Daily Devotional – July 31

 

Time to Grow Up

Part 3

To go forward from here, we must go back.  Not long, but long enough to get a simple perspective.

Lets go back to that night on a storm tossed hill. 

Its 33 A.D.

A thief hanging on a cross, condemned by a harsh and unforgiving system, turned his pained gaze toward the tattered remains of a man nailed next to him.

“Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” He said.

And it is written, “And Jesus said unto him, ‘Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.’”

With such fierce simplicity, Christ paid the ultimate price for the sin of the thief, averting his eternal separation from God and ushering him into eternal life.  A mere thief, without merit, without works, without honor—an undeserving recipient of God’s wonderful and unconditional love.

Daily Devotional – July 30

 

The Wrong Man

Man in the pulpit had something to say

Told me the wrong thing, led me astray

Lookin’ at the wrong man. Wrong man.

Friend said she’d help me always be strong

The bond that we shared wasn’t that strong

Lookin’ at the wrong man. Wrong man.

I can do it myself, I don’t need no one

I guess that’s why I feel so alone

Lookin’ at the wrong man. Wrong man.

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Hebrews 12:2 (a)  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith;

News

Smoking just one cannabis joint raises danger of mental illness by 40%

Daily Devotional – July 27

Ephesians 5:14-17 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is .

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Daily Devotional – July 26

4 WIVES

(Author Unknown)

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives.

He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another.

He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidante and was  always kind, considerate and patient with him.  Whenever the King faced a problem, he  could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The King’s first wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her!

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, “I now have four wives with me, but when  I die, I’ll be all alone.”

Thus, he asked the fourth wife , “I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I’m dying,  will  you follow me and keep me company?”

“No way!”, replied the fourth wife, and she walked away without another word.

Her answer cut like a sharp knife into his heart.

The sad King then asked the third wife, “I loved you all my life. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?”  “No!”, replied the third wife. “Life is too good! When you die, I’m going to remarry!”

His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the second wife, “I have always turned to you for help and you’ve always been there for me.  When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you out this time!”, replied the second wife. “At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.” Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated.

Then a voice called out: “I’ll go with you. I’ll follow you no matter where you go.”

The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect.  Greatly grieved, the King said, “I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!”

In truth, we all are all married to four spouses in our lives.

The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it is in constant decay and decline.  it will leave us when we die.

Our third wife is our possessions, status and wealth.  When we die, its accumulation will go to others.

Our second wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our first wife is our spirit. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.  However, our spirit is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go.

Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God–the only thing of eternal consequence in our lives.

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1John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, [even] eternal life.

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Disclaimer:  Common Sense Christian does not advocate, promote or endorse having four wives (or four husbands for that matter…).

Daily Devotional – July 25

Time to Grow Up

Part 2

Step into 88 A.D.  Into the shoes of our brothers in the previous post.

Close your eyes, and emerse yourself, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Lay aside all the unnecessary paraphernalia, embellishment, and conditional thoughts you have inherited from nineteen hundred years of church councils, tradition, theologians, translators and interpreters.

And,

a lifetime of preconcieved biases, teachings and beliefs.

Imagine.

There are no state churches, conventions, creeds, prescribed orders, constitutions, cannons, scholarly commentaries

–not even a completed New Testament.

Ask the same questions those Christians asked themselves centuries ago.

What would bring you out into the dark night, where government agents intent upon your arrest and death lurk, to assemble with those so different?

What does it mean to be a Christian?

What is a Christian?

Do we even remember?

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Luke 18:8 (b) Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Daily Devotional – July 24

 

 Time to Grow Up

Part 1

The year is 88 A.D and thirteen of us meet tonight, with a guard posted at the door. We are gathered in a back room with only two candles and no heat. I’m freezing. After the opening prayer, I pause for reflection.

Three of us are Jews; two are Greeks, the rest Romans. Some are citizens; four are slaves.

We are all Christians, disciples of Jesus, some call “the Christ.” We were labeled “Christians” by others. We are not sure if it is a derogatory term or not, but the name seems to fit.

We think he was born about 88 years ago–that’s why we call this the 88th year of our Lord. We believe he was crucified by the Romans in 33, but we’re not sure. All we have are some partial accounts of his life and teachings, plus a few copies of copies of letters from Paul and one from Peter. The Lord’s first disciples are almost all gone now. There are rumors that John is alive, but he is not here and we don’t know where he is. Peter and Paul and many others were killed in 64, when Rome burned.

Nero blamed it on us.

The Jews rebelled against Rome in 67. When the Christians in Jerusalem saw the city surrounded by armies, they remembered what Jesus taught and fled across Jordan to Pella, in the desert. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70, and by the time the fortress at Masada fell in 73, they had crushed the entire Jewish nation. Now they are after us, too. The three generals who decimated the Jews each became Emperor, one after the other–Vespasian and his two sons, Titus and Domitian. Now, we must hide because Domitian is trying to restore the Roman religion. He executes both Christians and Jews.

But tonight we are all here, together.

Why have we come? Why do we slip out at night, away from our masters; hiding from the Romans, to meet in caves and catacombs and darkened rooms? What do we expect to happen that is so different, so attractive, so important, that we risk our lives to be here?

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1John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Daily Devotional – July 23

The Matrix – Final

Jesus, takes the Bible from your hand, feeling its weight, it looks natural in his rough and calloused hands. 

“The first step to becoming a soldier is to learn your weapon.  Your life and the lives of others depends on it.  It’s use requires instruction and practice.    As with all weapons, it comes with responsibility.   

You look in awe at the simple book, both dread and anticipation in your chest.   

“It’s multifunctional–two edged–it can be used two ways.”   

“How so?” you ask.

“It has been irresponsibly and improperly used for milenia by the ignorant and the wicked.  It has been used by man against mankind to destroy; justification for its wars, its hatred.    Millions of lives have been lost because of failure to understand its proper use…” Jesus pauses, his eyes sad and thoughful.  “…and many more to come.”

His eyes harden as his gaze meets your own; his countenance a mixture of anger,  resolve, sadness and challenge.  

“This book can be used to fight and destroy the spiritual enemy, the real one–it can be brought against spiritual principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].”

“But you mentioned that it could be used two ways…” your voice trails off as he places the book back in your hands.

“In the hands of my father it was used to build…”

Daily Devotional – July 20

I Thessalonians 5:21 (a) Prove all things;

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