, the robber with the seal of guilt upon his face, the maimed, the dissipated, the merchant and the man of leisure, high and low, rich and poor, all crowding upon one another for a place to stand and hear the words of Christ. As these cultured men gazed upon the strange assembly, they asked themselves, Is the kingdom of God composed of such material as this? Again the Saviour replied by a parable:

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." Among the Jews leaven was sometimes used as an emblem of sin. At the time of the Passover the people were directed to remove all the leaven from their houses as they were to put away sin from their hearts. Christ warned His disciples, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Luke 12:1. And the apostle Paul speaks of the "leaven of malice and wickedness." 1 Corinthians 5:8. But in the Saviour's parable, leaven is used to represent the kingdom of heaven. It illustrates the quickening, assimilating power of the grace of God.

None are so vile, none have fallen so low, as to be beyond the working of this power. In all who will submit themselves to the Holy Spirit a new principle of life is to be implanted; the lost image of God is to be restored in humanity.

 

[blazingthru]

Like Unto Leaven - Part #2

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
(Psalms 51:10)

But man cannot transform himself by the exercise of his will. He possesses no power by which this change can be effected. The leaven--something wholly from without--must be put into the meal before the desired change can be wrought in it. So the grace of God must be received by the sinner before he can be fitted for the kingdom of glory. All the culture and education which the world can give will fail of making a degraded child of sin a child of heaven. The renewing energy must come from God. The change can be made only by the Holy Spirit. All who would be saved, high or low, rich or poor, must submit to the working of this power.

As the leaven, when mingled with the meal, works from within outward, so it is by the renewing of the heart that the grace of God works to transform the life. No mere external change is sufficient to bring us into harmony with God. There are many who try to reform by correcting this or that bad habit, and they hope in this way to become Christians, but they are beginning in the wrong place. Our first work is with the heart.

 

[blazingthru]

Blessed Are the Poor

AN AMAZING FACT: The richest man in the world is Mexican-born Carlos Slim Helú. At age 71, he is worth an estimated $74 billion, surpassing Bill Gates at $53 billion.
Born to Lebanese parents in Mexico, Helú made his fortunes in telecommunications. He is chairman of Telmex, a Mexican phone company that controls 80 percent of the landlines in the country. Helú is so wealthy that his net worth is equivalent to over seven percent of Mexico’s GDP.

Perhaps what is most remarkable about him, however, is his frugality. Though he is the richest man in the world, he still lives in the same modest six-bedroom house that he has resided in for more 30 years. Not only this, even though kidnapping is prevalent in Mexico, he still drives himself to work.

Of course, most of us probably have the inclination to envy this man. Think of all the things we could do with only a fraction of his wealth! We have our wish lists that contain all the toys we’d like to buy. We have our dream homes and our fantasy vacations.

Yet Jesus gave a stern warning to those who are wealthy and for those who covet wealth. After a young man came to Jesus, asking Him what he had to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give his money to the poor. The young man turned away sorrowful, however, because he was too attached to his toys.

It was then that Jesus declared that it “is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25).
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Matthew 5:3

 

[Laela]

I enjoyed that.... timely message. In conversations yesterday Haile Selassie came up and how they'd moved his remains from one tomb to the next. Proof he is a dead god. Buddha can't talk, hear or see. he dead too ..


Jesus is very much alive because His tomb is empty...proof we serve a living God. Conversely God is not a God of the dead but a God of the living, through Christ Jesus (Psalms 115:18). Glory to Jehovah God! Enjoy your Sunday...

God’s Rest

AN AMAZING FACT: Tutankhamun is probably the most famous Egyptian pharaoh and is better known as King Tut. This boy king died in his late teens and remained at rest for more than 3,300 years. But that changed in 1922 when Egyptologist Howard Carter, who was excavating in the Valley of the Kings, discovered the king’s tomb.

Still, the tomb came close to escaping discovery altogether! Carter had been searching for the tomb for a number of years on behalf of English patron Lord Carnarvon, who later decided that enough time and money had been expended with little return. However, Carter managed to persuade his patron to fund one more season, and within days of resuming excavation, the missing tomb was found—full of treasures.

Today the tomb still contains the pharaoh’s remains, hidden from view inside the outermost of three coffins. He is believed to be the only pharaoh still residing in the Valley of the Kings. King Tut’s tomb has yielded some of the greatest treasures of antiquity, but the most priceless treasure of all time is actually in an empty tomb outside Jerusalem!

Psalm 92 is a song for the Sabbath, a day of rest. It teaches us to praise God for the works of the past and the future. Jesus, after His crucifixion, rested in a tomb on the Sabbath. But Christ rose from the grave and is now in heaven interceding for us. This Psalm teaches us to give glory to the Lord. Some people might praise ancient kings who still lay in their tombs. We praise a living God who is coming again and in whom we can find true rest.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
- Psalms 92:13

They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
- Psalms 92:14

 

[blazingthru]

Like Unto Leaven - Part #3

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
(Ezekiel 36:26)

A profession of faith and the possession of truth in the soul are two different things. The mere knowledge of truth is not enough. We may possess this, but the tenor of our thoughts may not be changed. The heart must be converted and sanctified.

The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation merely--because he is required to do so--will never enter into the joy of obedience. He does not obey. When the requirements of God are accounted a burden because they cut across human inclination, we may know that the life is not a Christian life. True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right--because right doing is pleasing to God.

The great truth of the conversion of the heart by the Holy Spirit is presented in Christ's words to Nicodemus: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born from above, he can not see the kingdom of God. . . . That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit." John 3:3-8, margin.

 

[blazingthru]

Shout to the Lord

AN AMAZING FACT: The world’s loudest shout belongs to a Northern Ireland grade school teacher. Annalisa Flanagan from Comber had something to shout about when her sensational voice was re-entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the loudest in the world. She’s held the record for a decade with a shout that measured at 121 decibels, the equivalent of a jet engine. The word Annalisa shouted when she broke the world record was: “Quiet!”
Excessive shouting can damage your vocal cords. The strain can cause vocal cord nodules, and misusing your voice by screaming is unwise. Singers know how important it is to warm up their voices and use their diaphragms if they are going to sing loudly. Screaming is actually a vocal technique popular in heavy metal, punk, and hard rock music.

The Bible speaks of God’s people shouting. “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises” (Psalm 98:4). We can conclude from this passage that there is an appropriate time and place to lift up your voice loudly in praise to God. It is to be marked with a focus on praising God, being joyful and singing—not screaming or drawing attention to yourself. Worship in song was never meant to be wild and uncontrolled. Shouting to the Lord is marked by focus, purpose, and deep appreciation for God’s salvation (Psalm 95:1).

God will also one day shout. Paul explains this event of the second coming: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Sometimes we are too bland and quiet in our prayers and praises to God. There are appropriate times to be earnest and fervent in calling to the Lord. But we must remember that loudness does not make our praises more acceptable to God.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
- Luke 19:37

 

[blazingthru]

Like Unto Leaven - Part #4

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
(John 3:8)

The apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, says, "God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:4-8.

The leaven hidden in the flour works invisibly to bring the whole mass under its leavening process; so the leaven of truth works secretly, silently, steadily, to transform the soul. The natural inclinations are softened and subdued. New thoughts, new feelings, new motives, are implanted. A new standard of character is set up--the life of Christ. The mind is changed; the faculties are roused to action in new lines. Man is not endowed with new faculties, but the faculties he has are sanctified. The conscience is awakened. We are endowed with traits of character that enable us to do service for God.

Often the question arises, Why, then, are there so many, claiming to believe God's word, in whom there is not seen a reformation in words, in spirit, and in character? Why are there so many who cannot bear opposition to their purposes and plans, who manifest an unholy temper, and whose words are harsh, overbearing, and passionate? There is seen in their lives the same love of self, the same selfish indulgence, the same temper and hasty speech, that is seen in the life of the worldling.

There is the same sensitive pride, the same yielding to natural inclination, the same perversity of character, as if the truth were wholly unknown to them. The reason is that they are not converted. They have not hidden the leaven of truth in the heart. It has not had opportunity to do its work. Their natural and cultivated tendencies to evil have not been submitted to its transforming power. Their lives reveal the absence of the grace of Christ, an unbelief in His power to transform the character.

 

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The Things Not Seen

AN AMAZING FACT: Since much of the persecution of Christians throughout the world is carried out in remote areas, it is impossible to know accurately how many are being persecuted for their faith. Some estimates run as high as 200 million people in 60 countries. It is also estimated that many thousands of Christians are martyred each year.
A boy named Peter lived in a country that was taken over by a communist government. His mother and father were Christians. It was forbidden to talk to others about God, but Peter’s parents continued to do so. Eventually they were caught and put in prison.

Peter was then sent to a special camp where people tried to train him to forget about God. The other children there were cooperative with their teachers, but Peter would not lay aside his beliefs. The other children shunned him and made fun of him. Separated from his family and desperately lonely, he prayed for help. Each day God gave him the strength to resist the “training.”

With Jesus as his best Friend giving him strength, Peter stayed faithful under extreme pressure. Finally, the training camp gave up on him and he was sent back to his family.

Because of his strong belief in “the things which are not seen,” Peter would not give up his faith. And because he knew Jesus so much better through his persecution, his trial became a blessing.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

 

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Like Unto Leaven - Part #5

Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
(Romans 10:17)

The Scriptures are the great agency in the transformation of character. Christ prayed, "Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth." John 17:17. If studied and obeyed, the word of God works in the heart, subduing every unholy attribute. The Holy Spirit comes to convict of sin, and the faith that springs up in the heart works by love to Christ, conforming us in body, soul, and spirit to His own image. Then God can use us to do His will. The power given us works from within outwardly, leading us to communicate to others the truth that has been communicated to us.

The truths of the word of God meet man's great practical necessity--the conversion of the soul through faith. These grand principles are not to be thought too pure and holy to be brought into the daily life. They are truths which reach to heaven and compass eternity, yet their vital influence is to be woven into human experience. They are to permeate all the great things and all the little things of life.

 

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Resurrection Bodies

AN AMAZING FACT: The water bear, named for its awkward gait, is a tiny animal less than a millimeter long, yet it can withstand the most extreme conditions on earth. Its proper name is a tardegrade, and there are many species found all over the world, from the coldest poles to the warmest jungle. The beast has eight legs, two eyes, a central nervous system, and has piercing mouthparts that it uses to feed on the juices of plants. It is just barely visible to the naked eye.
So how tough are these guys? They normally live in damp places like mosses and lichens, but these habitats often dry out, get baked in the sun, and freeze in winter. So to survive these un-cozy periods, the water bear has a clever trick. It pulls in its legs, loses some water, shrivels up, and transforms into a “tun,” enabling it to withstand all kinds of extremes while hibernating.

Here’s a sample of some harsh environments that water bears have survived. Left in a bottle with dried moss for 120 years without water or air—when water was added, they sprang to life. Exposed to minus 458-degrees Fahrenheit, the coldest temperature possible (i.e., one degree above absolute zero). When thawed, they started up again. And in September 2007, tardigrades were taken into low Earth orbit on a space mission and exposed to the vacuum of space for 10 days. After the bugs returned, scientists discovered many of them had survived and laid eggs that hatched normally.

Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 5 of the assurance believers can have in the resurrection. Followers of Christ are exposed to all sorts of harsh conditions and “groan” (or long for) the day they will have new bodies. The water bear gives us a taste of this amazing Bible teaching of coming back to life after being exposed to extreme situations. Someday, when Jesus comes, we will spring to life. No matter how we died, Christ will restore us with strong bodies, even more durable than the water bear’s.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1

 

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Like Unto Leaven - Part #6

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
(1 Peter 1:23)

Received into the heart, the leaven of truth will regulate the desires, purify the thoughts, and sweeten the disposition. It quickens the faculties of the mind and the energies of the soul. It enlarges the capacity for feeling, for loving.

The world regards as a mystery the man who is imbued with this principle. The selfish, money-loving man lives only to secure for himself the riches, honors, and pleasures of this world. He loses the eternal world from his reckoning. But with the follower of Christ these things will not be all-absorbing. For Christ's sake he will labor and deny self, that he may aid in the great work of saving souls who are without Christ and without hope in the world. Such a man the world cannot understand; for he is keeping in view eternal realities. The love of Christ with its redeeming power has come into the heart. This love masters every other motive, and raises its possessor above the corrupting influence of the world.

The word of God is to have a sanctifying effect on our association with every member of the human family. The leaven of truth will not produce the spirit of rivalry, the love of ambition, the desire to be first. True, heaven-born love is not selfish and changeable. It is not dependent on human praise. The heart of him who receives the grace of God overflows with love for God and for those for whom Christ died. Self is not struggling for recognition. He does not love others because they love and please him, because they appreciate his merits, but because they are Christ's purchased possession. If his motives, words, or actions are misunderstood or misrepresented, he takes no offense, but pursues the even tenor of his way. He is kind and thoughtful, humble in his opinion of himself, yet full of hope, always trusting in the mercy and love of God.

 

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Looking Unto Jesus

AN AMAZING FACT: Abolition of the slave trade in England was delayed for more than 10 years because five pro-abolitionist parliamentarians were at the opera when the vote was being taken.

William Wilberforce had been working tirelessly for years toward one goal: the abolition of the slave trade in England. In 1796, he felt as if the tide had finally turned in his favor. When he brought the bill before parliament, as he did every year of his political career, he nervously awaited the vote.

Sadly, the pro-abolition side fell short by four votes. Lamenting later in his diary, Wilberforce wrote, “Enough at the Opera to have carried it.” It turns out those parliamentarians were attending the opening night of the comic opera I Dui Gobi (The Two Hunchbacks). Unfortunately, it would not be until 1807 that the bill finally passed. During that time, hundreds of thousands of slaves lost their lives.

It is no wonder that David wrote in the book of Psalms, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes” (Psalm 101:3). The Hebrew word for “wicked” is actually a little less extreme than this, however. It literally means “worthless,” or that which doesn’t have any real value. Yet how many times do we, like those parliamentarians, set worthless things before our eyes when people all around us are hurting, dying, and desperately needing our help? How many times do we turn on the TV or watch a movie when there are much bigger issues going on that God wants to involve us in?

God graciously invites us to look “unto Jesus” instead. (See Hebrews 12:2). It is there that we will find all that is lovely and, in response, we will seek to live as He lived.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
- Philippians 4:8

 

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Like Unto Leaven - Part #7

As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
1 Peter 1:15, 16.

The grace of Christ is to control the temper and the voice. Its working will be seen in politeness and tender regard shown by brother for brother, in kind, encouraging words. An angel presence is in the home. The life breathes a sweet perfume, which ascends to God as holy incense. Love is manifested in kindness, gentleness, forbearance, and long-suffering.

The countenance is changed. Christ abiding in the heart shines out in the faces of those who love Him and keep His commandments. Truth is written there. The sweet peace of heaven is revealed. There is expressed a habitual gentleness, a more than human love.

The leaven of truth works a change in the whole man, making the coarse refined, the rough gentle, the selfish generous. By it the impure are cleansed, washed in the blood of the Lamb. Through its life-giving power it brings all there is of mind and soul and strength into harmony with the divine life. Man with his human nature becomes a partaker of divinity. Christ is honored in excellence and perfection of character. As these changes are effected, angels break forth in rapturous song, and God and Christ rejoice over souls fashioned after the divine similitude.

 

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God’s Giant Youth

AN AMAZING FACT: Robert Wadlow (1918 – 1940) was the tallest person in history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. He was known as the Alton Giant (or Giant of Illinois) because he was born in and grew up in Alton, Illinois. He reached a height of 8 feet, 11.1 inches and weighed 485 pounds at the time of his death at age 22.

How did Wadlow grow to be so large? Doctors believe it was caused by hypertrophy of his pituitary gland, which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone. Robert showed no end to his growth, even at his death. His shoe size was 37AA. Unfortunately, his height had its drawbacks. He needed leg braces in order to walk and had little feeling in his legs and feet. Ten days before his death, while traveling on a tour, his ankle became infected because of a faulty leg brace. On July 15, 1940, he died in his sleep.

The Bible tells us that David fought against a giant named Goliath, who stood about 9-½ feet tall. His staff was “like a weaver’s beam,” which is the bar to which the long threads are fastened in a cloth-making loom, probably two inches in diameter. The iron spearhead weighed about 15 pounds.

Saul’s army stood shaking in their boots every time Goliath came out and defied the God of Israel. But David knew that while the weapons of man are no match for giants, he also understood that God’s power can save man. That’s true for you as well as you face your own giants.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
- 1 Samuel 17:45

 

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Hidden Treasure

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth the field.
(Matthew 13:44)

In ancient times it was customary for men to hide their treasures in the earth. Thefts and robberies were frequent. And whenever there was a change in the ruling power, those who had large possessions were liable to be put under heavy tribute. Moreover the country was in constant danger of invasion by marauding armies.

As a consequence, the rich endeavored to preserve their wealth by concealing it, and the earth was looked upon as a safe hiding place. But often the place of concealment was forgotten; death might claim the owner, imprisonment or exile might separate him from his treasure, and the wealth he had taken such pains to preserve was left for the fortunate finder. In Christ's day it was not uncommon to discover in neglected land old coins and ornaments of gold and silver.

A man hires land to cultivate, and as the oxen plow the soil, buried treasure is unearthed. As the man discovers this treasure, he sees that a fortune is within his reach. Restoring the gold to its hiding place, he returns to his home and sells all that he has, in order to purchase the field containing the treasure. His family and his neighbors think that he is acting like a madman. Looking on the field, they see no value in the neglected soil. But the man knows what he is doing; and when he has a title to the field, he searches every part of it to find the treasure that he has secured.

This parable illustrates the value of the heavenly treasure, and the effort that should be made to secure it. The finder of the treasure in the field was ready to part with all that he had, ready to put forth untiring labor, in order to secure the hidden riches. So the finder of heavenly treasure will count no labor too great and no sacrifice too dear, in order to gain the treasures of truth.

In the parable the field containing the treasure represents the Holy Scriptures. And the gospel is the treasure. The earth itself is not so interlaced with golden veins and filled with precious things as is the word of God.

 

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Overwhelming Forgiveness

AN AMAZING FACT: A Gallup Poll once found that 94 percent of Americans would like to be forgiving. But 85 percent felt that they could not be forgiving by themselves; in order to forgive, they needed help from God or something outside themselves.

Why do most people find it so hard to forgive? Maybe it has something to do with pride. If someone has wounded our feelings, it doesn’t seem fair to forgive them quickly and easily. Let them suffer guilt, let them grovel … then maybe we’ll consider it.

Aren’t we glad God doesn’t treat us that way when we do something wrong? According to Psalm 103, He doesn’t deal with us or punish us in the way our sins deserve. It says His mercy is as high as the heavens! As soon as we ask for forgiveness from Him, He graciously removes our sins “as far as the east is from the west” (v. 12).

Jesus said, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25). The Bible is plain on the subject: We can’t be forgiven unless we are willing to forgive.

Recognizing the undeserved, overwhelming forgiveness we receive every day from God should spark deep gratitude in our hearts and make it easier to extend forgiveness to those who have offended us. If we ask Him, God will give us the power to forgive others.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
- Psalms 103:8-12

 

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Things New and Old - Part #1

Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
(Matthew 13:52)

While Christ was teaching the people, He was also educating His disciples for their future work. In all His instruction there were lessons for them. After giving the parable of the net, He asked them, "Have ye understood all these things?" They said unto Him, "Yea, Lord." Then in another parable He set before them their responsibility in regard to the truths they had received. "Therefore," He said, "every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."

The treasure gained by the householder he does not hoard. He brings it forth to communicate to others. And by use the treasure increases. The householder has precious things both new and old. So Christ teaches that the truth committed to His disciples is to be communicated to the world. And as the knowledge of truth is imparted, it will increase.

All who receive the gospel message into the heart will long to proclaim it. The heaven-born love of Christ must find expression. Those who have put on Christ will relate their experience, tracing step by step the leadings of the Holy Spirit--their hungering and thirsting for the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He has sent, the results of their searching of the Scriptures, their prayers, their soul agony, and the words of Christ to them, "Thy sins be forgiven thee." It is unnatural for any to keep these things secret, and those who are filled with the love of Christ will not do so.

In proportion as the Lord has made them the depositaries of sacred truth will be their desire that others shall receive the same blessing. And as they make known the rich treasures of God's grace, more and still more of the grace of Christ will be imparted to them. They will have the heart of a little child in its simplicity and unreserved obedience. Their souls will pant after holiness, and more and more of the treasures of truth and grace will be revealed to them to be given to the world.